Looong Game

The final game of our series in Seibu was one to remember. The Seibu Lions are just ahead of us in the standings. We had split the first two games of the series, so the third and final game was pretty important. I wasn’t starting, but came into the game in the 7th as a defensive replacement. We had the lead 3 different times during the game and let them either tie or take the lead every time. (I’ll save you all the details, mainly because I cant remember them, but it was an impressive display of neither team giving up.) After 9 innings the game was knotted at 7, pushing the game into extra innings. (In Japan, we only play 12 innings, no matter what, if its tied after 12, then it’s a tie.) Neither team scored in the 10th, (although both team loaded the bases) and the 11th, was another zero. By now we are about 4.5 hours into this game and we are all wondering how long this might go. I was leading off the 12th, so I knew it was now or never.I drew a walk to start off the inning. After a couple hits, I end up coming around to score. We add an insurance run to take a somewhat comfortable lead going into the final half inning. 9-7. Game over right? Not so fast. To Seibu’s credit, they kept fighting back. They got hit after hit. I’m in center field screamin my head off, cheering for our pitcher. I DID NOT want to lose this game after all we had been thru. They get the bases loaded with one out and Bobby calls in a relief pitcher who had just been called up from the minor leagues and had made one previous appearance. YIKES! Its now 9-8 with one out, the bases loaded, and they have one of there best hitters up! I’m a nervous wreck in center, swearing nothing is going to touch the outfield ground. I was going to jump thru a brick wall if I had to. I see Sara standing in the isle, bouncing up and down in the stands. She wanted us to win as bad as we did. Sara, “My butt hasno feeling and it feels better to be jumping up and down!” We are now 5.5 hours into this game and most of the stadium had emptied because the last train of the night had left at 11:15 p.m. I guess all the trumpet players and drummers had to catch the train, because both cheering sections(what were left) were singin in a cappella. Our young righty gets ahead of the hitter, but the batter works the count to full. After a couple foul balls with the count full, the pressure builds to an unbearable level. A ball ties the game, a hit wins it, a strikeout gives us life. Its an obvious fastball count if there ever was one, but then again, we are in Japan, where any pitch will be thrown at any time. Out pitcher goes into his windup and delivers the pitch…..he snaps off a nasty SPLIT-FINGER (with the bases loaded) and the guy chases it for strike three!! I yell and pump my fist in the air. Talk about some balls. Now I’m really pacing around theoutfield. One more out and we can end this marathon victorious. Its almost midnight, and the game started at 6 p.m.! The next hitter, in less climactic fashion, grounds out to second to end the game!! YAY! The scoreboard flashes (so I’m told since it was in Japanese) that we had just completed the longest game in Pacific League history. Five hours and 45 minutes!!! I run off the field and high five all my teammates. What a great win! I run into the clubhouse and remember that I am scheduled to do an interview on XM radio at midnight (11 a.m. US time). I also find out that since the last train had left, we would be taxiing home to Chiba, which is over 2 hours away!!!! I take a quick shower and keep looking at my phone, waiting for it to ring. I get dressed and head outside where Sara, Bobby, Gary, Rachel, Sikorski, Frank etc. are all waiting for our taxis. The radio show finally calls at 12:30 and I explain to them what had just transpired. Luckily the taxi’s took awhile, so I had time to do the interview on foot as apposed to sitting in a taxi. The interview went great. I hang up and realize everybody is pissed because the taxi’s are taking so long. By now its after one in the morning. Luckily my darling wife had thought ahead and bought some food for me, so I at least had something in my belly. But for everyone else, they hadn’t eating since before the game, 8 hoursago! The taxi’s finally arrive at about 1:30 a.m.! Me, Sara, Gary and Rachel all pile into one taxi and the taxi driver doesn’t know how to get to Chiba! Great! We wait another 15 minutes while he fiddles with his navigation system. Gary was about to eat his hand, so we have the driver stop at McDonalds as soon as we left the stadium. Ha. I have trouble keeping my knee bent for more then 2 minutes (knee tendonitis), so I have my leg stretched out across the girls laps in the back seat the whole ride home. Sorry. The girls fall asleep while me and Gary tell riddles for 2 hours. (We have lots of experience killing time from all the long minor league bus rides). We finally make it home at around 3:30 a.m. and pay the driver 320 bucks! (we got reimbursed by the team) Sara and I crash immediately. I wake up a couple hours later and head to the park for another game. Just a day in the life! See ya on down the road,Chase