Curveball Read online

  Eddie looked over at Spencer. It was true—the kid talked nonstop, especially about himself. But he backed it up, too. You couldn’t argue with that. Baseball, football, basketball—Spencer was always right there in the front line, battling with everything he had. You had to admire a guy like that.

  He’d certainly earned it today.

  7

  Time Off

  Thursday was a half-day at school and Coach Wimmer held a brief practice session, so the players had most of the afternoon free.

  The temperature was in the high seventies and there was no chance of rain, so Eddie and several others headed down to Hamilton Park, which stretched along the Hudson River on the flats below the town.

  Ramiro had a soccer ball and Lamont brought along a Frisbee. But most of the guys just took off their shirts and lay on the grass in the sun.

  “Good day to forget all about baseball for a minute,” Spencer said, lying with his eyes shut and his arms and legs spread wide.

  In the backs of their minds, all of the players knew they had a big game the next day against Palisades. But Spencer was right. They needed a break from the pressure.

  Eddie took off his socks and sneakers and sat looking across the river at the huge skyscrapers on the Manhattan skyline. Directly across from Hudson City were the many large piers and shipping terminals.

  As close as they lived to New York City, Eddie had only been there a handful of times. His parents went in often for dinner or shows, and of course, his brother lived there. His parents had taken him to a couple of Knicks games at Madison Square Garden and baseball games at Yankee Stadium, and they’d been to some of the museums. But Eddie couldn’t picture himself living there.

  After a while, Calvin Tait came walking up. Eddie was relieved to see that he was with Danielle Rosado. If Calvin had been alone, the guys would have grilled him about the baseball articles. With a girl around, they’d just try to flirt.

  “Hey, Danielle,” said Spencer.

  “Hey, Spence.”

  “Where’s your sister?”

  “Home.”

  Danielle had a twin, Jessie. Both girls were excellent athletes—soccer and gymnastics, mostly. This spring they’d joined the track-and-field team and had become top sprinters and jumpers.

  “Guess you came down here to see me,” Spencer said with a sly smile. “Thanks for escorting her, Calvin. You can leave now.”

  “Nice try,” Danielle said. “So what’s going on today? You guys just lazing around like usual?”

  “’Bout time we caught a break,” Spencer replied. “Coach Wimmer has been driving us like a drill sergeant.”

  “I’m sure. Try training for the four-hundred-meters if you want to know tough.”

  “You saying track is harder than baseball?”

  “Way harder,” Danielle said. “What do you run, like, sixty feet between the bases or something? I’m barely getting started by that time.”

  “Yeah, well…” Spencer struggled to think of a response. “Baseball takes brains, too. Ain’t that right, Ventura?”

  Eddie nodded. He found it even harder to talk when there were cute girls around.

  “Well,” Danielle said, “I still think the real ‘major talent’ is on the track team.”

  Spencer changed the subject. “So, Calvin, what’s it like to be such a powerful journalist?” he asked. “Making these judgments and assessments of all the teams?”

  “I’m objective,” Calvin said. “I just get some help from insiders.”

  Spencer turned to Eddie and smirked. “Insiders, he says. Maybe he just makes all that stuff up.”

  “Like what?” Calvin demanded.

  “Like, I don’t know. When you make fun of guys on the team. I mean, I can take it, but it made poor little Ramiro here burst into tears when you questioned his singing ability.”

  Calvin gave an embarrassed laugh. “It’s all documented.”

  “Can’t wait to see the next one,” Spencer said. “Probably be about Eddie hitting a foul ball or something.”

  “You’ll have to wait and see,” Calvin replied. He looked at Danielle and nodded his head toward the river. “See you chumps later,” he said as they walked away.

  “We’ll be here…. Come on back, Danielle, if Calvin falls off a pier or something.”

  Eddie spread out on the grass then, the sun feeling great on his skin. “Didn’t Calvin go out with Jessie once last summer?” he asked.

  “Might have,” Spencer said. “So did I…. Jessie’s got a real edge, though. Danielle’s always been sweeter.”

  Eddie leaned up on his elbows and looked over at Calvin and Danielle walking on the path along the river. He couldn’t imagine just hanging around with a girl, or especially going out for pizza or a movie. Guys like Spencer and Miguel were already shaving above their lips and had developed some muscles. They’d had girlfriends.

  He just wasn’t ready for any of that.

  Life was complicated enough, with homework and chores and baseball. He knew things would change before too long, but for now he was glad to still be a kid.

  8

  A Pitcher’s Nightmare

  On Wednesday morning, Eddie grabbed a copy of the school paper as he entered his home-room. He scanned the back page for the baseball article. He’d written it, of course, but it was always nice to actually see it in print.

  WEDNESDAY, MAY 17

  BASEBALL TEAM HOPES

  HOT STREAK LEADS

  TO POSTSEASON BERTH

  By Major Talent

  The Hudson City seventh-grade baseball team rolled to a pair of wins last week, inching closer to a spot in the league playoffs.

  The regular season ends this week with games at Liberty this afternoon and at home against Weehawken on Friday. The Hornets beat both of those teams in earlier match-ups.

  Hudson City has won seven of its past eight games, and its record stands at seven wins and five losses.

  “We’re a hot team right now, but we can’t let our guard down,” said Coach Wimmer after Friday’s 5–2 win over Palisades.

  Earlier in the week, the team had topped Memorial, 6–4. Both Palisades and Memorial had beaten the Hornets in early April.

  “It’s nice to get some payback on those teams—show them who’s boss,” said hot-hitting Spencer Lewis. Spencer, the shortstop and cleanup hitter, had a solo home run against Palisades and a two-run double in the win over Memorial.

  Spencer made the defensive play of the year against Memorial, nabbing a line drive and turning a double play to kill a potential game-tying hit.

  Catcher Jared Owen also homered against Palisades. The durable Owen has been behind the plate for every pitch this season.

  “We don’t even know who the second-string catcher is,” said Spencer.

  Apparently third baseman/pitcher Miguel Rivera would be the emergency catcher, according to Coach Wimmer. “I think he caught a few games in Little League,” Coach said. “Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that Jared doesn’t get hurt. I don’t think Miguel could pitch and catch in the same game. He’d have to be mighty quick!”

  HORNET HAMMERINGS: First baseman Eddie “The Mouth” Ventura actually spoke recently. Coach Wimmer asked him how he was feeling, and Eddie said, “Fine.” It was his longest conversation of the season…. Center fielder Willie Shaw sat in gum after striking out in the second inning against Palisades. Ryan Grimes denied that the gum was his, but he is the only one on the team who likes grape-flavored chewing gum…. Second baseman Lamont Wilkins was caught listening to 1970s disco music on his headset on the ride home from Memorial…. Overlooked left-handed reliever Jimmy Fleming plucked the splinters from his butt and pitched key innings in both wins last week.

  “That wasn’t disco!” Lamont said in the locker room on Wednesday afternoon, pretending to be angry. “It was my mom’s CD…. I don’t know how it got in there.”

  “And that wasn’t grape gum!” said Ryan. “It was raspberry…. Not that it was mine any
way.”

  Eddie held back a smile. He could really throw them off now. He stood up from the bench and said, “And I gave a two-word reply to Coach! I didn’t say, ‘Fine.’ I said, ‘I’m fine.’ Isn’t that true, Coach?”

  “Whatever you say, Eddie.”

  “See?”

  A balled-up sock came flying across the room and just missed Eddie’s head.

  “There’s one of my record-setting socks,” Spencer said. “At least I got some good press for once, though. I’ll have to tell Calvin to thank his ‘source’ for me.” He looked right at Eddie when he said it, a knowing smile starting to form.

  “Okay, hot shots,” Coach said. “Get the uniforms on and start thinking about the baseball game. The bus to Jersey City leaves in five minutes.”

  Eddie was glad to see that Liberty had a different pitcher today. That short guy with the big curve was out in left field. Today’s pitcher was tall and lean, with squinty eyes and a constant frown.

  He was strong, too. Working quickly, with little hesitation, he struck out Lamont on three pitches to start the game. The entire at-bat lasted less than a minute.

  Lamont was shaking his head as he walked past Eddie, who was kneeling in the on-deck circle.

  “He’s got good stuff,” Lamont said.

  Jared quickly fell behind, too. He managed to foul the third pitch back over the fence and out of play. But pitch number four caught him looking. He was out.

  Big task for Ventura, but he’s up for it. If anybody can figure out this pitcher, it’s him.

  “Hang in there,” Jared said as he walked by. “There’s a lot of zip on that ball.”

  The Liberty infield was making a lot of noise. They were up for a rout today; that loss to Hudson City two weeks before was not forgotten.

  Eddie stepped to the plate and took an easy swing, his eyes never leaving the pitcher. He felt strangely calm; with two outs already and no one on base, there was less pressure to perform. And somehow that made him more confident that he would.

  The first pitch had a lot of heat, but it was very high and inside. It was the first pitch this kid had thrown out of the strike zone all game. Eddie leaned back slightly as the ball whizzed by. It smacked off the top of the catcher’s outstretched mitt and caromed into the backstop.

  “Good eye,” came the cry from the Hornets’ dugout.

  The catcher retrieved the ball and tossed it to the pitcher, calling, “Relax,” as he threw it.

  The pitcher’s frown deepened into a sneer, but he nodded.

  Eddie’s batting average was not great—it had been hovering right around .200 all season—but he’d become better lately at anticipating pitches. This pitcher looked like a hothead; he probably had control issues. He’d follow that bad pitch with either another wild one or a much more conservative one. Eddie was ready for either.

  You can’t fool our boy Ventura. He’s way too smart for that.

  Here came the pitch he expected, fast but straight, right down the middle of the plate. It was the type Eddie feasted on in practice. He swung hard and felt the solid connection, and the ball darted out over the second baseman’s head, falling safely into right field.

  Eddie ran full speed to first base and held his ground.

  The pitcher punched his fist into his glove and glared at Eddie.

  Eddie smirked back. Good, he thought. Go ahead and get mad. Throw another one into the backstop, why don’t you?

  Spencer was at bat. Eddie took a big lead off first, ready to burst into a sprint. The next pitch was way outside and down in the dirt. Eddie was already running.

  The catcher scooped up the ball and fired it toward second, but Eddie easily slid in with a stolen base. The Hornet players cheered loudly.

  The catcher called time and walked to the mound, whispering to the pitcher.

  This is almost too easy, Eddie thought. He was certain that the next pitch would be just like the one he had driven into the outfield.

  Eddie was right. Spencer lined the ball up the middle and Eddie kept running. He rounded third and headed for home, easily scoring. He didn’t even need to slide.

  Miguel gave Eddie a one-armed hug, and Willie and Lamont met him at the dugout entrance with high fives and whoops.

  “Smart base-running!” Coach Wimmer called. “Great job, Eddie.”

  Miguel hit a long fly ball to end the rally. But it was 1–0 Hudson City after half an inning. That had been the final score in the first meeting between the two teams.

  Miguel put his bat back in the rack and grabbed his glove, walking to the mound. He’d been the winning pitcher in his previous two starts. Things were looking good for the Hornets.

  Liberty scratched out a run in the bottom of the fourth on a walk, a bunt, and a single, tying the score at 1–1.

  Coach Wimmer sent relief pitchers Velez and Fleming out to warm up as Hudson City came to bat in the fifth. Miguel was pitching well, but he appeared to be tiring.

  Liberty still had its starting pitcher on the mound. He’d settled down after that first inning and had yielded only a couple of singles since.

  The Hornets had the heart of their batting order coming up, with Jared leading off. Eddie settled into the on-deck circle and let out a deep breath.

  Jared took a couple of pitches, then smacked a few foul balls. The next pitch was way inside, causing Jared to spin backwards to avoid getting hit. The next one was low. Jared had drawn a walk.

  Lots of excitement in the ballpark as Eddie Ventura steps to the plate. Ventura made this pitcher look like a Little Leaguer in the first inning. With a man on base, we’re expecting more fireworks.

  Eddie had grounded out on a sharply hit ball in the third inning, so he’d hit this guy’s pitches well both times up. He felt more sure of himself than he ever had.

  The pitcher scowled as he looked in for the catcher’s sign. He glanced over at Jared, then reared back and fired a hard fastball.

  The pitch looked outside to Eddie, but the umpire called a strike.

  No problem, Eddie thought. I’ve got this guy figured out.

  The next pitch was inside, but it was waist-high and looked fat. Eddie leaned back slightly and swung hard, driving the ball into right field again, this time closer to the foul line.

  The right fielder raced to the ball and quickly threw to second base, ending any thoughts Eddie had of stretching the hit into a double. But Jared had advanced to third, in scoring position.

  It was the first time all season Eddie’d had two hits in one game. His heart was racing.

  The Liberty coach was walking to the mound.

  That might be it for this guy. Ventura is a pitcher’s nightmare. That hit had to shake the pitcher’s confidence.

  The coach jogged off the field without making a change. At home, Spencer took a massive practice swing, then tapped his bat on the plate.

  Eddie took a short lead this time. He could hear Willie and David and the others shouting for Spencer to connect. A win over Liberty would just about wrap up a playoff spot for the Hornets.

  The ball rocketed off Spencer’s bat and flew high in the air toward center. The Liberty center fielder shaded his eyes with his hand as he edged toward the fence. Back to the wall, he made the catch. But Jared tagged up and scored.

  The Hornets were ahead, 2–1.

  After Miguel drew a walk, the Liberty coach visited the mound a second time, waving the left fielder in to pitch.

  Eddie wasn’t sure if this was good news or bad. They’d chased the starting pitcher and taken the lead, but this new pitcher had given them a hard time in the previous game.

  Defense will make all the difference the rest of this game. Still only one out, though, so if Ventura can make it home from second, that third run would be huge.

  But David struck out and Ryan hit a weak grounder to end the inning.

  Eddie caught up to Miguel as they jogged toward the dugout to get their gloves. “Arm okay?” he asked.

  “Sure. I still got some
pitches in me.”

  “We gotta hold this lead.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  Miguel walked the first batter, and a bunt moved him over to second. Up stepped the starting pitcher, scowling more than ever and eager to get some revenge.

  Miguel threw a hard strike right past him, and the Hudson City infielders yelled. But then came a long series of balls and foul-offs, running the count to 3–2.

  Eddie crouched lower and reminded himself to stay alert. Miguel took a big windup and threw with all his strength, but the pitch wasn’t even close to the strike zone. The Liberty player rolled his bat toward the dugout and ran to first.

  Two men on and only one out. Coach Wimmer called time and waved all of the infielders toward the mound.

  “Great job, but I think you’ve had it,” Coach said to Miguel.

  Miguel gave a dark look as he handed Coach the ball.

  “Smile, Miguel, things could be worse,” Coach said. “Ryan, go out to right field. Miguel, take third.”

  Miguel did not smile, but his snarl went away. Nobody ever stayed mad at Coach for more than a few seconds.

  “Who’s pitching?” Spencer asked.

  Coach laughed gently. “Good question. Let’s go with Velez.” He turned to the dugout and pointed to Ramiro, motioning with a finger for him to take the field.

  “Long way to go yet,” Coach said to the infielders. “Everybody all right?”

  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.