THE BANDITS’ FIRST GAME THE next day was against a team from Havertown, Pennsylvania. They were a tall team, every one of them, with a tall coach, and that made the Bandits look like a ragtag bunch, until they began to play. When the score was 14–2, Coach Allen put Daniel in the game to pitch.
“Let’s see what you got,” said the coach.
Daniel sprinted to the mound and threw his first pitch so wild that Fanny couldn’t even get his glove on it. The Bandits all laughed in a good-natured way, and Coach Allen cupped his hands and raised his voice. “You’ll be fine, Daniel. One pitch at a time. Just relax.”
Daniel shook out his arms, took a big breath, and blew it out. His next pitch went right down the middle, but the Havertown player caught hold of it. From second base Jalen leaped into the air, stretched his glove, and snagged it. The bleachers erupted with applause, and his teammates and coaches showered him with praise.
Daniel turned and grinned at him from the mound. “I’ll set them up, and you knock them down.”
“You got it, amigo,” Jalen replied, giving him a thumbs-up.
Daniel gave up four hits and one run in that final inning, but he got out of a tight spot at the end to seal the win, and his new teammates swamped him with back slaps and high fives. For his part, Jalen had hit a home run and a single, striking out just once and walking once. He also made several nice plays in the field.
They had pizza for lunch at a place just off Harvard Square, then spent some time by the pool before their second game later in the day. Cat’s mom appeared and showed her and Jalen the three tickets JY had secured for them for Sunday.
“They’re in the same spot as the ones he got for us at Yankee Stadium, right up against the wall near the dugout.” Cat’s mom frowned. “He wouldn’t even tell me how much they cost. It must have been a lot. He also asked me to remind you to hold the four-fingers sign under your chin if you think it’s going to come in high. Does that make sense to you?”
“Yup,” Jalen said. “I got it.”
• • •
The Bandits won their late afternoon game, but only by a 5–3 score, and Coach Allen put Gertz in to finish the last inning and seal the win. They had been keeping Gertz in reserve, saving him to start in the championship game if they got there.
The tournament organizers were based in Dillon Fieldhouse, next to the ball fields. Outside was a big board with all the brackets for the various age groups. On it were the results, and after their second game, Jalen saw that the Bandits and the Rockets were on a collision course for the finals. The Bandits had to beat a team from Buffalo, New York, and the Rockets one from Portland, Maine, to make it happen.
Everyone talked about the tournament and what it would be like to play Rockton for the second time in a row while Daniel kept them all entertained with his scouting report on their former team.
“Watch out for their ace pitcher, Chris Gamble.” Daniel’s voice sounded like he was telling a ghost story. “He’s the coach’s son, and his breath could knock down a dinosaur.”
Everyone laughed. They crossed the bridge beneath the darkening sky, with downtown Boston glimmering at them from the distance, and the river below. A comfortable breeze slipped past, and without thinking, Jalen put his arm around Cat’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze.
Almost instantly he felt silly, but when she leaned her head against his shoulder, he knew it was all right. Still, when Daniel turned around to ask Jalen if he should tell the story about how they put rabbit poo in Chris’s lunch bag, Jalen dropped his arm quickly and told him to go ahead and tell it, and the Bandits players howled with delight.
“So, I’m not just a fabulous pitcher.” Daniel chuckled. “I’m an expert joker, too.”
“You’re no Fanny, though,” someone said, kicking it off.
“Who’s talking about my Fanny?”
“Let’s save the Fanny talk for later. There’s a lady present.”
“Ladies like a good Fanny.”
“Just don’t touch my Fanny.”
They laughed and talked, and in the twilight, it felt magical to Jalen, like a band of friends lost in time and space. Everyone voted for another meal at Shake Shack before walking back to the hotel. They entered the hotel lobby in one big group, bubbling with laughter and making all kinds of noise until Coach Allen gave his whistle a short toot to get their attention and told them all to get right up to their rooms.
“Bed check in thirty minutes,” he barked. “We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
When Cat got off the elevator on the fourth floor, where she and her mom were staying, she turned and said good night to everyone, but Jalen was pretty certain when their eyes met that she was saying something more to him without actually saying it. Like, they were best friends forever.
After watching the Yankees drop their second game to the Red Sox by a 3–1 score, Jalen said good night to Gertzy and put out the light. When his phone buzzed, he read the text to him and Cat. It was from JY, asking if they were ready for tomorrow. Jalen didn’t know if he was ready, but he was so tired from a long day of baseball that he felt himself drifting off immediately. And it wasn’t JY or Daniel or Chris that his last thoughts were about. They weren’t even about his mom.
Instead he thought about Cat.