Riaan Ikepisi lalihlehle, ukumamatheka kubanzi, ukuhleka kulula.
Kodwa ngaphansi UCody BellingerAmahlaya kaLwesihlanu bekuyizandla zakhe ezibuhlungu.
Kuyo yonke inhlolokhono eshaya umoya yangaphambi komdlalo nezintatheli, wayelokhu ecindezela izandla zakhe ndawonye, ebamba izithupha, ehlanganisa iminwe yakhe, efingqa kanzima amaqupha akhe ajike abe mhlophe kancane.
Lezo zandla ezakha izinkumbulo eziningi ezimangalisayo ze-Dodger ezinama-swing amaningi amahle zibuyile njengezandla zobuhlungu, azikwazanga ukufihla ukuzisola ngokuphoqwa endaweni lapho adala khona injabulo enkulu.’
Ngabuza umdlali omusha wesikhungo se-Chicago Cubs ukuthi ucabanga ukuthi uzoba yi-Dodger kuze kube phakade.
“Ngicabanga ukuthi bekukhona impela … yebo … ngesinye isikhathi ngokuqinisekile, uyazi?” esho emangele. “Kodwa impilo ayihleli njalo. UNkulunkulu usebenza ngezindlela ezingaqondakali. Ngizama nje ukuba sesikhathini futhi ngithokozele okuzongilandela.”
Okumlandele ngoLwesihlanu ngesikhathi edlala okokuqala lapha kusukela empeleni ukukhululwa yiqembu ebusika obudlule bekuyisimanga esikhala izinyembezi.
Ngaphambi komdlalo, i- Ama-Dodgers umhloniphe ngevidiyo esezingeni eliphezulu egcine ngokuthi, “Siyakwamukela futhi, Cody Bellinger.” Abalandeli baqhubekile nokumenzela ihlombe isikhathi eside ngenkathi emile phansi kwesokudla evala ikepisi yakhe. Kamuva waphazamiseka kakhulu lapho ehambela ukubonakala kwakhe kwepuleti lokuqala, washaywa ngokuphulwa kwewashi.
Uthando belufanele. Uyoba phakade indawo ekhethekile emlandweni Dodgers. Ubusuku bonke bekungukugonana okukhulu, okuthethelelekayo phakathi kwenkanyezi ehlukaniswe ngokuthandekayo nesixuku esasihlale sifulathele.
Kodwa izandla aziqambi amanga. Kube nokungaphezu kokuphoxeka kokudabuka ngokuqala bukhoma amazwibela okukodwa kokwehluleka okukhulu emlandweni we-Dodgers.
Ayikho indlela a owayengumdlali obaluleke kakhulu futhi i-rookie yonyaka kufanele ilahlwe yiqembu ekuqaleni komsebenzi wakhe. Kwake kwenzeka? Kwakungenzeka kanjani?
Lokhu kube iphutha ngesikhathi sokuhlukana kuka-Lakers ka-Kobe Bryant kanye no-Shaquille O’Neal. Lokhu bekungagwemeka. Lokhu bekungadingekile.
I-fiasco inkulu kakhulu icala lifinyelela kuzo zombili izinhlangothi. Iphutha lijule kakhulu njengoba sekuphele iminyaka engaphezu kwemibili kwenziwa.
Ukuqala kokuphela kwenzeka ngesikhathi u-Bellinger ehlanganyela kulokho kushaya kwengalo yengalo no-Kiké Hernández ngemuva kokuthi u-Bellinger eshaye umjaho wokuya phambili ku-Game 7 ye-NLCS ka-2020.
UBellinger walimala kabi ehlombe okwadingeka ahlinzwe. Umzimba ohlukile ubudinga ukushwiba okusha. AbakwaDodgers bachithe amasizini amabili alandelayo bezama ukudala lokho kujika. U-Bellinger uchithe amasizini amabili alandelayo engakwazi ukucubungula ngokugcwele nokwenza izinguquko zabo.
Ekugcineni, abakwaDodgers abazange bafundise kahle ngokwanele futhi uBellinger akazange alalele ngokwanele futhi ukuhlukana kwaba yinto engenakugwemeka.
“Ngicabanga ukuthi ukulimala bekuhlangene nakho, akukho muntu ophendulayo,” kusho imenenja yeDodger uDave Roberts ngoLwesihlanu. “Ngicabanga ukuthi uCody kufanele azibophezele ngakho. Ngicabanga ukuthi singabaqeqeshi kufanele sizibophezele ngakho. Futhi kwesinye isikhathi mhlawumbe izwi elehlukile lingase livule ezinye izinto kuye ngoba awukwazi ukuphikisa isethi yekhono noma ithalente. “
Kulobu busika abakwaDodgers bekuzodingeka bakhokhe okungenani amaRandi ayizigidi eziyi-18 ukuze bamgcine, futhi ungabasola ngokuthi cha? Eminyakeni emibili edlule ubengumshayi omubi kunabo bonke ku-baseball, enesilinganiso esingu-.165 ngo-2021 kanye nephesenti elingu-.265 on-base ngesizini edlule kanye nokuwa komusa okunzima kakhulu, wasetshenziswa kuphela njengomshayi omncane kowamanqamu. umdlalo kuNational League Division Series nyakenye.
Lapho ecelwa ukuthi achaze ukudilika kukaBellinger, uRoberts uthe, “Ngicabanga ukuthi ‘okuyingqayizivele’ kumnene. Angicabangi ukuthi sekuke kwenziwa ukuthi kusuke ku-National League MVP kuya emizabalazweni esiyibone eminyakeni embalwa edlule.”
Ukuwa kwamshaya kakhulu uBellinger. Namanje akakwazi ukukhuluma ngakho. Uchithe intwasahlobo egwema izintatheli zase-Los Angeles kwathi lapho ekugcineni ehlangana nesixuku ngoLwesihlanu ntambama, wenqaba ukuphinde avakashele.
“Angifuni ukukhuluma ngalokho njengamanje … angifuni ukubuyisa … angifuni ukukhuluma ngalezo zinto njengamanje,” kusho yena.
Umgadli wesikhungo seDodgers uCody Bellinger uyashelela njengoba ezama ukufaka eyodwa kaRyan McMahon waseColorado ngoJulayi 5, 2022.
(URobert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Engasho lutho, uBellinger washo yonke into.
Ngambuza ukuthi ngabe kukhona yini ukudabuka kukho konke lokhu, futhi, ngemuva kwesikhashana, wenqaba ukuya lapho.
“Ngeke ngithi ukudabuka, ndoda … ngijabule kakhulu,” kusho yena. “Akukho ukudabuka, mhlawumbe ngiba nemizwa, kodwa lezo zizoba izinyembezi zenjabulo uma zifika.”
Izikhathi zakhe ezimnandi lapha zaziziningi ngempela. Akekho u-Dodger owaba nezikhathi ezinkudlwana emidlalweni emikhulu ngesikhathi ikilabhu igijima iminyaka engu-10 yobukhulu.
“Ziningi izinkumbulo ezinhle ndoda,” kusho uLwesihlanu. “Kuningi, izinkumbulo eziningi ezinhle lapha.”
Iyiphi intandokazi yakho? Ingabe uhambo lwasekhaya lokuya phambili ngokumelene neMilwaukee Brewers kuGame 7 yochungechunge lweNational League Championship Series ka-2018? Kuthiwani ngokubamba okugxumayo okusindise amaDodger ku-2020 NLDS ngokumelene namaPadres?
Mhlawumbe kwakuyilokho kugijima kwasekhaya okwahlula amaBraves ku-2020 NLCS? Isikhathi esiyintandokazi yabalandeli abaningi ngokuqinisekile eyokuhamba phambili kwi-inning yesishiyagalolunye ye-2021 NLDS ibhekene neSan Francisco Giants.
Isikhathi engisithandayo ngesomnyama. Ngemuva kokulahlekelwa kweDodgers ‘Game 7 yiHouston Astros ku-2017 World Series, kwaphawulwa ukuthi uBellinger usethe irekhodi le-World Series ngokushaywa okungu-17. Wayenamahloni ngokuphelele emzuzwini omkhulu womsebenzi wakhe omncane.
U-Cody Bellinger ushaya umgijimo wasekhaya ogijima kabili ebhekene ne-Colorado Rockies ngoJuni 25, 2017.
(Chris Carlson / Associated Press)
Nokho, ngokungafani nabanye ababesendaweni yokuzila ye-Dodger clubhouse, akazange agijime, akazange acashe, walinda ngesineke phambi kwekhabethe lakhe ukuze athole abezindaba ababezofuna incazelo ngokwehluleka kwakhe. Lapho sebefikile, wema lapho ngesineke futhi wayiphendula yonke imibuzo ngesizotha nangomusa.
Angisoze ngawukhohlwa lowo mzuzu wamandla. Ngicabange ngakho ngoLwesihlanu njengoba u-Bellinger ehlezi endlini ye-Cubs’ clubhouse esonta izandla zakhe njengama-pretzels ngenkathi efihla ukulimala kwakhe.
“Akugcinanga ngendlela umuntu ayelindele ukuthi kuzophela ngayo, kodwa ukuphila lokho,” esho.
UBellinger, osayine isivumelwano sonyaka namaCubs ngo-$17.5 million, ungene kulo mdlalo enama-homer amabili, ama-RBI ayisishiyagalolunye, kanye nesilinganiso esingu-.238. Wenza kangcono, uhlobo. Ulungisa ukushwiba kwakhe, mhlawumbe.
“Ungazijabulisa kulo mdlalo futhi uzame konke okusemandleni akho, kodwa uhlangothi lwebhizinisi luwuhlangothi lwebhizinisi, lokho kuhlale kuyiqiniso elibuhlungu lakho konke,” kusho yena.
Kwakuwubusuku obuphawula ukubuya kwesiqephu somlando we-Dodger. Kwakuwukubuyela ekhaya okunzima.
