The Healing Power Of Baseball

It’s been a tough week for me. Last Wednesday, I was hospitalized after dealing with some severe shortness of breath.

My biggest fear was that I had relapsed and was infected by the coronavirus again because the symptoms were so similar. However, it was worse, my kidneys stopped working and I was in the throes of renal failure.

The next day, I had surgery to put a port on my chest with two catheters connected to the aorta and vena cava of my heart. I was now tasked with living the rest of my life on dialysis. Like I said, it’s been a rough week.

I was back home on Saturday, but I was in no mood to speak to anyone among my friends and family. I was content with just sulking around and being mad at the world, mad at God, and mad at the situation I found myself in. I just wanted everyone to leave me the heck alone.

Around nine o’clock last night, I was restless and I poured myself a glass of apple juice, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV.

After a few minutes of channel surfing, I landed on Game 4 of the World Series. Truth be told I totally forgot that baseball was still being played, as lately, the game was the last thing on my mind.

I was surprised to see the matchup… I expected to see the Los Angeles Dodgers and their packed roster, but I never would have guessed that the Tampa Bay Rays would be representing the American League. I couldn’t even tell you more than five players on Tampa Bay’s roster.

I caught the last out of the 4th inning with the Dodgers leading 2-1. Randy Arozarena homered to right to bring the Rays within a run.

Things got interesting in the fifth after Max Muncy stroked a single to score Corey Seager who had singled ahead of him. The Dodgers were up by two runs again, but their two-run lead was short-lived as the Rays responded with a run of their own after Hunter Renfroe blasted a solo homer to make the score 3-2.

Enrique Hernandez’s RBI double extended the Dodgers’ lead to 4-2 in the sixth.

But in the bottom of the inning, the Rays roared back when after a single by Arozarena and a walk by Ji-Man Choi, Pedro Baez was brought in to pitch to Brandon Lowe and BOOM… Lowe crushes a 95 mph fastball from Baez for a three-run homer. Wow… The Rays just jumped in front 5-4.

At this point in the game I became completely invested in what was unfolding before my very eyes. I wasn’t thinking about my pain or my dire circumstances anymore. I found myself being totally excited for this Tampa Bay Rays team. Who are these guys?!!!

The Dodgers would not be deterred. Down a run in the seventh, Seager singled to right and Justin Turner doubled to center to put runners at second and third with no outs.

I can’t remember the last time I saw two teams battling this hard, and yet the best was still to come.

After Muncy and Smith go down on strikes, reliever Nick Anderson intentionally walks Cody Bellinger to load the bases with two outs.

Then just like clockwork, Joc Pederson singles to right, driving in both Seager and Turner, to put Los Angeles back in front 6-5. Are you freaking kidding me?!!!

Kevin Kiermaier tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the inning after belting a colossal 426 foot homer over the right field fence. It’s unbelievable… These pesky Rays refuse to lose and are becoming the Dodgers’ worst nightmare.

Corey Seager continued his incredible postseason performance, stroking an RBI-single in the eighth, his fourth hit of the game. The Dodgers were back in front with a 7-6 lead as the two teams continue to trade punches.

As I marveled over this postseason thriller, I quickly ran to the fridge and upgraded my apple juice to a Heineken Light. It was probably a bad idea, but hey, you only live once.

Cutting to the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers brought in the erratic Kenley Jansen to close out the game. It would be a fatal decision.

With the Rays needing a run to tie the game and two to win, Kiermaier slapped a broken-bat single to right off Jansen.

After two quick outs, the dangerous rookie Randy Arozarena drew a seven-pitch walk, bringing Bret Phillips to the plate.

Down to his last strike, Phillips lines a single to right, driving in Kiermaier. But after Chris Taylor booted the ball in center and catcher Will Smith botched the throw to the plate, Arozarena scampers home with the winning run, giving the Rays a thrilling 8-7 walk-off victory. Wow…

It was one of craziest and zaniest finishes to a postseason game I ever saw. I’d rank it right up there with Mookie-Buckner in ’86.

I’ve often heard about the healing power of baseball, and on Saturday night I witnessed it first hand. On a night that started out miserable, these upstart Rays invigorated me with a game for the ages.