MINERSVILLE, Pa. — The pitch that ended the World Series made history for the Texas Rangers, and is one of the highlights of Josh Sborz's pitching career.
"I was nervous," Sborz said. "It was a little different, you know, it was kind of all setting in. And you don't want to look too far into the future, but you know you're one pitch away (from winning)."
He threw a game-ending pitch that baseball fans across the country watched closely, especially those in Schuylkill County, knowing that the Texas Rangers player has ties to Minersville. He grew up going to Schuylkill County every year, visiting his dad's hometown.
Rich Dry, the Minersville athletic director, says his neighbors and he cheered every time Josh stepped up to the pitcher's mound.
"People around here knew Josh pitched for the Rangers, and his dad was a Minersville grad. But as the playoffs got further and further, and the Rangers got deeper and deeper, the excitement started to swell," Dry explained.
The excitement followed the Rangers to every game they played during the World Series.
"An hour before the game, the seats were already filled, whereas in a normal game, it doesn't really get packed until the first or second inning," Josh Sborz said.
His dad, John Sborz, says the energy in the stadiums reminded him of his days playing on the Minersville Area High School basketball team.
"Sometimes there were some rowdy times, that's for sure, between us and the other teams. You know, it was a lot of fun," he said.
John Sborz graduated in 1975 as one of Minersville Area's 1000-point shooters. He passed down his love for sports to Josh and his other children, cheering them on in the stands at every game.
"We couldn't sit in our seats, especially when Josh was pitching," John Sborz added.
Josh's mom and dad traveled to all five games in the World Series. They'll never forget watching their son pitch the last inning from right behind home plate.
"When the last pitch came, I'm not going to say my heart stopped, but it took a little while to get my heart back into my chest," John Sborz said.
His dad calls it the pitch from heaven, but Josh says the real blessing was what happened when the game was over.
"Having them be able to come to the game, celebrating with me on the field, that was the most meaningful part of winning the World Series, getting to celebrate with them," said Josh.
Celebrating more than the Rangers winning their first World Series, but how practicing in his dad's backyard decades ago paid off.