The Reluctant Pitcher
Page 5
“Way to go, Wally! That’s the way to blast that ball!”
Wally circled the bases. Rocky was waiting for him beside home plate, grinning happily. He shook Wally’s hand.
“Beautiful hit, Wally!” he said.
Next, J.J. Adams struck out. Pete Jason walked, then got out on a double play when Jamie hit to short. And the inning was over.
Things popped wide open in the top of the sixth. The first Warrior flied out. But two singles in succession, then a walk, filled the bases. A good hit could put them into the lead again.
In right field Wally tugged nervously on the brim of his cap and bent over, his hands on his knees. Batting for the Warriors was their third hitter in the lineup, a left-hander.
15
Crack! A high foul fly popped up over home plate.
“I got it!” shouted Chris, throwing his mask aside. “I got it!”
He moved this way and that under the ball. The ball was high — real high. It came plummeting down. Chris put out his mitt.
The ball shot past it, struck the ground. “Oooooo!” groaned the Pacers’ fans.
Chris struck the pocket of his mitt angrily and stood there almost a full ten seconds before he gathered up his mask and put it on. He was really disgusted with himself.
Chris returned to his position behind the plate, and Terry stepped to the mound. Terry stretched, delivered.
Smash! A high fly to right field.
Wally ran back, stopped, and waited for the ball. He remembered that a runner was on third. If that runner scored, he would tie up the score. And then, if the man who was now on second got on third, he could be squeezed in and win the ball game for the Warriors.
Wally caught the ball. Without an instant’s hesitation he pegged it in to home. The runner was speeding in to score.
The ball struck the ground several feet in front of home plate. It bounced. Chris caught it. He put the ball on the runner who was sliding in to the plate.
Up went the umpire’s hand. “Out!” he bawled.
The Pacers’ fans leaped to their feet, shouting and screaming with joy. The ball game was over. The Pacers didn’t have to take their last raps. They had won 4–3.
The whole team — and some of the fans — crowded around home plate, slapping each other happily on the back.
“A terrific throw, Wally!” cried Coach Hutter. “And a nice put-out, Chris!”
Cab Lacey was there, too. He shook Chris McCray’s hand, then Wally’s.
“Nice work, both of you,” he said. He winked at Wally. He didn’t say any more, but Wally knew what he was thinking. That’s the position for you, Wally. In right field. You play best there.
Some of the players and fans started to drift away.
“Hey, Cab!” Coach Hutter called. “Cab Lacey!”
Cab Lacey turned. With him were Helen, Sharon, and Jeannie.
Coach Hutter walked up to Mr. Lacey. His blue eyes had a glint in them.
“I’ve just heard some more about you, and it’s all good. Sorry about what I said to you last week. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”
Mr. Lacey grinned. “I have a very poor memory about some things,” he said.
“Fine. In that case, how about coaching the team this second half of the season? My job takes me away much of the time anyway. I would certainly appreciate it.”
Mr. Lacey shrugged. “Maybe the boys would feel differently about it, Luke.”
“Well, let’s see about that. What about it, boys?” asked Coach Hutter. “Would you like Mr. Lacey to coach you?”
An enthusiastic shout sprang from them. “Yes, we would!”
Luke Hutter smiled. “There you are. The job’s yours.”
“Thanks. But I want your help, too,” Mr. Lacey said.
“Okay. I’ll be your assistant.”
The two men laughed over the agreement and shook hands.
“I’m going to add one more thing, Cab,” Coach Hutter went on, then paused, as if he didn’t quite know how to say what he wanted to. “Well, much as I hate to admit it — since I’m a stubborn mule, as my wife says — Wally does fit better in right field than on the pitcher’s mound. That was a nifty peg he made to home. And he seems to hit a lot better when he plays there, too.”
He looked at Wally and winked. Coach Hutter was an understanding guy, Wally thought. A real understanding guy.
Wally and Sawbones walked out of the park alongside Cab Lacey and the girls, their parents walking ahead of them. Wally saw Helen making peculiar motions with her fingers to Sharon, and then Sharon making peculiar motions to her.
“Hey!” cried Sawbones. “Look at that sister of yours! She can’t talk sign language, can she?”
“You can never tell about her,” replied Wally. “Sharon, what did Helen say?”
Sharon’s eyes twinkled proudly. “She said that you played a wonderful ball game. That you were a hero.”
The #1 Sports Series for Kids
MATT CHRISTOPHER
Read them all!
Baseball Flyhawk Face-Off
Baseball Pals Fighting Tackle
Baseball Turnaround Football Fugitive
The Basket Counts The Fox Steals Home
Catch That Pass! The Great Quarterback Switch
Catcher with a Glass Arm The Hockey Machine
Center Court Sting Ice Magic
Challenge at Second Base Johnny Long Legs
The Comeback Challenge The Kid Who Only Hit Homers
The Counterfeit Tackle Long-Arm Quarterback
Crackerjack Halfback Long Shot for Paul
The Diamond Champs Long Stretch at First Base
Dirt Bike Racer Look Who’s Playing First Base
Dirt Bike Runaway Miracle at the Plate
Double Play at Short Mountain Bike Mania
No Arm in Left Field Soccer Halfback
Olympic Dream Soccer Scoop
Penalty Shot Spike It!
Pressure Play The Submarine Pitch
Prime-Time Pitcher Supercharged Infield
Red-Hot Hightops Tackle Without a Team
The Reluctant Pitcher The Team That Couldn’t Lose
Return of the Home Run Kid Tight End
Roller Hockey Radicals Too Hot to Handle
Run, Billy, Run Top Wing
Shoot for the Hoop Touchdown for Tommy
Shortstop from Tokyo Tough to Tackle
Skateboard Tough Wingman on Ice
Snowboard Maverick The Winning Stroke
Snowboard Showdown The Year Mom Won the Pennant
All available in paperback from Little, Brown and Company
Matt Christopher
Sports Bio Bookshelf
John Elway Mark McGwire
Wayne Gretzky Greg Maddux
Ken Griffey Jr. Hakeem Olajuwon
Mia Hamm Emmitt Smith
Grant Hill Sammy Sosa
Randy Johnson Mo Vaughn
Michael Jordan Tiger Woods
Lisa Leslie Steve Young
Tara Lipinski
THE RELUCTANT PITCHER
It takes more than a good arm to make a great pitcher.
Wally Morris is a good right fielder, but Coach Hutter is trying to make him a pitcher. Wally is a lefty and has a strong arm and good aim. What he doesn’t have is the desire to play the position. But how can he refuse? Coach Hutter once saved his life, and Wally feels he owes him. Then he meets Cab Lacey, a former ballplayer whose life story bears some resemblance to his own. Will Cab help Wally see that being true to oneself is sometimes more important than fulfilling another’s dreams?
Matt Christopher is the writer young readers turn to when they’re looking for fast-paced, action-packed sports novels. For a listing of all his titles and information on joining the Matt Christopher Fan Club, please see the last pages of this book.