There are worse things than meeting your heroes. There is, for example, watching a former Seattle Mariners hero literally throw away a comeback story in the World Baseball Classic, as James Paxton did on Sunday.
It was, to be sure, undeniably cool when Paxton came on to pitch for Team Canada in the top of the sixth. He was entrusted with a 2-1 lead over Team Panama, making it a big moment for a 37-year-old who last pitched in the majors in August of 2024.
It was clear that "Big Maple" had some adrenaline. After sitting at 93.