And starting on the mound for Pennsylvania in this year’s Mid-Atlantic Regional final,” the voice over the stadium loudspeaker boomed, “Ca-a-ar-ter Jones!”
Carter bounded out of the shade of the first-base dugout and onto the green grass of the baseball diamond. Whoops and cheers rose from the fans packed into the bleachers of Leon J. Breen Memorial Field. Carter slapped palms with the five boys already standing in line along the base path: second baseman Freddie Detweiler, first baseman Keith O’Donnell, right fielder Craig Ruckel, left fielder Charlie Murray, and catcher Ash LaBrie. Beneath their green-and-white caps, their faces shone with equal parts excitement, apprehension, and determination. Carter knew how they were feeling because he was feeling exactly the same way.
Carter took his place next to Ash. Ash nudged him and grinned.
“You ready?” the blond-haired, brown-eyed catcher asked, raising his voice so Carter could hear him over the crowd.
Carter returned his grin and nodded.
If people had told Carter eight months ago that he’d be playing in the Mid-Atlantic final, he would have said they were crazy. Get that far in the postseason without Liam behind the plate? No way!
Liam had been Carter’s catcher from the time Carter began pitching in the Little League Major Division. But then Liam moved across the country.
Carter knew being uprooted was difficult for Liam. But it wasn’t easy for him, either. Liam left a big hole in Carter’s life, not to mention behind home plate. Carter hadn’t expected anyone to fill either anytime soon.
Then Ash and his mother moved into the McGraths’ house in January. Within a week, Ash was standing in Carter’s living room, telling him he wanted to be his catcher that season. He stated his belief that if they teamed up, they could play their way to the World Series that summer.
Out of loyalty to Liam, Carter kept his distance from Ash at first. Then he and Ash were drafted onto the same Little League team, the Hawks. To his surprise, Carter found he worked well with Ash. Thanks in large part to their efforts, the Hawks took first place in their league. On June 15, both Carter and Ash were on the Forest Park All-Star roster.
Carter, Ash, and their new teammates meshed right from the start. They swept past the competition in the District tournament in June. Victory at Sectionals in mid-July advanced them to the State tournament, where they faced the best teams in Pennsylvania. They lost their first game at States, yet in the end they earned the right to represent Pennsylvania in the ten-day Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut.
Forest Park’s winning ways continued in Bristol. On the first Saturday in August, they beat the team from the District of Columbia. The next day they defeated New York. Forest Park edged out Maryland on Tuesday and Delaware on Wednesday.
Going into the semifinal round on Friday, Pennsylvania was in first place with a record of four wins and no losses. There the team faced fourth-place Delaware for the second time. Six innings later, Pennsylvania had another check mark in the win column—and Delaware was out of the tournament. Earlier that day, third-place DC had surprised everyone by defeating second-place New Jersey. While Carter sympathized with the disappointed Jersey players, he was psyched to be facing DC, a team they had already beaten, in the championship.
He knew better than to get overconfident, however. Overconfidence could lead to laziness. Laziness could lead to errors. Errors could mean defeat—and defeat meant watching from the sidelines while the DC players packed their bags for South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and the World Series tournament.
Am I ready? Carter thought as he slapped hands with shortstop Raj Turner, third baseman Allen Avery, center fielder Ron Davis, and substitutes Stephen Kline, Luke Armstrong, Peter Molina, and Charlie Santiago. Am I ever!
Last to jog through the introduction line were the coaches, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Filbert, and Mr. Walker. All three were beaming and looking every bit as excited as the players themselves.
The loudspeaker crackled. “We will now have a representative from each team come forward to recite the Little League pledge.”
Charlie M., Forest Park’s rep, joined a DC player at the microphone. “I trust in God. I love my country and will respect its laws,” they said in unison. “I will play fair and strive to win, but win or lose, I will always do my best.”
They stepped back into their lines. Coach Filbert and one of the DC coaches took their places to recite the Little League Parent and Volunteer pledge.
“I will teach all children to play fair and do their best. I will positively support all managers, coaches, and players. I will respect the decisions of the umpires. I will praise a good effort despite the outcome of the game.”
Back in the dugout, the teammates listened intently as Coach Harrison delivered one final pep talk.
“What can I say that I haven’t said already?” he asked. “You boys have impressed us with your talent, your drive, your team spirit, and your sportsmanship. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing, and you’ll walk off that field as winners—whether you win the game or not. Now let’s hear it!”
Carter and the others put their hands together and chanted, “Forest Park, one-two-three! Forest Park, one-two-three!” The chant ended when the boys flung their arms skyward with a triumphant yell.
Carter grabbed his glove and hustled out to the mound. He and his teammates took their last warm-ups, and then it was time to face the first DC batter.
Carter received the game ball from the home-plate umpire. The leadoff hitter approached the box. The fans stilled, their voices lowered to a respectful hush.
But they could have been screaming and stomping their feet for all Carter would have noticed. He leaned forward, the ball held loosely in his left hand behind his back, and waited for Ash to flash him the signal for the game’s first pitch.
Yeah. He was ready.