South Africa pitcher and hero Kyle Gaddin needed his sunglasses cleaned before pitching an inning
Kyle Gaddin only pitched two innings for South Africa in the World Baseball Classic Qualifier final on Sunday, but that's all he needed to become a hero. In the middle of the bottom of the first inning, he had to step off the mound, jog over to the dugout and have his sunglasses wiped off.
It was a small moment that meant so, so much.
For glasses wearers around the world, I say: Thank you. Granted, Gaddin was wearing sunglasses and not the vision-correcting kind of glasses, but as someone who's had to pause all sorts of activities because one of my lenses got smudged, I nonetheless greatly appreciate seeing a ballplayer doing the same on an international stage. It was the moment the four-eyed faithful have dreamed of.
Alas, Gaddin's glasses couldn't see South Africa through to a win, and Australia moves on to the World Baseball Classic tournament with its 12-5 win. But for one fleeting moment, everyone who's ever had to embarrassingly ask for a time out while they wipe off their glasses were the true winners.