Bat 6

by Virginia Euwer Wolff

  But because I had looked away at them I stepped into the wrong place in the lineup, and by accident I got between Aki and Lorelei. When I noticed my mistake and began to step out of line, we had to continue along shaking every hand, and Lorelei nudged me back into place ahead of her. So I ended up seeing something nobody else might have seen. It is because I am short and my head is lower to the ground, I suppose. Lorelei is much taller than me. She might not have looked down.

  We were going along shaking hands and I saw a Barlow girl start to shake Aki’s hand and then pull back like from a snake you might see in front of you. Then she fisted her hand against her stomach and moved along the line. She shook my hand and moved on to Lorelei.

  Refused to shake Aki’s hand.

  I personally could not believe it.

  I nudged Aki with my left hand while I was going on shaking with my right one. I said right up against her left ear, “I saw that. I’m gonna say something —” And Aki shook her head and said it was okay, it didn’t matter.

  I personally had a disagreement with Aki, it did matter. I whispered very hissingly in her ear, “It does too matter, that isn’t good sportsmanship.” Aki just shook her head again with no expression at all on her face and got in line to sing “Oh, Say, Can You See.”

  The minute the song was done, old Louella said in her old squeaky voice, “Play ball!” And the people in the bleachers and standing all around the ball field clapped their hands.

  The Superintendent of Schools threw out the ball to the Barlow pitcher and I went over to our bench, behind third base.

  Shadean, pitcher

  I picked up my favorite Spalding from the row of bats Vernell had laid out, saying to myself, This is the only time of my life I might ever play such an important game in front of so many people. I kept saying to myself, This is the real game.

  Seeing Piper’s dad in his umpire’s uniform again from last year when he had umpired so good on our home field made me feel easier. Having a son in our class made him closer to us. Not that he would favor us, I don’t mean that. It just made the game feel familiar. He said, “Play ball!” and the game we had waited our whole lives to play was upon us.

  Our batting order was a good one. We all had confidences in Tootie, she is a very good hitter, she just had to have good pitches. Mr. Porter always told Tootie to wait till she saw a pitch she liked.

  Mr. and Mrs. Porter were where they told us they would be, we could count on Mrs. Porter for first-base coach and Mr. Porter at third. Even if he did have to do all the signals with one hand.

  Their pitcher was very concentrated. She checked her infielders before every pitch, she looked hard at the catcher, she had a windup you couldn’t tell exactly when she was going to release the ball. And her name kept getting shouted over and over again from the audience: “Okay, Ila Mae, okay, Ila Mae!”

  Tootie waited through three pitches she didn’t like. One was called a strike and two were balls, and then she sent a grounder way out to right field, and she hollered, “See you later!” and ran. It almost looked liked a foul but it wasn’t, and their right fielder stopped it backhand. A very good scoop, she looked like she had practiced that a lot. But Tootie made it to second easy, and she stayed there very confident, shaking out her wrists and waiting. Their second baseman I had seen at the Barlow General Store. She wouldn’t let Tootie get very far around second, she followed her with her body. Their right fielder had very beautiful hair, all hanging down from the back of her cap.

  I heard people on the bleachers shouting things: “Beautiful Hair, Beautiful Hair,” and “Okay, Ila Mae, okay, Ila Mae,” and “Rootie Tootie, Rootie Tootie, Rootie Tootie!” all at once. I looked around and it looked pretty as a picture, parents and grandmoms and dogs and babies and the hot-dog roasting fire and the booths full of pies and plates of fudge. I thought, Yes sir, this is the real thing.

  Kate was up next. Tootie hollered at her from second, “Hubba hubba, Kate!” Kate needs a good pitch too, but she will swing at more different kinds than Tootie will, she had one strike called on her too, it was way low but Piper’s father is a fair umpire and only some little kids booed the call. And someone was hollering, “Make her pitch to you, Kate!” Then the next ball that came Kate swung and it went to their shortstop who threw it to first, and Kate was out but Tootie had gotten to third.

  In the bleachers they were hollering, “Yea, Alva, yea, Wink, yea, Barlow!”

  I stepped up to bat.

  For a moment I just listened to the sound of my name being yelled from the bleachers. I think I will always remember that feeling.

  I tapped my bat on the plate and concentrated. We had Tootie on third base and 1 out. I had to get on base myself, knock Tootie home, and let Aki come up to drive me in. Those Barlow girls had good fielding out there. I could feel their catcher behind me being alert, kicking the dirt, taking charge. In the bleachers there was my name being yelled. And my mom and dad were back there behind me. I heard their voices.

  I got a good, hard pitch at the start. I swung.

  And I was too late. It landed in the catcher’s mitt and she threw it back out to the pitcher.

  “Eyes open, Shadean,” I could hear Mr. Porter from over near third, and I also heard the Barlow coach hollering, “On your toes, Darlene.”

  I socked a hard grounder on the very next pitch. The loud swat of the wood felt beautiful, and I got safe to first base because the Barlow shortstop overthrew the ball, it ricocheted right off the huge giant first baseman’s glove. But then such a surprise happened, that first baseman being so tall in her legs, she fetched it from foul territory in time to throw it home and put Tootie out. Tootie had waited at third to see what would happen, then she ran home on the overthrow, and the catcher tagged her. It was fair and square and awful.

  Poor Tootie and poor Kate, I was thinking.

  I was on first with 2 outs, and it was up to Aki.

  “Yea, Shadean!” came from the bleachers. “Good job, Shadean” came from Mrs. Porter at first base. Ka-boom, ka-boom came from inside me, where I was excited, nervous, and relieved. Their first baseman standing over me was so tall, taller than Mrs. Porter standing there.

  And then came Aki, our cleanup man. “Aki! Aki! Aki!” the people were shouting. And Tootie on the bench, hollering “Hubba hubba ding ding” to cheer her on. My brain was so excited. I was leaning off first. Aki circled her bat in the air a little bit, the way she always did, getting ready. Their pitcher gave her a low one that Aki didn’t like and she let it pass by. Again, voices from the bleachers, “Ah-kee, Ah-kee!”

  I was tempted to steal second, I looked in Mrs. Porter’s face right near me. She was holding me back by holding her breath. “Watch her, Wink!” somebody shouted.

  The next pitch was a low, slow one and that one passed by too. Two balls. My legs were so ready to steal. Then came Aki’s pitch, chest level and smooth. She swung at it and I ran to second, Mr. Porter signaled me to come on to third, I ran toward him, and he was looking out past me with his hand just raised but not moving, and I got close to third and his hand went into motion telling me to go on home, and my foot pounded the corner of the bag and I kept running.

  I scored.

  And then in came Aki, and the bleachers were jumping up and down with voices. Aki and me hugged each other and Ellen and Daisy and Tootie who were there hugged us too.

  All I knew was that ball had gone out there somewhere toward center field. I didn’t hear it explained till later.

  2–0.

  Everyone was yelling so loud, it must have been hard for Lorelei to make sense, but there she was at the plate, and I had to hope this was a good day for her which she sometimes does not have.

  And she didn’t. Ila Mae got Lorelei out but it took her seven pitches to do it because Lorelei hit two foul balls before striking out. I have to hand it to Lorelei, she was determined.

  I was so proud of myself. I knew it was not nice to be cocky. I couldn’t help it.

  Natur
ally, Aki wasn’t proud of herself, she never is. But she was excited and grinning ear to ear like me.

  And then I found out how come it happened. Barlow’s phenomenon player totally fumbled the fly Aki hit. It rolled around out there in center field till their left fielder got it and by then it was too late, we’d scored 2 runs.

  Not much of a phenomenon ball player. I would never want to miss a fly and let 2 runs come in.

  Daisy, third base

  I saw it happen. Aki’s fly wasn’t that hard to catch. A good fielder could of caught it. Barlow’s center fielder went toward it like a beginner, she fumbled it, it rolled away from her, and their left fielder had to pick it up and she couldn’t get it all the way to home plate before our 2 runs came in.

  It was so exciting for those runs to happen, but I could not help to watch out there in the outfield, how bad of a error that was.

  We had heard this girl was a phenomenon player.

  Then she just stood there.

  If we went on playing this good, and if that phenomenon went on fumbling flies, we had such a good chance of winning, I was almost too nervous to remember to pick up my glove from the bench before heading on out to third base. I saw my dad up there in the bleachers and I thought about him talking to Lorelei’s dad if we won. I wanted to be able to see into the future and yet I did not want to.

  Aki, first base

  I would not think that fly I hit could take both Shadean and me around the bases. But it did, and the girls jumped up and down and we hugged. Up in the bleachers people were congratulating my dad and mom and I was so glad we had come back to the Ridge where everything had begun to go so right.

  Brita Marie, second base

  Coach Rayfield didn’t go out to third base right away. Dotty Rayfield went over to coach at first, but Coach stayed at the bench. We girls were trying to think of all the right things at once, like concentrate, don’t get nervous, breathe deep, take good care of the ball, always know where the runners are, do good for your school, keep your team spirit, and besides that we were all out of balance by being down 2–0 in the first inning.

  And it was Shazam that did it to us.

  I had never seen her fumble a ball so bad.

  She was way over on the end of the bench with that look in her face and Coach Rayfield was over there with her. I wanted to listen but I knew we were not supposed to. I just paced back and forth on the ground. Being 8th in the batting order I had much time to wait.

  I looked up there where Darlene’s mom was sitting with Shazam’s old grandmother. Darlene’s mom was alert to the game, the old lady was not. She kept moving her hat around to keep the sun out of her eyes.

  The first 3 batters were Hallie, Ila Mae, and Wink. Wink was the only one wearing long pants, the rest of us had our red Barlow shorts on. Sliding is very important to Wink’s life. She really worships that Hank Greenberg and she wants to be a big league player, even though how would anybody find her here in Barlow and take her away to the big leagues of Detroit? And besides she is a girl and everything.

  Wink, first base

  I could not help thinking about the catastrophe error Shazam made in center field.

  And then she was over on the end of our team bench with Coach Rayfield talking down real close to her and her keeping that look on her face with her mouth bent, and not looking back at him in the eye.

  And I could not help thinking how my mom said how Floy never did get married to anybody. I wished she didn’t say that.

  I picked up my bat and swung it in the air. Shazam could go loony on us but we could still win. Hank Greenberg would want me to keep my mind on the game very good.

  Audrey, catcher

  2–nothing! And for the reason of Shazam fumbling that ball like a child.

  I had paid attention very good, and I gave signals very good to Ila Mae. That pitch she pitched to that 4th hitter was a hard pitch to connect with for a average player. But that Japanese girl was not any average player. She had good batting judgment and I had a moment of wishing she was on our team.

  How could Shazam fumble the ball like that? I had to admit it beat me.

  And then she went over to the bench and stayed there with her arms stuck to her body, you couldn’t talk to her. I wouldn’t know what to say anyway. I never heard nobody say to Shazam, “How come you fumbled the ball?” for the simple reason she never did so before.

  Hallie, right field

  I was first in the batting order. I was wearing my sister’s winning socks from the 1945 Bat 6, she gave me them that morning by surprise, she saved them all those years and there they was on the table beside my orange juice at breakfast. My whole family knew but me till that minute when I saw them. I was grateful like anybody would be and I put them on before I ate my eggs.

  There I was in those socks, and my mom and dad sitting behind the backstop were cheering for me. And my sister was over there working the scoreboard, putting the numbers in the holes, it was her privilege for being MVP in her year of 1945. I felt scrunched, seeing she had put up the big wooden 2 in the visiting-team spot and we still had that big staring zero.

  I chose my favorite bat and I swung a few warmup swings, I took a drink of water from the water cup Lola and Lila had set on a card table beside our bench. I saw Lola had her grumpy look on her face, she saw Shazam fumble that ball and Lola could of fumbled it just as good herself. I gave Lola a look in sympathy but I could not stop and make any more over it than that. I went to the plate knowing I could make Barlow proud of me.

  There were many voices hollering, “Beautiful Hair! Beautiful Hair!” This is a name I wish I never had, it’s such a embarrassment.

  But there was no third-base coach out there, and Dotty Rayfield and the umpire said we was going to wait a few minutes for him to get there. Coach Rayfield was still on our bench with Shazam. His head and hands were moving, she was still as a stone.

  We waited and waited. The umpire said, “It’ll be a couple of minutes, folks,” and he said the Ridgers could keep warming up out there. Their pitcher and catcher threw the ball to each other, then to the different bases. I swung my bat some more times.

  Dotty Rayfield had her hands on her hips, waiting.

  The two umpires stood and waited too. The base umpire, Brita Marie’s uncle, paced a little bit back and forth out there in the dirt.

  Then some people in the bleachers started singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

  Manzanita, left field

  I think Coach Rayfield was trying to find out what got into Shazam. I was thinking it was a good thing the Lord was watching over my fielding talent. You couldn’t just leave a ball roll around out there in center field till kingdom come. I did my best and they still scored 2 runs, I felt so bad.

  Coach Rayfield kept everybody waiting while he sat with Shazam. It didn’t seem like it was fair. Well, not exactly not fair neither. He was a coach of everybody and that included cuckoo Shazam. And with all the surprise of her missing that out, Coach was just doing his job. It was his job to jolly us back to good spirits like he done many a time with we girls. He had done it with Lola and Lila, he had done it with Audrey, he did it with me in the mud last fall when I got downhearted just because my hands was so cold they felt like falling off.

  Shazam, center field

  Too many Jap faces everywhere. I couldnt breathe. Them Jap eyes in the bleachers and over by the Boy Scout cookfire.

  That one on the Ridge team with them slanty eyes in her face she stood there wobbling her bat I couldnt breathe.

  Sneaky Japs never warned nobody they snuck behind our backs dropped bombs right in my fathers ship the Arizona he was down in it without no warning.

  Coach Rayfield he comes over to me on the bench he says Shazam you had a unlucky moment out there but we can recover. He looks at me in my face. You feeling okay Shazam he says.

  Ila Mae told me way back then I wouldnt get to play the famous Bat game if I said that word I kept my mouth shut tight not to let it c
ome out.

  Shazam Coach says again. You want me to send Lola out to center for you next inning he says.

  No I tell him to make him go away.

  But he dont go away. He sits there. Then he tells me You can knock that ball real hard and make us proud. I know you can do it Shazam.

  I dont say nothing.

  You remember your batting order he says in my face.

  I tell him yeah Im after Darlene.

  He says Good girl Shazam you can get them Ridgers. He puts his hand on my knee and he stands up and goes back out to third where he coaches.

  Too many Japs that killed my father down under the water in the ship.

  Alva, shortstop

  I said this prayer just before our half of the inning. I did not know what was going on or I would of prayed so different.

  Dear God,

  Thank You God for the admireful way Ila Mae pitched this whole time, with the ball in excellent control.

  I do not understand Your ways of working, for Shazam dropped that fly she should not drop. Was I supposed to back her up out there in center field? If I had been there, would I make any difference?

  Thank You for my catch of that girl with the long hair’s ball. I threw it good to Wink, didn’t I? But the overthrow I am sorry about. It ended up good but I apologize anyway.

  Thy will be done.

  Your friend,

  Alva

  Ila Mae, pitcher

  Well, Coach went back over to third, and their pitcher gets lined up and everybody’s ready to go. The spectators stopped singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” which they sung almost 3 times. Hallie steps to the plate and I kind of held my breath. Not for any real reason, maybe, but I begun to be a little edgy. Bright sunshine and our big day and the smoky smell of hot dogs cooking over there, but just some slight jittery feeling come over me.