by Tim Green
The pitch came in high, but Jalen saw the red dot of a curveball. He held back an instant and swung. He just nicked it and sent the ball crashing into the backstop. A frown passed over Biruk’s face. It was there and gone, but Jalen knew he’d created some doubt in Biruk’s mind.
During the pitcher’s windup, it came to Jalen. He just knew it was a fastball.
Jalen swung with all his might.
75
WHEN JALEN WHIFFED, THE LAKELAND players went wild. It was their first moment of true payback. Jalen brushed it off like it was no big deal, even though it was. Teddy grounded out, and Daniel whiffed as well. The Bandits gave a collective groan and reached for their gloves.
Cat leaned close to Jalen’s ear. “C’mon, Jalen, get these guys pumped up. They’ll listen to you.”
“I know what he’s throwing,” he whispered in her ear.
Her eyes widened. “Why aren’t you telling everyone?”
He frowned at her. “I knew what was coming and I couldn’t hit them. You think it’ll help any of these guys other than Gertzy? I’m worried it’ll make things worse.”
“It can’t get any worse.”
“I gotta go.” Jalen adjusted his sunglasses and took the field.
He thought about Cat’s words while Gertzy went to work on the bottom of Lakeland’s order, where there wasn’t a big drop-off like there was with the Bandits. When Jalen scooped up a grounder and stepped on second for the third out, Gertzy had given up zero runs.
Jalen gave Cat a look when he got back to the dugout and then told Coach Allen that he had a read on Biruk.
“You do?” A spark of hope glimmered in the coach’s eyes. He called his team together, and Jalen reviewed the signs for them.
“He uses mostly a fastball and his curve,” Jalen said, “but I’ve seen a sinker and a changeup, too. If I don’t know, I’ll shake my head.”
As Jalen feared, the bottom of their lineup couldn’t hit Biruk even when they knew the pitches. The three of them collapsed like a house of cards. The score was still tied: 0–0.
When Biruk stepped to the plate leading off for Lakeland in the bottom of the third inning, he pointed his bat at the left-field fence. His teammates were tickled and began to chant his name. Gertzy wound up and threw some heat, but Biruk blasted it, and the ball sailed over the left-field fence, right where he said he would put it. As he jogged the bases, Biruk met Jalen’s eyes at second and gave him a friendly wink.
Gertzy shrugged it off and stayed strong, giving up only one other hit and no more runs. The score was 0–1.1–0. The Bandits were at the top of their order in the fourth inning. Gunner struck out, but Damon caught hold of a fastball that looked like it had carry until it dropped into the shortstop’s mitt.
Gertzy stepped up and saw Jalen signal a curve. Gertzy let it pass and the ump called it a ball. Jalen next signaled a fastball. Gertzy bit back a smile and smacked a line drive in the 5–6 hole for a single.
Jalen knew he was about to see a slew of curveballs. He wasn’t going to swing unless it looked like the pitch was going to hit his ribs, and then he only needed to protect the plate. If it went the way Jalen thought it could, he’d wear out Biruk’s arm single-handedly.
Six nasty curveballs later, Jalen knew that with a 3–2 count, Biruk’s next pitch would be a reluctantly thrown fastball. Jalen took a breath and thought about a grand slam. This wasn’t quite that, but a dinger would give them the lead and give the Bandits a real belief that they could win.
In came the pitch.
Jalen tagged it. Suddenly the score was 2–1.
Biruk’s posture changed.
He didn’t stand quite as tall as he had, and his fastballs lacked the steam they had in the first three innings. Daniel took a walk and Teddy hit a single before Biruk closed out the inning with a K.
Coach Allen called the team together before they took the field. “Okay, guys, now we got the lead! Bottom of the fourth. Hold strong! Okay, win on three… One, two, three—”
“WIN!”
They broke their huddle and headed out.
When Gertzy struck out the first batter with three pitches, Jalen could taste the win. He wanted to look up into the stands to see the college scouts, but he knew they were there, and he knew they’d seen him hit the homer to give his team the lead. So he punched his glove and cheered on his pitcher, ready for anything.
His focus paid off. On a 1–2 count, the second Lakeland batter of the inning ripped a line drive toward the 3–4 hole, only it wasn’t much of a hole. Jalen exploded from his stance, leaped—not up, but sideways—and came down with the ball in his glove.
The Bandits fans roared, along with the majority of the onlookers, and Jalen realized that almost all the other teams’ fans in the tournament must be watching and rooting for the underdogs.
He trembled now, with delight.
But it didn’t last.
Maybe the excitement of the two outs made the Bandits relax too much. Whatever it was, the rest of the inning was a disaster with a capital D. A nightmare of walked batters, stolen bases, dropped balls, and misguided throws.
It was a fire drill, a yard sale, a hot mess. Coach Allen looked like he was about to pop every vein in his forehead.
By the time Gertzy struck out a batter for the third out, the Bronxville Bandits were trailing 2–5.
76
IT WAS THE TOP OF the final inning, and the Bandits were stinging after giving up four runs in the fourth. The last two batters of the order whiffed for the second time that evening.
Cat squeezed Jalen’s leg. “Jalen, do something.”
He looked at her and snorted a short laugh through his nose. “I’m Thor?”
“No, but you’re a baseball genius,” she said, “and we’re at the top of our order. He’s slowing down, Jalen. You made him throw a lot of maximum-effort pitches.”
Jalen would have resented anyone else challenging him like this, but he knew Cat was behind him in every way. “You’re right.”
Jalen called Gunner back into the dugout before he’d stepped into the batter’s box. Coach Allen gave him a nod. “Good. Do it.”
“Guys,” Jalen said, “We can win this. We can. Biruk’s arm is beginning to fade. If he throws a curve, don’t swing. It’ll most likely be a ball. His fastballs aren’t as fast as they were, and we can hit him. Keep your eyes on me between pitches and this game will be ours.
“Gunner? Fastball, curve, sinker, changeup.” Jalen made the signs with his hands. “Go get ’em.”
They gave Gunner a cheer, and he raced out to the plate and wisely apologized to the umpire for slowing the game down.
With a 2–2 count, Jalen signaled a curve. It was a curve, and the ump thought about it before calling it a ball. The next pitch was a fastball but came in nose high, and Gunner let it go for the walk.
“That’s one.” Jalen grinned at Cat before looking around.
Damon and Gertzy both hit singles to load the bases.
Jalen chuckled from the circle, dumped the speed hitter for a bat, and gave Coach Allen and Cat a thumbs-up. He marched to the plate, vaguely hearing the cheers. Biruk chomped his gum, looked around at the loaded bases, and smiled.
Jalen gave his rival a nod, accepting the challenge.
The first pitch was a low inside fastball. Jalen let it go. It was a ball. 1–0. The next pitch was a curve that he also passed on, also a ball. 2–0. He was early on the next fastball and pulled it over the Bandits dugout. After a swing and a miss and another ball, the count was 3–2, as Jalen knew it would be.
Biruk stared at Jalen and swallowed his gum. When Jalen realized the pitcher was going with a changeup, he almost felt like he was cheating. It was his dream scenario. The table was set. Full count, bases loaded, and a big fat meatball.
All he had to do was eat.
Biruk made a big show of his windup. His arm whipped through the air like chain lightning. He had gripped it in his palm so his fingers didn’t catch on the l
aces. While everything said fastball, the pitch came in like a big fat slug. If you didn’t know it was coming, it played havoc with your timing.
If you did know, it was like hitting an apple on a string.
And Jalen knew.
77
HE SWUNG FOR THE SKY.
For the moon.
For the stars.
When Jalen connected, he grunted at the same time.
“Grand! Slam!”
He dropped the bat. He began a slow lope around the pillows, just a slice more than a jog, to be respectful. He couldn’t even see the ball, and he had that seashell noise in his helmet again. His teammates were advancing too. Gertzy was already rounding second.
When Jalen realized the Lakeland first baseman was staring at their center fielder, he looked as well.
His heart beat in double time.
The Lakeland fielder slid a bit to the left, looking straight up, and snapped up Jalen’s big fly.
Jalen’s legs carried him all the way to second before his brain fully realized what had happened. There was a swarm of players burying Biruk atop the mound, and he, Jalen, had failed.
The disappointment was so deep that Jalen could only go through the motions of shaking hands, although he did manage a forced smile for Biruk. Coach said some nice things to them all about effort and the high quality of talent and how they now had a better idea of how hard they needed to practice.
Jalen didn’t think he could feel any worse, until he left the dugout and saw his dad.
78
“DAD?” JALEN’S EYES FLICKED FROM his dad’s face, over the crowd behind him, and back to those sparkling blue eyes behind the small round glasses. His nerves boiled in panic as he searched for his mom. He clawed through the inside of his brain for an excuse, some reason or story why or how.
“Jalen!” His dad hugged him and clapped his back. “You play so good!”
“We lost, Dad,” Jalen pointed out.
“Yeah, but you, you play so good!” His father held him at arm’s length with a beaming smile.
Jalen waited for his father to say something more. When he didn’t, Jalen asked, “Why are you here? I mean, I’m glad, but I thought you were in Chicago.”
“I was. Then you mother, she call to say I need to see you play in a big game.” His father smiled as if nothing was out of the ordinary. “They pick me up at the airport. We had a lunch, and they tell me everything.”
Jalen pinched himself on the forearm. “And… and you’re okay?”
“I’m happy for you, Jalen.” His father kissed Jalen’s cheeks. “If you happy, it’s making me happy too.”
“Even with George?”
“George, he’s a little strange, but he’s okay.” While his father laughed, Jalen detected some unease.
“You know he’ll never be my dad,” Jalen said, “no matter what he does.”
They both laughed, and Jalen’s dad hugged him again.
“Hey, Cat,” Jalen’s dad said, motioning her over. “Daniel! You guys gotta come with us. Cat, you mom, she’s with Jalen’s mom. They meeting us at the hotel an’ we are gonna have dinner in Tampa. Daniel, you, too.”
“He knows everything,” Jalen whispered to Cat.
“Everything? Even about George?”
Jalen nodded. “Yup.”
The three friends and Jalen’s dad were halfway to the hotel when Jalen heard his name being called behind them. They all stopped at once.
Jalen wouldn’t have recognized the Lakeland coach, except for his cap.
Even so, he was entirely mystified.
“Are you Mr. DeLuca? Jalen’s dad?” asked the coach.
“Yes.”
“Could I have just a few minutes of your time?”
79
JALEN MOSTLY SAT AND LISTENED. The coach let his dad know that not only would he like Jalen to join the Laketown team, he should also apply for one of the three grants the academy offered.
He gazed at the arches, the columns, and the vibrant colors inside Columbia Restaurant, a place George had found in the old part of downtown Tampa, called Ybor City. The discussion was mostly about him. Everyone had the same opinion. Even Daniel—who Jalen could tell was upset—said he’d be crazy not to try it out.
“I’m gonna miss you, amigo,” Daniel had said, “but if it was me they asked, we both know I’d be wearing white and blue.”
“I bet I’ll be a short plane ride away,” Cat said. When Jalen looked quizzical, she grinned. “I’m pretty sure my mom wants to move to Atlanta to be with JY.”
To Jalen’s complete surprise, his dad immediately said he’d move to Tampa to be nearby. He said he could easily fly around the country to inspect Silver Liners, because the airport serviced the country.
“And we’ll be able to fly in often,” his mom said.
“We gonna get Greta to come too,” his dad added to Jalen’s further surprise. “You watch.”
“I spoke with James,” Cat’s mom said. “JY said to tell you that lots of the kids on the Lakeland Academy team end up playing college baseball, and a good many of them get drafted into MLB. Jalen, this is… I don’t know…”
“Smashing.” George declared. “Nothing like it in England. A dream come true!”
“Superhot hot sauce!” exclaimed Daniel.
“It’s once in a lifetime,” Jalen said.
Cat said it best, better than Jalen could’ve done himself.
“No,” she said, “it’s all that, but even better…
“It’s a grand slam.”
More from this Series
Double Play
Baseball Genius
Wind Up
Strike Zone
Fast Break
Curveball
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Photo courtesy of Tim Green
TIM GREEN was an NFL first-round draft pick and a star defensive player for eight years with the Atlanta Falcons. He is the New York Times bestselling author of dozens of books for adults and kids, including The Dark Side of the Game, The Fifth Angel, Exact Revenge, Football Genius, Football Hero, Kid Owner, and Left Out. Tim graduated covaledictorian with a degree in English Literature from Syracuse University before earning a law degree with honors. He has been an NFL com - mentator for FOX Sports and NPR. Tim and his family live in upstate New York.
Photo by Maureen Cavanagh/Jeter Publishing
DEREK JETER played Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees for twenty seasons, during which time he won five World Series. Considered one of the greatest shortstops of all time, Derek has been a role model to young people on the field and off—thanks largely to the work of his Turn 2 Foundation. (For more information visit https://www.mlb.com/turn-2-foundation.) Though he grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he often envisioned himself playing shortstop for the Yankees. Derek knows the power of a dream.
Learn more about Jeter Publishing at JETERPUBLISHING.COM
Visit simonandschuster.net for a free reading group guide.
Aladdin
Simon & Schuster, New York
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BE A GENIUS!
READ THE SERIES.
Baseball Genius
Double Play
Grand Slam
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALADDIN
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First Aladdin hardcover edition February 2021
Text copyright © 2021 by Tim Green
Jacket illustration copyright © 2021 by Tim Jessell
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Jacket designed by Heather Palisi
Interior designed by Mike Rosamilia
Series designed by Jessica Handelman
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Green, Tim, 1963– author. | Jeter, Derek, 1974– author.
Title: Grand slam / by Derek Jeter and Tim Green.
Description: First Aladdin hardcover edition | New York : Aladdin, 2021.
Series: Baseball genius ; 3 | Audience: Ages 8–12 | Summary: Jalen DeLuca can analyze and predict almost exactly what a pitcher is going to pitch, but without the statistics he has on the pro players, Jalen finds success to be extremely challenging, especially with all the extra drama of his mom coming back into his life.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020018033 (print) | LCCN 2020018034 (ebook)
ISBN 9781534406711 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781534406735 (ebook)
Subjects: CYAC: Baseball—Fiction. | Mothers and sons—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.G826357 Gr 2021 (print) | LCC PZ7.G826357 (ebook)
DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020018033
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020018034