Less than three short years ago, on August 12, 2015, I was one of 25,661 fans standing and cheering as Hisashi Iwakuma took the field in the ninth inning, just three outs away from a magical no-hitter.
Now, Kuma wasn’t an ace. A very good pitcher, absolutely. A master at his craft, no doubt. But he didn’t overpower hitters; rather, he used his pitch mix to befuddle and bewitch opposing players. As a result, he needed some defensive help whenever he could get it.
And five pitches into the inning, he got that help.
Kyle Seager’s grab electrified the crowd.