Baseball Pals Read Online Free PDF

and father about the game. He didn’t want them to see him pitch. Anyway, his father couldn’t
     go. He had to work. Jimmie was glad of that.
    The game began. This time the Pirates had last raps. Johnny Lukon led off with a single. Alan flied out. Then Billy Hutt hit
     a grounder past third for a two-bagger. Johnny stopped on third as the fielder threw in to cover home.
    Lou grounded through second, scoring Johnny and Billy. Jimmie came to bat. He let a knee-high pitch go by.
    “Strike one!” said the umpire.
    The next two pitches were balls. Then another strike.
    Jimmie pulled his helmet down tight,braced his feet in the dirt, and waited for the next pitch. The ball sped in, chest-high and over the heart of the plate.
    Jimmie blasted it. It sailed high into center field. The fielder ran back, caught it, and threw it in!
    “Get back! Get back!” yelled the coach on first to Lou.
    The Pirates’ second baseman caught the throw-in from center field and snapped the ball to first. It reached there before Lou
     could tag up.
    “Out!” shouted the umpire.
    Three outs. The Planets took the field.
    The first batter grounded out to third. The ball was hit solid. That was just luck he hit straight at Alan, Jimmie thought.
     Jimmie would have walked the next hitter, but the batter swung at bad throws and struck out. The third man flied out to center.
    “Nice going, Jimmie!” Lou yelled.
    “Nice pitching, Jimmie!” Alan said.
    After that things weren’t so good. Jimmie walked a man in the second inning, and in the third he hit a man on the shoulder.
     He began to worry. The Pirates started to hit him hard. When they didn’t hit, Jimmie helped them by walking their men.
    In the fourth, Mr. Nichols went out to the mound. He called Johnny from first.
    “I think Jimmie is wild because he’s worried he might hit another batter,” Mr. Nichols said. “You two boys switch positions
     for the next two innings. We’re only playing five. Okay?”
    “Okay,” Jimmie said.
    He didn’t care. Matter of fact, he was glad.
    He liked first base. He moved into position and mixed his cries with the other infielders’.
    “Come on, Paul!” he shouted. “Come on, P—!”
    His throat caught. He looked around hurriedly. He hoped nobody had heard him yell Paul’s name instead of Johnny’s.

14
    D uring practice the next day, Jimmie went up to the manager. “Are all the names of our players in yet, Mr. Nichols?” he asked.
    “Not yet. I’ll have to have them in before Thursday.”
    “Thursday?” Jimmie’s brows puckered. “Is that when we play our first Grasshoppers League game?”
    Mr. Nichols nodded. “That’s right! Better work hard on your control, Jimmie. Winning that first game is important!”
    “I know,” murmured Jimmie.
    After practice, Jimmie didn’t go homewith the others. He asked Wishy Walters to stay with him.
    “I want you to hit me some grounders, Wishy,” he said. “Will you?”
    “Sure,” said Wishy.
    “Hit ’em hard as you can!” Jimmie said, and ran out to shortstop position.
    Wishy hit five grounders to him. Jimmie caught them all. Then Mr. Nichols, who had been watching, picked up Wishy’s glove
     and went to first base. He watched Jimmie run behind the grounders and catch them as if it was easy. Jimmie saw Mr. Nichols
     on first and pegged the balls to him. His throws were good. They seldom were directly over the bag, but they were close enough.
     Once in a while he made Mr. Nichols stretch for one, but not often.
    Finally, Mr. Nichols exclaimed, “Say! You look sharp out there! How long have you been playing infield?”
    “I played infield last year,” Jimmie said. “The last few days I’ve been practicing at home.”
    “Oh, you have?” Mr. Nichols seemed surprised. “What about pitching?”
    Jimmie didn’t answer right away. He thought a moment, then said, “I’ll tell you about that tomorrow, Mr. Nichols. I have to
     find out something first.”

15
    T he next morning Jimmie and