Gemotions

"We're short a pitcher, and I need you, David." David, the team's reliable third baseman, felt a tightening in his throat. Pitching required a different kind of composure, a different kind of skill, and the pressure felt crushing.

He practiced his windup, the ball feeling slick and unfamiliar in his hand. The mound felt lonely and exposed. Each pitch he threw carried the weight of the entire team. The opposing batters seemed to loom large, the crowd's expectations hanging heavy in the air. His usual easy banter with his teammates was replaced with strained silences. He found himself spending hours alone, analyzing his mistakes, his mood growing darker with each passing day.