Baseball miracles continue to abound
So often in sports, something completely unrelated to the playing field happens, and yet, because of the connectivity of this world, things come together in a way no one could have ever imagined.
This week, the sports world was shaken by the sudden loss of Miami Marlins star pitcher José Fernández, who was killed in a boating accident early Sunday morning. In the Marlins’ first game back following the loss of Fernández, leadoff hitter and second baseman Dee Gordon honored Fernández by taking a pitch from the right side of the batter’s box — Gordon is a lefty and Fernández hit right-handed.
Then, after Gordon removed Fernández’s helmet and put on his own, he stepped to the left side of the plate and crushed a ball beyond the outfield wall. Emotionally, Gordon trotted around the bases and was greeted by his equally emotional teammates.
“I ain’t never hit a ball that far, even in BP [batting practice],” Gordon said to USA Today after the game. “I told the boys, ‘If you all don’t believe in God, you better start.’ For that to happen today, we had some help.”
These types of events transcend sport. Luckily, such tragic events only enter the sporting world every so often, but when they do, those who are suffering are shown the support of a group unlike any other.
Fandom bonds a group of unrelated people in much the same way that school spirit bonds the Trojan Family. But even this differentiates each sport. Baseball is special in that way. Baseball has a way of playing itself out in the most storybook way possible, and not just when there is a tragedy.
On Wednesday, two days after attending the memorial service Fernández, childhood friend and St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Aledmys Díaz hit his first career grand slam.
Just last weekend, when the Dodgers bid farewell to long-time announcer and icon Vin Scully, the team clinched the National League West division championship on a walk-off home run from infielder Charlie Culberson.
These miracles don’t happen as often as it may seem, or as often as we might like, but if they happened every week, they wouldn’t be as poignant.
In August, there was also the spectacular three-run home run of Cincinnati Reds reliever Michael Lorenzen, who was back on the field for the first time following the loss of his father.
“If you’re around baseball and you’ve been here long enough, you’ll see all sorts of things that you think you’ll never see again or you thought you’d never see,” Reds manager Bryan Price said after the game to Cincinnati.com. “This falls under that heading. I never thought I would see something like that; as majestic and poetic and emotional as that moment.”
When baseball said goodbye to future Hall of Famer and former Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter, it was at the end of a long career with many moments of great importance. But in his last game at Yankee Stadium, in his last at bat, with the game tied, Jeter had a walk-off hit to end the game. As Jeter leaped in the air with both hands extended towards the sky, it’s hard to imagine a more fitting end to such a storied career, but baseball has a way with the world like that.
No one can predict when the next unforgettable baseball moment will happen, but it will, and if you are watching it, you’ll remember where you were, and if you aren’t a baseball fan, you’ll still hear about it.
As the magical season of October fast approaches, keep your eye on the baseball world — you never know when something is going to happen that is so beautiful, you wouldn’t even have been able to come up with it yourself.
Hailey Tucker is a junior majoring in broadcast and digital journalism. She is also the sports editor of the Daily Trojan. Her column, “Tucker Talks,” runs Thursdays.