Read Online The Year Mom Won the Pennant by Matt Christopher - Free Book Online
Authors: Matt Christopher
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other guys looked up.Sure enough, it was Bugs Wheeler and five or six other players from the Tornadoes. Not far from them sat Coach Burt Stevens,
grinning triumphantly. They clearly had come with hopes of seeing the Stars whip the Thunderballs. Then the Tornadoes and
Thunderballs would be tied for the pennant.
It looked as if their hopes were going to come true. Stinky held the Thunderballs to a double in the bottom of the fifth,
and no runs.
The Stars started off well again as they came up for the sixth and final inning. Cyclone let a grounder zip through his legs.
That was it, though. The Stars couldn’t score.
“One, two, three, Stinky!” yelled Bugs Wheeler.
“Dog!” snorted Nick.
Pat, leading off, flied out. Johnny walked.Cyclone flied out. One more out and the ball game would be over.
Then Jerry singled. They were still alive! “Keep it going, Nick!” Mom shouted.
“Save me a rap, Nick!” Gale Matson pleaded.
Nick looked nervously at Stinky. For some unknown reason he was never able to hit Stinky’s pitches. He was sure that if he
swung away he’d strike out, just as he had done the last time. And that would be it. The ball game would be over, and Bugs
Wheeler, Coach Stevens, and the rest of the Tornadoes would never let him live it down. They’d be gloating at the playoff
game.
Suddenly he remembered what Mom had said in another game:
Do we have to do the expected all the time?
He looked toward first and then third. The Stars were playing deep. He could try a bunt. It just might work. What could he
lose?
The pitch came in. He shifted his feet and bunted the ball down the third-base line, catching the Stars completely off their
guard! The bunt was perfect!
“Nice going, Nick!” shouted Mom.
Three on and Gale came up. The fans yelled. Gale’s parents sat still, waiting patiently.
“There you are, Gale!” yelled Nick. “I saved you a rap! Now, clonk it!”
Stinky stretched and pitched. Gale swung.
Crack!
A solid smash! A high long ball to deep left! It kept going. . . going . . . Gone over the fence! A home run!
It was over. The Thunderballs — and Mom — had won the pennant.
Gale beamed proudly as he gripped Nick’s hand. “Thanks for saving me that rap!”
The Snows came forward and shook handswith Mom. “Wayne thinks an awful lot of you, Mrs. Vassey,” said Mrs. Snow. “He’s always talking about you and your family.
I wonder if you all would come over some day soon. My husband and I would love to have you. Will you?”
Mom’s face shone radiantly. “We’ll be glad to, Mrs. Snow.”
Another figure joined the small group. Burt Stevens. A smile was on his face, but it wasn’t as broad as it had been. He stretched
out his hand to shake Mom’s.
“Congratulations, Coach,” he said. “You won it fair and square.”
Mom’s eyes sparkled. “Thank you, Mr. Stevens,” she said, and then added mischievously, “Sorry you don’t get a chance for a
playoff.”
“And I won the bet,” Dad said. “The Stevenses are taking the Vasseys out for aChinese dinner. That’s the bet we had agreed on in Mr. Wong’s restaurant. Tomorrow okay, Coach Stevens?”
“Tomorrow’s fine,” said Mr. Stevens, smiling.
Matt Christopher ®
Sports Bio Bookshelf
Muhammad Ali
Mario Lemieux
Lance Armstrong
Tara Lipinski
Kobe Bryant
Mark McGwire
Jennifer Capriati
Yao Ming
Jeff Gordon
Shaquille O’Neal
Ken Griffey Jr.
Jackie Robinson
Mia Hamm
Alex Rodriguez
Tony Hawk
Babe Ruth
Ichiro
Curt Schilling
Derek Jeter
Sammy Sosa
Randy Johnson
Venus and Serena Williams
Michael Jordan
Tiger Woods
The #1 Sports Series For Kids
MATT CHRISTOPHER ®
Read them all!
Baseball Pals
Dive Right In
Baseball Turnaround
Double Play at Short
The Basket Counts
Face-Off
Body Check
Fairway Phenom
Catch That Pass!
Football Fugitive
Catcher with a Glass Arm
Football Nightmare
Catching Waves
The Fox Steals Home
Center Court Sting
Goalkeeper in Charge
Centerfield Ballhawk
The Great Quarterback
grinning triumphantly. They clearly had come with hopes of seeing the Stars whip the Thunderballs. Then the Tornadoes and
Thunderballs would be tied for the pennant.
It looked as if their hopes were going to come true. Stinky held the Thunderballs to a double in the bottom of the fifth,
and no runs.
The Stars started off well again as they came up for the sixth and final inning. Cyclone let a grounder zip through his legs.
That was it, though. The Stars couldn’t score.
“One, two, three, Stinky!” yelled Bugs Wheeler.
“Dog!” snorted Nick.
Pat, leading off, flied out. Johnny walked.Cyclone flied out. One more out and the ball game would be over.
Then Jerry singled. They were still alive! “Keep it going, Nick!” Mom shouted.
“Save me a rap, Nick!” Gale Matson pleaded.
Nick looked nervously at Stinky. For some unknown reason he was never able to hit Stinky’s pitches. He was sure that if he
swung away he’d strike out, just as he had done the last time. And that would be it. The ball game would be over, and Bugs
Wheeler, Coach Stevens, and the rest of the Tornadoes would never let him live it down. They’d be gloating at the playoff
game.
Suddenly he remembered what Mom had said in another game:
Do we have to do the expected all the time?
He looked toward first and then third. The Stars were playing deep. He could try a bunt. It just might work. What could he
lose?
The pitch came in. He shifted his feet and bunted the ball down the third-base line, catching the Stars completely off their
guard! The bunt was perfect!
“Nice going, Nick!” shouted Mom.
Three on and Gale came up. The fans yelled. Gale’s parents sat still, waiting patiently.
“There you are, Gale!” yelled Nick. “I saved you a rap! Now, clonk it!”
Stinky stretched and pitched. Gale swung.
Crack!
A solid smash! A high long ball to deep left! It kept going. . . going . . . Gone over the fence! A home run!
It was over. The Thunderballs — and Mom — had won the pennant.
Gale beamed proudly as he gripped Nick’s hand. “Thanks for saving me that rap!”
The Snows came forward and shook handswith Mom. “Wayne thinks an awful lot of you, Mrs. Vassey,” said Mrs. Snow. “He’s always talking about you and your family.
I wonder if you all would come over some day soon. My husband and I would love to have you. Will you?”
Mom’s face shone radiantly. “We’ll be glad to, Mrs. Snow.”
Another figure joined the small group. Burt Stevens. A smile was on his face, but it wasn’t as broad as it had been. He stretched
out his hand to shake Mom’s.
“Congratulations, Coach,” he said. “You won it fair and square.”
Mom’s eyes sparkled. “Thank you, Mr. Stevens,” she said, and then added mischievously, “Sorry you don’t get a chance for a
playoff.”
“And I won the bet,” Dad said. “The Stevenses are taking the Vasseys out for aChinese dinner. That’s the bet we had agreed on in Mr. Wong’s restaurant. Tomorrow okay, Coach Stevens?”
“Tomorrow’s fine,” said Mr. Stevens, smiling.
Matt Christopher ®
Sports Bio Bookshelf
Muhammad Ali
Mario Lemieux
Lance Armstrong
Tara Lipinski
Kobe Bryant
Mark McGwire
Jennifer Capriati
Yao Ming
Jeff Gordon
Shaquille O’Neal
Ken Griffey Jr.
Jackie Robinson
Mia Hamm
Alex Rodriguez
Tony Hawk
Babe Ruth
Ichiro
Curt Schilling
Derek Jeter
Sammy Sosa
Randy Johnson
Venus and Serena Williams
Michael Jordan
Tiger Woods
The #1 Sports Series For Kids
MATT CHRISTOPHER ®
Read them all!
Baseball Pals
Dive Right In
Baseball Turnaround
Double Play at Short
The Basket Counts
Face-Off
Body Check
Fairway Phenom
Catch That Pass!
Football Fugitive
Catcher with a Glass Arm
Football Nightmare
Catching Waves
The Fox Steals Home
Center Court Sting
Goalkeeper in Charge
Centerfield Ballhawk
The Great Quarterback
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