In my back yard, I have a little spot setup to practice golf. We've got a mat, a net, some chairs to sit and watch and wait, and a stand for clubs and to set a phone or beverage on. I mention this because the "Cade Marlowe" game is going to be one I never forget, but for reasons that don't pertain as much to baseball as to the situation surrounding it.
We got home later in the evening, did some chores, and it was around 9PM. Starting to get dark, but not dark enough that we couldn't hit golf balls. So, my son and I went outside to practice. I pulled the game up on my phone, and had it sitting there playing as we got some hacks in. My son has started getting into baseball recently (thanks to MLB The Show and Big Dumper having an awesome nickname) so he was interested in the game as well.
It's the start of the 9th inning, and the Mariners are down 3-1 to the Angels.
I heard Big Dumper walk. Then I walked away to setup the sprinkler. I made my way back, and heard "Dad, the bases are loaded." Holy crap. The Mariners are making another late game charge. Plus, he's paying attention to the game. This is awesome! We've recently moved, buying the house that I grew up in from my parents, so it's a bit of DeJa'Vu to have the game on the radio with a young boy listening with his dad.
Strike one, Strike two. Ah, crap. Young guy up at the plate, bit of a strikeout problem, big-time pressure right here.
Except, you aren't always going to get away with a belt-high fastball, no matter how hard you throw it.
Marlowe took the 100-mph heater from Estevez deep to right field, smashing it just over 400 feet. I started running around the backyard, pumping my fists at the "Grand Salami", watching it dawn on my son's face that the Mariners were now up and "wow, they can win the game now".
This is always going to be a special game to Cade Marlowe, obviously. The dude just hit a grand slam in the 9th inning to put his team ahead and was the reason they won the game. Against the team's rival, no less. With it being a regular season game, the event is going to not-so-slowly fade out of most people's memories.
For me, I don't know that I will ever forget. Seeing or hearing the Mariners win makes me happy. Seeing my son excited about baseball? That's something that I'll always remember.
Thank you, Cade Marlowe.