These are the moments that young athletes dream of.
Surely that was true for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., donning a tiny Montreal Expos jersey and looking up at big MLB stands, wanting to be on this stage one day. It must've been true for Cal Raleigh, hitting endless batting practice against his father, honing a magical swing from both sides of the plate.
Of course it's true for the pitchers, for George Kirby and Shane Bieber, knowing that every time they step out on the mound it's a mini version of this gigantic spotlight that will come in Game 7 of the ALCS, when the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays play for a spot in the World Series.
This is where dreams meet reality.
This is where those childhood dreams, of making that one brilliant play that decides a series or even a season, meet the reality that one team will win, and the other team will go home.
This is why we play sports. This is why we watch sports. This is why we live, breathe and love sports.
It's cliche at this point to hear the sentence: "Game 7, the best two words in sports."
But is that statement wrong?
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Maybe opening day of a sports season gets the juices flowing in a similar way, but it's not like a Game 7.
A Game 7 is a heightened magnitude of the senses, a heightened magnitude of the moment, a heightened magnitude of the potential magic waiting behind every single pitch.
You never know who the hero will be in a Game 7. It could be obvious, like Vladdy or the Big Dumper. It could be entirely unexpected, like Ernie Clement or Dominic Canzone.
Baseball, more than any other sport, is designed to call upon whoever is next in the order, no matter what. You can't just sub your superstar back in to run the winning play. Whoever is there is the guy who matters most in a Game 7 moment.
This is where heroes are made, where dreams become real, where reality becomes the most intense, passion-filled few hours that sports have to offer.
Game 7 is everything. And here it is.
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