6 Story

I had dedicated my whole life to this moment. My coach motioned from the pitchers' mound for me to come onto the field. I quickly grabbed my glove and stepped out into the sunlight.

This was my chance to prove my worth to everyone.

I was the ace pitcher of this team, but my ability has gone relatively unnoticed. I wanted to show all of the high schools out there that I was someone worthy of being on their team.

I had started the last game, so I was stuck in relief in case of an emergency. I would say that being up 1 with 2 outs and bases loaded in the bottom of the 6th was just that. I knew the coach was going to call me over, but the anticipation was killing me.

When he finally directed me to come out, I moved as fast as I could. I quickly did a short stretch and threw warm-up pitches with the catcher.

The catcher, Aki, was my partner in crime. With him behind the plate, I felt like my pitches were ten times better. I knew that there was no way we would lose this game.

My first two pitches were perfect, a fastball on the inside corner and a slider away that got him swinging.

I looked down at the sign that my Aki gave me. He signaled fastball. I knew that he wanted me to put my all into this pitch. I took an extra second to prepare myself and entered my windup with as much force as I could gather.

The release of the ball felt just right, I watched as the pitch quickly headed towards the zone. The batter's eyes tried to follow it, but this was probably the fastest pitch of the day. All the batter could do was watch as it flew past him.

The umpire signaled strike 3, officially ending this championship game. My teammates stormed the mound and we all celebrated our big win. This was the biggest win in our school's history and the game that put me on the recruiting map.

Plenty of coaches reached out after that game, impressed by my performance throughout the entire tournament. I was fortunate enough to get into a school that was known for developing pitchers.

I was hoping that Aki would come with me, but he chose to go to another school.

The last time I saw him, we shook hands and agreed that the next time we saw each other would be in the championship game.

I made a promise to him that I would put my full effort into striking him out.

The following year, I didn't have much of a spot in our pitching rotation. I rarely had any opportunity to play and we never got to play Aki's school.

The biggest difference has been the fact that the last inning was changed from the 6th to the 9th. I noticed that I had a lot less endurance than all of the tenured members here.

The major tournament to look forward to is the regional championship. 100s of schools compete in this tournament and the final few rounds are played in professional facilities, with the championship being played in a professional stadium.

Our school had managed to make it a few rounds deep into this year's tournament, but we just didn't have the batting ability to go much deeper. I looked online for the bracket and saw that Aki's team had made it to the final 16 before being eliminated. I swore to myself that I would become a player worthy of facing Aki on the highest stage possible.

Over the next 5 months, I trained relentlessly. Preparing my body to be in the best physical shape possible. I became a more consistent and powerful pitcher. I also spent a lot of time in the batting cage to provide as much of a boost to this team as possible.

Once the next season began, I worked my way up to the #2 pitcher on the team. It seemed as though all the returning players had improved in a wide variety of ways. We performed significantly better as a team and were not reliant on our pitching. By the end of our regular season, I became the #1 pitcher and achieved results that this school hasn't seen in years. For a second year, the success I had on the mound was unimaginable.

Our team's dominance continued into the regional tournament. Before we knew it, we had reached the final 16. I looked over and saw that Aki's team had also returned but was on the opposite side of the bracket. As each game passed, our matchup was closer to becoming a reality.

Our semi-final matchup was a very competitive match. Coach wanted to save me to start in the finals, but by the 7th inning, we were tied and being outperformed offensively. He didn't want to take any risks and sent me in to hold them off.

I began to thrive under pressure. As I looked around at the fans, I couldn't help but feel proud. I've played baseball my whole life and now I can show off in front of all these people. I pitched as consistently as ever. I only needed to win one more game before my matchup with Aki.

I held them off leading into the bottom of the 9th. I watched from the dugout as my team seemed to be more energized than ever, and they drove in the final run to bring us to the championship.

I decided to take a peek at Aki's game. His team was up 3 in the 8th inning. I watched as he stepped into the batter's box. He was a lot more muscular than I remember. His movements oozed confidence as he prepared for the pitch. His very first pitch was a fastball, and he got every last bit of it. The sound of the bat was enough to know that it was gone. I watched the ball sail over the left field wall and into the crowd.

I couldn't help but smile, I wanted nothing more than to strike him out. I prayed that I would receive that chance tomorrow.

The time had come, it was a bright sunny day and we were playing in an actual professional stadium. Many teams who had previously lost had come to watch this matchup, on top of the other fans, and scouts in attendance.

The bleachers were packed and it felt like I was in the major leagues. I looked across the field and made eye contact with Aki, he had a serious look on his face, as did I. We both were looking forward to this moment, but now that it's here we will stop at nothing to win.

This was our toughest game of the season. I, unfortunately, did not get to start. I'd be lying if I said my arm was at 100% from yesterday. I wanted nothing more than to start this game, but for the sake of the team, I told my coach that I didn't feel comfortable opening the game.

The innings began passing by, with a tied score of 0-0. It wasn't until the 6th that the score would change. Aki had entered the box and once again launched a home run over the fence. I couldn't help but be amazed. I could see the progress that he's made in the past 2 years.

The 7th inning passed and now it was the 8th. Our team finally got some offense and was able to tie it up, but going into the 9th our coach decided that it was my time to change the game.

I was tasked with facing the 2-3-4 hitters in their lineup. It was only right that Aki would be a part of that lineup. I managed to get the 2 hitter to fly out, and the 3 hitter to strike out. I couldn't hold back my excitement as I got to face off against Aki.

I composed myself and prepared for the first pitch. It was a changeup outside that ended up being fouled off. I then tried to throw a low curveball but Aki didn't swing. After a few more pitches, the count would become 3 balls 2 strikes. I began challenging him with a variety of pitches in the strike zone, but they got fouled off each time.

I began to get frustrated. I needed to put Aki away now. I reminisced on what it was like playing with him, and how he made me throw harder. I tried to remember the feeling of throwing that hard and replicate it in this next pitch. I took a deep breath and began my windup. Everything felt right, I watched the ball leave my hand and head towards the plate.

My goal was to tie him up with a high and inside strike, but I noticed the ball going slightly higher than I anticipated. Before I knew it, Aki was on the ground, and people from both sides rushed over to help him. Medics quickly came over and took him away. As they loaded him onto a stretch, I saw a large pool of blood near the batter's box.

They stopped the game temporarily to get rid of the blood on the field, but my mind was not focused on the game at all. I couldn't believe that I hit Aki. Not only did I hit him, but it was a head injury with a puddle of blood. I couldn't get that out of my mind.

Coach decided to keep me in. He knows that I am not one to hit or walk people frequently. As the next batter stepped up, I couldn't focus. The path to the plate seemed blurry. When I looked down at my hand holding the baseball, my mind became filled with thoughts of Aki.

It made me sick. I tried to push through it but ended up throwing 4 consecutive balls, one of which almost hit this batter.

My coach came out to the mound and told me I was done for the day. As I walked towards the dugout, the crowd began booing. I felt helpless, this wasn't how my game was supposed to go.

From that moment forward, I never touched a baseball again. My life became dull. I never showed emotion and I did the bare minimum to get through my day before heading back home. I cut off all of my friends and never spoke to Aki.

I was told that the hit had put him into a coma for a short while, but that he has since made a full recovery. I was glad, but I couldn't bring myself to see him.

I never thought I would end up like this. I've become a shell of what I once was. I had been ridiculed online for what had happened. I no longer felt comfortable being out in public. Any time I was around people, my head would fill with thoughts that I don't know if I can resist any longer. I just want to escape.

The version of me that could commit myself to things and enjoy them was dead. I had no reason to keep that person alive.

If they thought the old me was a villain, the new me can be even more dangerous.