Mount Kisco little league playoffs and my team was undefeated. The whole season no one has touched us. Sponsored by Mount Kisco Pizza, the boss heard of our success and started giving us free pizza. “The cheesiest pizza in town” everyone said, and it’s so delicious. I was the lead off hitter and I was on fire leading up to the playoffs. The playoffs are a whole different atmosphere though. That’s when it counts most and when coaches really look at you to make the summer all star team. My coach told me I was going to make it regardless, so I didn’t have that under my belt to bother my but it was still nerve-racking knowing we have to win in the playoffs. This was especially true because we were the number one seed and every team was gunning for us. Our whole team was filled with excitement and we just wanted to get the playoffs over with. Coach gave incredible speeches, and even though we were little 12 year olds, this still put a great amount of pressure on us.
The first team we play is obviously going to be the worst team since we were the number one seed. Everyone was anxious and shaking with sweat coming down their heads. I got up to bat and I hit a single. It was funny because my friend Ben was pitching so now I could rub it in. We scored 4 runs in the 1st inning and throughout the game we were just killing them. My friend is a great pitcher, and he was going to be on the all star-team, but his team can’t field so the only outs he can get are strike outs. So we win by the slaughter rule and it was a good day.
We got the first round over with, but we still weren’t done with our mission to end the season winning the championship. Our next game would be a little tougher but we weren’t scared of anyone. We won a close one 6-2. I didn’t play well. Another one of my friends pitched and he’s an mvp candidate. His team also can’t really field. I struck out 3 times and I was nervous for the championship game now. The next team we played finished 3rd in the standings, and they were also saving their ace, Luke, another one of my friends. We were saving our ace though and are probably going to get mvp, so we knew we had a good chance. It was going to be a tough game though. Every parent and most of the little leaguers from every team show up because there’s an award ceremony after the game with Italian wedges and everything. This is easily going to be the biggest event of my life so far. The pressure is just overwhelming; I feel like I stepped up to bat with 2 strikes in the 9th inning and 2 outs. The game hasn’t even started yet either. It’s 4:30 pm, and the game was about to start. We’re the home team, and I hope I play well because I didn’t play well at al last playoff game. I think the pressure is getting to my head. Our ace is looking like Randy Johnson with his crazy 12 to 6 curveball. 5th inning and it’s 0-0, but our ace seems tired because he just let up a big double with Luke on the plate. Luke gets up and crushes the seams out of the ball. It flies over the fence, and now we’re down 2-nothing towards the end of the game, and everyone on our team is bugging out. Our undefeated season cannot come to a close like this. Parents are preparing their speeches for their kids when they go home crying. I don’t know how this can be. Thank god we got out of that inning with only letting up 2 runs. So now it’s the bottom of the 6th, were down 2-0 and we have the bottom of our line up hitting. You can see the other team with smiles as big as the world. We get 2 straight hits and now we have a man on 1st and 2nd. Our next hitter struck out and now parents were cheering so loudly that I bet the hospital could hear them from the field. Our number 8 hitter hits a single and the man on 2nd scores. There are people on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Our number 9 hitter strikes out so now there are two outs.
The last out would come to me; the main focus of our season is up to me. I was already playing terribly and now it’s my shot to redeem myself. Luke is getting tired and I can tell. I look at the stands as I reach the plate, and my parents can’t watch. My coach screams, “Lets go, Cristian. You know you can do this!” I can win the game with a hit. Luke pitches a fastball that blazes down the outside corner of the plate. It looked like a bullet in my eyes and its strike one. I take a step out of the batter’s box and I fix my batting gloves just like the major league players do. I’m trying to take everything out of my head right now and focus on this one pitch. I walk up to the plate as I’m trying to guess what pitch he’s going to throw next. I’m guessing fast ball because he just threw a great one. The pitch comes and it’s a fastball. My eyes open wide like when a deer sees a car at night time. I crank it all the way to the fence. Luke slams his glove down on the dirt and begins to cry. Both runs come in, and as much as I feel bad because Luke was my friend, I couldn’t feel any happier. I run to 2nd with my hands up. It was like I just got my first Nintendo for Christmas. All my teammates run to me and start carrying me. I felt like I was lifted as high as the peak of Mt. Everest. It felt like the wind up there was so much stronger. This was probably the best feeling I could ever imagine and my coach screams in joy, “You did it! I knew you could do it!” That right there was my biggest accomplishment ever and I’ll always remember it. Now I know what it feels like to be an athlete, a champion, and this set the standards with every sport I play for the rest of my life. During that moment, I found out I was a true athlete.