The moment arrives in chaos.

Electricity saturates the atmosphere, as if the air itself is a conduit of high voltage. The crowd noise starts to swell like a massive breaker off the coast, cresting with awe-inspiring force. Indeed, the fate of the free world seems to hinge on what happens next. At least, that’s how it feels when the score is tied, a base hit would drive in two, and the screams of 37,000 fans are echoing off every green-hued corner of baseball’s oldest cathedral.