Curveball (6 page)

The players nodded and said, “Yeah.”

“Lot of pressure,” Coach said. “Don't anybody puke on the field.”

Coach could joke at the strangest times, but that made Eddie feel better. He relaxed. Being tense wouldn't help anyway.

Ramiro marched to the mound with a deadly serious expression. Coach gave him the ball and a light pat on the shoulder. “The fate of the world is on your shoulders,” he said. “Try not to think about it too much.”

The fielders yelled encouragement.

Down a run with men on first and second, it was unlikely that Liberty would be trying to steal bases. So Eddie stayed in his normal defensive spot, several feet from first base.

Ramiro got a quick strike on the batter, then nearly hit him with the next pitch. Jared made a great save, and the base runners held.

Eddie's eyes locked on the guy at first base. The kid looked amused for the first time all day. “This pitcher a little wild?” he asked Eddie.

Eddie looked away. “No more than you were.”

Ramiro threw a second strike, then a third. It seemed as if the entire Hudson City team released a held breath at once. Two outs now. They might manage to keep the lead after all.

Batting now was that pitcher with the big curveball. He hadn't shown any power with the bat in the two games so far, but he'd had a couple of singles and hadn't struck out.

“Two outs!” called Spencer, holding up two fingers. “Force at any base.”

Ramiro threw a fourth consecutive strike.

“Come on, Jamal,” said the base runner, almost at a whisper. “Gotta bring us home.”

Eddie glanced over at him. The kid smiled. “Heck of a game,” he said, shaking his head in mock amazement.

Ramiro's next pitch was high and hard, and so was Jamal's swing. The ball flew on a line drive into deep right field, and it looked for a moment that it would be a home run.

The ball hit the top of the fence and bounced back onto the field. Ryan scrambled after it, but he'd chased it all the way to the fence and now had to backtrack.

The tying run was already in by the time Ryan threw the ball, and the other runner was on his way to the plate.

The throw was off line a bit, and Eddie had to lunge for it. But he caught it cleanly and pivoted in a hurry, throwing a strike toward Jared.

Jared grabbed the ball and turned, applying the tag just as the sliding runner reached the plate.

The umpire thrust both arms out and called, “Safe!”

Jared stood and held the ball, his mouth hanging open. Ramiro shut his eyes and looked toward the sky. Eddie just stared at the celebrating Liberty players. They'd grabbed a one-run lead.

“Wake up!” Spencer called after a few seconds. “Let's get this third out and move on.”

“Right back at 'em,” said Lamont. “No batter.”

Ramiro managed to get the next batter to pop out to Miguel at third. But the momentum had definitely shifted to Liberty's favor.

The Hornets did their best to gut things out and tie the game, but that Liberty pitcher was sharp. Hudson City went three up, three down in both the sixth and seven innings.

Eddie'd had his best game of the year, but it was hard to be happy after such a close loss. The team's fortunes had become more important to him than his own.

He knew that this team deserved a championship. But the season was a long way from over.

One thing seemed strange to him, though. That voice in his head had stopped talking when the game got really tight.

T
he Hornets rebounded with a crucial win over Weehawken on Friday, securing a spot in the four-team playoffs. Eddie was totally focused on baseball now, and he'd had enough of pretending about who was writing the articles.

Besides, he'd had a great week. Two hits against Liberty and an RBI double against Weehawken. He deserved some attention for that.

 

EddieV: yo Calvin

HudCityCal: hey

EddieV: can you do the baseball article this week?

HudCityCal: how come?

EddieV: i think they're on 2 me

HudCityCal: who is?

EddieV: the team. my covers been blown

HudCityCal: no matter. its kind of obvious, no?

EddieV: what is?

HudCityCal: who MAJOR TALENT be

EddieV: but i made fun of myself last week. that should've fooled em.

HudCityCal: yeah. but those first 2 articles were all bout u

EddieV: so what do I do now?

HudCityCal: play it str8 4 one more article.

EddieV: you sure?

HudCityCal: yeah. I still need yur help. 1 more time.

EddieV: ok. but im keeping it short. cya later

 

“Another article for the paper?” Mrs. Ventura said as she poked her head into the family room.

“Yeah. Kind of a wrap-up on last week and a preview of this one.”

“The boys must be happy with the great pieces you've been writing.”

Eddie swiveled in his chair to face his mom. “Well, they aren't supposed to know it's me. But some of them have figured it out, I think.”

“I think you've done a wonderful job.”

Eddie was surprised. “You read them?”

“Sure. They send copies over to our school so the teachers can see what their former students are up to. I had a lot of those kids in my class, remember? Spencer, Ramiro, Lamont.”

“Yeah. How were they?”

Mom made a flapping motion with her fingers, indicating a mouth. “Boy, were they chatterboxes.” She shook her head and smiled. “Nice kids, but Spencer especially—I sent him to the principal's office once a week at least.”

“He doesn't shut up much now, either.”

“He's got a good heart. Great energy. I never wanted to thwart that, but some days he was too disruptive.”

“He's a motor-mouth.”

“Unlike someone we know.” She put her hand on top of Eddie's head, then leaned over and kissed the back of his neck. “I'll leave you alone so you can work.”

“Thanks, Mom. See you later.”

“W
e beat them once, then they beat us,” Spencer said, standing at the front of the bus before leading his teammates off. “I don't think there's any question about whose turn it is to win. Ours!”

“You heard him,” Coach Wimmer added. “Assistant Coach Spencer says it's a done deal. I don't know why we're even bothering to play. They should probably just hand us the trophy.”

“Just to prove it,” Spencer said, “let's get out there.”

The atmosphere was different than it had been last time the Hornets visited Jersey City just eight days before—totally charged with excitement. The Liberty bleachers were full this time, and a huge banner on the side of their dugout said
LIBERTY IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR
. The grass had been freshly mowed, and small flags were everywhere.

The two pitchers Hudson City had faced in earlier games were on the infield grass, tossing a ball back and forth. There were a few playful boos from the bleachers as the Hornets approached the field. They threw their sweatshirts and jackets onto the bench in the third-base dugout.

Eddie scanned the spectators and found his parents and Irene. He knew they would be there. But he was surprised to see his brother with them, too. Lenny stood up and lifted his fist as he caught Eddie's eye. Eddie gave the same gesture in return.

Coach pointed toward left field. “Out there,” he said, and he started jogging that way, leading his players.

Spencer and Miguel put the team through some jumping jacks and other exercises, then made them drop for crunches. The players ran a few short sprints, then fell into pairs to throw baseballs back and forth.

Eddie noticed that his brother had moved down from the bleachers and was standing along the fence. He tossed the ball to Ramiro and jogged over.

Lenny reached out his hand and Eddie shook it.

“Had to cut a class, but I wouldn't miss this for anything,” Lenny said. “Biggest game of your life, huh?”

“So far,” Eddie said. “Tomorrow will be bigger…we hope.”

“One at a time,” Lenny said. “We're really proud of you.”

“Me, too. Proud and nervous.”

“Take a deep breath, little brother. In a lot of ways, it's just another game.”

“Doesn't feel like it.”

“Yeah, but make believe that it is. I mean, play harder than you ever played in your life, but keep your wits about you. You hear me?”

“Yeah.” Eddie nodded and looked back at the field. David was throwing hard now, zeroing in to get ready to pitch. Lamont and Spencer looked intense as can be as they stretched near third base. Miguel was sitting on the ground, reaching for his toes, staring at the backstop.

Lenny had been through this sort of playoff pressure a million times. It was easy for him to say things like that. But Eddie knew he was right. The clutch players always came through, no matter how much pressure they were under.

 

Jamal—the shorter guy with the big curve—was pitching for Liberty, but he'd learned not to be so rigid with his pattern. And he'd added a decent change-up to the curve and his fastball. The Hornets went three straight innings without getting a base runner.

David had been efficient as well, but Liberty had squeaked across a pair of runs by capitalizing on two walks, a throwing error by Spencer, and a bloop single into right. So the Hornets were down, 2–0, as they came to bat in the fourth, even though Liberty had managed only one base hit.

Eddie leaned against the dugout fence as Lamont strode to the plate. Lamont had been in a bit of a slump, and he'd struck out to start the game.

He took Jamal's first pitch for a strike, but smashed the second one deep into left-center. Eddie stood on tiptoes to see over his teammates, and he felt a surge of energy as the ball cleared the fence for a home run.

Lamont leaped high into the air as he rounded first base, breaking into a huge smile. Several Hornets left the dugout to slap hands with Lamont as he rounded third. Eddie and Jared met him at the plate with big embraces.

The pitcher stood with his hands on his hips, a blank stare on his face. The umpire tossed him a new baseball, and he caught it in his bare hand.

“Jared!” yelled Spencer. “Keep this thing going, buddy!”

Suddenly it seemed like a different pitcher out there. He threw four bad pitches to Jared, putting the tying run on first base.

Eddie took a deep breath and bent down to wipe some dirt off his shoe. Then he stared at the pitcher until he made eye contact. Eddie allowed himself to smile slightly, letting this guy know he had no fear at all.

The Liberty coach called time out and walked to the mound. He spoke calmly to his pitcher and tapped him on the shoulder. Then he jogged off the field, adjusting his glasses as he went.

Eddie looked over at Jared and nodded. Things just felt right all of a sudden.

The pitch was fast and a little low, just over the outside of the plate. Eddie made a nice smooth swing and felt the bat crush the ball, sending it zinging in the air toward the gap between the right and center fielders.

Jared had been running on the pitch and was nearly to third by the time Eddie turned for second. The shortstop was on second base waiting for the throw. Eddie dove with his hands outstretched, reaching for the bag. He tasted dirt, but he grabbed the base just before he felt the tag. He was safe, and Jared had scored to tie the game!

Eddie stood up and looked toward the dugout, where his teammates were yelling his name and pointing. He blushed and bit down on his lip. The front of his jersey was a nice reddish brown.

He looked toward the bleachers this time and saw his parents and Irene and Lenny, standing and cheering. He'd never had a moment like this one.

The Liberty coach was back on the mound now. That pitcher was history. The big guy with the scowl was on his way in from left field.

It seemed premature to Eddie that they'd be changing pitchers already. After all, the starter had been unhittable until this inning. But then again, this was the playoffs. Whichever team lost was finished.

Spencer grounded the first pitch to first, advancing Eddie to third. Now he could see his friends in the dugout close up. Lamont—so charged up from that home run—was banging on the fence with his mitt and yelling for Miguel to bring Eddie home. Willie had his hands cupped around his mouth and was shouting for a hit. Jared and Ryan were both hollering, too.

And when Miguel hit a deep fly ball to right, Eddie tagged up and waited. As soon as the catch was made, he put his head down and sprinted toward home plate, sliding for the second time in the inning and scoring the go-ahead run.

The entire team mobbed Eddie as he jogged back to the dugout.

“We got the lead, man!” shouted Spencer. “We got the lead.”

“Somebody get Eddie a new uniform!” Willie joked. “He's brown from head to toe.”

Eddie picked up his mitt and tried to catch his breath. David struck out to end the inning, but the Hornets suddenly looked like a very tough team to beat.

 

David continued pitching well, but Liberty made the most of its few opportunities. After yielding an infield single in the fifth, David struck out two batters and then issued a walk on a very close 3–2 pitch.

Liberty stunned everyone by attempting a double steal on the next pitch. Jared hesitated as he stood with the ball, not sure whether to throw to second or third. That split second cost him, as the throw to Miguel at third base was late by a couple of inches.

Coming through in the clutch, Jamal made up for his earlier pitching lapse and stroked a neat single into center. Both runners scored, and Liberty had regained the lead, 4–3.

David seemed to lose his nerve after that. He walked the next batter. And it took a great play by Spencer on a grounder up the middle to finally end the inning.

Coach gave David a firm pat on the back as the team came off the field. But Ramiro and Jimmy were already warming up. David threw his mitt onto the bench and sat down.

 

Eddie walked to lead off the sixth and reached third when Miguel doubled. But the brief rally went nowhere as David struck out again and Rico Cabrera hit a weak grounder to first.

Jimmy Fleming came on to pitch a perfect inning in the bottom of the sixth, keeping Hudson City just one run behind.

“Last ups,” Spencer said as they reached the dugout. “Let's make it count.”

The bottom of the order was coming to bat for Hudson City—Ryan and then Willie. The Hornets would need two base runners or Eddie wouldn't bat. It might not happen.

Ryan grounded out, but Willie knocked a single up the middle, and the Hornets' spectators came to life again.

Lamont stepped up to the plate with plenty of confidence. He'd homered earlier and nearly had another, sending the Liberty center fielder all the way to the fence.

Lamont took a couple of fierce practice swings. One more good connection and the Hornets could be back in the lead.

He got ahead of the first pitch and sent it deep toward left, but it drifted foul and brought about a groan from the Hornets' dugout.

He fouled off the second pitch, too, sending it straight up and over the backstop.

Eddie put on a batting helmet and held his breath. Lamont took a powerful cut at the next pitch, but to no avail. He shut his eyes and jutted his head forward, then walked back to the dugout. Two outs.

But Jared drew a walk. The tying and leading runs were on base.

And Eddie was coming to bat.

He'd been hitting well lately, but the pressure in this situation was ten times higher than he'd felt before. Every eye really was on him now. The fate of his team was all up to him.

His hands were sweating, but suddenly his forehead felt clammy and cold. His throat was tight and dry. His teammates were screaming from the dugout. The Liberty fielders were yelling.

The scowling pitcher was almost smiling now, looking confident and ready.

Eddie inhaled deeply and glanced up at Jared and Willie on the bases, tensed and ready to run. He looked toward the dugout and saw Lenny leaning on the fence nearby. And the sight of his brother made him instantly feel calmer—the Venturas had been in situations like this before. They'd always come through.

The first pitch was low and outside, and Eddie let it go by for a ball. He moved his shoulders back and forth to get looser, then pulled back the bat and gripped it tighter.

The second pitch was low and inside, but the umpire called it a strike. That pumped up the Liberty side even more. Cries of “Easy out!” and “No batter!” erupted.

This is the pitch,
Eddie told himself.
This is the season, right here.

And he was ready. The ball had some spin on it, curving into the strike zone at a perfect height and trajectory for Eddie's swing. He walloped the pitch, and it took off on a hard line drive.

Straight at the second baseman.

The Liberty players charged toward the mound as the ball was caught, leaping and shouting in celebration of the win. Eddie stopped short halfway up the first-base path, stunned and frozen. He stared at the player who'd caught the ball.

Jared walked by on his way to the dugout, blinking back tears. Willie was kneeling between second and third base, shaking his head.

Eddie felt a hand on his shoulder. “Game over,” said Spencer. “Game over.”