Okay, so September has been rough.
Hanshin dropped seven straight. Seven! At one point I told a friend I was “taking a break from the Tigers,” which lasted about a day and a half because, well, you know how it goes.
Then came the Giants game.
Not exactly a classic
Let me say this up front: it wasn’t a masterpiece. No big blowout, no walk-off fireworks. It was tense, a little ugly in spots, and I’m fairly sure I stopped breathing around the seventh inning. Hanshin won by a single run [add final score here], and honestly, I’ll take it.
When you’ve lost seven in a row, you don’t care how it looks.
What actually went right
Here’s what I noticed:
- The pitching held on when it could have cracked. [Name the pitcher if you want.]
- The defense didn’t hand out free outs, which sounds minor until you remember the last week.
- Somebody in the lineup finally came through with a runner on. [Add the player and the moment.]
No one guy won it. That’s kind of the point. During the losing streak, it felt like everyone was trying to fix everything alone. Against the Giants, they just did their jobs and trusted the guy next to them.
Why it matters (even if it’s only one game)
Sure, one win doesn’t erase seven losses. The race is still tight, and nobody’s celebrating a pennant yet. But a streak like that gets into your head, and the only way out is to win, even ugly, even by one run, even against the team everyone’s watching.
Doing it against the Giants? Bonus points. Don’t @ me.
Where I’m at now
Cautiously hopeful. That’s the best I can say. If the Tigers play like that again tomorrow, I might actually relax a little.
Might.
Were you watching? Did you survive the late innings? Tell me below.