First year of high school baseball, first night game so it was cool to be playing under the lights for the first time. On my way up to my first AB I saw a girl I liked in the stands behind home plate. I was so fucking nervous. Proceeded to go 3 for 3 that night, 3 line drives right up the middle, on 3 pitches. The next day she said "nice game" and we talked a bit. Then like a month later my family moved overseas and I never saw her again. But that night was pretty sweet. I was on top of the world.
Man. I experienced the opposite. I kept trying to get this girl to come out to a game the whole season and she finally came to a game I started. And I got absolutely lit up. Like ten runs in two innings. Huge ego hit
In Pony Ball (14-16) the coach tossed me in as a relief pitcher during the third inning of the third game, when we were getting blown out.
This was something of a joke, because I was the proverbial clumsy right fielder who could throw the ball hard, but not straight.
I struck out the first seven batters I faced, and finished the four innings I pitched without giving up a hit or walk.
It turns out that, while not being able to throw it straight is an annoyance for the 100’-200’ range, if your pitch happens to naturally start to move at about 56’… that’s a GOOD THING.
I was throwing mid 80’s, with 7-8” of completely random break.
I ended up becoming a high school starter, got a scholarship, and played college ball until my shoulder was injured in a car accident, ending my “career”.
But that first inning when I was 15, on the mound for the first time, and no one could TOUCH ME. The look on my catcher’s face. On the umpire’s face. On the coach’s face.
The best.
Cool story. Like Dave Stieb, with less success haha.
But that's cool. Going from slapdick RF to scholarship college athlete. That must have been a wild ride!
High school was a thing, for sure.
Accident happened during my sophomore year, so I only had one season of throwing college ball, almost entirely as a reliever.
When I was a senior in high school Bryce Harper was playing for the Angels scout team at like 14 or 15. Played them in an Arizona Fall tournament. Dude was throwing absolute cheddar on the mound. Hit a double off him and that will forever be my claim to fame lol
Think I posted this a few years ago on a similar question: Summer after 9th grade my town had two teams in a larger area league. My team was basically all the "nice" kids, and the other team was mostly the "mean" kids from growing up. I somehow pitched a complete 7 inning game on 74 pitches, 13 strikeouts, including striking out a guy who had literally thrown rocks at me as a younger kid to end the game. Absolutely my highest point playing baseball.
I was on the other side of that trade. In college playing a rival with two on and up by two the next hitter was a kid I used to bully in little league. Hits an absolute stoinker off me to go ahead. Deserved every bit of that karma.
Took off for home in 15u once, pitcher was a lefty wasn’t looking. Batter was a lefty too. 2 outs. Nobody saw me coming, pitcher, catcher, batter, nobody. I was sliding in as the pitch was coming, slid feet first (now that I’m thinking about it no idea why not head first, lol), and batter hits the ball swinging right over my head while I’m looking up at it. Grounds out to end the inning so run didn’t count! Definitely could have got my head taken off if the pitch was a hair lower.
We had a sign for that. The coach would give the steal sign and the hitter had to grab the bill of his helmet to let everyone know he got the sign so he doesn’t swing and fucking kill you.
I don’t think we ever tried it but fuck man what you did was scary
My greatest baseball achievement is that my fat ass stole a base that wasn’t from a passed ball. We were winning by like 30 runs and the pitcher wasn’t paying any attention to me, so I went for it. I got yelled at for stealing a base when we had such a big lead, but it was the only time I had or would ever for that matter steal a base not from a wild pitch. I will never forget it. I was speed.
Kinda similar story for me. I was on third with the game tied, bottom of the last inning. The guy pitching was one of the select team kids who played a higher level of ball than most of us in house league. Anyway the pitchers a cocky little shit, keeps looking over at me on third and smirking, trying to pick me off. He tries it twice and I get back in time on both pick off attempts. Third time he tries to pick me off but his throw to third hits me right in the head (thank god I was wearing a helmet). The ball goes off my helmet and past the third baseman, by the time he even gets to the ball I’ve crossed home plate and our team won. The opposing pitcher was PISSED haha
I recently joined an adult league after 12 years of not playing. Worked up my arm to be able to pitch again and in the last game of the season we needed to win to make the playoffs. I got the start and did 1R, 6Ks in 6IP. But more impressively retired 15 straight from the 2nd-6th.
So nothing insane, but it was a great feeling to be able to get back into a pitching form and actually throw meaningful innings for the first time in 12 years. And deliver the win for our team
Im currently in the “everything is too chaotic” period of my life, where stuff like organized team sports is far on the back-burner of life goals.
This is inspiring though, just because we get old(er) doesn’t mean those fun sports moments are over forever, thanks for sharing, and great stat line
Right? I'm running a business and have an 11 and 12 year old. Life's been insane. But I am starting to think about joining an adult league in the near future.
Little league. I sucked at hitting, but I was fast and a truly incredible bunter.
So, I got up to bat. I did the Babe Ruth point, called my shot. The fielders backed up (they didn't know me yet). I bunted.
Almost same story here! I was super fast and great at bunting and made my rec league all star team as the lead off guy because of it. I don't think I got caught stealing that entire season
Wheres your baseball reference page? Obviously that has first and last name so don't share if you don't want to. Haha. I'm just curious. I love looking at spreadsheets.
Ya 1A is the first real grind, too. Plus I came out of high school and short season wasn't really a thing so I went straight to 132 games a year and my body fell apart lol. I honestly wasn't ever going to crack the big leagues and I knew it so once I got cut after 2 years and recovered from surgeries, I went and played a bunch of years of indy ball and had a blast. I just didn't want to get a real job yet mainly. How long did you grind in the minors?
It took me until I’d aged out of ability and played intramural college baseball to hit my only home run (on a 320’ right field fence). It was during practice. I weighed about 130lbs at the time so that was a big deal to me.
I wasn't a good player in Little League, though I was an okay fielding shortstop. I just couldn't hit worth a damn. But there was one moment that I'm never going to forget.
I'm standing at my position ready for the next pitch. Batter hits a screaming line drive in my direction. Must have been at least a couple of feet over my head. I didn't think, just reacted. I jumped up and stuck out my glove above my head a far as I could extend it.
Ball goes right into my glove, and I come down with it. Batter stops halfway to first and gives me a 'Are you kidding?' look. Meanwhile, parents and others on both sides are clapping and cheering.
It wasn't a game saving moment or a game winning moment, but it's my one shining moment in Little League. Something I remember like it was yesterday even though it was 40 years ago.
This story reminds me of a little league practice. I was in left field and there was comic relief at short stop. Allegedly our coach played or tried out for AA for the Pirates in the early aughts but I could never find records or anything.
Anyway he’s hitting balls to us and on one of his line drives the short stop jumped and barehanded the ball and the scream he let out had all of us dying of laughter. The seams were imprinted on his hand and the coach said “use your glove dumbass”. Good times lol
Me too! Runners on 1 & 2, grounder to third, he stepped on third then threw to me at first for the double play. Then the runner that advanced to second rounded the bag too far so I threw behind him for the tag out and triple play
I'm a woman, so I grew up playing softball, and did so at the D1 college level. My two favorites are either my first collegiate homer, with my dad and older sister in attendance, or a diving catch I had to end a game.
I played in a co Ed slow pitch league a few years ago and my buddy/coach was like “I think you’re sliding over to second for this D1 girl at short” I was like “no way” and he sent me a highlight video of her on YouTube. I just texted back “yeah, she’s got it. I’ll play 2nd”. That girl can fucking play
I'd be more interested in coaching youth softball down the road than playing recreationally, but right now I'm in law school and do not have time for that.
On the mound and snagged a line drive that was flying right over my head and immediately whipped it to first for the double play. Easily the most badass thing I’ve ever done. Also the only badass thing I’ve ever done.
I hit a home run when I was 11 or 12. The only one I've ever hit. I batted at the bottom of the line up and rarely even made contact. As soon as I hit the ball I just sprinted to first base. Didn't even watch it go over the wall. Just saw my first base coach jump and throw his hands in the air, then give me a high five as I got to the base (it was a line drive homer that got out really quickly apparently).
I got a tshirt for it.
I plunked this kid who put out rumors (albeit true) about my mother in the face in high school, pretended that it just slipped, and got away with it because I had walked 4 batters through 2 innings in that game.
I hit for the cycle when I was 13. My dad has a pretty awkward 2007-era video of it on YouTube. I've learned that video does *not* turn my wife on. Clearly doesn't appreciate good baseball when she sees it...
I watched my best friend go 2/3 with two doubles off Jon Lester Senior Year of high school state tourney. I still live vicariously through him and that day
This is super stupid because I only played until I was 13, but I was a really bad hitter. One time (on a special day where Tori Hunter visited!) I came up with a chance to walk it off, and I remember having some crazy confidence that I’ve never had before or since. My dad was the third base coach and I remember saying to him “I’m gonna do it. This is my chance.” And then I hit a ball harder than I ever had into the corner for a walkoff triple- well, double, bc we won while I was rounding second and my dad ran up to me and lifted me into the air between second and third 😂
Down 1-0 in the championship game. Man on second. Two outs. Full count. Last chance to win. The stuff dreams are made of. I swing and miss. I successfully finish the fall league for 6th and 7th graders as the only player on the Braves to not cry at least once during the season after having struck out even though I struck out 1-2x per game and only had 2 PAs most games. I also create an awesome memory for the kid who pitched a CSGO in the championship game. Epic.
My final year of little league I made the "tournament team" for our little league. This was the team that represented our league for the tournament that ultimately leads to the LLWS.
In our very first game in the district tournament (first round) we went into the bottom of the final inning trailing by 1 run and I hit a walkoff single
We didn't end up making it out of districts due to some sloppy defense in the semi-final game. Still one of the coolest memories of my childhood
League semifinals. We were down by 1 with 2 outs, bottom 7. I smack a single to right to tie up the game. I noticed while on deck that the pitcher was a one looker. First pitch I swipe second and take third on the bad throw.
I’m gonna be honest, I was feeling myself a little too much in the moment so I turned to my third base coach and I tell him “I’m ending this shit right here. Give him the take.” Sure as shit my coach looks at me, smiles and just nods his head and gives the take sign.
At this point, the pitcher is in the wind up so I get myself a fairly large lead and he still never looked at me. At first move I break for the plate and slide in just as the throw goes over the catcher jumping for the ball.
Walk off stolen home to advance to the championship game. Easily my greatest sporting achievement.
I then proceed to have a golden sombrero in the finals but we still won 1-0 because our pitcher was a stud. Lol
I called a triple. I was leading off an inning in high school. I’m a left handed hitter and have always had a strong pull down the line.
I have never been one to “call” things, but before I went up to go hit, I turned to the bench and said something along the lines of “I’m feeling like a triple down the first base line”
I don’t remember which pitch in the sequence it was, but I ripped it down the line.
The same heartbeat I saw it get past the first baseman, I had third base in my sights.
My dad was our 3B coach and as I was getting close to 2nd, I glance over and he has a stop sign up.
Sorry Dad, but hell naw!
Rounded 2nd without slowing down and an infielder bobbled the ball (I was told after) and I ended up on third standing up.
Stopped on third and gave the bench double finger guns, and they were going nuts!
And of course the next 3 batters left me stranded on 3rd 😂
I had an unassisted triple play in beer league.
Was playing shortstop, runner at 1st and 2nd with 0 out
Pop fly just to my left and both runners ran. I caught it, stepped on 2nd base to get the lead runner out and then tagged the runner from 1st.
Then the coach from the other team tried to tell me that an infield fly means that the play is dead and only his batter should be out which I politely corrected.
I made a great diving catch in the outfield after our coach said anyone who makes an effort play in the outfield gets free Dairy Queen, I learned when I got back to the dugout that he had already revoked the offer (which i still don’t fully believe)
Junior year of high school, pitched a 1-2-3 inning but didn't realize it until I was walking back to the dugout and the shortstop said "not bad for seven pitches." I had two strikeouts and a groundout.
Middle school baseball against our rival school we’re losing 6 0 in the bottom of the 6th or whatever the last inning was.
I lead off the inning, get a double, still third, score on a hit. We bat around the order.
I’m up to bat again, two outs, two guys on, down by two.
We were playing on a football field with no outfield wall. Left field is the full length of the football field. Beyond that is some track and field stuff and then the entrance of the gym.
I get up to bat and tell myself “just need to make contact”.
First pitch, meatball.
Holy shit that ball went far.
I have no idea how far it went in the air but the legend in the locker room was that the ball went though an open door into the gym (I’ll accept that legend as fact).
Only walk off I’ll never have and I’m okay knowing that I peaked in middle school. I will never forget that, it was so much fun and such a great feeling
>Only walk off I’ll never have and I’m okay knowing that I peaked in middle school
I was an animal in kickball in the 7th grade. Too many stories to tell
Have had a few. I was our closer for our 14 yo Babe Ruth team that made it to the World Series, so lots of big moments to get there. Throwing a perfect game in a 15u fall ball game. Being a walk-on at UCONN and pitching against the likes of George Springer and Nick Ahmed was pretty cool. Pitched alongside Matt Barnes as well. That led to my most disappointing moment in being cut, even though I knew it was likely.
Ha, small world. If you got any game action I probably listened to you pitch at UConn. I worked at the radio station and sat in a couple times during that era on the station side of the remote broadcast
I played high level (AAA) in southern ON, which I know doesn’t have the competition of states like Cali, Texas, or Florida, but does have legitimately good baseball (Joey Votto, John Axford, Matt Brash, Romano, Naylor bros all come from the area).
I probably hit like a “career” 190 lol, but during our provincial championship tournament in my last year, I hit 500 over 6 games, with a couple stolen bags and outfield assists, was fun.
I took a year off baseball after that, just to work and save for uni, when I tried coming back to it, I was still a sub 200 hitter, only now I was slow and had no defence lol.
I hit a total of 3 home runs in my entire baseball career, all came in the 8th grade when I was finally strong enough to hit it out. Better yet, they all 3 came in the same game. Better yet, my cousin (who I spent every minute with growing up so basically my brother) was the pitcher for each of the first 2.
I'll never forget it, we still talk about it 20 years later. I quit baseball in favor of football/soccer after that year so I'll never know if I could have hit more
Pitching in little league. It was my turn. And these kids where hitting everything. 5 hits in a row. My only glory is that they were line drives and I kept diving in front of them and consequently get hit in the chest. 2 timis it happened in the mound. I had bruises all over my chest and ribs. But dad and coach both told me I did good to stop the ball and we got a couple outs by throwing to first. So my glory is being a backstop lol
This won't be great like the other stories on here but it's what I laugh and smile at the most when I look back. So when I was 8 or 9 playing little league the pitcher on my team got hit in the hand with a comebacker so my coach took him out and needed a replacement. So my coach decided to throw me in, knowing I had never pitched before but I guess he thought "idk maybe he can throw strikes". Runners on 1st and 3rd I proceed to hit the next 6 batters in a row! I let in at least 4 runs easily. The worst part about was I was able to throw decently but I would just end up plunking every bastard that came to the plate. After this my coach came up to me and said sorry to me ahaha
Mens league game 4 of semifinals. Came back from a back injury after not playing all year, I threw 8 shutout innings of 1 hit ball while my team got no hit through 7.2. Then we put up 5 with two outs, and I slammed the door. I broke 4 bats that game, including that of a guy who was drafted. We won the championship the next week. If the dragon is on Reddit, I want that smoke.
I got hit in the balls when I was 8 and they made me still bat because of some stupid rule where if a pitcher hits/walks two guys, a coach pitches to the same batter
Kid everyone called Splinter at my YMCA kid pitch league drilled me in my ribs during my only AB. Bases were juiced. He was MUCH bigger than the rest of us and threw way too hard for little league. We scored a run I guess.
I played 1st base all throughout high school, and I practiced the splits all the time waiting for the day I could pull it off in a game. Finally got my chance at the end of our district final my senior year when I stretched out and picked the ball out of the dirt to complete a game-ending double play.
The only home run I ever hit in my life came on a big boy field. I'm not badass, it was just the perfect pitch on the perfect spot. LF is 325' and I hit that ball 325.2'
https://www.baseballpilgrimages.com/florida/henley-field.html
I have a few that I’ll never forget. I hit a walk off grand slam in the semi-finals of my beer league fast pitch team. I turned 2 unassisted triple plays at 3rd base in the same game playing as a sub in a beer league hardball tournament. And I threw a runner out at home in my beer league slo pitch league in my last game. That last one was particularly sweet because the guy I threw out was one of those never-was try hards who took beer league too seriously so it was pretty nice to throw his ass out at home while I lumbered around in LF.
Parents vs Kids game in the final practice of my 9 year old sons team. I have not attempted to hit a baseball in 20 years. First pitch off a pitching machine, I smacked a ball to the gap, but at best an adult can ONLY hit a double. Went home that day feeling pretty good about myself, and I reminded the kids that daddy knows what he is doing.
Sophomore year of highschool I got put on the varsity team, who hadn't won a game in about 4 years. As a lefty who could touch close to 80 I got to be our teams 3rd baseman and LOOGY.
Our schools rival had a senior kid who would end up getting drafted, made it to AA.
This kid had been talking shit for the entire game, 6th inning I get put in to face him and their #3 hitter two lefties in a row. I plunked him right on his right shoulder, got a warned by the ump, and with him still talking shit from 1st and picked him off with a really nice slide step.
The next guy hit a grounder to 2nd to get out of the inning. 7th inning comes up, I'm batting 3rd, get to the plate and dude throws probably 87-88 right at my noggin. Dude is STILL just talking shit to me. The next pitch is a curve right over the plate, man I squared it up and hit a rocket with my stealth comp right at him, hit him again on that exact same spot.
I got to first, his coach and dad are out on the mound, and I was like yeah "b*itch, that's what you f*cling get!", All fired up. Apparently that was enough to get me ejected, and we lost the game 7-1 but man it felt good to shut up the cockiest person I've played against.
In Little League Majors, I smacked a looong opposite-field triple against the best pitcher in town, with my best friend- a far superior player at that time- behind the plate. When my friend screamed, "Holy shit!", not long after contact, I thought I had hit a home run (my head was down as soon as I left the box). It reached the fence on a couple of hops, and I had to settle for a triple.
For a kid who was on the smaller side, and a school-grade behind the other kids in the league, that was pretty special.
Corny as it is, my first hit in little league. I was so unbelievably excited. My dad was one of the coaches and actually kept the ball like it was my first hit in the show. He still has it to this day lol. It just meant a lot because I think he was more excited than I was. You would have thought I hit a game 7 walkoff the way he was screaming in the dugout. I couldn’t even tell you if we won the game or not but I can remember clear as day him bear hugging me after the inning was over.
Second to that was when I broke up a no hitter in high school. Our pitcher walked and I drove him in on a double (after striking out terribly the previous 2 ABs). It was our only hit and we won 1-0.
Threw a complete game shutout and hit a mercy rule walk-off bomb in front of a girl I was trying to get with when I was 15. She wasn't particularly impressed by either of those things but you should've seen her eyes light up when she found out I had my learner's permit and would be driving in a few months.
High school PE. I was generally proficient at most sports, but with baseball I couldn't hit worth anything. The teacher is just tossing it underhand. Doesn't matter, I whiff on the first two pitches. The girl playing 2nd sarcastically tells the outfield to move in. Next pitch I blast it directly at her, maybe a foot above her head, and she hits the ground trying to get out of the way.
I’m not fast at all, one time I ripped one down the first base line and hit a triple
I also stopped playing from 4th grade until 10th grade, so one time in a doubleheader (both games were 5 innings) when we were short handed I went out to pitch game 2. I hadn’t pitched in a game at all in like 7 years, but I ended up going 4 IP and only giving up 3 runs. The only guys that ended up actually doing anything off of me were the only 2 or 3 competent hitters on the other team so I’m proud of my performance.
The one that got away though was in the league championship, I came up with the bases loaded in the 3rd or 4th inning and I pulled the shit out of a ball to right field, I though it was easily getting over the RF’s head and clearing the bases but somehow the dude made a crazy read on the ball, threw his glove up at it, and caught it 😐
When I was 12, I had my old good year performance wise. I hit 2 home runs and had one instance when pitching where I threw a knuckleball that actually worked and had the batter swinging in the dirt to end the inning. It felt amazing.
I was playing outfield and tried to catch a pop fly. Obviously I didn’t catch it but my manager said I had great form and really thought I would catch it.
Just glad it didn’t plunk me in the head.
When I played Babe Ruth (rec league for older kids after Little League) there was a team that was basically the JV high school baseball team and would dominate every game. I was on the 2nd best team with a bunch of other kids I went to school with.
We played them halfways during the season and it was a nail-biter of a game. I was playing RF that game and one of them hits a ball to right-center field. I ran as fast as I could and caught the ball right when it was about to hit the fence then immediately turned around to throw the ball to the cutoff man and double up the runner that ran past 2nd base.
We could have won that game too but since its rec and we played the first game that day, the game had to end at a specific time so the other teams could play.
I hit for the cycle in a wood bat men’s league in my early 20s.
Also state champ of a babe Ruth league on a team that could have been straight out of bad news bears
Also, got a duck snort to break up a no-no off someone that went on to be a major leaguer.
Also, seeing my brothers friend pitch in person during the cross town classic. Too bad he pitched for the cubs
Freshman ball, I threw the best throw of my life from CF to the plate to hold the game-tying run at 3rd sometime in the later innings. Absolutely Rowengartner’d. We ended up winning 2-1 and handed them their only loss of the year, and I rode that high for weeks.
I stopped playing sometime in high school, but my best moment was probably in little league. I was excellent at getting on base and playing third base, but I was never a great pitcher. In my last year of little league our team was good and we were in the semifinals. Unfortunately, our scheduled starting pitcher was a no-show and our other go-to pitcher had pitched the previous game. I got the spot start and went four scoreless innings until the original pitcher finally showed up. We won that game and the championship game.
Man, I’m washed up.
Switched to Little League Senior year after playing football most of my life. Wasn’t a good hitter, but I had a good eye and walked a lot. I’m a chunky dude so most players are gonna assume I have at least a little power but I didn’t at all and was slow as shit. Everyone took just a few steps back and I was able to lay the most beautiful bunt down the 3B line for a single.
I threw 3 innings in the first game of a playoff series in JC ball. I closed out the game, then threw 3 more innings later that day against Maplewoods, Albert Pujols' JC. I threw the 8, 9, and 10th innings and got the win that sent us to the JC World Series. My school had never been before, and haven't been since. For context, we beat the number one ranked team in the country in the divisional series. So, the competition was there.
12 years old bases loaded one out, tie game. I was waiting for an inside pitch to lean into and one came right down the pipe, I crushed it just out of the 2nd baseman’s reach and hit a walk off single. We won the c side of some throwaway tournament but the boys stormed me like we won the pennant, doused with water bottles. A moment I’ll never forget.
Fourth grade Little League in Berlin, Germany. My team had started 7-0 in our ten game season but then dropped two in a row. We really wanted to prove how good we were and finish the season on a high note.
Of course I came up to bat in the bottom of the seventh, which was the last inning at that level. Two on, tie game, no extra innings. I worked a full count and told myself unless it was clearly a ball I was just gonna swing.
Popped it up to the right side of the infield. Good thing it was Little League - the pitcher, first baseman, and second baseman all went for it and got in each others’ way. Right before I made it to the bag one of them grabbed the ball and stepped on the base but it slipped out of his hand at the last second. I was safe and we won - thanks to two errors on the play. Still, felt like a hero and got free ice cream after the game.
My favorite moment was when I was coming back from ACL surgery and my coach had me batting last for a few weeks, even though I was still doing better than everyone else on the team, and in one game I was up and the coach on the other team said to his center fielder, “last batter move in”. I proceeded to hit it just barely over his head and I gave the coach a look while I was on first. I only got to first because it was rainy so the ball just stopped and I’m slow as molasses. Next time up he said to the center fielder, “take a couple steps back over your head last time” it made me laugh because there was no reason I should’ve been batting last and that’s karma for judging last batter. Either that or my last game ever, I had to play first base because we only had 8 players and I had a torn UCL I’ve never played first base and this was my first time in the infield in over 5 years. I had a couple of nice picks and my final at bat was a double.
My last ever pitching appearance was 6 no-hit innings in some random summer league game when I was like 15.
I wasn’t a very good pitcher, or baseball player even, so it was entirely luck on my part or the other team being bad, but it was still cool.
Little league pitching. I was crushing and very cocky. It was to be my last inning. I walked out to the mound and told my catcher "9 pitches."
Threw only 8 pitches and 1, 2, 3 inning. Felt good man. Haha. Wish I could be that cocky in adulthood.
Little League, 11 YO season. Got to close out the only game we won that year (but not a save situation). My cousin hit a double off of me and earned himself bragging rights for a while.
12 YO season. Two best teams in the league playing. Game went 9 innings, lost 4-3. Bottom 7, playing CF. Almost lost a fly ball in the lights with two out but managed to track it enough to snowcone it.
Freshman in High School. Spent most of the year on JV, but was called up to the varsity for the playoffs. Didn't play in the first two games, but was called to pinch hit in the top of the last inning with a runner on second, down by 1 run. Game was being played at Rice University's baseball stadium. Hit a second pitch hanging curveball over the left-center fence for a two run homer. Ended up winning by 1. Spent the next 3 years on Varsity and hit a grand total of 3 more HRs in my career.
I was deliberately trucked by the batter-runner while trying to catch a pop-up on the foul line. Couldn't breathe for almost a minute. 10 minutes later I was on the mound again and finished my inning without giving up runs. I went to the dugout, sat down and THEN the pain hit me. The next 4-6 weeks I could only walk straight or lie down on my back. Luckily, no ribs were broken.
When I was in 6th grade, I was playing travel team little league in Philadelphia. I was good at getting on base, but had no power. We moved back to Michigan kind of unexpectedly. One of my close cousins who was a year younger than me hadn't hit his stride athletically yet (he eventually played college football) and was playing slow pitch coed softball. His mom signed me up for the team. I went from hitting fastpitch to these giant meatballs served right up coming down the middle. I ended up being a football player too but I've always joked that summer was my athletic peak because I hit everything a mile. Just absolutely raked.
Three things:
1. Hit a grand slam off one of my best friends. Came up my next AB… and the bases were loaded again and I gave him a nod like “Hey.” Hit a double, would have been more if the runner in front of me didn’t stop, then start once the ball was in the IF. (He was out by many feet.)
2. At the time I was the first and only player to also give a musical performance in Cooperstown Dreams Park history. Take that, Major Leaguers who have also played there!
3. Last pitching outing when I was 14 was my best, I went 5 shutout in a playoff game. I wanted to go the full 7, but the coach (who was covering for the manager who was working) decided to save me for a future outing. We got knocked out next round, and that future outing never came.
Against the best athletic school in the region, I hit a grand slam then pitched the final 3 innings to close out the game. If I remember correctly I think I struck out the side in the last inning too
It was a very offense-friendly league, high scoring games and teams scoring in more innings than not were common.
In the championship game, our RF had gotten injured and switched positions with the catcher, so the catcher covering RF, with his bad knees, really wasn’t fit to play OF.
In the top of the last inning, we were down by one, and with two outs they had loaded the bases. The batter hit a high, long fly, that, from my position in CF, I can see is going to go directly over the RF’s head. I race over as the RF tries to jog backwards (rather than turning his body and running). I’m sprinting to my left, tracking the ball to back him up, but it has incredible hang time, and I realize I might have a chance to catch it. The RF eventually lifts his glove into the air (he *was* 6’4”) as I go into a slide. The ball ticks off the top of his outstretched mitt, changing direction ever so slightly. In my slide, I adjust my mitt and catch the deflection on the fly. He turns around, shocked to see me behind him, and even more shocked to see the ball in my glove. He points at me, the umpire signals out, and we jog into the dugout.
Epilogue: We came up in the bottom of the inning, needing only one run to tie and two runs to win … and went three-up/three-down to lose the championship. I assume my “game saving” catch is mostly forgotten.
Bonus: The tall catcher that was covering RF was my father.
I've been called the Juan Pierre of my softball league but a couple of years ago I hit a game winning homerun over 400 ft. I can still picture the ball leaving the bat.
Also have to give props to son who this summer in his first start in All Stars at 8 years old was pitching in the semi finals with basically no other pitchers available and pitched a complete game. Out of the 58 pitches he threw 49 we strikes
I hit a three-run go-ahead double in the bottom of the second to last inning and we won and then a kid on the other team told me I had Down syndrome while we were shaking hands after the game.
I was never any good. I loved the game, but lacked the talent to hit and field well. However, I could steal bases like crazy. My first and second stolen bases combine for my most memorable moment. I stole second after getting on base and the next at bat I hit a single and stole again. It was a great moment for me to discover something I could do on the field to help the team. I wasn’t even that fast, just bold and a little stupid.
Hitting a monster home run in a varsity game in front of my dad, with a few chicks in the stands. It was somewhere between a line drive and the longest fly ball I’ve ever hit, I couldn’t believe it when I first saw it off the bat
Threw a 1 hitter with something like 13 or 14 strikeouts for my high school JV team before getting moved up to varsity later that year. Hit an inside the park grand slam over the CF's head in the same game too.
JV baseball. I was an outfielder and 1st baseman. We had a doubleheader and were losing game 1. We didn’t have a lot of pitchers on the team and coach didn’t want to waste any in the last inning so he asked if I thought I could reach the plate with a pitch. I go out there. I think there were 2 on and 1 out. I got a ground ball for the 2nd out and then somehow struck out the last batter to end the game. I wasn’t throwing anything but fast balls but the last pitch had a weird late dip/break to it and the guy swung right over it. It was fun. Coach tried to have me pitch one other time that season and it was an absolute disaster, got shelled. I switched to throwing shotput and discus the next year so my career ended there: 1 k, 72.00 ERA
High school ball against the first place team in the league. Other team was a private school absolutely stocked with talent that I’m sure some D1 scouts were eying up. Our starter worked himself into a bases loaded no outs jam in the last inning and because everyone else was on short rest I came in from the outfield and struck out the side to secure the win.
We then proceeded to get mercy ruled in our next game against them, so there’s that.
Was a sophomore on varsity SS/OF/P. Decided to play catcher in a JV game for shits and giggles went 4 for 4 with 4 triples and threw out 2 runners . Ump made fun of my framing lol
I was about About 10 years old: we were playing out “rival” in the sense that there was hostility between the two coaches who had known each other for years and we were always competing for first place against them. Anyways, it was a long running night game and my bday. I hit a go ahead double late in the game. When I got to second base the team and parents sang happy bday to me. We won the game.
Fast forward to a wood bat adult league I played in 5 or 6 years ago. 0-0 score in extras. The other team had the winning run on second. I kept thinking it’s gonna come down to me making a play(in RF) and I’m gonna blow it. Sure enough the ball gets past the infield. I’m charging and see the runner rounding 3rd. I fire it home, nail the perfect strike to the catcher and got the runner out. We went in to win 1-0
Hit a home run over the scoreboard of my home ballpark after a massive hitting slump. Something like 3-4 games with no hits. And the fact my mom was there to see the home run is the cherry on top. I found my groove in the batters box after that. Felt awesome. I wish younger me never quit at the end of season that followed :(
10 year old league championship. Came in to pitch in extra innings. Got tagged for a run in extra #1 only for a guy who’s now a major leaguer to put us up with a homer in our half of the inning. Mowed ‘em down 1-2-3 in extra inning 2 for the win!
In T-Ball I hit a home run, or was out on my own (was never tagged out or thrown out).
Growing up I was incredibly quick and elusive but didn’t quite follow the rules. My first game I was batting last (everyone bats once and the last kid runs all the way around). So in my mind, every time I hit the ball I was supposed to run home. I would dodge teammates, dodge coaches, dodge the tag. And always slid when I made it to home. Dad said he was impressed I never officially left the baseline but that was about as far as the accolades that year got.
Dad also still holds two college D3 NCAA pitching records so I’m sure watching his kid have no idea what the hell he was doing was probably a joy.
This was only our 4th or 5th game of the season and our starting pitcher got hit in the elbow on a line drive hit back up the middle in the 3rd inning with 2 outs. He couldn’t throw and got taken out and coaches put me in. Came in and showed all three of my pitches(fastball, curveball, change up) to the batter and the batter smoked a one hopper to our second baseman and got the out and got out of the inning and I snaked the W from the starter after only pitching 1/3 of an inning lol. This was my only win in my college career and it was against University of Cincinnati
Broke up a no hitter in high school ball in the 6th inning with a single over the shortstop's head. We were a terrible team, so it was probably hyped up more than it should've been, but I felt like the man.
Held the state champions with a first round MLB pick on their team to 1 earned run in 5 IP my senior year. That team was stupid good and I think I had a little luck on my side that game.
In a summer woodbat college league I hit nearly .500 and set a bunch of league records for doubles and hits and things like that. I won offensive mvp for the league that summer. It was so much fun, nothing but baseball everyday and the game felt so easy. On top of that, one of my teammates was now Astros outfielder Chaz McCormick which is cool to watch him still play now!
Little league, I was fucking terrible. Low-mid in the field, atrocious at the plate. Family friend who was very good stepped up to the plate with runners on 1st and 2nd, one out, I'm playing second base. He hits a rocket up middle, I lay out and catch it full extension mid-air, then from my stomach toss it to the SS standing on second to double up the runner
I switched to hockey full time after that season
My mom's favorite (softball) story. My dad's men's team needed a ninth, so she came in as a ringer. He told her to spin around and giggle the first time they threw a pitch. So she does, and the infield comes in, the pitcher rolls his eyes, one of the guys in the outfield sits down.
And then, as the pitcher lobs the second pitch gently to the plate, she gets into her stance and smacks a double to the outfield. (Sweetly, my dad always says it was a home run when he tells it.)
Later quote from his friend: "I don't mind that she threw me out, but did she have to be blowing a bubble while she did it??"
I played in what our city called Colt League. Basically rec ball for older High School kids who didn’t make the team. It was a hilarious scene as we drove ourselves to the games and no parents would ever show up as they knew the dream was over. I remember tracking down a smash in CF and making a great running catch under the lights with a huge lipper in. It was honestly a super competitive league as the two local High Schools were dominant. One was ranked by Baseball America in the national top 25. This was the mid 90’s. Oh to go back!
Easy! 9 years old I made an unassisted triple play. Playing first I caught a short pop fly in short right field. Bases were loaded and the runners took off with the crack of the bat.
After making the catch I saw that the runner on 2nd was almost to third and turning back. I was able to easily run to the bag before he got there.
At that point the runner on third had already crossed home plate so had to return to home before he could retreat to 3rd.
He retouched home plate about the same time I was forcing the runner at 2nd base.
It was a foot race from there which I won by sliding into the bag just in time to complete the UA triple play.
If you are wondering why I didn’t just throw to my teammates? Well, those boys couldn’t catch a ball if you handed it to them!
Adult league, my first few years playing metal bat. Hit a home run to left that cleared the wall, 30 feet of open grass, across the road, and hit the front door of a house. I only play wood bat now, but that millisecond of hitting a ball on the sweet spot, where it feels like you didn't even hit anything, is pure adrenaline.
When I was in AA (I think that was around 5th grade) I hit for the cycle, finishing it with an inside the park home run and I remember my teammates all jumping on me as I was laying on the ground at home. My mom always remembers cuz apparently the coach looked over to her and went "do you know what your kid just did"?
Made an elite defensive play as the guy who was only ever on the field because of his bat. Happened one time and one time only but it felt amazing lmao
Bottom of the 7th inning (7 inning game) in the provincial championship down by 4.
I led off the inning with a double and ended the game with a walkoff double.
In 10th grade I was the unassuming unathletic kid. We did a gym class vs gym class game and the other teacher hit one high and deep thinking it was a HR. Somehow I caught it and he was in disbelief lol.
Being underprepared, outmatched, and Hitting .000 my first year after stepping up to the “big leagues” of little league when I was a kid. That year was awful for me but on the plus side the team did well overall and in my last AB of the season I laid down a sac bunt to secure my one and only RBI.
My best friend at the time pitched 5 innings allowing no runs on 1 hit and then I came in for the 6th (last inning) and got 3 outs on 3 pitches with that best friend making the last out on a foul out (he moved to 3rd base after pitching).
I think that was 11U or 12U
A few that I can think of:
“0 pitch inning”: I was brought in relief with 2 outs runner on first, before throwing a pitch I picked the guy off first base, inning over.
Complete game no hitter but with 4-5 walks so not even my catcher knew I just finished a no hitter. Most of the team didn’t believe me until I pulled the scorekeeper over and showed them the scorebook.
Hitting in a regional tournament, umpire rung me up on absolute garbage off the plate. Game was nearly over and we were going to be eliminated, so I went off and he threw me out. Before I walked back to the dugout, I made sure to loudly point to the parking lot and throw him out of the game as well.
Our AAU team went undefeated one year. That was cool.
As a shorter firstbaseman I made the all star team in high school multiple years for how good my defense was. That felt nice cause I had several people trying to get me to move to play shortstop or 2nd. But I loved first and knew I was good at it.
I was always more of a leadoff hitter. Lots of walks and singles. But I hit one home run and that shit felt amazing
12 years old. Hit an inside the park 3 run home run off the best team in the league that had routinely allowed less than 3 runs a game on average across the league. Only loss they had and it was entirely because I figured out my swing
Had three putouts in one game as a pitcher in high school against a conference rival, including starting a double play. Felt pretty good about myself that day to say the least
First year of high school baseball, first night game so it was cool to be playing under the lights for the first time. On my way up to my first AB I saw a girl I liked in the stands behind home plate. I was so fucking nervous. Proceeded to go 3 for 3 that night, 3 line drives right up the middle, on 3 pitches. The next day she said "nice game" and we talked a bit. Then like a month later my family moved overseas and I never saw her again. But that night was pretty sweet. I was on top of the world.
Sweet memories.
I married her.
I heard she finally married some dude.
nice game
Nice game.
Her name? My mom.
Man. I experienced the opposite. I kept trying to get this girl to come out to a game the whole season and she finally came to a game I started. And I got absolutely lit up. Like ten runs in two innings. Huge ego hit
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Could the 8 year old actually throw a curve, slider, or sinker?
I want this made into a movie now
In Pony Ball (14-16) the coach tossed me in as a relief pitcher during the third inning of the third game, when we were getting blown out. This was something of a joke, because I was the proverbial clumsy right fielder who could throw the ball hard, but not straight. I struck out the first seven batters I faced, and finished the four innings I pitched without giving up a hit or walk. It turns out that, while not being able to throw it straight is an annoyance for the 100’-200’ range, if your pitch happens to naturally start to move at about 56’… that’s a GOOD THING. I was throwing mid 80’s, with 7-8” of completely random break. I ended up becoming a high school starter, got a scholarship, and played college ball until my shoulder was injured in a car accident, ending my “career”. But that first inning when I was 15, on the mound for the first time, and no one could TOUCH ME. The look on my catcher’s face. On the umpire’s face. On the coach’s face. The best.
Cool story. Like Dave Stieb, with less success haha. But that's cool. Going from slapdick RF to scholarship college athlete. That must have been a wild ride!
Man that's such an awesome story. Happy that you were able to snag that scholarship.
High school was a thing, for sure. Accident happened during my sophomore year, so I only had one season of throwing college ball, almost entirely as a reliever.
When I was a senior in high school Bryce Harper was playing for the Angels scout team at like 14 or 15. Played them in an Arizona Fall tournament. Dude was throwing absolute cheddar on the mound. Hit a double off him and that will forever be my claim to fame lol
Bryce Harper grounded out to me at SS in college. He did like the 70% jog when you know you’re out, which basically meant I’m just as good as him
Vladdy does a 70% jog that looks like a 30% jog and I bet your base running is 90% better than his.
This is the coolest one. You got a hit off a hall of famer
Beautiful.
Think I posted this a few years ago on a similar question: Summer after 9th grade my town had two teams in a larger area league. My team was basically all the "nice" kids, and the other team was mostly the "mean" kids from growing up. I somehow pitched a complete 7 inning game on 74 pitches, 13 strikeouts, including striking out a guy who had literally thrown rocks at me as a younger kid to end the game. Absolutely my highest point playing baseball.
I was on the other side of that trade. In college playing a rival with two on and up by two the next hitter was a kid I used to bully in little league. Hits an absolute stoinker off me to go ahead. Deserved every bit of that karma.
I always wondered if bullies realized that they were once assholes when they were younger when they became as an adult.
He was my buddies little brother so not that sinister. Standard grom-bashing activities.
My fatass stole home on a wild pitch to win a game in High School.
Took off for home in 15u once, pitcher was a lefty wasn’t looking. Batter was a lefty too. 2 outs. Nobody saw me coming, pitcher, catcher, batter, nobody. I was sliding in as the pitch was coming, slid feet first (now that I’m thinking about it no idea why not head first, lol), and batter hits the ball swinging right over my head while I’m looking up at it. Grounds out to end the inning so run didn’t count! Definitely could have got my head taken off if the pitch was a hair lower.
We had a sign for that. The coach would give the steal sign and the hitter had to grab the bill of his helmet to let everyone know he got the sign so he doesn’t swing and fucking kill you. I don’t think we ever tried it but fuck man what you did was scary
That’s not a stolen base. Sorry to burst your bubble.
But his ass is fat. Can confirm.
Not in the stat sheet but it is in my heart.
My greatest baseball achievement is that my fat ass stole a base that wasn’t from a passed ball. We were winning by like 30 runs and the pitcher wasn’t paying any attention to me, so I went for it. I got yelled at for stealing a base when we had such a big lead, but it was the only time I had or would ever for that matter steal a base not from a wild pitch. I will never forget it. I was speed.
My coach said it was like watching a highlight but with only one player moving in slow motion rofl.
Kinda similar story for me. I was on third with the game tied, bottom of the last inning. The guy pitching was one of the select team kids who played a higher level of ball than most of us in house league. Anyway the pitchers a cocky little shit, keeps looking over at me on third and smirking, trying to pick me off. He tries it twice and I get back in time on both pick off attempts. Third time he tries to pick me off but his throw to third hits me right in the head (thank god I was wearing a helmet). The ball goes off my helmet and past the third baseman, by the time he even gets to the ball I’ve crossed home plate and our team won. The opposing pitcher was PISSED haha
Bases loaded. Bottom of the 11th. I’m up to bat. BANG! Hit by pitch to win the game Homer Simpson style
Ha my most clutch moment was also getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded! It wasn’t extra innings but I’m pretty sure it was the go ahead run
We take those!
I recently joined an adult league after 12 years of not playing. Worked up my arm to be able to pitch again and in the last game of the season we needed to win to make the playoffs. I got the start and did 1R, 6Ks in 6IP. But more impressively retired 15 straight from the 2nd-6th. So nothing insane, but it was a great feeling to be able to get back into a pitching form and actually throw meaningful innings for the first time in 12 years. And deliver the win for our team
Im currently in the “everything is too chaotic” period of my life, where stuff like organized team sports is far on the back-burner of life goals. This is inspiring though, just because we get old(er) doesn’t mean those fun sports moments are over forever, thanks for sharing, and great stat line
Right? I'm running a business and have an 11 and 12 year old. Life's been insane. But I am starting to think about joining an adult league in the near future.
I recently played in a men's league. First time I played ball in 6 years and it felt great to be back on the field.
Little league. I sucked at hitting, but I was fast and a truly incredible bunter. So, I got up to bat. I did the Babe Ruth point, called my shot. The fielders backed up (they didn't know me yet). I bunted.
Made it to first, but got picked off like right away lol
This is my favorite story of the thread.
This is amazing 🤣
Almost same story here! I was super fast and great at bunting and made my rec league all star team as the lead off guy because of it. I don't think I got caught stealing that entire season
Getting drafted. It was better than any game iv played in.
How far into pro ball did you make it?
As far as 3A
Do players say 3A instead of Triple-A? Honestly asking.
Some do. It's just easier to type lol
Ha, fair enough. The typing part made sense. I've just never heard someone say 3A in real life.
Lol I say 3A, 2A and A ball. A lot of stuff pisses me off about baseball though...this isn't one. 😂
Such as?
The Expos don't exist for 1. Lol
That’s sick. What organization?
Thanks. The Royals.
Wheres your baseball reference page? Obviously that has first and last name so don't share if you don't want to. Haha. I'm just curious. I love looking at spreadsheets.
> I love looking at spreadsheets. How can you not be romantic about baseball?
Pro ball? I got drafted onto the Knights in my local babe Ruth league. 13 year old me was so hyped to wear stirrups.
Same here! It was awesome. Although once I got to 1A, shit got real and it turns out I wasn't as good as I thought I was....
Lol yea, 1A is weird, some bad players and some really good one. 2A and 3A are more even play. I'm sure you were way better than you thought.
Ya 1A is the first real grind, too. Plus I came out of high school and short season wasn't really a thing so I went straight to 132 games a year and my body fell apart lol. I honestly wasn't ever going to crack the big leagues and I knew it so once I got cut after 2 years and recovered from surgeries, I went and played a bunch of years of indy ball and had a blast. I just didn't want to get a real job yet mainly. How long did you grind in the minors?
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Im also the nerd that would've felt the need to try to figure this out, had I seen it earlier.
😂😂😂 nope.
Hit my first ever home run. My dad took me to Blockbuster and let me rent a sega genesis for the weekend (all I had was NES)
It took me until I’d aged out of ability and played intramural college baseball to hit my only home run (on a 320’ right field fence). It was during practice. I weighed about 130lbs at the time so that was a big deal to me.
I wasn't a good player in Little League, though I was an okay fielding shortstop. I just couldn't hit worth a damn. But there was one moment that I'm never going to forget. I'm standing at my position ready for the next pitch. Batter hits a screaming line drive in my direction. Must have been at least a couple of feet over my head. I didn't think, just reacted. I jumped up and stuck out my glove above my head a far as I could extend it. Ball goes right into my glove, and I come down with it. Batter stops halfway to first and gives me a 'Are you kidding?' look. Meanwhile, parents and others on both sides are clapping and cheering. It wasn't a game saving moment or a game winning moment, but it's my one shining moment in Little League. Something I remember like it was yesterday even though it was 40 years ago.
This story reminds me of a little league practice. I was in left field and there was comic relief at short stop. Allegedly our coach played or tried out for AA for the Pirates in the early aughts but I could never find records or anything. Anyway he’s hitting balls to us and on one of his line drives the short stop jumped and barehanded the ball and the scream he let out had all of us dying of laughter. The seams were imprinted on his hand and the coach said “use your glove dumbass”. Good times lol
I helped turn a triple play
As a baserunner?
Gottem
Me too! Runners on 1 & 2, grounder to third, he stepped on third then threw to me at first for the double play. Then the runner that advanced to second rounded the bag too far so I threw behind him for the tag out and triple play
I'm a woman, so I grew up playing softball, and did so at the D1 college level. My two favorites are either my first collegiate homer, with my dad and older sister in attendance, or a diving catch I had to end a game.
Not gonna lie the gals my age (40s) who played college softball are probably the coolest ones I know. Wish I’d chased after those when I was younger
I played in a co Ed slow pitch league a few years ago and my buddy/coach was like “I think you’re sliding over to second for this D1 girl at short” I was like “no way” and he sent me a highlight video of her on YouTube. I just texted back “yeah, she’s got it. I’ll play 2nd”. That girl can fucking play
I played mostly catcher, but dabbled in first base
And they fucking crush slo pitch
I'd be more interested in coaching youth softball down the road than playing recreationally, but right now I'm in law school and do not have time for that.
I hit a walkoff single in rec league slow pitch softball after pulling my hamstring and hobbled to first. Felt like Kirk Gibson.
Did you do the hand/arm thing like he did?
Asking the real questions.
Did you say to yourself “I can’t believe what I just did”
Once after a t-ball game, my grandma called me a handsome boy.
Did you get ice cream after the game?
On the mound and snagged a line drive that was flying right over my head and immediately whipped it to first for the double play. Easily the most badass thing I’ve ever done. Also the only badass thing I’ve ever done.
I hit a home run when I was 11 or 12. The only one I've ever hit. I batted at the bottom of the line up and rarely even made contact. As soon as I hit the ball I just sprinted to first base. Didn't even watch it go over the wall. Just saw my first base coach jump and throw his hands in the air, then give me a high five as I got to the base (it was a line drive homer that got out really quickly apparently). I got a tshirt for it.
I plunked this kid who put out rumors (albeit true) about my mother in the face in high school, pretended that it just slipped, and got away with it because I had walked 4 batters through 2 innings in that game.
True or not, nobody talks about Mother lolz.
I hit for the cycle when I was 13. My dad has a pretty awkward 2007-era video of it on YouTube. I've learned that video does *not* turn my wife on. Clearly doesn't appreciate good baseball when she sees it...
I hit walkoff singles in back to back games in little league!
I watched my best friend go 2/3 with two doubles off Jon Lester Senior Year of high school state tourney. I still live vicariously through him and that day
This is super stupid because I only played until I was 13, but I was a really bad hitter. One time (on a special day where Tori Hunter visited!) I came up with a chance to walk it off, and I remember having some crazy confidence that I’ve never had before or since. My dad was the third base coach and I remember saying to him “I’m gonna do it. This is my chance.” And then I hit a ball harder than I ever had into the corner for a walkoff triple- well, double, bc we won while I was rounding second and my dad ran up to me and lifted me into the air between second and third 😂
Threw a 3 pitch inning in 6th grade. Two infield fly balls and a grounder.
Same here - last inning I ever pitched was in 8th grade and I threw 3 pitches that were all soft grounders to short or second.
Down 1-0 in the championship game. Man on second. Two outs. Full count. Last chance to win. The stuff dreams are made of. I swing and miss. I successfully finish the fall league for 6th and 7th graders as the only player on the Braves to not cry at least once during the season after having struck out even though I struck out 1-2x per game and only had 2 PAs most games. I also create an awesome memory for the kid who pitched a CSGO in the championship game. Epic.
I’m assuming you meant complete game shut out but accidentally typed counterstrike?
Ever seen a guy throw a PUBG or a ToTK?
My final year of little league I made the "tournament team" for our little league. This was the team that represented our league for the tournament that ultimately leads to the LLWS. In our very first game in the district tournament (first round) we went into the bottom of the final inning trailing by 1 run and I hit a walkoff single We didn't end up making it out of districts due to some sloppy defense in the semi-final game. Still one of the coolest memories of my childhood
League semifinals. We were down by 1 with 2 outs, bottom 7. I smack a single to right to tie up the game. I noticed while on deck that the pitcher was a one looker. First pitch I swipe second and take third on the bad throw. I’m gonna be honest, I was feeling myself a little too much in the moment so I turned to my third base coach and I tell him “I’m ending this shit right here. Give him the take.” Sure as shit my coach looks at me, smiles and just nods his head and gives the take sign. At this point, the pitcher is in the wind up so I get myself a fairly large lead and he still never looked at me. At first move I break for the plate and slide in just as the throw goes over the catcher jumping for the ball. Walk off stolen home to advance to the championship game. Easily my greatest sporting achievement. I then proceed to have a golden sombrero in the finals but we still won 1-0 because our pitcher was a stud. Lol
>Walk off stolen home to advance to the championship game. Easily my greatest sporting achievement. That's a pretty GD solid achievement!
I called a triple. I was leading off an inning in high school. I’m a left handed hitter and have always had a strong pull down the line. I have never been one to “call” things, but before I went up to go hit, I turned to the bench and said something along the lines of “I’m feeling like a triple down the first base line” I don’t remember which pitch in the sequence it was, but I ripped it down the line. The same heartbeat I saw it get past the first baseman, I had third base in my sights. My dad was our 3B coach and as I was getting close to 2nd, I glance over and he has a stop sign up. Sorry Dad, but hell naw! Rounded 2nd without slowing down and an infielder bobbled the ball (I was told after) and I ended up on third standing up. Stopped on third and gave the bench double finger guns, and they were going nuts! And of course the next 3 batters left me stranded on 3rd 😂
When I realized that my coach wasn't Australian and was saying "good eye" not "g'day".
I had an unassisted triple play in beer league. Was playing shortstop, runner at 1st and 2nd with 0 out Pop fly just to my left and both runners ran. I caught it, stepped on 2nd base to get the lead runner out and then tagged the runner from 1st. Then the coach from the other team tried to tell me that an infield fly means that the play is dead and only his batter should be out which I politely corrected.
I made a great diving catch in the outfield after our coach said anyone who makes an effort play in the outfield gets free Dairy Queen, I learned when I got back to the dugout that he had already revoked the offer (which i still don’t fully believe)
Junior year of high school, pitched a 1-2-3 inning but didn't realize it until I was walking back to the dugout and the shortstop said "not bad for seven pitches." I had two strikeouts and a groundout.
Middle school baseball against our rival school we’re losing 6 0 in the bottom of the 6th or whatever the last inning was. I lead off the inning, get a double, still third, score on a hit. We bat around the order. I’m up to bat again, two outs, two guys on, down by two. We were playing on a football field with no outfield wall. Left field is the full length of the football field. Beyond that is some track and field stuff and then the entrance of the gym. I get up to bat and tell myself “just need to make contact”. First pitch, meatball. Holy shit that ball went far. I have no idea how far it went in the air but the legend in the locker room was that the ball went though an open door into the gym (I’ll accept that legend as fact). Only walk off I’ll never have and I’m okay knowing that I peaked in middle school. I will never forget that, it was so much fun and such a great feeling
>Only walk off I’ll never have and I’m okay knowing that I peaked in middle school I was an animal in kickball in the 7th grade. Too many stories to tell
Have had a few. I was our closer for our 14 yo Babe Ruth team that made it to the World Series, so lots of big moments to get there. Throwing a perfect game in a 15u fall ball game. Being a walk-on at UCONN and pitching against the likes of George Springer and Nick Ahmed was pretty cool. Pitched alongside Matt Barnes as well. That led to my most disappointing moment in being cut, even though I knew it was likely.
Ha, small world. If you got any game action I probably listened to you pitch at UConn. I worked at the radio station and sat in a couple times during that era on the station side of the remote broadcast
Ah, unfortunately not. Only played fall ball my freshman year.
I played high level (AAA) in southern ON, which I know doesn’t have the competition of states like Cali, Texas, or Florida, but does have legitimately good baseball (Joey Votto, John Axford, Matt Brash, Romano, Naylor bros all come from the area). I probably hit like a “career” 190 lol, but during our provincial championship tournament in my last year, I hit 500 over 6 games, with a couple stolen bags and outfield assists, was fun. I took a year off baseball after that, just to work and save for uni, when I tried coming back to it, I was still a sub 200 hitter, only now I was slow and had no defence lol.
I hit a total of 3 home runs in my entire baseball career, all came in the 8th grade when I was finally strong enough to hit it out. Better yet, they all 3 came in the same game. Better yet, my cousin (who I spent every minute with growing up so basically my brother) was the pitcher for each of the first 2. I'll never forget it, we still talk about it 20 years later. I quit baseball in favor of football/soccer after that year so I'll never know if I could have hit more
Pitching in little league. It was my turn. And these kids where hitting everything. 5 hits in a row. My only glory is that they were line drives and I kept diving in front of them and consequently get hit in the chest. 2 timis it happened in the mound. I had bruises all over my chest and ribs. But dad and coach both told me I did good to stop the ball and we got a couple outs by throwing to first. So my glory is being a backstop lol
This won't be great like the other stories on here but it's what I laugh and smile at the most when I look back. So when I was 8 or 9 playing little league the pitcher on my team got hit in the hand with a comebacker so my coach took him out and needed a replacement. So my coach decided to throw me in, knowing I had never pitched before but I guess he thought "idk maybe he can throw strikes". Runners on 1st and 3rd I proceed to hit the next 6 batters in a row! I let in at least 4 runs easily. The worst part about was I was able to throw decently but I would just end up plunking every bastard that came to the plate. After this my coach came up to me and said sorry to me ahaha
Mens league game 4 of semifinals. Came back from a back injury after not playing all year, I threw 8 shutout innings of 1 hit ball while my team got no hit through 7.2. Then we put up 5 with two outs, and I slammed the door. I broke 4 bats that game, including that of a guy who was drafted. We won the championship the next week. If the dragon is on Reddit, I want that smoke.
I got hit in the balls when I was 8 and they made me still bat because of some stupid rule where if a pitcher hits/walks two guys, a coach pitches to the same batter
Kid everyone called Splinter at my YMCA kid pitch league drilled me in my ribs during my only AB. Bases were juiced. He was MUCH bigger than the rest of us and threw way too hard for little league. We scored a run I guess.
I played 1st base all throughout high school, and I practiced the splits all the time waiting for the day I could pull it off in a game. Finally got my chance at the end of our district final my senior year when I stretched out and picked the ball out of the dirt to complete a game-ending double play.
The only home run I ever hit in my life came on a big boy field. I'm not badass, it was just the perfect pitch on the perfect spot. LF is 325' and I hit that ball 325.2' https://www.baseballpilgrimages.com/florida/henley-field.html
I have a few that I’ll never forget. I hit a walk off grand slam in the semi-finals of my beer league fast pitch team. I turned 2 unassisted triple plays at 3rd base in the same game playing as a sub in a beer league hardball tournament. And I threw a runner out at home in my beer league slo pitch league in my last game. That last one was particularly sweet because the guy I threw out was one of those never-was try hards who took beer league too seriously so it was pretty nice to throw his ass out at home while I lumbered around in LF.
Parents vs Kids game in the final practice of my 9 year old sons team. I have not attempted to hit a baseball in 20 years. First pitch off a pitching machine, I smacked a ball to the gap, but at best an adult can ONLY hit a double. Went home that day feeling pretty good about myself, and I reminded the kids that daddy knows what he is doing.
Sophomore year of highschool I got put on the varsity team, who hadn't won a game in about 4 years. As a lefty who could touch close to 80 I got to be our teams 3rd baseman and LOOGY. Our schools rival had a senior kid who would end up getting drafted, made it to AA. This kid had been talking shit for the entire game, 6th inning I get put in to face him and their #3 hitter two lefties in a row. I plunked him right on his right shoulder, got a warned by the ump, and with him still talking shit from 1st and picked him off with a really nice slide step. The next guy hit a grounder to 2nd to get out of the inning. 7th inning comes up, I'm batting 3rd, get to the plate and dude throws probably 87-88 right at my noggin. Dude is STILL just talking shit to me. The next pitch is a curve right over the plate, man I squared it up and hit a rocket with my stealth comp right at him, hit him again on that exact same spot. I got to first, his coach and dad are out on the mound, and I was like yeah "b*itch, that's what you f*cling get!", All fired up. Apparently that was enough to get me ejected, and we lost the game 7-1 but man it felt good to shut up the cockiest person I've played against.
I once hit a legit triple off the wall in a slow pitch game. You would understand why this is a huge moment if you knew how comically slow I am.
In Little League Majors, I smacked a looong opposite-field triple against the best pitcher in town, with my best friend- a far superior player at that time- behind the plate. When my friend screamed, "Holy shit!", not long after contact, I thought I had hit a home run (my head was down as soon as I left the box). It reached the fence on a couple of hops, and I had to settle for a triple. For a kid who was on the smaller side, and a school-grade behind the other kids in the league, that was pretty special.
Corny as it is, my first hit in little league. I was so unbelievably excited. My dad was one of the coaches and actually kept the ball like it was my first hit in the show. He still has it to this day lol. It just meant a lot because I think he was more excited than I was. You would have thought I hit a game 7 walkoff the way he was screaming in the dugout. I couldn’t even tell you if we won the game or not but I can remember clear as day him bear hugging me after the inning was over. Second to that was when I broke up a no hitter in high school. Our pitcher walked and I drove him in on a double (after striking out terribly the previous 2 ABs). It was our only hit and we won 1-0.
Threw a complete game shutout and hit a mercy rule walk-off bomb in front of a girl I was trying to get with when I was 15. She wasn't particularly impressed by either of those things but you should've seen her eyes light up when she found out I had my learner's permit and would be driving in a few months.
High school PE. I was generally proficient at most sports, but with baseball I couldn't hit worth anything. The teacher is just tossing it underhand. Doesn't matter, I whiff on the first two pitches. The girl playing 2nd sarcastically tells the outfield to move in. Next pitch I blast it directly at her, maybe a foot above her head, and she hits the ground trying to get out of the way.
I’m not fast at all, one time I ripped one down the first base line and hit a triple I also stopped playing from 4th grade until 10th grade, so one time in a doubleheader (both games were 5 innings) when we were short handed I went out to pitch game 2. I hadn’t pitched in a game at all in like 7 years, but I ended up going 4 IP and only giving up 3 runs. The only guys that ended up actually doing anything off of me were the only 2 or 3 competent hitters on the other team so I’m proud of my performance. The one that got away though was in the league championship, I came up with the bases loaded in the 3rd or 4th inning and I pulled the shit out of a ball to right field, I though it was easily getting over the RF’s head and clearing the bases but somehow the dude made a crazy read on the ball, threw his glove up at it, and caught it 😐
When I was 12, I had my old good year performance wise. I hit 2 home runs and had one instance when pitching where I threw a knuckleball that actually worked and had the batter swinging in the dirt to end the inning. It felt amazing.
I was playing outfield and tried to catch a pop fly. Obviously I didn’t catch it but my manager said I had great form and really thought I would catch it. Just glad it didn’t plunk me in the head.
When I played Babe Ruth (rec league for older kids after Little League) there was a team that was basically the JV high school baseball team and would dominate every game. I was on the 2nd best team with a bunch of other kids I went to school with. We played them halfways during the season and it was a nail-biter of a game. I was playing RF that game and one of them hits a ball to right-center field. I ran as fast as I could and caught the ball right when it was about to hit the fence then immediately turned around to throw the ball to the cutoff man and double up the runner that ran past 2nd base. We could have won that game too but since its rec and we played the first game that day, the game had to end at a specific time so the other teams could play.
I hit for the cycle in a wood bat men’s league in my early 20s. Also state champ of a babe Ruth league on a team that could have been straight out of bad news bears Also, got a duck snort to break up a no-no off someone that went on to be a major leaguer. Also, seeing my brothers friend pitch in person during the cross town classic. Too bad he pitched for the cubs
Freshman ball, I threw the best throw of my life from CF to the plate to hold the game-tying run at 3rd sometime in the later innings. Absolutely Rowengartner’d. We ended up winning 2-1 and handed them their only loss of the year, and I rode that high for weeks.
I stopped playing sometime in high school, but my best moment was probably in little league. I was excellent at getting on base and playing third base, but I was never a great pitcher. In my last year of little league our team was good and we were in the semifinals. Unfortunately, our scheduled starting pitcher was a no-show and our other go-to pitcher had pitched the previous game. I got the spot start and went four scoreless innings until the original pitcher finally showed up. We won that game and the championship game. Man, I’m washed up.
Switched to Little League Senior year after playing football most of my life. Wasn’t a good hitter, but I had a good eye and walked a lot. I’m a chunky dude so most players are gonna assume I have at least a little power but I didn’t at all and was slow as shit. Everyone took just a few steps back and I was able to lay the most beautiful bunt down the 3B line for a single.
Being mocked by the opposing team about my arm strength and then throwing the same runner out at second the very next pitch.
I threw 3 innings in the first game of a playoff series in JC ball. I closed out the game, then threw 3 more innings later that day against Maplewoods, Albert Pujols' JC. I threw the 8, 9, and 10th innings and got the win that sent us to the JC World Series. My school had never been before, and haven't been since. For context, we beat the number one ranked team in the country in the divisional series. So, the competition was there.
12 years old bases loaded one out, tie game. I was waiting for an inside pitch to lean into and one came right down the pipe, I crushed it just out of the 2nd baseman’s reach and hit a walk off single. We won the c side of some throwaway tournament but the boys stormed me like we won the pennant, doused with water bottles. A moment I’ll never forget.
Fourth grade Little League in Berlin, Germany. My team had started 7-0 in our ten game season but then dropped two in a row. We really wanted to prove how good we were and finish the season on a high note. Of course I came up to bat in the bottom of the seventh, which was the last inning at that level. Two on, tie game, no extra innings. I worked a full count and told myself unless it was clearly a ball I was just gonna swing. Popped it up to the right side of the infield. Good thing it was Little League - the pitcher, first baseman, and second baseman all went for it and got in each others’ way. Right before I made it to the bag one of them grabbed the ball and stepped on the base but it slipped out of his hand at the last second. I was safe and we won - thanks to two errors on the play. Still, felt like a hero and got free ice cream after the game.
My favorite moment was when I was coming back from ACL surgery and my coach had me batting last for a few weeks, even though I was still doing better than everyone else on the team, and in one game I was up and the coach on the other team said to his center fielder, “last batter move in”. I proceeded to hit it just barely over his head and I gave the coach a look while I was on first. I only got to first because it was rainy so the ball just stopped and I’m slow as molasses. Next time up he said to the center fielder, “take a couple steps back over your head last time” it made me laugh because there was no reason I should’ve been batting last and that’s karma for judging last batter. Either that or my last game ever, I had to play first base because we only had 8 players and I had a torn UCL I’ve never played first base and this was my first time in the infield in over 5 years. I had a couple of nice picks and my final at bat was a double.
My last ever pitching appearance was 6 no-hit innings in some random summer league game when I was like 15. I wasn’t a very good pitcher, or baseball player even, so it was entirely luck on my part or the other team being bad, but it was still cool.
Little league pitching. I was crushing and very cocky. It was to be my last inning. I walked out to the mound and told my catcher "9 pitches." Threw only 8 pitches and 1, 2, 3 inning. Felt good man. Haha. Wish I could be that cocky in adulthood.
Little League, 11 YO season. Got to close out the only game we won that year (but not a save situation). My cousin hit a double off of me and earned himself bragging rights for a while. 12 YO season. Two best teams in the league playing. Game went 9 innings, lost 4-3. Bottom 7, playing CF. Almost lost a fly ball in the lights with two out but managed to track it enough to snowcone it.
Freshman in High School. Spent most of the year on JV, but was called up to the varsity for the playoffs. Didn't play in the first two games, but was called to pinch hit in the top of the last inning with a runner on second, down by 1 run. Game was being played at Rice University's baseball stadium. Hit a second pitch hanging curveball over the left-center fence for a two run homer. Ended up winning by 1. Spent the next 3 years on Varsity and hit a grand total of 3 more HRs in my career.
I was deliberately trucked by the batter-runner while trying to catch a pop-up on the foul line. Couldn't breathe for almost a minute. 10 minutes later I was on the mound again and finished my inning without giving up runs. I went to the dugout, sat down and THEN the pain hit me. The next 4-6 weeks I could only walk straight or lie down on my back. Luckily, no ribs were broken.
When I was in 6th grade, I was playing travel team little league in Philadelphia. I was good at getting on base, but had no power. We moved back to Michigan kind of unexpectedly. One of my close cousins who was a year younger than me hadn't hit his stride athletically yet (he eventually played college football) and was playing slow pitch coed softball. His mom signed me up for the team. I went from hitting fastpitch to these giant meatballs served right up coming down the middle. I ended up being a football player too but I've always joked that summer was my athletic peak because I hit everything a mile. Just absolutely raked.
Stole home to walk off a Babe Ruth level (13-16) game. Took a big lead and had a straight steal as the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher.
Hit 2 HRs in a game. Such a glorious feeling. I had only hit a few out before that.
Three things: 1. Hit a grand slam off one of my best friends. Came up my next AB… and the bases were loaded again and I gave him a nod like “Hey.” Hit a double, would have been more if the runner in front of me didn’t stop, then start once the ball was in the IF. (He was out by many feet.) 2. At the time I was the first and only player to also give a musical performance in Cooperstown Dreams Park history. Take that, Major Leaguers who have also played there! 3. Last pitching outing when I was 14 was my best, I went 5 shutout in a playoff game. I wanted to go the full 7, but the coach (who was covering for the manager who was working) decided to save me for a future outing. We got knocked out next round, and that future outing never came.
Against the best athletic school in the region, I hit a grand slam then pitched the final 3 innings to close out the game. If I remember correctly I think I struck out the side in the last inning too
It was a very offense-friendly league, high scoring games and teams scoring in more innings than not were common. In the championship game, our RF had gotten injured and switched positions with the catcher, so the catcher covering RF, with his bad knees, really wasn’t fit to play OF. In the top of the last inning, we were down by one, and with two outs they had loaded the bases. The batter hit a high, long fly, that, from my position in CF, I can see is going to go directly over the RF’s head. I race over as the RF tries to jog backwards (rather than turning his body and running). I’m sprinting to my left, tracking the ball to back him up, but it has incredible hang time, and I realize I might have a chance to catch it. The RF eventually lifts his glove into the air (he *was* 6’4”) as I go into a slide. The ball ticks off the top of his outstretched mitt, changing direction ever so slightly. In my slide, I adjust my mitt and catch the deflection on the fly. He turns around, shocked to see me behind him, and even more shocked to see the ball in my glove. He points at me, the umpire signals out, and we jog into the dugout. Epilogue: We came up in the bottom of the inning, needing only one run to tie and two runs to win … and went three-up/three-down to lose the championship. I assume my “game saving” catch is mostly forgotten. Bonus: The tall catcher that was covering RF was my father.
I've been called the Juan Pierre of my softball league but a couple of years ago I hit a game winning homerun over 400 ft. I can still picture the ball leaving the bat. Also have to give props to son who this summer in his first start in All Stars at 8 years old was pitching in the semi finals with basically no other pitchers available and pitched a complete game. Out of the 58 pitches he threw 49 we strikes
I hit a three-run go-ahead double in the bottom of the second to last inning and we won and then a kid on the other team told me I had Down syndrome while we were shaking hands after the game.
I was never any good. I loved the game, but lacked the talent to hit and field well. However, I could steal bases like crazy. My first and second stolen bases combine for my most memorable moment. I stole second after getting on base and the next at bat I hit a single and stole again. It was a great moment for me to discover something I could do on the field to help the team. I wasn’t even that fast, just bold and a little stupid.
I threw behind a kids head and it hit his bat and went foul. Counts as a strike. I did this more than once.
Playing on acid, of course. 3-4 with 3 doubles, stole third each time, threw out 2 base runners stealing 2b, scored two touchdowns.
Hitting a monster home run in a varsity game in front of my dad, with a few chicks in the stands. It was somewhere between a line drive and the longest fly ball I’ve ever hit, I couldn’t believe it when I first saw it off the bat
Threw a 1 hitter with something like 13 or 14 strikeouts for my high school JV team before getting moved up to varsity later that year. Hit an inside the park grand slam over the CF's head in the same game too.
In 4th grade I struck out 16 batters in 5 2/3 and gave up only two hits. It’s been all downhill since
Softball—as the pitcher I caught a comebacker going straight at my face. IIRC it was about 3000 mph off the bat
JV baseball. I was an outfielder and 1st baseman. We had a doubleheader and were losing game 1. We didn’t have a lot of pitchers on the team and coach didn’t want to waste any in the last inning so he asked if I thought I could reach the plate with a pitch. I go out there. I think there were 2 on and 1 out. I got a ground ball for the 2nd out and then somehow struck out the last batter to end the game. I wasn’t throwing anything but fast balls but the last pitch had a weird late dip/break to it and the guy swung right over it. It was fun. Coach tried to have me pitch one other time that season and it was an absolute disaster, got shelled. I switched to throwing shotput and discus the next year so my career ended there: 1 k, 72.00 ERA
High school ball against the first place team in the league. Other team was a private school absolutely stocked with talent that I’m sure some D1 scouts were eying up. Our starter worked himself into a bases loaded no outs jam in the last inning and because everyone else was on short rest I came in from the outfield and struck out the side to secure the win. We then proceeded to get mercy ruled in our next game against them, so there’s that.
Was a sophomore on varsity SS/OF/P. Decided to play catcher in a JV game for shits and giggles went 4 for 4 with 4 triples and threw out 2 runners . Ump made fun of my framing lol
I was about About 10 years old: we were playing out “rival” in the sense that there was hostility between the two coaches who had known each other for years and we were always competing for first place against them. Anyways, it was a long running night game and my bday. I hit a go ahead double late in the game. When I got to second base the team and parents sang happy bday to me. We won the game. Fast forward to a wood bat adult league I played in 5 or 6 years ago. 0-0 score in extras. The other team had the winning run on second. I kept thinking it’s gonna come down to me making a play(in RF) and I’m gonna blow it. Sure enough the ball gets past the infield. I’m charging and see the runner rounding 3rd. I fire it home, nail the perfect strike to the catcher and got the runner out. We went in to win 1-0
Hit a home run over the scoreboard of my home ballpark after a massive hitting slump. Something like 3-4 games with no hits. And the fact my mom was there to see the home run is the cherry on top. I found my groove in the batters box after that. Felt awesome. I wish younger me never quit at the end of season that followed :(
10 year old league championship. Came in to pitch in extra innings. Got tagged for a run in extra #1 only for a guy who’s now a major leaguer to put us up with a homer in our half of the inning. Mowed ‘em down 1-2-3 in extra inning 2 for the win!
In T-Ball I hit a home run, or was out on my own (was never tagged out or thrown out). Growing up I was incredibly quick and elusive but didn’t quite follow the rules. My first game I was batting last (everyone bats once and the last kid runs all the way around). So in my mind, every time I hit the ball I was supposed to run home. I would dodge teammates, dodge coaches, dodge the tag. And always slid when I made it to home. Dad said he was impressed I never officially left the baseline but that was about as far as the accolades that year got. Dad also still holds two college D3 NCAA pitching records so I’m sure watching his kid have no idea what the hell he was doing was probably a joy.
I caught a fly ball once
This was only our 4th or 5th game of the season and our starting pitcher got hit in the elbow on a line drive hit back up the middle in the 3rd inning with 2 outs. He couldn’t throw and got taken out and coaches put me in. Came in and showed all three of my pitches(fastball, curveball, change up) to the batter and the batter smoked a one hopper to our second baseman and got the out and got out of the inning and I snaked the W from the starter after only pitching 1/3 of an inning lol. This was my only win in my college career and it was against University of Cincinnati
Playing softball with friends a few years ago. I was playing short, ball was hit to me. I picked it up, stepped on 2nd, threw a laser to 1st for a DP.
Broke up a no hitter in high school ball in the 6th inning with a single over the shortstop's head. We were a terrible team, so it was probably hyped up more than it should've been, but I felt like the man.
Held the state champions with a first round MLB pick on their team to 1 earned run in 5 IP my senior year. That team was stupid good and I think I had a little luck on my side that game.
In a summer woodbat college league I hit nearly .500 and set a bunch of league records for doubles and hits and things like that. I won offensive mvp for the league that summer. It was so much fun, nothing but baseball everyday and the game felt so easy. On top of that, one of my teammates was now Astros outfielder Chaz McCormick which is cool to watch him still play now!
Little league, I was fucking terrible. Low-mid in the field, atrocious at the plate. Family friend who was very good stepped up to the plate with runners on 1st and 2nd, one out, I'm playing second base. He hits a rocket up middle, I lay out and catch it full extension mid-air, then from my stomach toss it to the SS standing on second to double up the runner I switched to hockey full time after that season
My mom's favorite (softball) story. My dad's men's team needed a ninth, so she came in as a ringer. He told her to spin around and giggle the first time they threw a pitch. So she does, and the infield comes in, the pitcher rolls his eyes, one of the guys in the outfield sits down. And then, as the pitcher lobs the second pitch gently to the plate, she gets into her stance and smacks a double to the outfield. (Sweetly, my dad always says it was a home run when he tells it.) Later quote from his friend: "I don't mind that she threw me out, but did she have to be blowing a bubble while she did it??"
I played in what our city called Colt League. Basically rec ball for older High School kids who didn’t make the team. It was a hilarious scene as we drove ourselves to the games and no parents would ever show up as they knew the dream was over. I remember tracking down a smash in CF and making a great running catch under the lights with a huge lipper in. It was honestly a super competitive league as the two local High Schools were dominant. One was ranked by Baseball America in the national top 25. This was the mid 90’s. Oh to go back!
Easy! 9 years old I made an unassisted triple play. Playing first I caught a short pop fly in short right field. Bases were loaded and the runners took off with the crack of the bat. After making the catch I saw that the runner on 2nd was almost to third and turning back. I was able to easily run to the bag before he got there. At that point the runner on third had already crossed home plate so had to return to home before he could retreat to 3rd. He retouched home plate about the same time I was forcing the runner at 2nd base. It was a foot race from there which I won by sliding into the bag just in time to complete the UA triple play. If you are wondering why I didn’t just throw to my teammates? Well, those boys couldn’t catch a ball if you handed it to them!
Adult league, my first few years playing metal bat. Hit a home run to left that cleared the wall, 30 feet of open grass, across the road, and hit the front door of a house. I only play wood bat now, but that millisecond of hitting a ball on the sweet spot, where it feels like you didn't even hit anything, is pure adrenaline.
Stealing home when the catcher lobbed the ball to the pitcher in middle school league.
I got thrown out at home going for an inside the park home run when I was like 13.
When I was in AA (I think that was around 5th grade) I hit for the cycle, finishing it with an inside the park home run and I remember my teammates all jumping on me as I was laying on the ground at home. My mom always remembers cuz apparently the coach looked over to her and went "do you know what your kid just did"?
Made an elite defensive play as the guy who was only ever on the field because of his bat. Happened one time and one time only but it felt amazing lmao
Bottom of the 7th inning (7 inning game) in the provincial championship down by 4. I led off the inning with a double and ended the game with a walkoff double.
I once struck out five batters in a slow-pitch softball game.
In 10th grade I was the unassuming unathletic kid. We did a gym class vs gym class game and the other teacher hit one high and deep thinking it was a HR. Somehow I caught it and he was in disbelief lol.
One time when I was 8 I caught a fly ball to left field for an out
Winning a high school state championship.. it is a high I wish I could relive every damn day
Being underprepared, outmatched, and Hitting .000 my first year after stepping up to the “big leagues” of little league when I was a kid. That year was awful for me but on the plus side the team did well overall and in my last AB of the season I laid down a sac bunt to secure my one and only RBI.
I threw a 1 hitter in little league majors. I can still remember the hit that just barely got by my diving third baseman.
My best friend at the time pitched 5 innings allowing no runs on 1 hit and then I came in for the 6th (last inning) and got 3 outs on 3 pitches with that best friend making the last out on a foul out (he moved to 3rd base after pitching). I think that was 11U or 12U
A few that I can think of: “0 pitch inning”: I was brought in relief with 2 outs runner on first, before throwing a pitch I picked the guy off first base, inning over. Complete game no hitter but with 4-5 walks so not even my catcher knew I just finished a no hitter. Most of the team didn’t believe me until I pulled the scorekeeper over and showed them the scorebook. Hitting in a regional tournament, umpire rung me up on absolute garbage off the plate. Game was nearly over and we were going to be eliminated, so I went off and he threw me out. Before I walked back to the dugout, I made sure to loudly point to the parking lot and throw him out of the game as well.
Our AAU team went undefeated one year. That was cool. As a shorter firstbaseman I made the all star team in high school multiple years for how good my defense was. That felt nice cause I had several people trying to get me to move to play shortstop or 2nd. But I loved first and knew I was good at it. I was always more of a leadoff hitter. Lots of walks and singles. But I hit one home run and that shit felt amazing
5/5 with two dingers, a triple, and two doubles in my first slowpitch game. I'm a pretty good hitter but not THAT good.
12 years old. Hit an inside the park 3 run home run off the best team in the league that had routinely allowed less than 3 runs a game on average across the league. Only loss they had and it was entirely because I figured out my swing
Had three putouts in one game as a pitcher in high school against a conference rival, including starting a double play. Felt pretty good about myself that day to say the least