The one single moment that made me love baseball

“What made you start liking baseball?”

Whenever I am asked that, I always remember one particular event.

It happened when I was in elementary school, on a day my family went to the Costco next to Mazda Stadium.

We parked the car on the rooftop parking lot, and when I casually peeked over at Mazda Stadium, the players were just finishing their practice.

Back then, I knew nothing about the Carp. I just called out in a loud voice from the parking lot toward the jersey number I saw.

Then, one of the Carp players looked over at me and waved back.

It was truly just that one simple event.

But those few seconds changed my life in a big way.

“I want to know more about this player.” “I want to cheer for him.”

Because of that feeling, I started watching Carp games, learned the rules, and gradually began to learn about the other players too.

I, who at first was only cheering for one player, ended up cheering for the whole team before I knew it, and before I realized it, I had fallen in love with baseball itself.

This few-second event became my encounter with the thing I am most passionate about in life.

(Thinking about it now, I feel a bit embarrassed, wondering what I was doing calling out to a player during practice...!)

From there, it really happened in the blink of an eye.

My family used to go to watch games at Mazda Stadium, but that was only about once a year, using tickets we received from acquaintances.

Even if a baseball game was on TV at home, I was the kind of child who would immediately change the channel, saying, “I want to watch a different show.”

Everything changed from that day on.

Not only did I watch the TV broadcasts, but that wasn't enough anymore, and the number of times I visited the stadium gradually increased.

When I actually went to the stadium, there were so many charms that don't come across on TV.

The sound of the ball being hit, the stands singing the cheering songs, and the sense of unity throughout the stadium wrapped in cheers.

And what I loved more than anything else was
the sight of the players warming up before the game.

As I watched their casual expressions and gestures that aren't shown on TV,

I started to think,"I want to know more about this world."

That is how I came to feel.

My life as a baseball fan began with a chance encounter with just one player.

Now, that player has become such a big presence that it's hard to even see them up close.

Even so, those few seconds when they waved at me that day
taught me about the world of baseball that I love so much.

If it weren't for those few seconds,
I might never have discovered baseball.

That coincidence that day is, for me,
a lifelong treasure.😌

7chan