⚾ Love at Bat: Dating's not a Strikeout when you've got a coach

If you think October baseball is just for sports fans, think again. The playoffs are a masterclass in strategy, nerves, and wild surprises—exactly like the online dating world. 

Like the nail-biter last night with the Sox v. Yankees.

Wait---don’t tune out on me—this is about dating, ok?

 Let’s break it down, inning by inning.

BTW, quickie background on why I wrote this:  For those of you who read my 2025 book:  2^nd Acts: Winning Strategies for Dating Over 50  (Jan 2025, Amazon Bestseller):  I thought I was going to be the break-through major league first ever female player.

Yep, from age 6-14. And, by the time I retired at 38 with a couple of World Series rings Golden Glove Awards, I’d be doing this---helping you find love.  My 2^nd Act.

Ok, if you were falling asleep—tune back in as we talk about dating ups and downs…and how you are going to hit that Grand Slam of Love.

Dad, this is for you.

1. The Wild Card = First Dates

In the playoffs, the Wild Card game is sudden death: win and advance, lose and go home. Dating is no different. That first coffee or wine date is your Wild Card. You size each other up, decide quickly if there’s potential, and either move on to the “division round” (second date)… or chalk it up as a swing and a miss.

2. Scouting Reports = Online Profiles

Before any game, teams study scouting reports: batting averages, pitching tendencies, even who struggles with curveballs. In dating, your “scouting report” is the online profile. You’re looking for patterns—does he say “adventurous” but only post couch selfies? Does she list “fitness” but every pic is brunch mimosas? Just like baseball, it’s all about reading between the stats.

3. Pitch Selection = Your Opening Line

A pitcher doesn’t just throw randomly; they pick each pitch carefully depending on the batter. Same goes for online dating. A boring “Hi” is like lobbing a slowball over the plate—easy to ignore. A thoughtful opener (“So, you climbed Kilimanjaro—what was harder, the altitude or the food?”) is your curveball that gets attention.

4. The Bullpen = Backup Options

Baseball teams keep pitchers warming up in the bullpen—because sometimes the starter just isn’t working out. In dating, the bullpen is your roster of potential matches. You don’t want to cycle through people like trading cards, but having a few prospects in the wings keeps you from putting all your hope on one shaky starter.

5. Errors Happen (and That’s Okay)

Even the best teams boot an easy grounder. In dating, you’ll send a text to the wrong person, call someone by your ex’s name, or realize halfway through dinner that you’ve got spinach in your teeth. Errors don’t mean the game is lost—it’s how you recover that keeps you in contention.

6. Extra Innings = Slow Burns

Playoff games often go into extra innings—suddenly a 3-hour game stretches to 4. Ugh, the pain. In dating, some connections take longer than expected. Maybe the sparks aren’t fireworks on the first date, but by the third, you realize you’ve got something solid. Extra innings can be exhausting… but they often deliver the most unforgettable wins.

7. The World Series = Lasting Love

The entire season builds to the World Series: the ultimate prize. Same in dating—the goal isn’t endless swiping, it’s finding the person you want on your team for life. There will be nail-biters, strikeouts, even rain delays along the way. But when you finally win your “championship,” you won’t care about the losses—it’ll all feel worth it.

💡 Bottom line: Baseball playoffs reward patience, strategy, and resilience. So does online dating. You may face a few curveballs, a couple of strikeouts, and the occasional extra inning, but when you find your person? That’s a walk-off home run.

And, there has never been a doubt in my mind there is a person who is for you.

xx, Andrea