There are two kinds of people in this world, those who’ve cried over a baseball game and soulless droids. I’m very much in the first group (I’m a Cubs fan FFS) and make no apologies for it. There are other sports I love as much as baseball, but the heartache of it seems to transcend all of them.
In a way this episode felt a lot like a finale (it’s not). In fact it is the final game of the regular season, with the final spot in the Climax Series on the line. That means finishing third or higher, and the last game of the season will decide it between the MotorSuns and those rat bastards from Fukuoka, the Styx (named after the hair band or the underworld river I’m not sure). Naturally it’s a tense and intense moment at the ballpark. If you’re a baseball fan you know that stress – there’s nothing quite like it. Especially for fans of a long-suffering club like Chiba, trying for their first postseason appearance.
The ep manages to tie in just about every storyline from the season as a whole. Mitsui is pitching, with a marriage proposal on the line (kind of dumb that, really). The 14 year-old dragged to the park by her dad gets swept up in the enthusiasm of the cheer squad and follows them to the park, trumpet in-hand. Yuki brings her own lemon for the karaage at last. And Koutarou ignores a call from his evil boss right before the first pitch, at last putting his priorities in order.
As to the game itself, a couple things stand out. Shishio playing on a bum foot and hurting the team – that’s an unforced error. Guys don’t like to take themselves out of big games, but a healthy shortstop makes that play and saves two runs. Mitsui was left in the game too long. But he also gave up two solo home runs to the Styx’ best hitter, kind of a cardinal sin in a game like this. Pitch around the guy – intentionally walk him, even. But don’t let their star beat you like that.
Mainly, though, I knew when Ruriko talked about all the runners the MotorSuns left on-base that they were going to lose, as unlikely as that might have seemed narratively. That’s a sick feeling in the pit of the stomach of any experienced fan – you just know deep down those wasted opportunities are going to bite you. It was a crappy way to lose – a lucky stab by the Fukuoka closer on a liner by Kojirou with the bases loaded. But that’s baseball, as they say.
I actually have a lot of respect for Ballpark de Tsukamaete! for showing the heartbreak of the game that way. There’s more tears than celebrations for lifers of most teams, so that ending rang very true to life. I don’t think it’s too likely we’ll see any more of the series in anime form (after next week), but the manga is ongoing. So you have to figure the MotorSuns will get there eventually – and that hard journey is what being a baseball fan is all about.
