A baserunner
The batter twists when the ball bruises his back. He jogs toward first base and stands up straight. He does not reach over his shoulder to hold the aching muscle. Instead he ignores it, speaking to the first base coach before knocking his left foot against the base and walking sideways toward second.
A Wild Pitch
A few pitches later, the ball spins off the catcher and skids behind the plate. The runner takes off, rounding second and sliding into third ahead of the throw.
The batter takes a high pitch for ball four, slips off his shin guard and runs to first.
Someone New
The pitcher walks off the mound, head down. It’s only 2-0, but he knows better. His teammates offer high fives but drop their eyes when they mumble good job.
The new pitcher unlocks the bullpen gate and hurries to the mound, taking the ball from the coach as the infielders listen, covering their mouths with gloves when they speak.
A threat
A new batter. He waits at home and twirls his bat.
He drives the ball into the left field green, his 17th home run of the year.
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