Southpaw (7 page)

Jimmy was ready—he’d warmed up for several minutes while Ramiro struggled through the past two innings. And now Coach was waving him onto the field, sending Ramiro to the dugout.

Jimmy took a deep breath and jogged past his friend, who was shaking his head and frowning as he left the mound. The other infielders were gathered around Coach Wimmer, waiting for the new pitcher.

“Got to stop the flood,” Lamont said to Jimmy.

“Gotta get this guy,” Spencer said. “Grind time. Too many Ls on our record already. Time to get that
W.”

Jimmy took the ball from the coach and squeezed it hard. Spencer poked his glove into Jimmy’s side. “Been forever and three days since this team won a game,” he said. “We gotta smash.”

Jimmy nodded. The team was foundering, but all he could do was pitch. He glanced at the runner on second, then the one on third, then glared in at the batter.

His first pitch was high and outside, and Jared had to stand to catch it. There were a few groans from the Hudson City spectators, but mostly an excited murmur from the Union City fans.

Blue smirked as he looked at the mound. He had a double and a single today. He was also pitching, and had allowed only a handful of base runners.

Jared signaled for a fastball, and Jimmy felt a surge of energy. He leaned back and wailed one past Blue, who watched it go by for a strike.

“That’s the one!” called Lamont.

“Our turn now,” said Spencer. “No batter.”

Blue inched closer to the plate and waggled the bat, squinting as he focused on the pitcher. Jimmy threw another fastball. Blue smacked it toward second base.

Spencer darted toward the grounder and extended his glove, snaring it behind second and whipping it to first. The throw beat Blue by half a step for out number two, but the runner from third had scored.

Jimmy looked at the sky and shook his head. Now it was 4-0, and another runner was on third. He’d never been on a team that lost five straight games.

“All right, all right!” called Spencer. “We got the out. Now let’s get one more.”

Jimmy took the throw from first baseman Eddie Ventura and sized up the next batter. It was the Union City second baseman, who’d bunted successfully against Jimmy in the first game. He wouldn’t be bunting now, with two outs and a man on third. He’d be hitting away.

Or trying to. Jimmy threw two quick strikes and the batter didn’t come close. Now the curve, nicking the outside corner and popping into Jared’s glove. Inning over.

Jimmy walked toward the dugout, excited but mad. He’d pitched well, but Hudson City had a mountain to climb. Four runs down to the best team in the league.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Spencer exclaimed as he caught up to Jimmy and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “We shut them down. Now let’s get us some runs.”

But Blue struck out the first two batters he faced before Willie Shaw finally drew a walk.

Willie had speed. With Spencer coming up to bat, Coach gave Willie the sign to run. So he was halfway to second when Spencer lined the first pitch deep into right-center. The ball bounced off the wall and squirted away from the fielder, who tracked it down and hurled it toward the infield. Willie crossed the plate and shook his fist as Spencer slid into second.

They’d finally broken through for a run.

Blue toed the mound and looked disgusted. But he nodded when the first baseman called, “They got lucky. No more!”

Lamont drew a walk, but Eddie Ventura struck out on three pitches to end the inning. Blue gave a smile toward the Hudson City dugout and strode with confidence off the mound.

Jimmy hustled onto the field. His pitches had been moving, and he was ready for more. Plus, he’d be batting second in the top of the seventh, right after Jared. Could they get three runs and tie this game up?

He shook off Jared’s signal for a curve; he wanted to bring some heat. Three straight fastballs did the job: nicking the outside corner for strike one, keeping it high and inside but drawing an awkward swing for strike two, and then a blazing pitch right down the middle for the out.

There was lots of noise from the infielders, lots of excitement. Spencer’s run-scoring double and Jimmy’s sudden dominance on the mound were infectious. The second batter grounded out to second, and Jimmy finished the inning with another three-pitch strikeout. The Hornets ran to the dugout determined to win the game.

“Right over the fence, Jared,” said Willie as the Hudson City catcher stepped up to the plate.

Jimmy put on a batting helmet and wiped his hands on his pants. He took a couple of practice swings, then kneeled in the on-deck circle.

Blue’s first two pitches were balls. He seemed to be putting a lot of effort into every pitch. Jared smacked the third one over the second baseman’s head, and it landed safely in right field for a single.

Jimmy took a deep breath and walked to the plate. Relief pitchers didn’t get to bat very often; this was his first time up all season.

He tried to catch the pitcher’s eye, but Blue was all business. His first throw was to first, trying to pick Jared off. But Jared easily slid in.

“Heavy phlegm alert!” shouted Spencer from the dugout, but this time it didn’t sound mean at all. It sounded supportive.

Jimmy watched a low fastball go by for ball one. He stepped back and looked quickly toward the third-base coach, wondering if he should try to bunt Jared over to second. But there was no sign. Down by three runs in the final inning, Hudson City needed base runners.

Blue’s next pitch was fast but outside, and the chatter from the Hornets’ dugout increased. “Good look, Flem!” “A walk’s as good as a hit.”

He took the third pitch for strike one. Blue gave a sharp nod and pounded his glove.

No more waiting,
Jimmy thought.
If it’s a good pitch you have to swing.

Blue seemed to exaggerate his windup now, bringing forth an extra effort and sending a wicked fastball toward the plate. Jimmy swung hard and made contact, drilling the ball on a line drive that landed foul beyond first base.

A low curve brought the count to 3-and-2. Jared would be running. Jimmy gripped the bat tighter and dug in. All of the Hornets in the dugout were standing, urging him to clobber this pitch.

The ball was coming hard but it didn’t look good. He had to decide in a fraction of a second: Swing or wait? Strike out or walk?

He didn’t lift the bat. The ball landed in the catcher’s glove with a solid
smack.
But the umpire called, “Ball four!”

Jimmy turned, rolled the bat toward the dugout, and trotted to first base as his teammates cheered. Blue sneered and shut his eyes. His coach called time and walked to the mound.

Miguel was up now. He had some power and could tie the game with one swing.

The Union City coach walked back to the dugout. Blue was staying in.

“He’s tired, Miguel!” called Willie. “Wait for your pitch.”

Willie was right. Blue was clearly laboring as he threw two fastballs that were both high and outside. Miguel called time, stepped out of the batter’s box, and adjusted his helmet. He checked his batting glove and spit off to the side. Then he stepped back in and lined Blue’s pitch on the ground toward first base.

The first baseman fielded the ball and had a decision to make: throw to second and try to nail Jimmy or run to first for the out. Jimmy was sprinting as hard as he could and was ready to dive toward the bag. So the fielder made the easier play and got Miguel out.

Jimmy was sprawled face-first on top of second, his hands in the dirt and his feet in the air. He looked toward third, where Jared was safely in scoring position. One out, men on second and third, and David coming up to bat.

Blue turned and gave Jimmy that look that said,
You ain’t going nowhere.
But sometimes you just sense a shift in a ball game, or maybe even a shift in the way an entire season is pointing. Jimmy felt that now. They could win this game. They could win a lot of them.

David muscled the next pitch right up the middle for a single and Jared easily scored. Jimmy rounded third but the coach yelled to hold up. The center fielder had been playing shallow and had already thrown to the infield.

So now it was 4-2 and Hudson City had the tying runs on base. Ryan Grimes was coming up for the Hornets, and Blue was finished pitching. The Union City coach was bringing in a big left-hander.

Instead of going to the dugout, Blue walked to third base as the coach went over the lineup changes with the umpire. The third baseman went out to left and the left fielder went to the dugout. Blue stood next to third base with his hands on his hips, a foot away from Jimmy, while the new pitcher took a few warm-up throws.

Jimmy turned toward Blue, who gave a hard stare back but then smiled. “You guys don’t want this game to end, do you?” he asked.

“Not if we can help it,” Jimmy replied.

“Better hope you get lucky.” He motioned toward the mound. “This boy throws
hard.”

Ryan, the right fielder, was the weakest hitter in the Hornets lineup. He swung wildly at two quick pitches, then let a third one go by for a called strike.

“See what I mean?” Blue said with a smirk.

Jimmy shrugged. “That’s just two outs,” he said.

“It’ll be three.”

“Looks who’s up.”

Blue rolled his eyes as he saw Willie standing at the plate. “That short guy.”

Willie had a small strike zone and a good eye; Blue had walked him twice today. And when the first two pitches were high for a 2-0 count, Blue shouted, “Concentrate!” to the pitcher.

Jimmy looked over to David at first base and made a fist. David made one back. They were ready to run.

The next pitch brought an “Oooooh,” from the crowd as the umpire called ball three. It had just missed.

Willie tapped the plate with the bat, set up, and watched a strike go by. Now he crowded the plate a little tighter and crouched a bit, making the target even smaller. The pitcher was rattled. The ball was way high and outside.

Jimmy clapped his hands as Willie ran to first. The bases were loaded for Spencer.

“This guy,” Blue said with mock disgust, knowing full well that Spencer’s double had given the Hornets life the inning before. He took a step in, nearly to the infield grass, and said, “Right by him, Lefty.”

Spencer took a strike and shook his head slowly, as if to say,
Trythat again, pitcher. You’ll be sorry.

The next pitch was a ball, and Jimmy felt as if the whole scene was compressing. As if the whole frustrating season was riding on this next pitch: make or break. Fall to 0-5 or start over fresh.

Spencer stepped toward the pitch, made a clean, powerful swing, and connected with the most solid and satisfying wallop Jimmy had ever heard. He crossed the plate in seconds, turned and watched as David sprinted down the line and scored, and shouted as Willie rounded third, everyone hollering as the ball soared in from center field, the catcher blocking the plate as he waited for the throw.

Willie and the ball arrived at the exact same moment. Willie slid into the catcher, who had grabbed the ball and was knocked off his feet, landing on top of the runner and tagging him with the ball.

The umpire yelled, “Safe!” and Willie leaped to his feet. David and Jimmy embraced him, jumping up and down. The Hornets players rushed from the dugout to greet them. They’d taken the lead. It was 5-4.

Spencer stood on third base, beaming and dancing. Blue stood rigidly next to him, staring toward home plate.

The Hornet dugout was wild, players smacking each other on the back and hugging. Lamont was at bat. Ramiro grabbed Jimmy’s arm. “You ain’t done yet,” he said.

“Oh, yeah,” Jimmy said with a smile. Union City still had to bat.

And there was no time to catch a breath. Lamont hit a weak pop-up to the second baseman to end the inning. Ramiro gave Jimmy a gentle shove. “Get out there,” he said. “Shut ’em down.”

The first batter popped out, but Jimmy walked the next one. A groundout moved that guy to second. There were two outs, but a single would probably tie the game.

He glanced toward the third-base line, just beyond the Hudson City dugout, and caught his dad’s eye. Dad nodded slowly. Jimmy bit down on his lip and scratched his chin.
Saddle up and go.

The batter was left-handed, tall and thin. He had a nervous stance, fidgeting and blinking as he waited for the pitch. Jimmy threw hard and nearly hit him.

“No batter!” the infielders called, and this time it seemed to mean something.
Forget about this guy; just get the ball over the plate.

Jimmy threw a strike, hard and low. He let out his breath as Jared tossed the ball back.
No problem,
he thought.
No problem. Just throw another one like that.

And he did, but the batter was smart. He saw that pitch coming and jumped on it, lining it up the middle for a hit.

Jimmy’s stomach tightened as he turned and watched the ball dart out of the infield. The runner from second was at top speed, heading for third with no thought of stopping. Willie fielded the ball in center and threw it hard toward the plate.

Jared was poised to make the catch as the runner raced down the third-base line. The ball bounced between the mound and the plate, but it was right on target. The runner slid, Jared pounced, and everyone in the park waited for a split second that seemed like forever for the umpire to make the call.

“You’re out!”

That was all the Hudson City players needed to hear. Those in the dugout came running onto the field, yelling and smacking hands with the fielders. Jared trotted out and wrapped his arm around Jimmy’s neck as Lamont and Spencer whacked him on the arm and the shoulder. They’d broken through. They’d finally won a game.

Now they felt as if they’d never lose again.