The Legend Begins
Good Will Bunting has arrived.
It’s the bottom of the sixth inning. 10:03 PM, EST. The lights are shining bright at Ebersol Field. Boston’s cityscape glows in the background, although Cambridge and the Charles River are shielded by shadows and a row of trees. HUB Sports Boston’s recreational softball league is finishing up its first slate of games for the new season.
It’s like 78 degrees and humid, even though the sun has been down for hours. Nice out, with a breeze, but sweaty, too. I’m certainly ready to go home and shower after the long day, but, first, we need to finish strong.
Sophia1 is up at bat, with Jackson on first and Trevor on third. One out is on the board. The black team gets into ready positions, as their outfielders run up towards the edge of the infield. Disrespectful. Sophia should bomb that sucker. It’s time for Good Will Bunting to make its mark.
It’s been a long game, full of surprises. I certainly didn’t expect to have to pitch six full innings. Granted, it’s a slow-pitch softball league, so I’m not exactly at risk of a Tommy John injury. I’d like to say I was chosen at pitcher after a fierce competition where I left my teammates with no doubt about my skill, but the reality is that no one else wanted to do it.
Plus, my tiny-ass mitt isn’t exactly designed for catching dingers in the outfield. I think I last used it in middle school? At 11 inches, it was the smallest on the team by far. Smaller even than Lauren’s mitt. Lauren is like 5’1. One teammate asked if I was really too cheap to spend $20 on Amazon. Clearly, he doesn’t know me very well. Like, I haven’t exactly splurged to get cleats, either. There’s a pattern here, Alex.
Anyway. Bottom of the sixth. Final inning. Sophia is up. Jackson is in scoring position. The black team’s pitcher (who was probably 40 years old and actually hit a home run into the Charles River) lobs the ball from the mound. WHAP. Sophia connects.
The ball flies through half of the infield before bouncing off the ground, into the shortstop’s glove. Sophia is running to first. Trevor is running to second. Jackson is running home. The shortstop goes for the easy out at second. Jackson makes it home. Sophia reaches first justttttt as the first baseman catches the ball from second.
Sophia is safe. We have two outs, but Jackson has scored. We cheer! We lose our minds! We rush Jackson as he romps back to the dugout! It’s like we won the Little League World Series! The black team is incredulous! Stunned, even.
After that, the next batter launches a solid base hit into center field, but Sophia gets thrown out at second.
The game ends.
We lose, 18-1.
GG Black Team! We’ll definitely get you next time!
My teammate, not my sister.
I’m so dead. Masterpiece. That ending got me 💀
Ayyy hope your softball season is as fun as mine was last year (we got mercy ruled every single game). Also lmk if you want to try borrowing my softball mitt.