“Hey!” shouted Jack. “Give that back!”

Jack had to get his cap! But first he had to get rid of the ball he was holding.

A Dodgers batboy at home plate held up his glove.

Jack hurled the ball toward him. But his throw didn’t go very far. It nearly hit the umpire at first base.

The umpire yelled at Jack. So did some fans.

Jack was in shock. He didn’t know what to do. He looked around for the kid who had stolen his cap, but the kid was gone.

The umpire shouted something to a security guard on the sidelines. The guard started toward Jack.

Jack began running along the outfield wall toward the dugout. He had to get Annie! They had to get out of the ballpark!

Jack didn’t see Annie in the Braves dugout. So he dashed inside the clubhouse. He grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulder. Then he looked around wildly.

No one was there.

“Annie!” Jack shouted. “Annie!”

“What?” she called back.

Jack tore around the corner. He found Annie filling water jugs in the kitchen area.

“We have to go!” Jack cried. “Some kid stole my cap! A security guard is after me!”

“Oh, no!” said Annie.

The door to the clubhouse banged open.

Annie rushed over to Jack. She pulled off her magic cap and placed it on his head. Then she hid behind the door.

The guard and the clubhouse manager came around the corner to the kitchen area.

“Hello, kid,” the guard said, nodding at Jack. He was the same guard who’d brought them into the ballpark.

“Hello,” said Jack. Annie’s cap made him feel calm and confident again.

“Did you see a young boy come in here?” the guard asked.

“A young boy?” Jack asked.

“A skinny little guy wearing glasses,” the guard said. “He was trespassing on the field.”

“Oh. No, sir,” said Jack, shaking his head. “I didn’t see a skinny little guy.”

“Okay.” The guard turned to the clubhouse manager. “Let’s check outside.”

As they turned to go, the manager spied Annie behind the door.

“Hey! What are you doing in here, missy?” he said.

“I’m a batboy,” said Annie.

“No, you’re not! You’re a little girl!” said the manager.

“You can’t be in here!” shouted the guard. “We’ll lose our jobs!”

“Wait!” said Jack. He pulled off the magic cap and tossed it to Annie.

She put it on and looked up. “See? I’m a batboy!” she said.

The clubhouse manager and the guard looked very confused. They squinted at Annie.

“Oh, I see that now,” the manager grumbled. “Well, we’d better look outside.”

But as the guard turned to Jack, he gasped. “Wait a minute! You’re the little kid we’re looking for!”

“No! He’s not!” said Annie. “He’s a batboy!” She pulled off the magic cap and tried to put it on Jack’s head.

The guard snatched it away from her. “I’ll take that!”

“I don’t know what’s going on here,” said the manager, “but you kids have to get out—now!”

“Uh, can we take the water jugs to the guys first?” said Annie. “The team is thirsty.”

“NO!” yelled the clubhouse manager and the guard together.

“March!” said the guard.

Jack and Annie headed for the door.

Outside the clubhouse, the security guard pointed toward the exit.

“That way!” he said.

Jack kept his head down as he walked with Annie. The two men followed them. Jack hoped no one was watching. When he heard laughter, he was sure people were laughing at them.

“Hurry up!” ordered the manager.

Jack and Annie stepped from the open park onto the ramp. They walked ahead of the guard and the manager through a turnstile. Then they headed into the huge round lobby.

Ticket sellers gawked at them as they crossed the room. The guard and the manager led them out through one of the doors.

Outside on the street, Annie stopped and looked at the manager. “Sir, remember—”

“Keep going!” the guard said.

“Remember when you said, ‘Good job, boys’?” Annie said. “That was us.”

The manager ignored her.

“Go!” he said. He pointed down the street. “And don’t ever come anywhere near this ballpark again! Never again!”