We watch sports because they give us the chance to witness something unexpected.
The quickest way this happens in baseball is with a home run. There is no spectacle in sports greater than a 96 MPH pitch being turn on and launched into a sea of fans who are instantly sucked into reality with the realization that a 100+ MPH exit velocity missile is heading for their face — and if they’re lucky, they could catch it.
We watch individual games to catch the individual moments that draw us instinctively to our feet.
My favorite unexpected thing is watching a player establish himself in the majors over many games.