The MLB Playoffs are well underway with the eight remaining teams competing in the NLDS and ALDS today.

Sam Miller has written a fascinating and thought-provoking article on ESPN.com that describes the six types of games that have already taken place and will continue throughout the MLB playoffs.

He compares them to a story and has graphs to demonstrate the narrative shape for these six types of games:

  1. The Fall

  2. Gradually and Then Suddenly

  3. The Countdown Clock

  4. The Comeback

  5. The Back and Forth

  6. The Blowout

As fans, we may or may not be aware of which type of game is unfolding, but every pitch, out, and inning contributes to the story of the game.

We may tune into an inning here or there and not fully understand what has already taken place in the game, just based on the current score, so we have to stick around to see how the game will play out and which story it will be.

After describing the six types of games, Miller wraps up his article by asking this:

“Is it helpful to think of baseball games this way? To me, it is, because it corrects a fallacy in the way we think about baseball teams’ performances.

“We use the word ‘running’ to describe a person in the middle of a run, or ‘traveling’ to describe a person in the middle of travels.

“We use the word ‘losing,’ though, to describe a team that’s behind — even though, these win expectancy graphs show us, the team that’s behind is often in the middle of winning.

“By seeing the game as a story — with a shape and a conclusion — we can better understand what we actually saw. When the Padres trailed St. Louis in the sixth inning on Thursday, they weren’t losing. They were winning.

“You can see it at the end of the story: They won. Down 6-2 in the sixth inning, they were in the process of winning. What an incredible, unexpected, nearly heart-stopping route they took to get there.”

I love this concept and specifically, I’m intrigued by the idea that the team we think is losing actually isn’t because they are “in the process of winning.” This changes my perspective on watching games and I believe it can be an encouragement to us today.

Each of us is in the middle of our own story and sometimes it feels like we’re losing with the score not in our favor. However, as followers of Jesus, we have to change our perspective to recognize that in Him we’ve already won. Even if we find ourselves in an inning that appears like we’re losing, we’re actually “in the process of winning.”

In the big picture, we know we’ve won because of Jesus and 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT) is a great reminder: “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

As our story unfolds with some difficult “innings,” we can rest assured that even during the “outs” and “strikeouts,” we’re still in the “middle of winning” because God is with us through it all.

The Bible provides us this hope in Psalm 37:23-24 (AMP): “The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord, and He delights in his way [and blesses his path]. When he falls, he will not be hurled down, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand and sustains him.”

1 John 5:4-5 (NLT) gives us this powerful affirmation: “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”

Today, let’s remember that regardless of the inning we’re in right now, we know we’re in the middle of an amazing story that ends in victory!

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for my unique story of faith. Because of Jesus, I am victorious and I’m an overcomer. Even through the challenges of this life, I remain in the middle of winning because I’m in the middle of Your hands. My hope, faith, and comfort are found in You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Discussion Questions for PACKS:

  1. Does your story of faith fit into one of the categories used to describe the different types of games?

  2. Why is it so helpful to approach difficult situations from the perspective that it’s part of the “process of winning”?