FWB Friends With Baseball

New Hardware.

Jailyn~

"Throwing out the Ceremonial First Pitch, please join us in welcoming Team USA's Women's National Softball Team!" The stadium cheers as we take our place on the mound, waving to the nearly fifty thousand people in attendance here today. "These eighteen incredible women went seven and oh in the Olympic Games this summer in Tokyo, beating Japan four to zero to win the Gold. This is the team's first full appearance since accepting their Medals in Tokyo." The stadium's roar is even bigger than I could've anticipated, and I've been to every single game so far this postseason. This is crazy, and the fact we get to play this small, pretty insignificant part of today is incredible.

When the pitch is thrown, there's an uproar of cheers as we wave, again, heading towards the Brewers dugout. "Hey, thirteen," Christian calls out, grabbing my attention while we have our photo-op. Christian and I meet each other, exchanging a quick hug.

"You gonna hit like me today?" I ask, teasing slightly.

"That's the goal," He replies. We catch the camera on us and smile at it. It'd be impossible to hide from it on this stage.

"Pretty sure the goal is 'don't suck', but sure."

Christian laughs with a small eye roll, "That too." Our conversation is cut short when the National Anthem is announced. Christian and I join our respective teams to line up and honor the flag. God, I hope they can win this.

When the bottom of the eighth rolls around, I excuse myself from my suite to head down by Alecia and the other WAGs, along with Cam and Colin. Scooting in by them, Alecia and I exchange a hug as soon as she notices me. The sheer exuberant elation radiates from the crowd, three outs to go until Milwaukee has their first World Series win. Not a single person has left their feet since Christian barreled a two-run home run in the seventh to secure our lead.

"Hey," Colin says, "Nice of the girlfriend to join us!"

"Yeah," I reply, laughing, "Girl space friend." Having to yell over the crowd is less than ideal, but I'll take that over the alternative right now. "I've got my own team to be a part of sometimes!" Grabbing my medal, I flash it to him with a grin getting an eye roll, before I take another drink. "Hey, Cam!"

"What up, Jai!" He replies with a grin. He knows I'm not quite sober right now. Something tells me neither is he. He holds up his can. Chuckling, I pull mine up and hit it against his. Our drink is cut off as the crack of the bat rings out. Shit. Seeing the ball fly out to deep left, there's Christian running back on it. C'mon, drop for him! Hitting the warning track, Christian jumps up, and the stadium goes absolutely insane as he pulls it back. "MVP," chants engulf the stadium as he throws the ball back in. Two down, one to go.

The four of us are completely ecstatic at how well this game is going, let alone how incredible this game has been for Christian on his own. "What'd you say to him after your pitch?" Colin asks.

Snorting, I laugh, "I told him to hit like me, and then I told him not to suck."

"Well, it looks like it worked," Cam replies as the three of them laugh.

The last Yankee batter has a full count on him now, and the crowd is completely losing its mind. Thirty-eight years since we've been here, fifty years since the organization has been in Milwaukee. Milwaukee is about to have a Championship team. The last pitch is thrown, and the batter makes contact. The ball flies nearly straight up in the air as Urias runs up on it, Christian running in for backup. Everything seems to almost be in slow motion as the ball comes down and we're milliseconds away from the Brewers becoming the World Series Champions. When the ball comes down, and Luis makes the catch, pandemonium ensues. The emotions are incredible as there's anything from tears of joy to screams of pure elation. This has been fifty years in the making, and it's been a damn good way to get it.