Looking out at the fielders, Derek saw that they were playing him to pull. He waited for an outside fastball, got one on a 1–1 count, and slapped it through the hole on the right side of the infield. It just missed Mason—which was another lucky break, because he would have been called out if the ball had hit him. Instead he made it all the way to third, as the throw came in to second base.
Pete was up next. He stared at a strike right over the middle. Then another. Derek knew that the pitcher would likely get Pete to swing at a bad pitch for the strikeout. If it got away from the catcher, Derek would be on his way to second.
But the next pitch was in the dirt. It bounced off the catcher’s chest pad—not very far, but Derek was off in an instant. The catcher panicked and threw to second—forgetting that there was also a runner on third!
The throw was perfect, and just in time to nail Derek for the out—but the run scored without a throw to home plate, and suddenly the Yankees were in the lead, 1–0!
Pete swung at the next pitch, and hit a fly to left for the second out.
That brought Harry to the plate. He was not as powerful as Pete but was better at making contact because he didn’t try to hit every ball out of the park. That made him a good matchup against the Giants’ starter. As hard as he threw, you only had to meet the ball and it would go a long way.
Easier said than done. But on the second pitch, Harry connected, hitting a screaming liner that sent the center fielder way, way back!
Derek was sure it was going to be over the center fielder’s head, but the kid ran it down for the third out. “Rats!” Derek shouted, kicking the dirt in frustration. So close!
The Yanks had succeeded at step one—getting a lead. Now it was the Giants’ turn to show what they could do with a bat. They had come in superconfident, but now they would have to come from behind, against a team they just might have underestimated.
Good, thought Derek. If the Yanks could get the Giants a little spooked, maybe they would start to play tight, instead of loose and free.
The leadoff man hit a hard line drive to Avery at second. With a well-timed leap, she snagged it, and came down screaming, “YAAAH!” The other Yanks let out a cheer as she tossed it back to the mound with a loud “LET’S GO!”
No way would Pete have made that play if he were at second, Derek thought. It had been Pete’s position at the start of the season, before Avery had replaced him. Now Pete was starting at third—a much better fit for a guy his size, who wasn’t as athletic or mobile as Avery.
Derek took a few steps in toward Harry on the mound. “Hey,” Derek called, motioning for Harry to come closer. “Listen,” he said in a low voice, “they’re dying to hit dingers. Try playing with ’em a little—let ’em get themselves out, huh?”
Harry grinned and nodded. “Sure thing,” he said. “Why not?”
The next two hitters swung hard enough to hit it all the way to Detroit, but they only succeeded in grounding out on Harry’s changeups.
The Yanks came back up to bat, still ahead by one run. But there was a long, long way to go. And their hitters weren’t even close to solving the Giants’ starter. He struck out Ryan, and after a walk to Avery, he fanned JJ and Tre’ to set the Yankees down.
In the bottom of the inning, the Giants worked a walk with one out. The next batter smashed one just to Derek’s right. He gobbled the ball up and fired to Avery, covering second. She took the throw in stride, pivoted as if it were second nature, and fired to first for the easy double play!
“Just like we practiced!” he told her—and this time she really did smile back.
The Yanks went down on three more strikeouts in the third: Elliott, Vijay, and Mason.
In the bottom of the inning, with runners on first and second and one out, Avery dived to her right to grab a sizzling grounder that had “RBI” written all over it. After snagging it like a sno-cone in the webbing of her mitt, she flicked it straight from her glove to Derek at second. He caught it bare-handed and fired to first, just in time to complete the amazing double play!
End of inning—no runs scored! All their extra work had already paid off big-time!
So far the Yankees’ luck was holding up. But it was hanging by a very slender one-run thread, especially against the Giants—the best-hitting team in the league by far.
Derek led off the top of the fourth, determined to get something started. He knew the Yanks would need more than one run to win the game. He took one strike, watched two straight balls go by, and then fouled off a fastball for strike two.
Protect… protect, he told himself. No way did he want to get called out on strikes to lead off an inning!
He fouled off another fastball, then another and another. The pitcher tried a changeup, but it missed for ball three.
Would he throw another changeup? Derek guessed not. He geared up for the fastball and fouled off yet another. Two more foul balls later, and the pitcher finally gave in and tried another changeup.
“Ball four!” cried the ump.
Derek trotted down to first, looking at his teammates and clapping his hands. “Let’s go!” he called, pointing a finger at them to urge them on.
Pete grounded out on the first pitch, overanxious, as he often was. Derek made it to second, though, so it was a productive out at least.
Harry stepped to the plate. When the pitcher threw him an 0–2 changeup, it was inside, and
