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So, full out brag mode. I already mentioned John, who is SC's friend since pre-school. Another member of their team is Pat. Pat's been friends with the boys since kindergarten. All three families are super close, and I've watched these boys grow up. Just by chance they all got into the same middle school, and are having a blast playing together on the baseball team.
Playoffs started this week. They won their first game 18-2. The three of them bat 1-2-3 in the lineup and had themselves a day. 12 plate appearances, 5 hits, 7 walks, 12 runs scored. They drove in another 3 runs not counting each other, so altogether, they were responsible for 15 of the 18 runs. It's the best I've seen them play. They ripped the ball over the field their first few at-bats, and then took their walks the rest of the game. The other team is not great (neither are we), but they played us close during the regular season. I think we won like 5-1 or something like that. And it would have been something similar to that had these three boys not gone into beast mode.
I sat along the sidelines taking it all in while texting play-by-play to John and Pat's dads, who couldn't make the game. The boys are babies, so each time they reached base, they looked over at me looking for praise, and of course I said to them things like "Seeing-eye single" or "I scored it E7. He took a bad route". Eventually one of the other parents looks over at me and says "How many kids do you have playing in this game?" And I said those three are mine. The one in the middle is my actual son, and the other two are like nephews. "Wow, you're lucky. Those three are the stars of the game." Eh, they're ok, I respond. Meanwhile I'm freaking bursting inside. I don't get to as many games as I would like, but man was I glad I was able to swing this one.
We lose Pat next year. He'll be going to a different HS. And for the travel programs, Pat is a little older so he's not in the same age group as SC and John. So this is likely the last time the three boys get to play together. I hope they're having as much fun as I am.
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