Full Count

Falling in love with baseball

Kalani Mahelona sat in the stands, his eyes glued to the baseball game unfolding before him. It was a warm Saturday afternoon, and the high school baseball team was playing against their rivals from the next town over.

Kalani had never been to a baseball game before, but he had always been curious about the sport. His dad was a huge baseball fan and would often watch games on TV, but Kalani had never really paid much attention.

But now, as he watched the players run across the field, swinging their bats and diving for ground balls, he was captivated. There was something about the way they moved, the crack of the bat, and the excitement in the air that thrilled him.

He leaned forward in his seat, his eyes following the ball as it soared through the air. The crowd around him erupted in cheers, and Kalani grinned, feeling a rush of adrenaline.

As the game continued, Kalani found himself getting more and more invested in it. He cheered along with the crowd, shouting and clapping as the players made impressive plays.

But it was the pitchers that really caught his attention. They stood tall on the mound, their arms whipping forward in a blur as they released the ball. Kalani was fascinated by their technique, the way they could make the ball curve and dip and dance.

He leaned over to his dad, who was sitting next to him. "Dad, I'm gonna play baseball."

His dad looked at him, surprised. "Baseball? You've never shown much interest in it before."

Kalani shrugged. "I don't know, I just really like it. It looks like fun."

His dad chuckled. "Well, I think it's great that you want to try something new."

Kalani grinned, feeling a rush of excitement. He couldn't wait to get out on the field and play.

Fast forward to Kalani's third year of middle school, and Kalani had finally made the middle school baseball team. He had worked hard all year, practicing his pitching and fielding every chance he got.

But he had yet to play in a game. The coaches had told him he needed more practice, that he wasn't quite ready yet. Kalani had been disappointed, but he knew they were right. He didn't want to embarrass himself or let his team down.

That is, until the day of the big game against their cross-town rivals. The team showed up to their dugout, and as they were preparing themselves they hear cheering from the opposite dugout. They all look over and see their opponents, Kahakai middle school.

"Dang, our first game of the tournament and it has to be against the favorites to win the whole tournament." One of Kalani's teammates says. "And we're up against Kaiona Nakamura." Another adds. Kalani looked towards the opposing dugout, and glared at Kaiona.

The game begins and all the way to the seventh inning, Kahaki middle school holds them at zero, while they score four runs. "Damn, we gotta stop them from scoring this inning." Kalani's coach says under his breath. Kalani hears him say that. "Coach!" Kalani yells.

"Put me in! I'll change the tide of the game!" He adds. His coach stares at him confused. "Jakes tired, and if he continues he might allow more runs." Kalani continues. Coach looks at Jake, the ace, and he sees sweat coming down his face and he continues to breath heavily.

"Damn he is tired!" The coach says in his head. He then looks over at Kalani, who seems very confident in himself. Jake starts to set himself on the mound when he hears, "Time!" He looks to his dugout and sees his coach and standing beside him is Kalani.

"Pitcher change!" The coach yells.

Kalani's heart was pounding as he stepped out onto the field, his stomach churning with nerves. He was up against Kaiona Nakamura, the best catcher in their grade. Kalani knew he had to bring his A-game if he wanted to impress anyone.

"Damn! I was so confident in coming out here! The air is different out here!" Kalani says in his head. Kaiona glares at Kalani and thinks, "We don't have any information on this guy. Are they really putting a pitcher in who's never once played a game?"

Kalani took a deep breath and wound up for his first pitch. It was fast, but it was all over the place. It landed in the dirt, and the catcher had to scramble to block it.

Kaiona was shocked at the pitch. "Damn! That was fast! Luckily that landed in the ground!" He thinks. Comments from the crowd started to get loud. "Wow! That was fast!" "That was almost like a laser!" "If he can get that in the strike zone, it'll be impossible to hit!"

Kalani felt a wave of panic wash over him. He had never pitched in a real game before, and he was already off to a bad start.

He tried to shake it off and focus on the next pitch. He wound up again, his arm whipping forward as he released the ball. This time, it sailed high and outside. The catcher had to jump to catch it.

The crowd groaned, and Kalani felt his face flush with embarrassment. He could hear Kai chuckling behind the plate.

Kalani tried to calm himself down. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on his mechanics. But no matter what he did, he couldn't seem to find the strike zone.

He walked batter after batter, his pitch count climbing higher and higher. The game had to be stopped because of all the walks.

The teams stood across from each other, bowed, and then shook hands with one another.

Kai didn't hold back his criticism, hitting Kalani with some harsh, cheeky words that stung. "Hey, Mahelona, you're supposed to be pitching, not throwing batting practice!"

Kalani felt humiliated. He knew he was doing poorly, but he didn't know how to fix it. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the stands on him, judging him.

Kai sauntered up to him, a smirk on his face. "Listen, kid. If you can't pitch, you might as well go home. You're just wasting everyone's time."

Kalani felt a surge of anger rise up in him. He knew he wasn't playing well, but he didn't deserve to be treated like this. "Hey! Listen! Mark my words! I WILL STRIKE YOU OUT! AND I WILL BEAT YOU! Maybe not today! But believe me, I WILL!"

The team tried to calm him down, but he continued to bark, determined to prove himself. Kai scoffed and walked away, shaking his head.

Kalani felt his shoulders slump as he trudged off the field. He knew he had let his team down, and he didn't know how he was going to face them in the locker room.

"Head up kid. It's my fault for even putting you in." The coach says to Kalani. Those words stung. Kalani was the last one out the locker room. He stayed there for a while and tears began to fall down his face.

Later that evening, as Kalani sat alone in his room, feeling sorry for himself, there was a knock at the door.

He got up to answer it, wondering who it could be. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see a woman standing there, holding a clipboard.

"Hi, Kalani," she said, smiling warmly. "My name is Ms. Johnson. I'm a scout for a high school baseball team, and I was at today's game."

Kalani's eyes widened in surprise. A scout? For him?

Ms. Johnson continued. "I know today didn't go the way you wanted it to, but I saw something in you that impressed me. You have a fast ball that has real potential. I wanted to talk to you about possibly playing for our team next year."

Kalani couldn't believe it. He had never thought about playing for the high school team before, but the idea was thrilling. He felt a surge of excitement and determination.

Kalani felt a renewed sense of purpose. He knew he had a long way to go to become the pitcher he wanted to be, but he was ready to work hard and never give up. He was determined to make it to the high school team, and to show Kai Nakamura what he was made of.