upset by Hunterâs antics, he didnât show it. He just pulled his hat low over his eyes and started to pitch.
I began announcing in my head.
Jagdish Sheth takes the hill for the Griffith Griffins. Theyâre looking for revenge after being blanked in the historic perfect game to open the season against their visitors today, the Schwenkfelder Mustangs. Sheth is not a big guy, but he has a decent fastball and good control. Weâve already had some theatrics today, as Hunter Ashwell pulled the unprecedented stunt of announcing his greatness into the microphone before the first pitch was thrown. Should be an interesting one .â¦
The top half of the first wasnât that interesting, though. Not really. Our guys managed a hit and a walk against Jagdish, but Nathan Gub lined into a double play and the inning was over. The sides changed and Schwenkfelder headed onto the field. Mike took his customary spot behind the plate and Hunter fired a few warm-up tosses. I thought about his line the other day: âGet in there, brother. I donât need no warm-ups for you!â Man, that must be really annoying if youâre on the other team. Especially because he could back it up.
Hunterâs pitches looked sharp in warm-ups. He fired one pitch over the inside corner, then another over the outside corner. He mixed the fast ones with the slow ones. He was ready.
The first batter stepped up to the plate and knocked the dirt out of his cleats with his bat. I almost felt bad for him. The odds of getting a hit are never that good, really. Even the best hitter fails to get a hit two out of every three times. And if you were facing a guy who pitched a perfect game against you only a week ago? Letâs just say that the Griffith Griffins could not have been feeling very positive about their chances.
But yet, as that first batter stepped into the batterâsbox, I noticed something odd. He wasnât cowering. He wasnât nervous. He wasnât upset. He had a definite glimmer in his eye, a definite hop to his step. And, unless I was mistaken, he was smiling.
I started to announce in my head.
The Schwenkfelder pitcher Hunter Ashwell is a little man with a big mouth and a bigger right arm. Heâs been talking an even bigger game than usual today, but not without reason. He threw a perfect game against Griffith last time and claims heâll do the same today. His warm-ups are sharp and he looks ready to roll
.
Newts gives the sign. Ashwell nods. He rocks into his windup. Hereâs the pitch and â¦Â Well, the perfect game is over. Johnny Vander Meer, your record is safe. There will be no back-to-back no-hitters here. That ball is gone, long gone over the scoreboard in center field. Hunter Ashwell looks shocked, absolutely shocked. He literally cannot believe what just happened. The first pitch of the game is a home run and a one-to-nothing lead for the Griffith Griffins
.
Mike did a good job as catcher and went out to the mound to calm Hunter down. It didnât seem to work, but that wasnât Mikeâs fault. He did what a catcher is supposed to do. Tell the pitcher to forget about it, get the next guy. Mike went back to hiscrouch behind the plate. The umpire threw Hunter a new ball. He caught it in his glove and stared at it like he didnât even know what it was. Like some strange animal had fallen from the sky and taken up residence in his baseball mitt.
âYouâll get this guy,â I yelled from my spot in the stands, trying to offer some encouragement.
I was wrong.
Hunter didnât get the next guy. Or the next guy. Or the guy after that. The first four hitters absolutely smashed the ball. They hit line drives all over the place. Two more runs scored. It was unbelievable! The score was three to nothing before the first out was even recorded. Both Robert and Trebor Fenner had hits. The fifth batter up, a lefty, hit a hard line drive too. But he hit it right at Kyle
I began announcing in my head.
Jagdish Sheth takes the hill for the Griffith Griffins. Theyâre looking for revenge after being blanked in the historic perfect game to open the season against their visitors today, the Schwenkfelder Mustangs. Sheth is not a big guy, but he has a decent fastball and good control. Weâve already had some theatrics today, as Hunter Ashwell pulled the unprecedented stunt of announcing his greatness into the microphone before the first pitch was thrown. Should be an interesting one .â¦
The top half of the first wasnât that interesting, though. Not really. Our guys managed a hit and a walk against Jagdish, but Nathan Gub lined into a double play and the inning was over. The sides changed and Schwenkfelder headed onto the field. Mike took his customary spot behind the plate and Hunter fired a few warm-up tosses. I thought about his line the other day: âGet in there, brother. I donât need no warm-ups for you!â Man, that must be really annoying if youâre on the other team. Especially because he could back it up.
Hunterâs pitches looked sharp in warm-ups. He fired one pitch over the inside corner, then another over the outside corner. He mixed the fast ones with the slow ones. He was ready.
The first batter stepped up to the plate and knocked the dirt out of his cleats with his bat. I almost felt bad for him. The odds of getting a hit are never that good, really. Even the best hitter fails to get a hit two out of every three times. And if you were facing a guy who pitched a perfect game against you only a week ago? Letâs just say that the Griffith Griffins could not have been feeling very positive about their chances.
But yet, as that first batter stepped into the batterâsbox, I noticed something odd. He wasnât cowering. He wasnât nervous. He wasnât upset. He had a definite glimmer in his eye, a definite hop to his step. And, unless I was mistaken, he was smiling.
I started to announce in my head.
The Schwenkfelder pitcher Hunter Ashwell is a little man with a big mouth and a bigger right arm. Heâs been talking an even bigger game than usual today, but not without reason. He threw a perfect game against Griffith last time and claims heâll do the same today. His warm-ups are sharp and he looks ready to roll
.
Newts gives the sign. Ashwell nods. He rocks into his windup. Hereâs the pitch and â¦Â Well, the perfect game is over. Johnny Vander Meer, your record is safe. There will be no back-to-back no-hitters here. That ball is gone, long gone over the scoreboard in center field. Hunter Ashwell looks shocked, absolutely shocked. He literally cannot believe what just happened. The first pitch of the game is a home run and a one-to-nothing lead for the Griffith Griffins
.
Mike did a good job as catcher and went out to the mound to calm Hunter down. It didnât seem to work, but that wasnât Mikeâs fault. He did what a catcher is supposed to do. Tell the pitcher to forget about it, get the next guy. Mike went back to hiscrouch behind the plate. The umpire threw Hunter a new ball. He caught it in his glove and stared at it like he didnât even know what it was. Like some strange animal had fallen from the sky and taken up residence in his baseball mitt.
âYouâll get this guy,â I yelled from my spot in the stands, trying to offer some encouragement.
I was wrong.
Hunter didnât get the next guy. Or the next guy. Or the guy after that. The first four hitters absolutely smashed the ball. They hit line drives all over the place. Two more runs scored. It was unbelievable! The score was three to nothing before the first out was even recorded. Both Robert and Trebor Fenner had hits. The fifth batter up, a lefty, hit a hard line drive too. But he hit it right at Kyle
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