Why I Love Baseball is a nine week series that will be posted on Tuesdays. This week the topic is the drama of the game.

Baseball is drama. The anticipation of the pitch as the pitcher checks the runners, takes the signal and hurls the ball towards the plate. The reaction the batter to make a decision to swing or not to lasts less than the time it takes to blink. Then the reaction happens. Swinging strike? Ball? Foul? Hit? Fly Out?

The outcomes are endless and that only adds to the drama. Sure advanced baseball statistics can tell you the most likely outcomes, but in that moment, they are meaningless. The batter and the pitcher are engaged in an battle that will test what they are composed of.

Baseball is a game that is dripping with drama. The "slow" pace of the game only amplifies the tension. That's why whenever I hear someone call out for a pitch clock or something to speed up the game, I know they don't really get it.

The long season only adds to it. Every team will win a third of their game, every team will lose a third and what matters is what happens in that final third. Although most would think 162 games is enough, sometimes one more game is needed to determine a winner. A one game play-off is one of the most wonderful things in the world. While some believe that 1 game elimination methods, such as those used in the NFL playoff system, are some of the most epic forms of competition in organized sports, it has nothing on a one game playoff in baseball. Imagine playing a 162 game season only to have to face another team with an identical record in one game just for the right to make it into the playoffs. If you want pressure and drama, look no further.

Another drama-filled part of baseball that I love is extra innings. It's a perfect form of overtime for the sport. Every at bat takes on an added significance because you don't know if this will be your team's last shot to win it.

The stories of these games can be retold a million times and they still hold the same drama. The men that came through when the hopes of a team/city were on their shoulders will become gods in the hearts of both young and old.

I love storytelling and the drama of baseball makes every game into an unfolding tale in which the actors are just as surprised by the plot twists as is the audience.