The Year Mom Won the Pennant Read Online Free Page A

against the plate, lifted it to his shoulder, and waited for the pitch. It was high.
     Ball one. He swung at the next pitch and laced it to leftfield. The fielder hardly had to move. Mike Todey, on third, stayed on the bag until the ball was caught, then bolted for
     home. He made it easily.
    Jerry Wong took a called strike, then belted a searing grounder directly at the shortstop. The guy fielded it, snapped it
     to second. Second to first. A double play. Three outs.
    “We picked up two, anyway,” said Mom. “Now get out there and hold them.”
    Hold them they did. Johnny struck out the first man and the next two grounded out. The Thunderballs came up for the last time.
     They were trailing 7 to 5. Fat chance we have of winning this ball game, thought Nick. It would have been a good start to
     have won the first league game for Mom.
    Jim Rennie led off and smashed the second pitch for a clean single over second. Then Tom Warren popped out to put adamper on the Thunderballs’ hopes of getting a run. Russ, having struck out the last two times at bat, didn’t raise anyone’s
     hopes as he strode to the plate. He took a called strike, a ball, then hammered a solid drive to right center field! Jim raced
     all around to home and Russ took second on the play on Jim.
    Wayne went down swinging. Two away. And two runs from winning the ball game. It still seemed hopeless.
    Then Mike walked. Pat hit a grounder to short. It was fumbled! Russ held up at third, Mike at second. Pat was on first. The
     tying run — and the winning run — were on base!
    “Win your own ball game, Johnny!” yelled a fan. “Chase home those ducks!”
    Johnny Linn waited out the pitches. Then, with the count two and two, he swung at a chest-high pitch.
Crack!
A line drive over the shortstop’s head! Russ scored. Mikescored. Pat halted on third, leaving Johnny with a double.
    The game was over. The Thunderballs were the winners, 8 to 7. Mom had won her first league ball game.

7
    T wo days later the Thunderballs tangled with the Zebras. Mom had Bill Dakes and Jim Rennie start in place of Cyclone and Nick.
     The Thunderballs had first raps, but in the first two innings they could do little against their opponents. Eddie Cash, the
     Zebras’ little right-hander, didn’t seem to have much on the ball, yet no Thunderball could hit him.
    Frankie Morrow, pitching for the Thunderballs, was tagged for four hits and three runs in the two innings. He led off the
     third with a single, though, and Bill sacrificed him to second on a bunt. Then Jerry Wongtripled, scoring Frankie, and Jim hit a high fly that landed between three fielders for a freak double, scoring Jerry. It
     was funny the way the three Zebras stood there, each expecting the other to catch the ball.
    “Remember that incident,” Mom said. “If that ever happens to you,
someone call for the ball.
Don’t let it drop between you.”
    The two runs were all the Thunderballs scored that half-inning. In the top of the fourth Mike Todey, batting for Scotty Page,
     walked. Then Gale, pinch-hitting for Pat Krupa, walloped a home run over the left-field fence. Two singles and an error accounted
     for another run and the Thunderballs went into the lead, 5 to 3.
    Nick smiled as he trotted out to short, replacing Jim Rennie. It looked as if Mom’s Thunderballs were heading for their second
     straight victory.
    The Zebras squeezed in a run in the bottomof the fourth, but the Thunderballs got it back in the fifth. And then, in the bottom of the fifth, the Zebras pulled out
     all stops and really poured it on the Thunderballs. They collected five hits and four runs for a total of eight runs. The
     Thunderballs drew a goose egg in the sixth and that was it. The Zebras won 8 to 6.
    “Well,” Mom said, heaving a sigh, “we can’t win them all.”
    “We were just lucky to win the first one,” muttered Wayne Snow.
    Mom stared at him. “Lucky, did you say?”
    Wayne’s face turned cherry red. “Well, maybe