the Red Headed Outfield (1948) Read online

  There was no quitting in that bunch, and if I ever saw victory on the stern faces of ball players it was in that moment.

  ``We haven't opened up yet. Mebbee this is the innin'. If it ain't, the next is,'' said Spears.

  With the weak end of the batting list up, there seemed little hope of getting a run on Vane that inning. He had so much confidence that he put the ball over for Gregg, who hit out of the reach of the infield. Again Vane sent up his straight ball, no doubt expecting Cairns to hit into a double play. But Cairns surprised Vane and everybody else by poking a safety past first base.

  The fans began to howl and pound and whistle.

  The Rube strode to bat. The infield closed in for a bunt, but the Rube had no orders for that style of play. Spears had said nothing to him.

  Vane lost his nonchalance and settled down. He cut loose with all his speed. Rube stepped out, suddenly whirled, then tried to dodge, but the ball hit him fair in the back. Rube sagged in his tracks, then straightened up, and walked slowly to first base. Score 5 to 5, bases full, no outs, McCall at bat. I sat dumb on the bench, thrilling and shivering. McCall! Ashwell! Stringer to bat!

  ``Play it safe! Hold the bags!'' yelled the coacher.

  McCall fairly spouted defiance as he faced Vane.

  ``Pitch! It's all off! An' you know it!''

  If Vane knew that, he showed no evidence of it. His face was cold, unsmiling, rigid. He had to pitch to McCall, the fastest man in the league; to Ashwell, the best bunter; to Stringer, the champion batter. It was a supreme test for a great pitcher. There was only one kind of a ball that McCall was not sure to hit, and that was a high curve, in close. Vane threw it with all his power.

  Carter called it a strike. Again Vane swung and his arm fairly cracked. Mac fouled the ball. The third was wide. Slowly, with lifting breast, Vane got ready, whirled savagely and shot up the ball.

  McCall struck out.

  As the Buffalo players crowed and the audience groaned it was worthy of note that little McCall showed no temper. Yet he had failed to grasp a great opportunity.

  ``Ash, I couldn't see 'em,'' he said, as he passed to the bench. ``Speed, whew! look out for it.

  He's been savin' up. Hit quick, an' you'll get him.''

  Ashwell bent over the plate and glowered at Vane.

  ``Pitch! It's all off! An' you know it!'' he hissed, using Mac's words.

  Ashwell, too, was left-handed; he, too, was extremely hard to pitch to; and if he had a weakness that any of us ever discovered, it was a slow curve and change of pace. But I doubted if Vane would dare to use slow balls to Ash at that critical moment. I had yet to learn something of Vane.

  He gave Ash a slow, wide-sweeping sidewheeler, that curved round over the plate. Ash always took a strike, so this did not matter. Then Vane used his deceptive change of pace, sending up a curve that just missed Ash's bat as he swung.

  ``Oh! A-h-h! hit!'' wailed the bleachers.

  Vane doubled up like a contortionist, and shot up a lightning-swift drop that fooled Ash completely. Again the crowd groaned. Score tied, bases full, two out, Stringer at bat!

  ``It's up to you, String,'' called Ash, stepping aside.

  Stringer did not call out to Vane. That was not his way. He stood tense and alert, bat on his shoulder, his powerful form braced, and he waited. The outfielders trotted over toward right field, and the infielders played deep, calling out warnings and encouragement to the pitcher.

  Stringer had no weakness, and Vane knew this.

  Nevertheless he did not manifest any uneasiness, and pitched the first ball without any extra motion. Carter called it a strike. I saw Stringer sink down slightly and grow tenser all over. I believe that moment was longer for me than for either the pitcher or the batter. Vane took his time, watched the base runners, feinted to throw to catch them, and then delivered the ball toward the plate with the limit of his power.

  Stringer hit the ball. As long as I live, I will see that glancing low liner. Shultz, by a wonderful play in deep center, blocked the ball and thereby saved it from being a home run. But when Stringer stopped on second base, all the runners had scored.

  A shrill, shrieking, high-pitched yell! The bleachers threatened to destroy the stands and also their throats in one long revel of baseball madness.

  Jones, batting in place of Spears, had gone up and fouled out before the uproar had subsided.

  ``Fellers, I reckon I feel easier,'' said the Rube.

  It was the only time I had ever heard him speak to the players at such a stage ``Only six batters, Rube,'' called out Spears.

  ``Boys, it's a grand game, an' it's our'n!''

  The Rube had enough that inning to dispose of the lower half of the Buffalo list without any alarming bids for a run. And in our half, Bogart and Mullaney hit vicious ground balls that gave

  Treadwell and Wiler opportunities for superb plays. Carl, likewise, made a beautiful running catch of Gregg's line fly. The Bisons were still in the game, still capable of pulling it out at the last moment.

  When Shultz stalked up to the plate I shut my eyes a moment, and so still was it that the field and stands might have been empty. Yet, though I tried, I could not keep my eyes closed. I opened them to watch the Rube. I knew Spears felt the same as I, for he was blowing like a porpoise and muttering to himself: ``Mebee the Rube won't last an' I've no one to put in!''

  The Rube pitched with heavy, violent effort.

  He had still enough speed to be dangerous. But after the manner of ball players Shultz and the coachers mocked him.

  ``Take all you can,'' called Ellis to Shultz.

  Every pitch lessened the Rube's strength and these wise opponents knew it. Likewise the Rube himself knew, and never had he shown better head work than in this inning. If he were to win, he must be quick. So he wasted not a ball. The first pitch and the second, delivered breast high and fairly over the plate, beautiful balls to hit, Shultz watched speed by. He swung hard on the third and the crippled Ashwell dove for it in a cloud of dust, got a hand in front of it, but uselessly, for the hit was safe. The crowd cheered that splendid effort.

  Carl marched to bat, and he swung his club over the plate as if he knew what to expect. ``Come on, Rube!'' he shouted. Wearily, doggedly, the Rube whirled, and whipped his arm. The ball had all his old glancing speed and it was a strike.

  The Rube was making a tremendous effort.

  Again he got his body in convulsive motion--two strikes! Shultz had made no move to run, nor had Carl made any move to hit. These veterans were waiting. The Rube had pitched five strikes --could he last?

  ``Now, Carl!'' yelled Ellis, with startling suddenness, as the Rube pitched again.

  Crack! Carl placed that hit as safely through short as if he had thrown it. McCall's little legs twinkled as he dashed over the grass. He had to head off that hit and he ran like a streak. Down and forward he pitched, as if in one of his fierce slides, and he got his body in front of the ball, blocking it, and then he rolled over and over. But he jumped up and lined the ball to Bogart, almost catching Shultz at third-base. Then, as Mac tried to walk, his lame leg buckled under him, and down he went, and out.

  ``Call time,'' I called to Carter. ``McCall is done. . . . Myers, you go to left an' for Lord's sake play ball!''

  Stringer and Bogart hurried to Mac and, lifting him up and supporting him between them with his arms around their shoulders, they led him off amid cheers from the stands. Mac was white with pain.

  ``Naw, I won't go off the field. Leave me on the bench,'' he said. ``Fight 'em now. It's our game. Never mind a couple of runs.''

  The boys ran back to their positions and Carter called play. Perhaps a little delay had been helpful to the Rube. Slowly he stepped into the box and watched Shultz at third and Carl at second.

  There was not much probability of his throwing to catch them off the base, but enough of a possibility to make them careful, so he held them close.

  The Rube pitched a strike to Manning, then another. That made
eight strikes square over the plate that inning. What magnificent control! It was equaled by the implacable patience of those veteran Bisons. Manning hit the next ball as hard as Carl had hit his. But Mullaney plunged down, came up with the ball, feinted to fool Carl, then let drive to Gregg to catch the fleeting Shultz.

  The throw went wide, but Gregg got it, and, leaping lengthwise, tagged Shultz out a yard from the plate.

  One out. Two runners on bases. The bleachers rose and split their throats. Would the inning never end?

  Spears kept telling himself: ``They'll score, but we'll win. It's our game!''

  I had a sickening fear that the strange confidence that obsessed the Worcester players had been blind, unreasoning vanity.

  ``Carl will steal,'' muttered Spears. ``He can't be stopped.''

  Spears had called the play. The Rube tried to hold the little base-stealer close to second, but, after one attempt, wisely turned to his hard task of making the Bisons hit and hit quickly. Ellis let the ball pass; Gregg made a perfect throw to third; Bogart caught the ball and moved like a flash, but Carl slid under his hands to the bag.

  Manning ran down to second. The Rube pitched again, and this was his tenth ball over the plate.

  Even the Buffalo players evinced eloquent appreciation of the Rube's defence at this last stand.

  Then Ellis sent a clean hit to right, scoring both Carl and Manning. I breathed easier, for it seemed with those two runners in, the Rube had a better chance. Treadwell also took those two runners in, the Rube had a way those Bisons waited. They had their reward, for the Rube's speed left him. When he pitched again the ball had control, but no shoot. Treadwell hit it with all his strength. Like a huge cat Ashwell pounced upon it, ran over second base, forcing Ellis, and his speedy snap to first almost caught Treadwell.

  Score 8 to 7. Two out. Runner on first. One run to tie.

  In my hazy, dimmed vision I saw the Rube's pennant waving from the flag-pole.

  ``It's our game!'' howled Spears in my ear, for the noise from the stands was deafening.

  ``It's our pennant!''

  The formidable batting strength of the Bisons had been met, not without disaster, but without defeat. McKnight came up for Buffalo and the Rube took his weary swing. The batter made a terrific lunge and hit the ball with a solid crack It lined for center.

  Suddenly electrified into action, I leaped up.

  That hit! It froze me with horror. It was a home-run. I saw Stringer fly toward left center.

  He ran like something wild. I saw the heavy Treadwell lumbering round the bases. I saw Ashwell run out into center field.

  ``Ah-h!'' The whole audience relieved its terror in that expulsion of suspended breath.

  Stringer had leaped high to knock down the ball, saving a sure home-run and the game. He recovered himself, dashed back for the ball and shot it to Ash.

  When Ash turned toward the plate, Treadwell was rounding third base. A tie score appeared inevitable. I saw Ash's arm whip and the ball shoot forward, leveled, glancing, beautiful in its flight. The crowd saw it, and the silence broke to a yell that rose and rose as the ball sped in.

  That yell swelled to a splitting shriek, and Treadwell slid in the dust, and the ball shot into Gregg's hands all at the same instant.

  Carter waved both arms upwards. It was the umpire's action when his decision went against the base-runner. The audience rolled up one great stenorian cry.

  ``Out!''

  I collapsed and sank back upon the bench. My confused senses received a dull roar of pounding feet and dinning voices as the herald of victory.

  I felt myself thinking how pleased Milly would be.

  I had a distinct picture in my mind of a white cottage on a hill, no longer a dream, but a reality, made possible for me by the Rube's winning of the pennant, THE RUBE'S HONEYMOON

  ``He's got a new manager. Watch him pitch now!'' That was what Nan Brown said to me about Rube Hurtle, my great pitcher, and I took it as her way of announcing her engagement.

  My baseball career held some proud moments, but this one, wherein I realized the success of my matchmaking plans, was certainly the proudest one. So, entirely outside of the honest pleasure I got out of the Rube's happiness, there was reason for me to congratulate myself. He was a transformed man, so absolutely renewed, so wild with joy, that on the strength of it, I decided the pennant for Worcester was a foregone conclusion, and, sure of the money promised me by the directors, Milly and I began to make plans for the cottage upon the hill.

  The Rube insisted on pitching Monday's game against the Torontos, and although poor fielding gave them a couple of runs, they never had a chance. They could not see the ball. The Rube wrapped it around their necks and between their wrists and straight over the plate with such incredible speed that they might just as well have tried to bat rifle bullets.

  That night I was happy. Spears, my veteran captain, was one huge smile; Radbourne quietly assured me that all was over now but the shouting; all the boys were happy.

  And the Rube was the happiest of all. At the hotel he burst out with his exceeding good fortune. He and Nan were to be married upon the Fourth of July!

  After the noisy congratulations were over and the Rube had gone, Spears looked at me and I looked at him.

  ``Con,'' said he soberly, ``we just can't let him get married on the Fourth.''

  ``Why not? Sure we can. We'll help him get married. I tell you it'll save the pennant for us.

  Look how he pitched today! Nan Brown is our salvation!''

  ``See here, Con, you've got softenin' of the brain, too. Where's your baseball sense? We've got a pennant to win. By July Fourth we'll be close to the lead again, an' there's that three weeks' trip on the road, the longest an' hardest of the season. We've just got to break even on that trip. You know what that means. If the Rube marries Nan--what are we goin' to do? We can't leave him behind. If he takes Nan with us

  --why it'll be a honeymoon! An' half the gang is stuck on Nan Brown! An' Nan Brown would flirt in her bridal veil! . . . Why Con, we're up against a worse proposition than ever.''

  ``Good Heavens! Cap. You're right,'' I groaned. ``I never thought of that. We've got to postpone the wedding. . . . How on earth can we? I've heard her tell Milly that. She'll never consent to it. Say, this'll drive me to drink.''

  ``All I got to say is this, Con. If the Rube takes his wife on that trip it's goin' to be an all- fired hummer. Don't you forget that.''

  ``I'm not likely to. But, Spears, the point is this--will the Rube win his games?''

  ``Figurin' from his work today, I'd gamble he'll never lose another game. It ain't that. I'm thinkin' of what the gang will do to him an' Nan on the cars an' at the hotels. Oh! Lord, Con, it ain't possible to stand for that honeymoon trip!

  Just think!''

  ``If the worst comes to the worst, Cap, I don't care for anything but the games. If we get in the lead and stay there I'll stand for anything. . . .

  Couldn't the gang be coaxed or bought off to let the Rube and Nan alone?''

  ``Not on your life! There ain't enough love or money on earth to stop them. It'll be awful.

  Mind, I'm not responsible. Don't you go holdin' me responsible. In all my years of baseball I never went on a trip with a bride in the game.

  That's new on me, an' I never heard of it. I'd be bad enough if he wasn't a rube an' if she wasn't a crazy girl-fan an' a flirt to boot, an' with half the boys in love with her, but as it is----''

  Spears gave up and, gravely shaking his head, he left me. I spent a little while in sober reflection, and finally came to the conclusion that, in my desperate ambition to win the pennant, I would have taken half a dozen rube pitchers and their baseball-made brides on the trip, if by so doing I could increase the percentage of games won.

  Nevertheless, I wanted to postpone the Rube's wedding if it was possible, and I went out to see Milly and asked her to help us. But for once in her life Milly turned traitor.

  ``Connie, you don't want t
o postpone it. Why, how perfectly lovely! . . . Mrs. Stringer will go on that trip and Mrs. Bogart. . . . Connie, I'm going too!''

  She actually jumped up and down in glee. That was the woman in her. It takes a wedding to get a woman. I remonstrated and pleaded and commanded, all to no purpose. Milly intended to go on that trip to see the games, and the fun, and the honeymoon.

  She coaxed so hard that I yielded. Thereupon she called up Mrs. Stringer on the telephone, and of course found that young woman just as eager as she was. For my part, I threw anxiety and care to the four winds, and decided to be as happy as any of them. The pennant was mine! Something kept ringing that in my ears. With the Rube working his iron arm for the edification of his proud Nancy Brown, there was extreme likelihood of divers shut-outs and humiliating defeats for some Eastern League teams.

  How well I calculated became a matter of baseball history during that last week of June. We won six straight games, three of which fell to the Rube's credit. His opponents scored four runs in the three games, against the nineteen we made.

  Upon July 1, Radbourne beat Providence and Cairns won the second game. We now had a string of eight victories. Sunday we rested, and Monday was the Fourth, with morning and afternoon games with Buffalo.

  Upon the morning of the Fourth, I looked for the Rube at the hotel, but could not find him. He did not show up at the grounds when the other boys did, and I began to worry. It was the Rube's turn to pitch and we were neck and neck with Buffalo for first place. If we won both games we would go ahead of our rivals. So I was all on edge, and kept going to the dressing-room to see if the Rube had arrived. He came, finally, when all the boys were dressed, and about to go out for practice. He had on a new suit, a tailor-made suit at that, and he looked fine. There was about him a kind of strange radiance. He stated simply that he had arrived late because he had just been married. Before congratulations were out of our mouths, he turned to me.

  ``Con, I want to pitch both games today,'' he said.

  ``What! Say, Whit, Buffalo is on the card today and we are only three points behind them.