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Jennings’ circus grab helps Rays catch Red Sox
Jenning的美技接球幫助光芒隊追趕上紅襪隊 (在外卡)
By Eric Adelson
At first he didn’t think he could catch up to the ball. Then he took a step, and another, and a couple more, and then, he thought, well, maybe. Maybe I can do it.
起先，他並不認為自己能夠接到那一球。他先走了一步，又一步，以及更多步，然後，他才覺得，嗯，也許，也許我可以接到。
At first they didn’t think they could catch up to Boston. Then they won a game, and then another, and then a couple more, and then, they thought, well, maybe. Maybe we can do it.
起先，他們不認為他們可追上紅襪。他們先贏了一場，又一場，以及更多場，然後，他們才覺得，也許我們可以做得到。
The play of the game, the play of the month, and the play of a career all served as the perfect metaphor Monday night for the Tampa Bay Rays’ improbable run from nine games back in early September to tied for the American League wild-card lead in late September. In the top of the fifth inning, with the Rays leading the New York Yankees 4-2, Derek Jeter led off and blasted a changeup toward the gap in left-center field. Desmond Jennings, the Rays’ left fielder and former football wide receiver, gave chase.
今日最佳美技, 本月最佳比賽, 生涯最佳表現完美的隱喻著這個星期一的夜晚，光芒隊不可思議的競逐。在九月初美聯外卡排名還有九場比賽的落後，至九月底成為美聯外卡的領頭羊. 在前五局裡, 光芒隊以4比2領先洋基隊, Jeter 打了一個變速球到中外野的無人地帶, 光芒隊的左外野手, 前身為美足外接員, 接到了它 .
“First couple steps,” Jennings said, “I didn’t think I would get to it. The closer it got, the more I believed.”
「在前幾步裡，我還不覺得我能接到。當球越靠近我的時候，我就更確信了。(能接到球)」 Jennings 說。
Jennings left the ground, reached out, and “squeezed as tight as I could.” The ball emerged from his glove and pitcher James Shields, watching intently from the mound, thought he dropped it. But Jennings lifted up his glove, the ball peeking out like a sno-cone, and Tropicana Field erupted. Heck, Shields himself erupted, clapping his glove in awe.
Jennings 離開了地面, 伸出手套, 並且「儘可能地緊壓」著球 . 球從他的手套中浮出來, 投手「神盾」在投手丘上看著, 覺得他應該會掉吧。但 Jenning 舉起了他的手套, 球看起來像是甜筒一般, 然後整個 Tropicana Field 歡呼著, 神盾也很振奮, 鼓掌致意。
“One of the best catches I’ve ever seen,” Shields said. “I think that was a game-changing catch.”
「這是我所看過最好的接球之一」神盾如是說「我想這是比賽轉變的一接」
A circus catch under the Big Trop.
在 Big Trop 下的美技接球表現。
Jeter was the top man in the Yankees’ order. The Rays were only up two runs. Things could easily have spiraled with the heart of the lineup coming up. Instead, Jennings made the grab and Shields pretty much lived up to his name after that. The Yankees never threatened in what ended as a 5-2 win that vaulted Tampa Bay into a tie for the final American League playoff spot. At 7:10 p.m., the Rays were one game back of the Red Sox. At 9:30 pm, the home crowd screamed “WHOA!” when the scoreboard showed Baltimore up 6-2 on the Sox. And at 10:30, David Price started the cheers in the Rays clubhouse when the Orioles’ win went final. The Rays had come all the way back.
Jeter是洋基隊的頂尖人物，光芒隊只領先兩分，情勢很容易就會扭轉過來，隨著緊接上陣的中心打線。然而，Jenning製造了這個美技，之後神盾的表現也很匹配他的名字。洋基隊從未在這場比賽產生威脅，最後光芒以 5 比 2 贏了這場比賽。使得光芒隊晉升到美聯季後賽資格。晚上七點十分, 光芒隊落後紅襪隊一場勝差。在晚上九點三十分時，主場的群眾們尖叫著 「WHOA」，當計分板顯示 金鶯隊以 6 比 2 領先了紅襪隊。在十點三十分時, David Price 在光芒的俱樂部開始歡呼喝采著當金鶯最終贏得了比賽時，光芒隊完全回來了。
After Jennings made the catch in the fifth, Jeter jogged slowly back to the dugout and turned and looked hard at the man who’d robbed him.
在Jennings五局接殺之後，Jeter慢跑回到休息區轉身並且惡狠狠地看著那個接到球的男人。
If this keeps up, the Sox are going to be looking at the Rays with the same stunned glare.
如果排名不掉下來, 紅襪將正要以相同的目光瞅著光芒隊。
Appropriately enough, the Rays started their chase Sept. 9 with a 7-2 win over the Red Sox. And as in the case of Jennings’ catch, the belief wasn’t there at first.
恰如其分, 光芒隊從九月九號7比2贏紅襪開始 . 在 Jennings的接殺時, 起先這樣的信念還不在這裡 。
“We weren’t even watching where we were in the standings,” said third baseman Evan Longoria. “I was just thinking about going to the ballpark and doing the work.”
三壘手 Evan Longoria說 : 「 我們沒有看我們的排名, 我只是想著來到球場和做好自己的工作」
But like Jennings, the team believed more as it got closer and their target remained in sight.
但就像Jennings一樣, 球隊相信當成績越靠近時目標也就越顯得清楚
“It’s been palpable,” said manager Joe Maddon. “You could feel it. We built upon that win.”
經理人 Joe Maddon 說: 「很明顯地, 你們能夠感受到我們建造了這個勝利」
The momentum built underneath the team this month like so much power in Jennings’ churning legs. Soon it took on a life of its own. Soon it felt unstoppable.
Monday night, after finally catching the Red Sox for at least one day, the Rays momentarily looked back at the ground they’d covered.
光芒隊這個月所建造動力的就像Jennings的腳所蘊含的許多能量。很快地它產生於他的生命，很快地他感到無法停止下來。
“If you watch the Rays,” Maddon said, “whether here or from a distance, you gotta appreciate what we went through.”
Maddon 說 「如果你觀看光芒隊, 不論於此或隔著一些距離, 您將會感念著我們走過了什麼!」
The Rays certainly appreciated what Jennings went through.
光芒現在體會了Jenning走過了什麼。
“Probably the biggest play of his career,” Longoria said.
「可能是他生涯中最重要的表現」，Longoria說 .
So how far did Jennings have to go?
所以 Jennings 必須走多遠?
“Thirty yards, I’d say,” infielder Reid Brignac said.
「我會說30碼吧」，內野手 Reid Brignac 說道
“A solid 40 yards,” Maddon said. ...
Maddon說 「紮實的40碼」
“Looked like 100 yards,” catcher Kelly Shoppach said.
捕手 Kelly Shoppach說，「看起來像 100碼」
“Seemed like he was running forever,” Longoria said.
「他似乎是永遠在奔跑著」 Longoria說道
Put another way, exactly nine games.
換個方式來看，的確是九場比賽了！
metaphor noun [C,U] a word or phrase used to describe sb/sth else, in a way that is different from its normal use, in order to show that the two thing have the same qualities and to make the description more powerful.
dugout (baseball) In baseball, the dugout is a team's bench area and is located in foul territory between home plate and either first or third base.
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