[Essay] That Wild Pitch is Proof of Humanity. The Story of a Major Leaguer Who Collapsed Behind the Cheers

Do you prefer comedies or tragedies? They say you can tell by your taste in movies.
When it comes to Audrey Hepburn, in Japan, it's 'Roman Holiday.' A princess sneaks out of her lodging while visiting Rome and wanders the city incognito. It's a masterpiece about falling in love with a reporter who catches wind of her secret. In the end, the princess returns to her official duties, choosing compassion over personal love—a somewhat tragic ending. The Japanese tend to favor endings that bloom like a dying flower. On the other hand, in America, that's not the case; Audrey Hepburn's signature film is 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.' It's a story depicting the meeting and emotional changes between Holly, a socialite living freely in New York, and Paul, an aspiring writer. It concludes with a happy ending where the two embrace in the rain and find love. I suppose I am a 'Roman Holiday' person after all.

Yesterday, there was an impressive game in the MLB. It was Game 4 of the Division Series between the Dodgers and the Phillies.
In October, the MLB shifts to a tournament-style postseason that only teams with strong regular-season records can advance to. From here on, records and numbers don't matter; it's a battle where only winning counts. It's from this point that the look in the eyes of Major Leaguers changes, and success in this postseason brings players money and fame. Perhaps it's easiest to understand if you think of it as going from a nobody to a feudal lord with his own castle in one leap. The atmosphere changes so much that even fans who don't watch the regular season turn into fanatics for the postseason.
The Division Series is won by the first team to reach three wins. The winning team advances to the League Championship Series. The Dodgers, featuring Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki, took the first and second games for two wins. The Phillies fought back in the third game. The series stood at 2-1 in favor of the Dodgers. A tragedy befell the Phillies, who would be eliminated from the series and end their season if they lost Game 4.

The game was a heated pitcher's duel where neither side gave an inch, and a single mistake could be fatal. At the end of the 7th inning, it was a 1-1 tie. The crucial late innings: the 7th, 8th, and 9th. The Dodgers' pitcher was Roki Sasaki. He pitched perfectly against the Phillies' powerful lineup, putting up three zeros, and the stadium was wrapped in an extraordinary heat and frenzy. The Phillies' pitcher, the ace Jesus Luzardo, had also been pitching perfectly from the 8th to the 10th, but in the bottom of the 11th, fatigue began to show, and after giving up consecutive singles, there were two outs with runners on 2nd and 3rd. It was a situation where one hit by the Dodgers would mean a walk-off win. Here, the Phillies side changed pitchers. It was Orion Kerkering.
The stadium erupted in a massive roar at the chance for a walk-off hit! The ground vibration pierced through Kerkering's body. The Dodgers' batter was Kiké Hernández. He is a professional who may be mediocre in the regular season, but changes his intensity and shows his clutch ability once the postseason arrives; in this situation, he must have looked like a 'troublesome batter.' Kerkering actually gave up a walk, loading the bases. Cold sweat was erupting from the forehead of Kerkering, who should have only thrown a few pitches, and one could tell from his stiff expression that he was desperately trying to suppress his anxiety and fear.

Bottom of the 11th, two outs, bases loaded. For a pitcher, a walk, hit-by-pitch, wild pitch, or bad pitch would mean an immediate 'walk-off' loss. The tens of thousands of enthusiastic spectators in the stadium were at peak voltage, all standing and shouting at the top of their lungs. Every gaze was focused on the ball gripped in Kerkering's right arm. Watching Kerkering, who kept his wide-open eyes fixed on only one point—the catcher's mitt—without even blinking, that tremendous tension was transmitted to me as well. The strained atmosphere drifted with a sense of terror, like the movie 'Cube,' where invisible blades would slice you to pieces if you moved even an inch.
The Dodgers' batter was Andy Pages. He is a batter who can hit home runs, is good at defense, is a promising young player for the Dodgers, and is also famous for his speed.
Kerkering threw a 156 km/h fastball. Pages' bat reacted, swinging through with tremendous force.

Kerkering was left stunned and speechless, his knees buckling as he could only stare at the ground. In the background, the Dodgers members who had just achieved a dramatic walk-off win were celebrating in a whirlwind of joy. This beautiful composition told the story of the cruelty of competition.
It was the moment when Kerkering's powerful fastball, fueled by his determination to 'never let them get a hit,' intersected with the fierce bat swing of Pages, who had only one hit in the postseason, carrying his desire to 'get a hit in this situation! I want to lead the team to victory.'

The bat shattered, and the ball, with an strange spin, rolled right in front of Kerkering.
The ball tangled at Kerkering's feet, and he couldn't field it. Sensing the situation, Pages dashed toward first base with all his might. And the runner on third was charging toward home plate.

'I absolutely cannot give up a single run! If the runner makes it home, we lose.'

That must have crossed his mind for a split second. Multiple intersecting timelines and a desperate hunger for victory attacked him. Kerkering fell into a panic, grabbed the ball in a rush, and in his inability to get a firm grip, he threw a wild pitch to home. —The Phillies' season ended at this very moment.

In fact, in the regular season, it would have been an ordinary, simple pitcher's grounder. Normally, you would field it, and since there were two outs, you would throw to first for an easy out, leaving the runner stranded. Kerkering could have overcome the unprecedented crisis.
However, when you rewatch the footage and look at the movement of Kerkering's feet as he tries to field the ball rolling in front of him, you can see just how panicked he was.

'I have to handle this quickly...'
'Oh, Pages is sprinting... this is bad! The runner on 3rd is coming.'
'It's going to be a walk-off...'

It was obvious that he was consumed by such fear. Every Major Leaguer dreams of winning the World Series. It is a sacred place that only the chosen can reach. Every Major Leaguer understands that they work hard and practice every day for that purpose. There are many Major Leaguers who, even as superstars, cannot reach it even after playing for over 10 years. It is a place you can never reach alone. That is what winning the World Series is.

'I can't let it end here.'
'I absolutely cannot make a mistake.'

The postseason is a special season where fans and the team unite to focus on winning.
That is precisely why the players carry such horrifying pressure.
What made a simple pitcher's grounder not turn out that way were the tens of thousands of spectators packed into the stadium, the Dodgers' '10th man.' That invisible force made Kerkering panic and induced the wild pitch. On this day, the Dodgers had zero hits in six opportunities with runners in scoring position. They scored two runs through a Phillies bases-loaded walk and this wild pitch, winning 2-1. This alone shows how many emotions intersected in this game on this day.
When a pale-faced Kerkering returned to the bench, the manager revealed to reporters that he quietly spoke to him.

'Keep your head up. You were just a little overwhelmed by the stadium. You pitched well for us this season. We win as a team, and we lose as a team.'

In the Major Leagues, which is like a den of monsters with technique and power, the strong team doesn't always win. That's because humans are the ones playing. Human dramas like this often emerge in the postseason. That is likely because everyone is casting aside distracting thoughts and competing solely to 'just win.' I only hope that Kerkering will be pitching energetically against the Dodgers again next season.