The San Francisco Splash

by David A. Kelly

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2013 by David A. Kelly

  Cover art and interior illustrations copyright © 2013 by Mark Meyers

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and the colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Kelly, David A. (David Andrew)

  The San Francisco splash / by David A. Kelly;

  illustrated by Mark Meyers. —1st ed.

  p. cm. —(Ballpark mysteries; #7)

  “A Stepping Stone Book.”

  Summary: “While they are kayaking outside the San Francisco Giants’ ballpark,

  Mike and Kate rescue an old ballplayer who has fallen overboard and discover his

  World Series ring is missing.” —Provided by publisher.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-97781-6

  [1. Baseball—Fiction. 2. Kayaks and kayaking—Fiction. 3. San Francisco Giants (Baseball team)—Fiction. 4. Mystery and detective stories.] I. Meyers, Mark, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.K2936San 2013 [Fic]—dc23 2012031565

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v3.1

  This book is dedicated to all the great children’s librarians out there, who contribute more to kids’ learning than anyone will ever know.

  —D.A.K.

  For Preston, Angie, Drayk, and Willow

  —M.M.

  “They throw the ball, I hit it; they hit the ball, I catch it.”

  —Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1 A Giant Splash

  Chapter 2 Ray’s Ring

  Chapter 3 A Rotten Rival

  Chapter 4 The Thief Confesses

  Chapter 5 Picture This

  Chapter 6 The Proof Is in the Picture

  Chapter 7 The Rock

  Chapter 8 A Real Clinker

  Chapter 9 One More Giant Splash

  Dugout Notes

  San Francisco Giants Ballpark

  Kate Hopkins stretched her hand over the edge of her kayak in San Francisco Bay. A white baseball bobbed in the water a couple of feet away. Just a few more inches and she’d have it.

  “Are you crazy?” asked her cousin Mike Walsh. He paddled slowly in a nearby kayak. “You might tip over! This water is freezing, even in the summer!”

  “I can get it!” Kate said. “Almost there …”

  Kate’s kayak rocked back and forth as she reached. She strained to close her fingers around the floating ball. But each time the ball slipped past and Kate came up empty.

  “Geez, you’re about to fall in, too!” Mike said. “Try this instead.”

  He paddled his kayak next to Kate’s. The noses of their kayaks touched, leaving a bright blue-green triangle of water between them. In the middle of that triangle bobbed the baseball.

  Mike nudged the ball with his paddle. It dipped underwater for a moment, but then popped up about a foot closer to Kate. This time she easily plucked the ball from the waves.

  “Got it!” Kate called out. She held up the dripping baseball for Mike to see. “Thanks for the assist!”

  “No problem, cousin,” he said. “That’s why they call me Captain Clutch. I get the job done.”

  “No one calls you that,” Kate said. “Besides, the only thing you usually finish is dessert. Maybe they should call you Captain Cookie instead.”

  Mike frowned for a moment. Then a smile spread across his freckled face. “That works, too,” he said. “I take a bite out of the competition!”

  Mike turned his kayak to face the stadium. Mike and Kate were in town for a San Francisco Giants game. They were staying in a hotel with Kate’s dad.

  The stadium loomed over a part of the bay called McCovey Cove, named for a famous Giants player. Beyond the tan wall with rounded arches was the stadium’s right field. A walkway stretched along the outside of the stadium.

  Since the Giants’ stadium was right next to the water, home-run balls sometimes flew over the wall and splashed into the green waves of the bay. They were called splash hits. Lots of boaters and kayakers came early to try to catch a splash hit during batting practice. Kate, Mike, and Kate’s dad had rented kayaks earlier that morning.

  “Here comes another hit!” Kate’s dad called out. He floated in a dark green kayak a few feet away.

  The ball sailed high over the right-field wall. Its white leather gleamed in the sun.

  Splash!

  The ball plopped into the water next to a sailboat about a hundred feet away. Mike and Kate watched two black-and-white curly-haired dogs jump off the boat into the water. They swam to the ball, and one of the dogs grabbed it in its mouth. Then they paddled back to the boat. On the deck again, the dogs shook off while a tall man in an orange-and-black jersey held up the ball.

  “Boy, you have to be fast,” Kate’s dad said. “Maybe we should wait out here until the game and see if my Dodgers can light up San Francisco’s pitchers. I’m sure there’ll be lots of splash hits!”

  Kate’s dad worked as a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers were in town to play a weekend series against the Giants. The Dodgers and the Giants had been fierce rivals for over 125 years. Both teams had moved to California from New York City in 1958.

  “You think the Dodgers will win today?” Kate asked. She loved baseball, too.

  “They have a good chance,” her dad said. “But I have to admit, the Giants are a pretty good team. Being such strong rivals is what makes these games so great.”

  “Well, I’m rooting for the San Francisco Giants,” Mike called out from his kayak. “They’re the hometown team!”

  “And I’m rooting for the Dodgers, since they’re my dad’s team!” Kate said.

  Mike paddled backward and forward, waiting for a chance at another ball. He kept one eye on the stadium and one eye on the other boaters. He was determined to beat them to the next splash hit.

  Suddenly, Kate pointed toward the park. “There’s one!” she cried. “And it’s coming this way!”

  The ball flew long and straight. It seemed more like a line drive than a big pop fly. It headed right toward them.

  Mike was ready. He reached up as high as he could while still sitting in the kayak. He cupped his hands just as the ball came close.

  Swish!

  The ball flew past Mike, a few feet above his head. It landed with a plop about twenty feet behind him. A man in a silver kayak fished it out of the water with a net.

  “Drat!” Mike exclaimed. “This is hard. Why can’t I get one?”

  Mike, Kate, and Kate’s dad went back to scanning the sky for more hits. The minutes ticked by, but no balls flew their way. Mike paddled in circles, waiting.

  KERSPLASH!

  Something dropped into the water nearby.

  “What was that?” Kate’s dad asked.

  Kate gasped. She pointed to the large motorboat next to them.

  “Man overboard!” Kate yelled.

  Mike saw a man wit
h gray hair thrashing in the water. The man was trying to grab hold of the side of the white motorboat.

  “I’m on it!” Mike cried. He dug his paddle into the water as if he was crushing home runs at the batting cage. His kayak shot over to the man floundering in the bay.

  Mike stowed the paddle in his kayak. He pulled his knees up to his chest, even though it was awkward with his life jacket on.

  “I’ll save him!” he shouted.

  Without another thought, Mike jumped into the water!

  “Arrrgh!” Mike screamed, his teeth chattering. “This water is freezing!”

  “Mike! Come back!” Kate shouted. “You’re crazy!”

  But Mike didn’t listen. Nearby, the older man still struggled to get into the boat. Each time the captain of the motorboat came close to pulling him up, the man slipped back into the water. There was no one else on the boat to offer help.

  Mike swam over. He grabbed the man’s Giants warm-up jacket from behind.

  “Don’t worry,” Mike said. “I’ll help you get out. Next time the captain pulls, I’ll push!”

  The captain took the older man’s hand. While he pulled, Mike shoved hard, kicking fast to stay above the water. This time, the older man hoisted himself over the side and slumped onto the deck of the boat.

  All around them, the other kayakers and boaters clapped.

  Mike treaded water. The captain of the boat threw a heavy blanket around the man and checked him over.

  “He’s going to be fine,” the captain said as he stood up. “He just needs to dry off. Here, let me give you a hand, son.”

  The captain pulled on Mike’s life jacket as Mike clawed his way over the side. His feet dropped to the deck, and he leaned against the edge of the boat, panting.

  “That was harder than I thought,” Mike said.

  “It was a brave thing you did,” the captain said. He wrapped a gray blanket around Mike. “Most people don’t want to go swimming in San Francisco Bay! By the way, I’m Captain Dan.”

  “I’m Mike. I’m with them,” Mike said as Kate and her father pulled up alongside the motorboat in their kayaks. “That’s Kate and my uncle Steve.”

  Mike’s empty kayak floated between them. Captain Dan helped them aboard the boat. Then he tied their kayaks to the back railing.

  “What happened?” Kate asked.

  The older man pointed to the low side of the boat. “I always wanted to come out in the bay to try to catch a splash hit,” he said. “I was standing right there, watching for balls, when I felt something bump my back. The next thing I knew, I was in the water!”

  Captain Dan stepped forward. “That’s right,” he said. “I was trying to keep the boat steady when I saw a big wave coming. I turned to grab him, but I couldn’t get a good hold on his jacket. Then the wave rocked the boat and he fell in.”

  Huddled in the blanket, the man looked at his dripping-wet feet. “I guess I’m not Ray the Rock anymore,” he said. “It used to be that nothing could knock me off my game.”

  “Holy cow! You’re Ray Reynolds?” Kate’s dad asked.

  “Sure am,” Ray replied. “Been him all my life!”

  “Kids, this is all-star pitcher Ray Reynolds, from one of the most famous Giants World Series teams ever,” Kate’s dad explained. “He was the pitcher the Dodgers never, ever wanted to face.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Reynolds,” Mike and Kate said at the same time.

  “Please, call me Ray,” Ray Reynolds said.

  “So what are you doing here?” Kate’s dad asked.

  Ray shook his head. “I’m in town for this weekend’s games,” he said. “We’re reliving the historic back-to-back World Series wins of the Dodgers and the Giants—”

  “Wait, the Giants played the Dodgers in the World Series two years in a row?” Mike interrupted.

  Ray laughed. “No. They both played other teams. But they won the World Series one after the other. The Giants won the first year, and the Dodgers won the second year. My old rival Lenny Littleton is throwing out the first pitch today for the Dodgers. I’m doing the same thing tomorrow for the Giants.”

  Ray pulled himself upright. The blanket slipped off his shoulders. He glanced at the outline of the Giants’ stadium and went into a pitcher’s position. He started to pretend to throw a ball toward home plate, but he stopped in the middle of the delivery. He held up his right hand with a puzzled look on his face.

  “Oh no!” he cried. “My World Series ring is missing!”

  Ray’s long fingers stretched out in the sun. Mike and Kate could see a tan line where the ring used to be.

  “I put the ring on this morning,” Ray said. “It’s from the year we won the World Series. It’s gold with a big ruby in the middle.”

  “Maybe it fell off on the boat,” Kate said.

  Mike and Kate scrambled around the motorboat looking for the ring. Captain Dan searched in the front, while Mike, Kate, and Kate’s dad looked on the sides and in the back. Ray checked his pockets. No one found the missing ring.

  “Nada,” Kate said. “Nothing.” Kate was teaching herself Spanish. She liked to try out new words when she had a chance.

  Captain Dan let out a long sigh. “It’s definitely not here,” he said. “I’m sorry, Ray, but we’ve looked everywhere. I think the ring must have been missing before you got on the boat.”

  Kate eyed the green waves of the bay. She dipped her hand into the frigid water. “What if it fell off in the water?” she asked. “It’s so cold it might have slipped off Ray’s finger and dropped to the bottom of the bay!”

  “Wow, you’re right! That’s what must have happened,” Captain Dan said. He checked the boat’s instruments. “I’ll write down exactly where we were when Ray fell overboard. Maybe a diver can come back and search for the ring.”

  Ray studied his hand. “I’m pretty sure it didn’t fall off in the water,” he said.

  Captain Dan handed Ray a slip of yellow paper. “Here’s our exact location,” he said. “You can use that to have a diver search. For now, let’s get back to shore to warm up.”

  He pointed the boat toward the ballpark and pulled up to the walkway in front of the stadium. Mike and Kate hopped onto shore and slipped off their life jackets. Mike huddled in his blanket, running in place to keep warm.

  As Mr. Hopkins tied the kayaks to the dock, Kate pulled a waterproof plastic bag from the pocket of her jacket. She unzipped it, took out two cell phones, and handed one to Mike.

  “I’ve got to get back to Fisherman’s Wharf to pick up another passenger,” Captain Dan said, checking his watch. “You can leave the blankets with the Giants’ front office. I’ll get them later.”

  While Kate watched the motorboat pull away, Mike punched a few search words into his phone. He held up the phone for Kate, Mr. Hopkins, and Ray to see.

  On the screen was a picture of a heavy gold ring with WORLD CHAMPIONS spelled out on the top and bottom. In the center was a diamond shaped like a baseball infield.

  Ray smiled. “That’s the ring!” he said. “Except mine has a big red stone in the middle. They made it special for me, since I had an important play in a big game.” His smile turned into a frown. “I’ve just got to get it back somehow.”

  Under his blanket, Mike began to shiver again.

  “We need to change into warmer clothes first,” Ray said, heading toward the stadium entrance. “I bet we can find something in the locker room.”

  After they passed through the gates, Mr. Hopkins told Kate and Mike he had to go to the visiting dugout to get ready for the game. Mike and Kate waved goodbye and followed Ray through some large hallways to the Giants’ locker room. On the way, they passed loads of fans coming into the park. Most wore the black-and-orange colors of the Giants. But a lot had on the Dodgers’ blue and white.

  Outside the clubhouse door, Ray talked to a security guard, who waved them inside.

  “Hey, Mickey!” Ray called to a middle-aged man standing near the dugout entrance. H
e wore a Giants T-shirt. “Mike and I took a little swim in the bay. Do you think you can find us some dry clothes?”

  “No problem, Ray,” Mickey said. Mike guessed that Mickey was a clubhouse attendant for the Giants. “Anything for an all-star like you!”

  Kate sat down on a bench in the middle of the room while Mickey checked a supply closet. He grabbed some clean clothes and led Mike and Ray into a nearby changing room.

  They returned a few minutes later, all decked out. Ray had changed into an old-fashioned Giants uniform, while Mike wore a team jersey, orange sweatpants, and a new pair of Giants sandals.

  “Wow! I’d never guess which team you’re rooting for today,” Kate said.

  “Thanks,” Mike said, taking a seat beside Kate. “I said we should root for the hometown team.”

  Ray slumped down and looked at his empty ring finger. “It just doesn’t feel the same without my ring.” He sighed.

  Kate twirled her long brown ponytail around her finger. “Are you sure you had it on this morning?” she asked.

  Ray raised his eyebrows. “That’s it!” he said. “In all the excitement, I forgot about this morning. I’ll bet I wasn’t even wearing the ring by the time I took the boat ride!”

  Mike’s and Kate’s jaws dropped. “What do you mean?” Kate asked.

  Ray punched his fist into his palm. “I know who took the ring,” he said. “Lenny Littleton! He was my biggest rival on the Dodgers!”

  Ray went on to explain that just before the boat ride, he’d been signing autographs with Lenny outside the stadium.

  “Lenny always gives me a hard time. He thinks we stole a season-ending win from the Dodgers because of an important play that I made,” Ray said. “He’s been mad at me ever since!”

  Ray explained that after they had signed autographs that morning, Lenny had challenged Ray to an arm-wrestling match.

  “It was right before I got on Captain Dan’s boat,” Ray said. “But first, Lenny had us each take off our World Series rings. We put them to the side of the table.”