Mauro Gomez probably couldn't believe his luck when he saw the pitch Chris Seddon threw him.
Gomez had been stuck in a brief slump. Naturally, the media contingent that follows the team had been busy overreacting to it for a few days, bombarding the slugger about each and every tiny twitch he made at the plate.
So when Gomez stepped into the box to start the second inning on Thursday against the Yomiuri Giants, he might have seen relief, manifested as a small, white ball, coming out of Seddon's left hand.