The Best Bat Page 4

  “Hey, Dylan!” Rhino called. He walked toward his teammate.

  Dylan squinted and puffed out his chest. He waited for Rhino to speak.

  “I found my bat,” Rhino said.

  “So I see.”

  “I was wrong to say you took it,” Rhino continued. “I’m sorry.”

  Dylan nodded slowly. Rhino stuck out his hand. After a few seconds, Dylan shook it.

  “I guess you had some good reasons to assume I took your bat,” Dylan said. “I gave you a hard time early in the season, and I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Right,” Rhino replied. He grinned a little. “You sure did.”

  “Apology accepted,” Dylan said. He shrugged. “Let’s get past it and win some games.”

  “One more thing,” Rhino said, thinking about Carlos. “We need to treat every player with respect, not just the ones who get all the hits. You know what I mean?”

  Dylan nodded. “Fair enough,” he said. “I know exactly what you mean.”

  * * *

  Grandpa and C.J. had picked up a pizza for dinner. Rhino filled them in about the bat.

  “Kids do strange things,” Grandpa said. “Sounds like you’re ready to forgive. That’s a good thing.”

  Rhino did feel proud that he’d accepted Bella’s apology and given one to Dylan.

  “How did he react?” C.J. asked. “You and he have been battling for weeks.”

  “He actually understood where I was coming from,” Rhino said. “I think we can finally start to get along now.” He grinned. “Until he pulls something else. Knowing Dylan, he probably will.”

  Rhino took a giant bite of his cheesy pizza. Grandpa and C.J. would be at Thursday’s game. Rhino couldn’t wait. Now he could finally concentrate on baseball.

  “We need a win,” he said. He still felt a little bad about the way they’d lost on Saturday. That mistake on the bunt. The long fly out to end the game.

  Pressure. It could be a good thing or a bad thing. Rhino felt pressure to help his team to a victory. But that pressure was coming from himself.

  Rhino knew he was becoming a leader on his team. But so far, they’d only lost. Thursday was the next big test. For the Mustangs and for Rhino.

  Grandpa stood and put one hand each on Rhino’s and C.J.’s shoulders. “I have something to show you both,” he said. “I took the day off from work and finished the backyard project today.”

  “It’ll be like a farm back there,” C.J. said with a laugh. “How many tomato plants will fit?”

  Rhino tried to laugh, too, but he was sad about losing part of the yard.

  But there were no plants in the new space. Grandpa had enclosed the area with black-mesh netting. A white panel of wood the shape of home plate was embedded in the ground near one end of the enclosure.

  “A batting cage?” C.J. said. “You built us a batting cage, Grandpa?”

  Grandpa laughed. “I got tired of chasing every ball Rhino hit out into the street. Plus, it was only a matter of time before he started breaking windows. With this net, the ball will stay in the cage, no matter how hard he hits it.”

  Rhino’s mouth hung open in surprise. He ran to the cage.

  “This will be great for you, too, C.J.,” Grandpa said. “You haven’t been able to practice batting back here since you were smaller than Rhino. With both of you enjoying baseball, I figured it was time to expand your opportunities.”

  “Will you still pitch to me?” Rhino asked.

  “Of course,” Grandpa said. “In fact, let’s try it right now. Go get the new bat, Little Rhino. We’ll see if I can still strike you out!”

  Grandpa made an early dinner on Thursday of pork chops and mashed potatoes, and Rhino did all his homework as soon as he got home from school. He threw on his baseball uniform and dusted off his cleats.

  He wanted everything to be perfect.

  “Hurry up, C.J.,” Rhino called up the stairs.

  C.J. came running down. He was wearing his cap from the middle-school team and a T-shirt that said FALCONS FOOTBALL.

  “Wrong team!” Rhino said with a laugh. “We’re playing against the Falcons.”

  “Not these Falcons,” C.J. said. But he ran back up to change.

  “That’s better,” Rhino said when C.J. returned in a solid green shirt. “We don’t need to give them any extra help!”

  Half the team was already at the field when Rhino showed up. He took a throw from Manny and fired the ball to Dylan. Glad to see Dylan got here on time for once, Rhino thought. He could smell popcorn and french fries cooking at the refreshment stand, and music was playing from the announcer’s booth.

  Great atmosphere. Big-time! Rhino thought.

  Coach had changed the lineup a little, but Rhino would still be batting cleanup. Cooper was still leading off.

  1) Cooper SS

  2) Gabe C

  3) Dylan P

  4) Rhino 1B

  5) Bella RF

  6) Paul CF

  7) Manny 2B

  8) Sara 3B

  9) Carlos LF

  The Mustangs were the visitors today, so they batted first. Rhino swung his arms until he felt loose. He picked up his bat and gripped it.

  But Cooper, Gabe, and Dylan all went down quickly. Rhino was left in the on-deck circle as the inning ended.

  “Let’s give them the same treatment!” he called. He threw a quick grounder to Sara at third base, who fielded it and threw to Manny at second. Manny threw it to Cooper at shortstop, and Cooper made the long throw back to first. Coach called throwing the ball like this going “around the horn.” Rhino loved to do it at the start of every inning. I control this infield, he thought. I set the tone.

  He could tell that his teammates were in high spirits tonight. They yelled when Dylan struck out the first batter, and they cheered when Manny made a routine play on the next one, tossing the ball to Rhino. They raced off the field when Gabe caught a pop-up behind the plate to end the frame.

  “Right over the fence, Rhino!” Bella called as he picked up his bat.

  “Hit a dinger!” Cooper yelled.

  Rhino felt a surge of energy. He remembered Coach’s words from practice though. Don’t overswing. Meet the ball.

  He’d studied the Falcons’ pitcher in the first inning. His first pitch to all three batters had been an inside fastball. Then a curve. Then another fastball. Rhino could hit any of those pitches but knowing the pattern might help.

  Just as he expected, the first pitch was a fastball, low and inside. Rhino let it go by and the umpire called a ball.

  “Good eye!” Coach called.

  “Wait for your pitch,” said Bella.

  The second pitch was a tricky curve, and it caught the outside corner to even the count at a ball and a strike. Rhino stepped back and wiped his hand on his jersey.

  Fastball, he thought.

  He was right. He blasted the ball deep into right-center. Rhino tore up the first baseline and kept going, streaking toward second. He slid into the base and popped right up, beating the throw by ten feet.

  Rhino could hear C.J.’s and Grandpa’s voices among the cheers from the crowd. The pitcher scowled and dug his toe into the mound.

  Rhino wiped some reddish dirt from the knee of his pants. Looks good, he thought. Looks like a hit.

  “Bring him home, Bella!” yelled Cooper.

  But Bella struck out. So did Paul and Manny.

  Rhino didn’t get farther than second base.

  “Okay!” he called. “Heads up. We’ll get in a batting groove next inning!”

  But just like last time, the Mustangs fell behind. The Falcons scored a pair of runs when their pitcher lined a double with two runners on base.

  “Let’s get ’em back,” Rhino said between innings. But Rhino struck out. He didn’t bat again until the fifth.

  Better eye this time, he told himself. Gabe was on first base with one out. The Mustangs needed some runs.

  Rhino was still thinking about the strikeout in
his last at bat. Shake it off, his thinker said.

  He let a high pitch go past for a ball. Rhino took the bat off his shoulder. He took a couple of practice swings. This bat feels perfect in my hands. The next pitch was about to come his way. He dug his foot into the dirt. Pulled back the bat.

  Crack! That one felt solid! The ball rose quickly, soaring over the second baseman, over the right fielder, over the fence, and deep into the parking lot.

  “Home run!” yelled Cooper. The Mustangs roared.

  Rhino didn’t go into a “home run trot.” He was too excited. He sprinted around the bases and came down hard on home plate. Gabe met him at the plate and grabbed him in a bear hug. The other teammates lined up for high fives.

  The game was tied, 2–2.

  “This one’s ours,” Rhino said as he entered the dugout. “We’re rolling now!”

  But the Falcons answered in the bottom of the fifth. The first batter drew a walk, and the next drove him in with a triple.

  Dylan looked rattled.

  “No problem!” Rhino called. “Throw some strikes.”

  But Dylan couldn’t seem to find the plate. He threw four straight balls, and the Falcons had another base runner. Two on, no outs, and one run already in.

  Coach called time-out and walked toward the pitcher’s mound.

  One thing was clear. The Mustangs were in trouble.

  Rhino walked over to the mound, too. Gabe came up from behind the plate. Coach said it was time to change pitchers.

  “Good work, Dylan,” Rhino said. “We’ll get that run back and more.”

  Dylan just grunted and looked down.

  “Your arm’s tired,” Coach said. “Switch positions with Cooper.”

  Cooper took the ball and stepped onto the mound. Coach, Dylan, and Gabe went back to their places. Rhino hesitated for a moment. “Pick this guy off,” he whispered. He remembered that the kid who’d just walked had stolen second base earlier in the game.

  Cooper glanced at Rhino.

  “He’s itching to run,” Rhino said softly. “He’ll never expect a pick-off move before you even throw a pitch.”

  Rhino trotted back to first base, and Cooper tossed a few warm-up pitches.

  The umpire signaled for play to resume. Rhino stood a few feet from the base. The runner took three steps away and leaned toward second. Rhino was certain that he would try to steal.

  Cooper played it perfectly. He stared toward home plate and went into his wind-up. As the base runner took one more step, Cooper pivoted and fired the ball to first. Rhino sprinted over. The runner stumbled, then dove back. Rhino tagged him just in time. The umpire yelled, “Out!”

  “Beautiful!” Coach called. The Mustangs in the dugout hollered and shook the fence.

  Rhino tried not to grin. He’d made a smart call. He threw the ball to Cooper and got back into position. The Falcons were a run ahead, and that runner on third could give them a bigger edge.

  “One out!” Rhino called, holding up his index finger.

  Cooper took a lot of the pressure off by getting a strikeout. Two outs. The next batter hit a long fly ball to left field. Rhino held his breath as the ball soared toward the fence.

  Carlos ran toward it, reaching out his glove. He made the catch, then leaped with joy. Three outs! The base runner was stranded.

  Dylan, Cooper, and Rhino waited in the infield as Carlos sprinted toward the dugout. They slapped him on the back and hooted.

  The Mustangs entered the sixth inning trailing, 3–2.

  Let’s change that in a hurry, Rhino thought.

  The first batter lined a pitch toward second base, but the shortstop made a great catch.

  So close, Rhino thought. The Mustangs needed two base runners or he wouldn’t get to bat.

  Cooper walked, and he moved to second on Gabe’s groundout.

  Rhino caught Dylan’s eye. They nodded at each other. “Here’s your chance to make up for that rough inning,” Rhino said. “Bring Cooper home.”

  Dylan watched two pitches go by, one for a ball and one for a strike. He drove the third pitch right up the middle.

  Cooper rounded third, but the throw from center field was right on target. Cooper scrambled back, but Dylan managed to reach second.

  It was set up perfectly for Rhino. Here comes my second home run of the game!

  Rhino thought back to the last game. That long fly out had ended it.

  “Here we go!” shouted C.J., who was sitting in the bleachers behind first base. “Two more ribbies, Rhino!”

  Rhino knew that “ribbies” meant RBIs: runs batted in. Two would give the Mustangs the lead. But a home run would drive in three. It made him happy to know C.J. believed in him.

  Find your pitch, Rhino thought. Any safe hit will bring in those runs.

  This pitch looked perfect.

  Rhino swung hard and felt the solid connection between the ball and the bat. He raced up the first baseline. The ball was high and deep into right field.

  But at the last second it drifted foul.

  “Straighten it out,” Bella called from the on-deck circle.

  Rhino tapped his cleats with the bat. He waited for the next pitch.

  Another smooth swing. Another solid connection. The ball bounced behind second base and rolled quickly into the outfield. Cooper scored. Dylan, too. Rhino rounded first base and pumped his fist. The Mustangs had the lead!

  Bella grounded out to end the rally, but Rhino was excited. “Great defense, now!” he called. “One-two-three and this game is over.”

  They tossed the ball around the horn and made a lot of chatter. Cooper had only thrown a few pitches so his arm was ready.

  The first batter hit a fast ground ball to Dylan, and he made an accurate throw to first.

  “One away!” Rhino yelled, holding up a finger.

  Rhino fielded the next grounder himself. He had plenty of time to get to the base, so he waved Cooper off and ran to the bag.

  “Two down!” he called.

  Now Rhino felt the butterflies again. They were one out away from a win, but anything could happen.

  “It ain’t over till it’s over,” C.J. called from the stands, quoting the Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra.

  And as if to prove that, the Falcons’ next batter smashed a long fly ball that flew just outside the foul pole in right field.

  “Strike one!” called the umpire, but it easily could have been a homer.

  Rhino had held his breath as he watched the long foul ball. He blew it out and shook his wrists.

  Cooper’s fastball went by for strike two. Rhino felt another surge of excitement. He concentrated on the batter, ready to react.

  Crack! The ball seemed to sizzle as it bounced hard to Rhino’s right. He darted toward it and knocked it down with his glove as he fell to his knees.

  Cooper and the batter were racing toward first base. Rhino scooped up the ball with his bare hand and flung it toward Cooper. Cooper grabbed it, leaped to the base, and twisted to avoid a collision.

  “Out!” yelled the umpire.

  Game over!

  Rhino ran to Cooper. They jumped and slapped their palms together and pointed at each other. The rest of the Mustangs ran over, too.

  Nothing could feel better than this!

  “Great hitting and great fielding,” Grandpa James said as he gave Rhino a hug.

  “Great teammates, too,” Rhino said. “We can win the championship, I know it.” One day we can win the World Series.

  “You’ve got a long season ahead,” Grandpa replied. “But you did look like champs today.”

  Rhino was glad he only had to wait two days for the next game. Saturday couldn’t get here soon enough. But he didn’t want to forget today just yet. Three hits. Some smart plays in the field.

  And a giant win for the Mustangs.

  The pitcher looked worried. Little Rhino was sort of nervous, too, but he was ready. Butterflies were part of baseball! He blew out his breath and stepped into the bat
ter’s box.

  Rhino felt sweat trickling down his neck. The air was warm and still. This pitcher knows I can hit, he thought. It’s me against him.

  The game was tied. Rhino’s teammate Cooper had reached second base, and he would score if Rhino got another hit. With two outs, the game was riding on Rhino.

  “Bring him home!” came a shout from the Mustangs’ dugout.

  “Strike him out!” came a call from the other side of the field.

  Rhino watched the first pitch go by. It was way outside. He stepped back and wiped some dirt from the knee of his baseball pants. That was from sliding into third a couple of innings ago with a triple.

  This pitch, he thought. This is the one!

  The pitcher threw a fastball. It was low but straight down the middle. Rhino pulled back his bat and swung hard.

  He felt a pop, but it wasn’t his bat hitting the ball. A sharp pain surged through Rhino’s ankle. He fell to the dirt and winced.

  “Yow!” Rhino yelled. The umpire called time out and Coach Ray ran from the dugout.

  Rhino tried to get up, but his coach told him to stay still. He gently grabbed Rhino’s right ankle. “Here?” he asked.

  Rhino nodded. He blinked his eyes and bit down on his lip. It hurt, but Rhino tried to fight off the pain. “I’ll be okay,” Rhino said. He reached for his bat.

  “I think that you’re done for today,” Coach Ray said.

  “I’m all right,” Rhino replied. He flexed the ankle to show his coach that it was okay. “See?” But it did hurt.

  “That’s a good sign that you can move it, but it will probably start to swell,” Coach said. “Let’s get some ice on it.”

  Coach and the umpire helped Rhino to the dugout. They wrapped an ice pack on the ankle and propped Rhino’s foot up on a couple of sweatshirts.

  “Tough break,” said Rhino’s teammate Bella. She shook her dark ponytail and looked concerned. Bella was Coach Ray’s daughter, and she had become a good friend to Rhino.

  “It better not be a break,” Rhino said. He didn’t see what the big deal was. He thought he could have continued batting.