Day 13: Homerun

This was the first essay I ever wrote for the Bells and it still holds a dear place in my heart given I actually spent quite a fair bit of time on it, reseaching on baseball- though I'm sure I still got some facts wrong- and reading through many many verses to find just the right one. The inspiration for this started in Las Vagas in 1999, I had the chance to watch a little league baseball game at a field near this lunch deli I was at. It was between two teams with tiny little boys and when one of them actually scored a homerun the smile that spread across his face was positively priceless.

Homerun

The last ticket had been sold months before. For months, people have been anticipating this day. For weeks, speculations raged as to whom would finally emerge victorious. For days, fans had not been able to sleep well knowing the day of reckoning was coming. No. It was not the general elections, neither was it the centennial Olympics. It was bigger than that. It was the most mammoth of all games, it was where the best would meet the best. It was the New Life Baseball League (NLBL).

Heaven Warriors, defending champions of the NLBL were meeting once again with Hell Furies. For the longest time, they have been rivals, many were taking the Heaven Warriors to maintain their unblemished record of straight wins, others were not sure considering Hell Furies had seen their most promising season yet.

J. Christ- Heaven Warriors’ team coach since the team’s inception and premiere in the Creation League eternity ago was busy preparing His boys. They were a seasoned team that an impeccable teamwork. He had, afterall, the top four players in the league: William Love, Damien Faith, Graham Grace and Selerio Vation (affectionately known as Sal Vation). All four had already been indicted into the NLBL hall of fame.

Busy in the other locker room was Stephen A. Tan, team coach for the Hell Furies. Though he had the considerably weaker team, no one was affirmatively saying victory would elude them once again. Hell Furies boasted two of the world’s best pitcher-catcher combinations in Alan Death and Mike SINclair.

It is now the final moments of the game, the bottom of inning nine. The Hell Furies are still up by three, which meant that the final four runs have to be executed successfully by the Heaven Warriors for them to win the league. William Love steps up to take bat, watching closely for the killer pitch SIN was going to throw. Behind Love, Death twitches, steadying himself for the fast ball approaching. With a single swing and a loud crack, ball connects with bat; the ball falls fair and Love makes it to first base. Love never fails (I Corinth. 3:8).

Damien Faith is a small man, a disadvantage he makes up for with speed, and he now steps up to bat, bracing himself for the deadly pitch. SIN recoils, his gaze unwavering and pitches. Faith’s shoulders twitch just so, and swings- the ball flies way over the center fielder. Faith makes a dash first base, Love to second. Faith, small as a mustard, can move a mountain (Matt 17:20).

The tension in the stadium is thick beyond measure, strained nerves all round, the war cries get louder. Suddenly, there is silence, for Graham Grace has stepped up to the plate. He rubs the bat for a briefest of moments and stances in preparation. With expert precision, SIN pitches, Death reaches out, Grace just gets to the ball first. The crowd cheers as Graces runs to first base, Faith to second and Love to third. (My) Grace is sufficient…(2 Corinth. 12:9).

The final countdown, the last batter, Sal Vation takes his place at the batter’s plate, as SIN readies himself at the pitcher’s mound opposite. Everyone watches with bated breath, no one dares to breathe. Sal Vation glances back at his coach who gives him the two thumbs up. This is it. SIN pitches the pitch of his life, Sal Vation, with a loud crack hits the ball. The ball ricochets into the screaming crowd. SalVation can be found in no one else (Act 4:12).

It’s a homerun. Love reaches home base first, followed closely by Faith, Grace and SalVation. Out on the field, SIN stands with Death wondering what went wrong and when they look to their coach, their bench is empty. Again.