Put Me In, Coach!

Eli had his first baseball game today! And as any 4-6 year-old baseball game should end, the teams tied. (I'm all about teaching kids that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but it was pretty cool to look at Eli and say, "Everyone played great today and you both won.", and mean it!)

We arrived 30-minutes prior to game time, to warm up in the batting cages and with the glove. Eli is becoming more comfortable with his teammates which means more horsing around, of course. But once the game got under way, Eli was as focused as he always has been. He was in Center Field to start. This usually means no play, but there was a ball overthrown to second base at one point, which means Eli was in the game. He ran to the ball and chucked it, paying close attention to every move the in-field made. More attention than Mommy: once I saw the ball scooped up by the pitcher, I shut the video camera off, missing Eli's big play!

Eli's first at bat earned him a trip to home plate. Not a home run, as he would tell you, but a solid single, hit on the 4th pitch. He is getting better at listening to the first and third base coaches, though he does have to be reminded to watch the one on third. He gets so caught up in the excitement of the game that he almost always starts towards third regardless of the call. When Eli was up at bat the following two times, he hit a solid ground ball on the second pitch. He has yet to require a tee which makes me SO proud. Not as proud of his skills as proud of his work ethic. Eli is still very focused on the ball and what he can do to make contact. And he doesn't go a day without requesting practice. I hope he always enjoys the game this much!

Eli had one inning as a catcher today. Once again all of the gear and mask were placed on his little frame and he waddled towards the plate. He made a few saves, tossing the ball back to the opposing coach each time. He really seems to love it there! But it boggles my mind how he can be 'big enough' to play baseball, REAL baseball with hard balls and aluminum bats and pitching, yet he's still not 'big enough' to eat post-game pizza without sitting on up on his knees.