Baseball Narrative

If you believe in yourself, you can accomplish great things in your life. I had signed up to play baseball, just like any other year. It was a warm summer day, with a slight touch of a cool breeze. I gazed out the window of my dad’s car at the baseball fields at the sports complex, wondering which one I was going to play in. I walked out of my dad’s car, then carried my bat and glove to the field. “Oh boy, I really hope we win this game!” I thought to myself with a determination. I could smell the familiar aroma of the dark green grass mixed in with the salty aroma of the soft dirt as I entered the field. The teams of third and fourth graders started to warm up for a little while before the game started. The umpire said, “Play ball!” and
the game started. As I was sitting on the bench, I could hear the loud smack of the ball meeting contact with the tan-colored catcher’s glove. I then stared down at my bat, which I had bought recently. To me, the bat was a long metal stick with endless opportunities. This could possibly take me to a great college team, or maybe all the way to the MLB! About midway to the end of the game, it was finally my turn to bat again.
I had struck out most of the up-bats before that (I wasn’t necessarily the best baseball player back then). However, I was completely ready for the ball to come at me. I grasped the handle of the cold, hard bat tightly. The ball flew right over the home plate, and I hit it with all the power I had left in my body. The ball went soaring, looking like a white bird migrating south. The ball landed unquestionably far into right field, and as soon as it did, I started to sprint to first base. I decided that it would be safe to round to second base. I had already been past second base when the player playing right field got to the ball. I made it to third base, wondering if I could sprint home. I decided to wait, but I clearly could have ran to home plate. It took a while to process what had just happened. I had just hit a two-run RBI triple! I hadn’t even noticed the two runners on base come home, since I was really in the moment. Our team got through the inning, and it was my turn to pitch. This was only the second time that I had ever pitched while playing baseball! I ran out to the mound, and I started to warm up with the catcher. I rolled the hard, slightly dirty ball in my fingertips. “You can do this, Nathan,” I thought to myself nervously. “The whole team is relying on you.” After a bit of time, I was able to strike out two players and get a groundout to end the
inning. I could hear the loud cheers of the players’ parents. All of the cheering made me feel like I was playing in Wrigley Field! The game ended, with my team winning by a long shot. My team was actually one of the worst teams in the league that year, because of our miserable record. I could hear the crunch from the of my cleats making contact the dirt as I left the field. Then, all of the players came to the dugout, and the parents took photos of everyone on the team. We said our goodbyes, and afterward I entered my dad’s car. “That was great, Nathan!” exclaimed my dad. That day, I realized a valuable lesson. If you believe in yourself, you can accomplish many great things in your life, baseball or not. After that game, I have had much more self confidence when I do anything, not just baseball.