In a Pinch

It was a hot day. Adam was reminded of that as he looked over his shoulder and saw a small group of children sitting in the bleachers with popsicles. The popsicles were melting and children were trying to eat them before they completely melted.

Adam’s attention went back to the game. He wasn’t playing that day. His manager had given him the day off. Adam was going through one of those “slumps” that plague every baseball player no matter how old they were or what level of baseball they were playing. His manager spoke to him after the last game. “You’re not being punished,” the manager reassured him. “I just want to make sure you’re not trying too hard up there. Warm up like you normally do and then take a seat and relax. Don’t worry about trying to get a hit. Don’t worry about trying to not make an out. Just watch the game and enjoy your day off. If I need a pinch-hitter, you’re going to be the first one I ask. If you feel up to it, you get an at-bat that day. If not, you can rest and be ready for the next game.”

Adam nodded. He believed his manager when he said he wasn’t punishing Adam, but it sure felt to Adam like he was being punished. Adam wasn’t playing that day because he hadn’t been delivering. The coach just wanted him to take the day off instead of going to the field and thinking about his slump and how he was going to get out of it. Adam didn’t like the idea of having to sit on the bench for the whole afternoon and think about why he wasn’t hitting. Playing kept his mind busy and away from thinking about things like his slump.

Oh, well. The manager’s mind had been made up and Adam was going to get his day off. The manager said he would go to Adam if the situation called for a pinch-hitter. If that were the case, Adam would get an at-bat and then go back to the bench and watch the rest of the game. That wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

Adam watched the game from the bench. He watched the opposing pitcher on the mound. That guy had good stuff. He was throwing hard. Adam felt a little relief at not having to face him. Maybe getting that day off was a good idea after all.

The innings went by. Adam’s team went ahead, then trailed. They tied it and fell behind again. No one on Adam’s team was able to figure this pitcher out. He had a great fastball. Just when hitters thought they had their timing down, the pitcher came at them with a curve ball. The batter would swing and be way ahead of it. Strike!

It was hot sitting on the bench. Adam kept looking over his shoulder at the kids eating their popsicles. The younger ones seemed to have more of it on their hands than in their mouths. Parents tried to wipe mouths and hands and keep the kids clean but it was no use.

Soon there were two innings left. Adams team was down by two runs. They had two more chances to tie the game. There was a small feeling of relief when they saw a new pitcher warming up on the mound. Seeing him throw his first pitch eliminated any relief they felt. He was throwing just as hard as the first pitcher.

The first batter of the inning stepped to the plate and hit a weak pop-fly. An easy out for the second baseman who barely had to move to catch it. The batter walked back to the bench with his head down. The manager clapped his hands for the rest of the team. “Don’t worry about it,” he said as the batter removed his helmet. “It was a good swing. Good cut.” The latest out sat down. “Come on, Davey,” someone from the bench yelled as David came up to the plate. He swung at the first pitch he saw and hit a ground ball just out of the reach of the shortstop. The base hit brought some cheers from the bench. It wasn’t the first hit of the day for the team, but they hadn’t been able to put enough of them together. The next batter came up. The manager wanted him to bunt but not on the first pitch. “Take the first pitch and see what this guy’s got,” the manager told him before he stepped to the plate.

“Adam!” the coach yelled.

Adam got up and walked up to the manager.

“I might need you, Slugger,” the manager said. “Can you go?”

“Yeah,” Adam said. “I can.”

“Alright,” the manager said. “Grab a bat but don’t go to the plate until I tell you. I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet.”

Adam went to the other end of the bench. His attention shifted between the batter at the plate and his manager standing on the far side of the bench. The first pitch, a ball, got away from the catcher. The runner on first took off as soon as he saw the ball leave the catcher and was soon standing on second base. The manager suddenly didn’t need a bunt to send the man to scoring position. He signaled to the batter that the bunt signal had been taken away and he was free to swing.

The manager then ran to the other side of the bench where Adam and the on-deck batter were standing. The manager shared his strategy: if this batter got on base, Adam would hit. If not, the batter on deck would take his regular at-bat.

Adam grabbed a helmet and put it on. He reached into his back pocket for his batting gloves. His gloves weren’t there! How do you forget your batting gloves? Adam put them in his back pocket every day before he left the house. The gloves stayed in his pocket until he was on deck, then he puts them on his hands. After he hits, he puts them back in his back pocket. Back pocket to his hands and back. That’s it. How did he forget to put them in his back pocket?

The first pitch to the batter was low. Ball one. Adam needed a plan. His hands were already sweating. It was a hot day. He was in a slump. He might be called on to hit. Thinking about that made his hands sweat even more. Next pitch. Ball two. He still had time. He didn’t even know if he was going to make it to the plate that day but what if he did?

He looked around. He noticed a young boy starting to eat a new popsicle. Adam had an idea. He went to the bench and reached underneath for his bag. He opened it and got his wallet. He ran to the boy.

“Hey, kid,” he asked. “How much are those popsicles?”

“A buck,” the boy answered.

Adam took two dollars out of his wallet. “How would you like two dollars for that popsicle?” he asked. “You can get two popsicles or just one and keep the dollar.”

The boy’s eyes widened. A new popsicle and a dollar? Or maybe even two popsicles? It wasn’t even Christmas. He handed the popsicle to Adam, who grabbed it, not by the stick, but by the popsicle itself. The boy took the two dollars and ran before Adam could take his money back after the popsicle was ruined.

Adam didn’t say anything. He just held the popsicle in his hand and took a few steps toward the bench. He tossed his wallet to a teammate. “Put that back in my bag,” Adam said and went back to the on deck area. The teammate caught the wallet and returned it to Adam’s bag. His attention returned to Adam holding the popsicle the wrong way. Adam never grabbed the popsicle stick after taking the melting treat from the boy. He rubbed the popsicle in his hands and shook his hands. He looked up as the batter connected with the ball and ran to first base. There were runners on first and third.

“Adam, you’re up!” the manager yelled.

Adam rubbed his hands together. The melted popsicle was getting sticky, but it wasn’t drying as fast as he had hoped. He grabbed a little dirt and rubbed his hands together. He walked to home plate and asked the umpire for time so he could stretch. He had been on the bench the whole afternoon. The umpire obliged and gave the new hitter a chance to loosen up. Adam stretched. He shook his hands, trying to get the melted popsicle to dry some more. He stepped to the plate and shrugged his shoulders before taking a practice swing. His hands were sticky enough for him to take his at bat. Teammates and manager alike were cheering him on.

Adam stepped in the batter’s box. The pitcher leaned in and got the sign from the catcher. The whole bench was standing up and shouting Adam’s name. Even if he wasn’t able to get a hit, there would still be another inning to play if his team couldn’t score a run this time. Adam didn’t want it to come to that. He pulled the bat back. He felt the grip. The dirt combined with the sticky melted popsicle gave him grip he needed. He was ready as the pitcher wound up to deliver the pitch…