9 end 2 outs

Life imitates baseball. You always get a second chance even when you’re losing. The 4th batter at the plate could drive in a home run at the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game or the opposing team could make a game-losing mistake and allow the player on third base to score. The game of baseball is full of surprises and comebacks. There are times when you need to step up to the plate and do whatever it takes to pinch-hit a single down the field. Or you have to take a bunt to send a fellow player home. Fly balls... Pitchers intentionally walking the hitter... These are a few of the baseball strategies that are used to sacrifice a play to win the game. The pitcher tries to outsmart the batter and the batter waits for the change-up pitch to smack the ball out of the stadium. In baseball, every player, coach, and benchwarmer has to be on his toes. Because there’s no way of knowing when a careless pitch, a wrong swing at bat, or a lousy catch will lose the game for the team. This TV series is for thirtysomething folks. It’s a story that they can relate to because most of them are living it right now. When you turn 30, your life starts imitating baseball as you find yourself with two outs at the bottom of the ninth. Of course, there are a few lucky ones who have hit a few singles down the line into left field in the 7th inning to maintain a comfortable lead. But that’s not always the case. It’s actually very rare. We go through lost opportunities and difficulties in life as the game slowly comes to an end. We get weary from the dating game, betrayed by ex-lovers, and upset over how society gives us the cold shoulder. Our health starts to deteriorate and the mental stress gets unbearable as we glumly watch the game of life reach the bottom of the ninth inning.

At the first-at-bat, you hesitate and get struck out. Then at the second-at-bat, you swing recklessly and get struck out a second time. Now you’re losing your breath and your energy levels start to drop precipitously. All the missed chances start to run through your mind over and over again like a slow-mo replay. You get nervous as you edge closer to the strike zone because the last time you did that, the pitcher hit you in the calf. Ouch! But you’ve got to do what a guy has to do. And that’s to never lose hope. In baseball, the game isn’t over even when you’re losing. In life, it’s not over until you die, which could be crueler in several ways. 2 outs at the bottom of the ninth... The next batter on your team trudges towards the plate. Let’s see whether the weary player will manage to hit the ball in the last inning. Because you never know... Someone might just hit a home run to save the game. Like they say, it’s not over until the fat lady sings...