“play ball!” called the umpire, a tall lad, a bit older than any of the players. tommy and dan danforth, the rival captains, had decided that an older lad’s decisions would stand better than those given by a small youth. “play ball!”
“now, tommy, show ’em how you strike ’em out!” called sammie sandlass.
“yes, nothing less than a whitewash!” added teddy bunker. it was all in good-natured fun, and no one minded it.
“we’ll get all the runs we need this inning, and then we can take it easy the rest of the game,” predicted captain dan.
“yes, we’ll see what kind of a wooden arm tommy has,” put in george squire.
“come on! play ball! play ball!” advised the umpire.
tommy sent in as swift a ball as he could, and he was quite delighted when pete johnson, the first one of the juniors at bat, missed it.
“i guess i can curve, after all, eh?” asked the pitcher.
“that was an accident. i’ll hit the next one,” declared pete, and he did, getting to first base. patsie cook made a foul and got out, and billy newhouse ran for first, only to be put out there, as he had not hit the ball far enough. but dan danforth brought in pete from third base, with [pg 123]the first run of the game, and the roarers felt a little downcast at the start their rivals made. however, that was all the visitors scored in their half of the first inning.
“now to see what we can do!” exclaimed tommy, and to his delight his side got two runs. then there was a discussion about a boy being put out at home. tommy and his mates disagreed with the decision of the umpire.
“say, if you don’t give in, i’ll quit!” declared the boy who was calling strikes and balls.
“oh, well, we’ll give it, but he wasn’t out!” insisted tommy.
“oh, we’ll snow you under!” declared dan, with a laugh.
from then on the home team played very poor ball, until in the eighth inning the score was ten to six in favor of the visitors, when tommy’s nine came in for their half of that inning.
“four to tie and five to win!” cried tommy.
“we never can do it!” declared teddy, sorrowfully.
“yes, we can—we’ve just got to!” exclaimed the young captain.
it looked, too, as if they might, for they got three runs without a player being out.
“oh, we’re going through without any trouble!” exulted tommy. and then his lads got tired and could not hit well, while the other boys did some pretty fielding work.
“we must get that one run!” cried tommy, but it was not to be, and when the ninth inning opened the score was ten runs to nine in favor of the visitors.
“and here is where we go out!” declared dan, as his first player stepped to the stone that marked home plate.
“i’ve just got to pitch for all i’m worth!” thought tommy, desperately. and he did. somehow he managed to strike out the two first boys in quick succession. then[pg 124] the next one hit what was the best ball of that day. he got to third base on it, and if he had been a little quicker he would have gone home.
“play for the batter,” advised teddy, who was catching, and tommy nodded his head, to show that he understood. if they could get the batter out, the run would not come in, and the roarers would still have a chance to win, as they had the last chance at bat.
“three balls!” called the umpire, after there had been two strikes named.
“if the next one is a ball, he’ll take his base,” reflected tommy, “and the next boy up is a heavy hitter. i’ve got to strike him out. i must do it!”
and he did. how it thrilled him to hear the umpire shout:
“three strikes—batter out!” for the ball was safe in teddy’s big mitt.
“now to win!” cried tommy, as his side came in.
there was a dispute on the part of the visitors, but the umpire held to his decision.
the visitors worked hard to hold the lead they had, but the home team was desperate.
“fellows, you’ve never played better!” cried tommy. “go in now and win!”
sammie sandlass was up first, and, though he never was a very good hitter, he managed to knock what was only a two-bagger, but on which he got to third, as the boy trying to catch the ball muffed it.
“now a home run, and the game is ours!” cried tommy, as frank bonder came up. frank was not usually very reliable, but this time he surprised all his friends.
“go on! go on!”
“home run!”
[pg 125]
“come on in, sammie!”
everybody was yelling as the ball sailed down the field after frank hit it. oh, how he ran! faster and faster, trying to beat the boy after the ball!
sammie was safe at home now, with the run that tied the score, and frank was coming. it was a close race, but frank won.
“how’s that?” demanded the visiting catcher as he stood over frank, who was down in the dust.
“safe!” said the umpire.
“never!” yelled the team from millton.
“sure he’s safe!” insisted tommy. “anyhow, if he isn’t, it’s only one out; the game is tied, and we have two more chances.”
“he’s safe,” declared the umpire, and the visitors had to allow it. that made the score eleven to ten in favor of the home team. tommy’s nine had won the victory which he most desired. it was great!
“all right, i guess you win,” admitted dan, after a discussion. “well, tommy, you defeated us. you’ve got a fine team and a good diamond.”
“well, we worked hard for it,” said tommy. “we’ll play you again next year. we’re champions now! hurrah!”
“are you going to have the same nine?” asked dan.
“yes, or one like it, and, say, i’m going to have a lot of fun this fall and winter,” he went on. “there are a fine crowd of boys in this town.”
“there sure are,” agreed dan. and those of you who are interested in the future fortunes of tommy may read of what he did that fall in the book to follow this, to be called “tommy tiptop and his football eleven; or, a great victory and how it was won.” and after the football[pg 126] season tommy continued to be active, as he always was. i am going to tell you what he did after the eleven was disbanded, in the third book of the series, to be called “tommy tiptop and his winter sports; or, jolly times on the ice and in camp.”
over the diamond thronged the boys of the two teams, cheering each other, laughing and shouting. of course dan’s team felt badly at losing the game, but they were glad tommy had won, for they were quite proud of him.
“well played, youngsters!” exclaimed mr. fillmore, who with his friend, the hardware man, was at the game. “well played! it was worth seeing!”
tommy tiptop felt very proud and happy.
“oh, but you are so dirty!” exclaimed his mother, who with nellie, and some of her daughter’s girl friends, had come to the contest. “so dirty and hot!”
“that doesn’t matter, mother. we won! we won!” cried tommy.
and now, as he is marching across the diamond with his friends, old and new, in their baseball suits, cheering and laughing, we will take leave of tommy tiptop.
the end
