Kyle in Poland: Game 19 Recap
Baltic League Elimination Round vs Falcons Lodz, Photos at the end
Yesterday, we hosted Falcons Lodz in the Baltic League Elimination Round to begin our postseason journey.
Surprisingly, I started at shortstop and hit sixth in the lineup.
In my first at bat, I barreled a ball over the center fielder’s head for an RBI triple and later went on to score. It was a fantastic start to the day.
The next inning, I received my first and only action in the field when a lefty hit a groundball directly to me. I happened to be in the perfect position, read the ball well, handled the hop, and side armed a strike to the first baseman. For not playing shortstop on a regular basis in years, it was a fine play.
In my second at bat, I hit a high fly ball to left field on the very first pitch. The ball was caught, but since we had a runner on third, it resulted in a sac-fly.
During my third plate appearance, I hit a groundball back up the middle for an RBI single, and then took second base with aggressive baserunning.
Unfortunately, my fourth at bat was awful.
With a new pitcher on the mound throwing even slower than his predecessor, I simply could not wait long enough. I swung entirely too early, hit the ball on the very end of the bat, and grounded out. It was a “swinging bunt,” if you will, and immensely embarrassing.
During my fifth and final at bat of the day, I faced the Bangladeshi man who was a former cricket player.
I fouled off the first pitch and on the second, I got hit directly in the ankle. Luckily, it did not hurt at all, and a couple batters later, I went on to score again.
Toward the end of the game, Falcons had a tough time throwing strikes and the score got very out of hand, even with us taking it relatively easy.
We ended up winning by a whopping score of 26-0, a true American football beatdown.
Here are some thoughts on the game.
We beat Falcons Lodz for the fourth time this season and extended our overall record to 16-3.
They were a very poor team, but I honestly did not expect it to be so lopsided. Sure, with Taku on the mound, they stood no chance, but frankly, what really caused the score to get out of hand was Falcons’ lack of pitching and defensive playmaking.
As for our team, we will continue to work in order to achieve our goals. While we certainly had an impressive performance, we will have to bring it even more once we face stiffer competition; no other team the rest of the year will be a pushover.
Regarding my own performance, I was very pleased. The first ball I hit was a great shot near the center field fence, resulting in my first triple of the season. Overall, I would say it was mostly a positive and productive day at the plate.
Defensively, I felt more comfortable at shortstop during this game than I did earlier in the season, but there is no doubt I am at my best playing first base. Either way, I will do whatever is best for the team and give it my all, regardless of position.
Total stats for the day: 2/3, one single, one triple, one sac-fly, three RBIs, two runs scored, and one HBP.
Our first postseason game was a success, and we will soon look to accomplish more.
We are off again this upcoming weekend, but the following one will be incredibly important.
The Baltic League Baseball TOP 4 Tournament will begin on July 8 and, should we win, the championship will take place the following day.
Earning a trophy would be an idealistic way to cap off the summer and end my time in Poland. If we play to our capabilities, I believe Piraci Wladyslawowo can do it!