"Magic spray" has long been a staple of the international soccer community, where athletes routinely receive a quick blast to help numb one minor injury or another. That same spray — or some similar one — is used in other international sports as well, not to mention international teams in American sports. That was proven once and for all when the Japanese catcher during the Little League World Series championship game was struck by a foul ball in a rather unpleasant place.
As first noted by SportsGrid, the result of that impact was a unique, televised incident, with Japanese catcher Tatsuya Irie struck in a rather difficult part of the male anatomy by a foul ball during the fifth inning of Japan's 12-2 victory. It's unknown whether Irie was wearing a requisite athletic protector, but even if he was, the impact of the foul ball was apparently enough to create some unpleasant sensations for the young backstopper.
That's when the Japanese medical trainer sprung into action with, you guessed it, that good old magic spray. With his Japanese teammates providing a rather porous protective ring around the plate, Irie took a quick blast of magic spray right to the groin.
As one might expect, the Tennessee bench caught on to what was going on and broke out into a quick laughing fit. It was a brief moment of levity during a tough afternoon for the Goodlettsville (Tenn.) Little League squad, which found its Little League title dreams dashed by a truly overpowering Japanese squad.
In a touching scene, Irie quickly realized how ludicrous the scene had been, breaking into a wide smile as he headed back behind the plate, creating exactly the kind of scene that we've come to expect from the games in Williamsport: Two teams of talented youngsters, laughing at a lighthearted moment in a championship game more collegial than some intrasquad scrimmages.
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