Fair ball, p.10
Fair Ball, page 10
Derek winced. “Maybe next year.”
“Yeah, right. And maybe next year you’ll actually beat me on a test or two.”
Derek had to laugh. He should have known their little warm and fuzzy moment wouldn’t last. Gary was who Gary was, and in the end that was who he would always be. Same kid next year as he was the year before.
He was a funny kind of friend to have, if you could call him a friend. But Derek was still glad he’d invited him. Gary was different for sure—but weren’t he and Dave different too? And Vijay?
And everyone, if you really thought about it. The differences between people are what make them interesting, he thought. Life wouldn’t be much fun if everybody was exactly the same.
They had their end-of-year party, the bell rang, and all the students of Saint Augustine’s school walked out into the sunshine for the last time until September.
Derek felt deeply happy. There was one huge piece of unfinished business, and if it didn’t go well, it would cast a huge shadow over everything else:
The team had to win the big game—they just had to!
• • •
The mighty Reds, champions of the East Side league, had compiled a regular-season record of 11–1, and they’d gone undefeated in their league’s playoffs. And here, with the trophy game being held on the East Side, their fans were everywhere. The home bleachers were filled with people in red hats and T-shirts.
The Indians had some fans here too, mostly just the players’ families, wearing their team’s maroon and gray. Derek noticed that this time both of Dave’s parents were here. That, more than anything else, told him things had definitely changed for the better.
“Everybody, remember to breathe,” Coach Bradway told the team. “I know you’re all excited, but you can’t play your best unless you stay calm and don’t let yourselves get rattled.”
Derek’s dad also had a few words for the Indians. “When we started this season, I knew we had our work cut out for us,” he said. “But you boys have shown me something. You’ve worked hard, you’ve listened well, and you haven’t let anything get you down. It’s no accident that we’re here today. And if we play our best game yet, it will be no accident when we hold up that big Kalamazoo Trophy!”
The Indians let out a yell. It made all the Reds turn and take notice. Good, thought Derek. Let them be the ones who are nervous!
Mason started the team off with a big base hit on the first pitch. But not content with a mere single, he was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double! It took a great throw from the center fielder to nail him, but the Reds hadn’t gotten this far by being a bad team. Derek knew well enough to expect more of the same today.
Dean legged out a slow dribbler for a single, so Derek came up to bat with a man on base. After taking a strike, he let another pitch go by over his head—and just then Dean took off for second.
The catcher winged it straight to the base, and the second baseman tagged Dean on his arm. “Out!” called the umpire.
Derek winced, frustrated that his team had gotten two hits but now had no one on base. If he were going to drive in a run, he was going to have to hit the ball hard and far. He swung as hard as he could at the next pitch—but whiffed. The pitcher then finished him off with a curveball that froze Derek midswing. And that was that for the Indians in the first.
In the Reds’ half of the inning, they made Dave work hard, fouling off pitch after pitch. He did finally get the first two outs, but the third hitter smashed one to right field for a double, and then the cleanup hitter singled him in, for a 1–0 lead.
Dave retired the side on a strikeout, and the score stayed the same until the top of the third inning, when, after two quick outs, Mason came up to bat.
Mason didn’t look at all powerful, but he could hit a ball pretty far if he really got his body into it. Derek saw that the Reds were playing him too shallow in the outfield, not expecting him to hit it with any authority.
Mason must have seen it too, because he smacked the first pitch right over the left fielder’s head. By the time the kid caught up to it, Mason was in at third with a triple!
It must have rattled the Reds’ pitcher, because he then walked Dean, bringing Derek to the plate for the second time in the game.
Derek remembered how he’d struck out on that last curveball, a pitch that not many kids their age threw. He told himself to look for it again if the count got to two strikes.
Five pitches later the count was 3–2. Sure enough, here came the curveball—and Derek was ready for it. He held back, trying to time it just right, and laced a line drive to left center that split the outfielders. Mason and Dean were both able to score, and suddenly it was 2-1, Indians, with Derek standing on second base.
Dave then hit a long fly to center. Derek was sure it would drop in for a hit, but the Reds’ outfielders were really good at their positions. The center fielder took a flying leap and caught the ball a few inches before it hit the ground to end the Indians’ rally.
In their half of the third, the Reds took the lead right back, on a walk and a two-run homer. But their lead didn’t last very long. In the top of the fourth, Tito homered to tie the game!
In the bottom of the fourth, the Reds finally started to wear Dave down. He hit the leadoff man, gave up two singles, and handed the lead back to the Reds. After a strikeout and a foul pop, he gave up a single, sending another runner home, for a 5–3 Reds lead—the largest lead of the game for either team!
Still, it was a real seesaw affair, and Derek was sure the Indians weren’t through scoring. The problem was, the Reds were the home team here, which meant they got to hit last. In a game like this, that could make all the difference.
The next hitter cracked a wicked line drive, but Dean made a fantastic shoestring grab in center to end the inning. Now it was the Indians’ turn to make some noise at the plate.
Miles came to bat first—subbing for Gary, who for once seemed disappointed to be sent back to the bench. Miles was an even bigger kid than Gary and had a lot of power. But he also struck out a lot, as Derek well knew. And this Reds pitcher was tough.
Miles looked overmatched, swinging wildly at two pitches way out of the strike zone. But on the third pitch he managed to make contact. Not much contact but enough to send the ball rolling slowly down the third-base line.
The catcher leapt out to grab it, and the third baseman charged the ball too. With everyone yelling, they must not have been aware of each other—because they collided, and the ball stayed right where it was. Against all odds, Miles stood, smiling, on first base!
Mason came up again, and Derek could feel his and the rest of the Indians’ hopes rising. Sure enough, seven pitches later, Mason walked for what seemed like the hundredth time this season, putting runners at first and second with nobody out!
Dean followed with a sharp grounder to third. The third baseman snagged it with a beautiful dive to his right. With one motion he stepped on the bag and then fired to first for a double play!
With two outs, and time running out for the Indians, Derek came up to the plate for what was surely the biggest at bat of the entire season. He knew that a single here would drive Mason in from second. Then it would be up to Dave to get a big hit to tie the game.
On the other hand, if Derek made an out here, the rally would be over. The Indians would still be two runs down, with only one more half inning to bat. But Derek refused to think about that. He wanted only positive thoughts running through his mind at this critical moment. He told himself to breathe, stay calm, and let the other team be the ones with the jumpy nerves.
Right. Easier said than done.
Derek looked out and saw how the fielders were playing him. The Reds, being from another league, didn’t know much about the Indians, and vice versa. So they didn’t know that Derek liked to hit the ball the other way—even on an inside pitch.
Derek let two balls go by, getting ahead in the count. He knew the pitcher would try to throw the next pitch right over the middle of the plate, and he was ready. He slapped the ball right over the second baseman’s head for a single, and Mason ran all the way home for the Indians’ fourth run!
Derek clapped his hands and got ready to try to steal second base. He knew he had to get into scoring position so that the Indians could tie the game back up with a single.
Standing in the coach’s box at third base, Coach Bradway gave Dave the sign to take a pitch. Then he turned to Derek and gave him the steal sign.
Ready . . . set . . . go! As soon as the ball left the pitcher’s hand, Derek was off and running. He didn’t stop to look in at the catcher—he needed every split second he could get. The throw came in, and the tag came down. Derek’s foot hit the fielder’s glove and knocked the ball out of it before touching the bag!
“Safe!” the umpire called.
“What?” The shortstop, who’d put the tag on Derek, was enraged. “He was out! I got him right on the foot, and then he kicked the ball out of my mitt!”
The Reds’ coach came out to argue with the umpire, pulling his player out of the way before the ump threw him out of the game. “Isn’t that interference?” the coach asked the umpire.
“Clean play,” the ump said, holding his ground. “His foot knocked the ball out of the mitt. What do you want me to say? That’s baseball. It’s a perfectly legal play.”
“But that’s so unfair!” the shortstop complained to his coach.
“Okay, Billy,” said the coach. “Calm down. The umpires get to make the calls. There’s nothing we can do about it. Now let’s just buckle down and win this game!”
Derek felt glad that he hadn’t been called out for interference. But it really had been a clean play. Runners had the right to slide into a base, and he hadn’t been trying to knock the ball loose.
Dave was at the plate still, swinging his bat like he smelled blood in the water. The pitcher fired one in as hard as he could. It was low, at the knees—a hard pitch for most hitters, but not where you’d want to pitch Dave, with his golf-like swing.
But the Reds didn’t know that, of course. They’d never seen Dave before this game. Dave walloped the pitch, sending it soaring high over the left fielder’s head. Derek scored easily—and here came Dave, right behind him! The throw was late, and the Indians led again, 6–5!
The Indians and their fans erupted in cheers, while the big Reds crowd was silenced and stunned.
Tito popped out to second base to end the rally. But the Indians had the lead back now! The question was, in a game like this, with all its twists and turns, could they keep it?
It seemed that way to Derek after Dave mowed down the Reds in the bottom of the fifth. Three more Reds outs, and the Kalamazoo Trophy would be theirs!
The Indians went down quickly in their half of the sixth, with Paul, Jonathan, and Eddie making quick, easy outs. Derek took a deep breath. Finally, it had all come down to this last half inning.
For the bottom of the sixth, Coach Jeter sent Jonathan in to pitch, putting Dave at third in his place. Jonathan had a strong pitching arm, but he didn’t have Dave’s trick pitch—the changeup—to go with it.
The Reds hit him hard from the start. Their first batter hit a sharp grounder through the right side for a single. The next batter hit two screaming foul balls that just missed being doubles—then smacked a liner right at Derek!
Derek flinched, stuck out his glove—and grabbed it! Then, realizing that the runner had come too far off first base, he fired over to Tito to complete the double play.
Derek took off his glove and tried to shake the sting out of his palm. Ouch! That one hurt! Not that he cared. He’d gotten two outs, and saved at least one run—the run that would have tied the game back up.
Two outs now. Just one more to go. But in baseball no game is over till it’s over. The next hitter clobbered one into center field for a double. Jonathan then walked the next two batters on just nine pitches, to load the bases!
Coach Jeter came jogging out to the mound. “Derek!” he called, signaling to the umpire that he was making a pitching change.
Last inning. Bases loaded. Two outs.
Derek realized that his dad was putting the entire game into Derek’s hands. The fate of the entire team, the ending of their entire season, now rested on his shoulders.
Derek was determined not to let the team down. He was glad, in fact, to shoulder the burden. So what if he hadn’t done much pitching? A ballplayer was a ballplayer. You did whatever your coaches called on you to do.
Everything he’d done, all that practice for all those years, had led him to this moment—and he was ready for it.
The Reds’ cleanup hitter slowly waggled his bat, daring Derek to throw it over the plate. Derek took a deep breath and started off with a changeup. The hitter, cranked up to hit a fastball, swung early—and missed!
Strike one. Two more to go.
Derek got ready to throw a fastball now—but knowing how anxious the hitter was to swing, he threw it just outside. The batter made contact but fouled it off for strike two.
After throwing one into the dirt just to see if the hitter would bite, Derek wound up and fired another fastball—this one at eye level. It must have looked nice and fat, because the batter swung for all he was worth—and popped up to the infield!
Derek settled under it and made the catch that ended the game! They’d done it! They’d won it all! The Indians were the champions of all Kalamazoo!
All the Indians raced to join the pile and celebrate, while the devastated Reds slunk slowly off the field. Derek saw some of them slamming their mitts and caps onto the ground. He heard one kid say, “It’s so unfair!”
Derek knew just how they felt. But he wasn’t going to let that get in the way of his happiness. Not today. This had to be the greatest moment of his life so far!
At the ice cream celebration their coaches handed out trophies to every member of the team, saying something nice about how they’d improved during the season, and reliving all the great plays and key hits that had brought the team to ultimate victory.
Dave’s parents were there too, sitting at a table with Derek’s parents; Sharlee and her best friend, Ciara; and Chase. They all seemed to be getting along very well, which made Derek happy. The Hennums looked more relaxed than he’d ever seen them.
Dave came up to him as he was finishing his banana split, and made Derek’s all-time happiest day even better. “Guess what?” Dave said. “My parents said I can come to New Jersey with you for a whole week this summer!”
“No way!” They slapped five every which way they could think of. “That is so awesome!”
Dave’s announcement had come as a total surprise. Derek had planned on reminding him about the invitation. But obviously Dave hadn’t forgotten about it after all. In fact, he’d just handed Derek the best birthday present ever!
Remember this moment, Derek told himself. He knew life wasn’t always fair and that not every moment would be this happy. But for now he wanted to savor every second.
Here he was, a champion for the first time in his life! Even more important, he had not one but two best friends—and one of them was going to come with him for a whole week to his grandparents’ house! Derek could picture them going to Yankees games together, playing ball with the local kids and his cousins in New Jersey. . . .
Then it occurred to Derek that there was one last thing—one more question that needed answering. One more thing to make this day absolutely, totally perfect.
He went over to his parents’ table. “Hey, Dad?” he asked. “Do you think you could coach the team again next year?”
Mr. Jeter smiled, put a hand on Derek’s shoulder, and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll tell you what, Derek. I will if Coach Bradway will.”
“Hey,” said Chase, “I’d be up for that, Charles. We sure work well together as a team!”
Hmm, thought Derek, looking around at his Indians teammates, including his two best friends in the world. I guess you could say that about all of us!
INDIANS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ROSTER
Mason Adams—2B
Dean O’Leary—CF
Derek Jeter—SS
Dave Hennum—P
Tito Ortega—1B
Paul Edwards—C
Jonathan Hogue—3B
Vijay Patel—RF
Gary Parnell—LF
Reserves: Miles Kaufman, Eddie Falk, Jonah Winters
Coaches: Charles Jeter and Chase Bradway
Jeter Publishing’s fourth middle-grade book is inspired by the childhood of Derek Jeter, who grew up playing baseball. The middle-grade series is based on the principles of Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation.
Jeter Publishing encompasses adult nonfiction, children’s picture books, middle-grade fiction, ready-to-read children’s books, and children’s nonfiction.
About the Authors
DEREK JETER played Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees for twenty seasons and is a five-time World Series champion. He is a true legend in professional sports and a role model for young people on and off the field and through his work in the community with his Turn 2 Foundation. For more information, visit Turn2Foundation.org.
Derek was born in New Jersey and moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan, when he was four. There he often attended Detroit Tigers games with his family, but the New York Yankees were always his favorite team, and he never stopped dreaming of playing for them.
PAUL MANTELL is the author of more than one hundred books for young readers.
Learn more about Jeter Publishing at JeterPublishing.com.
Visit us at
simonandschuster.com/kids
Authors.Simonandschuster.com/Derek-Jeter
Authors.Simonandschuster.com/Paul-Mantell
ALSO BY DEREK JETER
The Contract
Hit & Miss
Change Up
Derek Jeter’s Ultimate Baseball Guide 2015
SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
