SIDE ARM A Fictional Player Story

[vrobx1]

A quick look at my season so far:

14 starts, 82.0 IP, 2-12, 7.90 ERA, 57 BB, 21 K, 4 homers allowed, 133 total hits allowed.



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[vrobx1]

Dear Bobby,

I don't know if you remember me. We were in speech class together. We never got to talk then.

My sister got your address from your sister. You met my sister last year when she spent the night with your sister.

I hope you are doing well.

We started band practice. I can't believe this is my last year in band! I made head twiller. I am so excited about that.

Your sister said you have been struggling with the new team. You are a good pitcher. Just keep your head up. You will be great. I know you will.

What is Reno like? I'd love to get to go to Reno.

I don't have a boyfriend anymore. Craig is off to college now and doesn't want to be tied down to a high school child anymore.

His word.

Child.

Makes me wonder who the real child is.

Sorry. You probably don't want to hear about that.

I hope you write back. Would be nice to be friends.

Take care and good luck in your next game.

Tisha

I read the letter and went right out and sent her a postcard.

I don't need these kinds of problems in my life.

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[vrobx1]

The constant losing took its toll. My calls home became less frequent. The underage illegal consumption of alcohol became more frequent. Especially on the weekend the Reno Padres were the team with four days off.

We went and watched the movie Teen Wolf. It was okay. Kind of cute I guess. Should have gone and watched something where stuff got blown up. I might have felt better then.

On August 24, it was like deja vu all over again. Except this time, the game was in Reno. The opponent was the San Jose Bees. Their pitcher was Kazuaki Kawamura.

I walked the first two batters of the game.

Oh yeah. This is going to be great.

After five men had come to the plate, I had 4 walks and a strikeout. Another strikeout and maybe I could get out of the innning.

Then I made the mistake.

I shook off Sandy calling for a change up. I threw the fastball.

CRACK!!!!

Oh son of a....

Sandy just glared at me as 1, 2, 3 and 4 men crossed the plate.

"I know. I know. I know."

Incredibly I went 8 innnings. Not so incredibly I allowed 9 runs. Well, one of them was unearned. 8 hits and 7 walks. 4 strikeouts.

Can this season please just end!



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[Archelirion]

Sounds like it's starting to be a bit of a painful one. Fluffing a loaded base situation isn't what anyone wants to do. Only way is up from here I guess!

I don't know if you remember me. We were in speech class together. We never got to talk then.

That got a laugh out of me!

[vrobx1]

"What we have to do is figure out why you struggle so with the strike zone early in the game."

Broadway had a valid point. In the 9-2 loss to San Jose, 5 of my 7 walks came in the first inning. In the 12-4 loss to Modesto, 3 of my 4 walks came in the first inning.

Was it me? Was I trying too hard? Was I too amped to start the game? Was it the hitters? Were they being more patient early in games?

Maybe it was the increase in calls for the change up. I was trying too hard to spot the ball? Would going back to more of the fast ball help?

So many questions. So few answers.

I was sent to the tape to watch and rewatch my first innnings. I did seem to throw more strikes when I threw more fastballs. The change up, however, was an ugly mess.

I had to be honest. I did not have faith in the off speed pitch.

"Believe it or not," Sandy said as we watched the film together. "You have gotten better from your arrival here. I'm your catcher. I would know."

He paused the tape.

"Even your control is better."

"Change up?"

Sandy laughed long and loud. "You might have one of the worst off-speed pitches in the history of baseball."

Gee. Thanks.

"That's why we keep working on it. You are only as strong as your weakest link. We are going to make you into a great off-speed pitcher! You can bank on it!"

He grinned.

"You ever write any of those girls back?"

"Why. You want to write one of them?"

"Got any pictures?"

"Terrible! Terrible, Sandy, terrible!"

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[vrobx1]

Dear Bobby,

Hi. How are you? I got your address from the athletic department. Everyone at IHS is rooting for you. I wish we could watch you on tv. Maybe one day.

The school year is about to start. I'm a senior. Yay!

I got moved up to head cheerleader. Tammy got pregnant and was kicked off the squad. Her parents pulled her out of school. I think she transferred to Victoria. There were a lot of hard feelings. I also heard that Mike dumped her as soon as she told him she was pregnant. What a jerk!

I am excited about volleyball season too. I think we can win district this year. Not having any seniors last year helps now with everyone coming back. I am positive we will at least get the second playoff spot but district is the goal.

I want you to know that you inspire me. I am hoping for a volleyball scholarship and I say to myself look at Bobby. You work as hard as he did and you can make it too. So I have been exercising and really trying to get stronger so I can put more power in my spikes and serves. I just hope the new muscle definition doesn't chase away the boys. Haha. Boys. I may be the first head cheerleader in history to not get a prom date.

Oh, I wanted to tell you. Mister Harrelson is retiring so Coach Nicholson is moving up from principal to superintendent and Mister Fisher is going to become the principal. I know you remember when Mister Fisher accused Coach Nicholson of playing favorites with star athletes. Some people think Mister Fisher may now put higher standards on the athletes to make up for it. I am not worried. I have always earned my grades.

I included a couple of pictures. One in my cheerleader uniform and one in my volleyball uniform. That way you will never forget about us IHS Cobras when you are a world famous baseball player.

Please write back. I could use the encouragement this year.

Sincerely
Beth

I looked over her pictures. She had been trimming up a bit over the summer. She had always had a good body to begin with. It always seemed odd to me that she had never had a boyfriend in school. I had always wondered if she was.....

Guess not.

Well, Sandy, you wanted pictures?

Maybe not.

I might actually write her back.

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[vrobx1]

"Clint Zavaras was named California League Pitcher of the Month."

Talk about a way to completely grind into my face how bad I had started off my professional baseball career.

Clint Zavaras was exactly 11 days older than me. He was in the same draft as me. Except that he was drafted in the 18th round. Not the first.

You know. Like I was.

He was with the Fresno Giants.

His stat line:
7-3 4.38 ERA 51 BB 76 K

Mine:
2-13 8.00 ERA 64 BB 25 K

Maybe they picked up the wrong name on draft day and meant to take him in the first round?

"Here's the thing," Broadway said. "Zavaras is not going to get any better than this. He will be a career minor leaguer. He has pretty much peaked. You, though, you will go on to be one of the best ever. In a decade, no one will have heard of Clint Zavaras and this entire season will be long forgotten."

"No, coach," I said. "This is something I will never forget." I could feel my face hardening. Made me think of the look on Sandy's face when we first met. "I will never forget how much I have grown to hate losing!"

Coach Broadway smiled. "Good! And by the way, we're skipping your turn in the rotation this week!"

"What? You can't do that!"

"We already have. Now, ice the arm and rest. I don't want any hard pitching from you until we tell you when your next start is."

Dammit!

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[vrobx1]

"Have you written her back?"

"Who?"

"That volleyball player."

"No."

"Really, James. I got to call pitches and your love life?"

I laughed. "I'll get around to it, Sandy. Just..."

"You haven't gone Rock Hudson have you?"

"What? Oh no. No no no."

Sandy laughed. And then that one sentence broke the laughter and the room got deathly quiet.

"Alomar. Skip needs to see you."

Broadway and hitting coach Gene Crowley were making their way through the room with a list of names. The walk of the Grim Reaper to a minor league ballplayer.

We looked at each other and then Sandy Alomar Jr took the long walk to Keith Stephen's office.

"I am being transferred," Sandy told me a few minutes later. "I am flying out to Florida tonight. I am going to be playing for the Padres Miami team. The Marlins."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Beats me. It's not a promotion or demotion. Just sending me to a different 1 A team."

I looked around the room.

"Yeah, a few of us are going. Keep your head up. Hopefully we'll be a duo again down the road."

We shook hands and Sandy picked up his bag and walked out the door.

I then went over to Jaime Moreno.

"Looks like you're our starting catcher now."

"Yeah, whatever."

Oh lovely.....

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[vrobx1]

"It was September call-ups," Broadway explained. "One group goes to San Diego so they have to be replaced by guys from Texas and then they have to be replaced and so on."

We met before the game against Redwood. It would be my first start in over a week.

"Miami's season ends in about two and a half weeks. We still got over a month so he might be back in Reno before September ends."

That would be nice. Because Jaime just...

"I know, James. Jaime just doesn't have the fire in his belly that Sandy has. It's just something that can't be taught, either."

Redwood suffered a blow in the first inning when their starting pitcher went down holding his neck.

The walks came in the second innning. Three of them. The Pioneers cashed them in for a pair of runs.

The Pioneers came into the game leading the league in home runs. They wouldn't get one off me.

They wouldn't need to.

Their relief pitchers simply didn't allow anything to happen. We never got a runner to second base.

Yet, for some reason, I was named Player of the Game.

My line was adequate.

7.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 5 K.

But we lost 3-0.

The fact that they didn't have any of their pitchers go 5 innnings probably had something to do with it. And also of the 7 hits, only one was for extra bases.

Still.

We lost.

How do you name the losing pitcher Player of the Game?

The media is so strange sometimes.

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[vrobx1]

Dear Beth,

I got your letter and I am writing back even though I really don't know what to say.

I am stunned and a little bit unsure of how to take you saying you are inspired by me. You have always been a great athlete in your own right and your own abilities have gotten you where you are.

I still remember the first time you tried out for cheerleader how you had the whole school speechless when you cartwheeled and backflipped right onto the stage while the rest of the girls could barely do one high kick.

You have always been that standout girl. I know you'll get that volleyball scholarship you want.

Speaking of volleyball, I heard yall won the consolation trophy in your first preseason tournament. Sucks you had to face the eventual champs in the first round. Do you play them again before district starts?

Our last game is October 6. No, there won't be any playoffs for us. No. No no no. Oh no. We are really really bad. Like my freshman year on the basketball team when we lost every game and that one game we lost 26-2.

We are that bad.

So, I should be home for some high school football games. Hope we can beat the Brahmas this year. It still sucks that we lost district by one single point. Would have been awesome to have been the senior class that finally put IHS in the playoffs.

Speaking of playoffs, I think I might just go check out some high school volleyball playoffs too. I am sure hoping I see a friendly face on that court. I think them Lady Cobras will be there this year.

I better mail this then before the postman leaves and I end up getting home before it does.

Feel free to write me anytime.

Bye
Bobby



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[vrobx1]

"38? I hadn't realized he was that old!"

"Who you calling old?"

"Sorry, Broadway."

Coach Broadway had brought me a newspaper article to read. Nolan Ryan had just notched his 250th career win. The Astros had beaten the Cubs 4-1.

"They pulled him awful early." Ryan pitched just 5 innnings in this game. And still had recorded 8 K's.

"Well, he is 38. Old. Your word, James. That was the word you used."

He had a little trouble in the first inning. Boy, didn't I ever know how that felt. He had hit Shawon Dunston with a pitch. Ryne Sandberg singled and then Leon Durham singled to score Dunston.

The Astros came back in the fourth. Mark Bailey tied the game with an RBI double and then Ryan gave the Astros the lead with an RBI single.

"Winning pitcher and game winning RBI! You've got to be kidding me!"

The Astros, now 67-65, were in second place in the NL West. 21.5 games behind the Dodgers.

"Man, I really hate the Dodgers!"

Our Padres were 67-67.

"I hope the Dodgers get beat by the Expos again."

"Anybody but the Dodgers, huh James."

"You got it!"

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[vrobx1]

"That's it, James. You're done tonight."

We were coming off the field at the end of the seventh innning. The score was 3-3.

I guess I should have been happy with my performance. We were tied on the road at Bakersfield. The Dodgers had the best record in the California League. The best offense. Highest scoring team.

But I wasn't.

I had been given the lead twice and failed to hold it.

In the top of the second, Lawrence Swanzy had hit a 2-run double to put us up 2-0.

But, in the bottom of the third, one of my patented leadoff walks made it all the way around to score without the Dodgers getting a single hit in the innning.

That's the most frustrating thing to have happen.

The Dodgers strung together three singles to tie the game in the fifth.

But Jaime Moreno put us back in the lead with an RBI double in the top of the sixth.

But the Dodgers got the run back in the bottom of the sixth.

3-3.

And I would not be around to see the end of it.

The Dodgers would score in the eighth to win 4-3

We had now lost 9 in a row.

For my line:
7.0 IP, 12 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K

Oh, and we were officially eliminated from the post season. As if that were even a question.

I told myself as we boarded the bus to head back to Reno that I would never allow myself or my team to go through another season like this.

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[vrobx1]

I'm starting today.

Of course I am.

It's Friday the 13th.

We were in Modesto, California taking on the A's.

It was a beautiful afternoon, early evening. Clear skies. 62 degrees. The wind was blowing in from the left at 11 mph.

We got on the board in the top of the first. Vic Hithe and Wayne Davis hit back-to-back doubles and it was 1-0.

I came in and a walk and a single gave the A's runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the first. But then Kurt Deluca guessed fast ball and swung way too early on an off speed with the count 2-2.

Strike three!

I then struck out Dan Winters on three pitches to end the inning!

In the bottom of the second, the A's got a single and stolen base from Camilo Veras but he was stranded at second.

In the bottom of the third, the A's got a lead off double from Rob Lambert but then there straight fly outs ended the innning.

Through three innings, I had only walked one. And we led 1-0.

"That's the way, James! Alright now! Let's get him some run support, guys. Let's go!"

But our bats remained silent.

I issued a walk in the fourth but picked the guy off at first for an unconventional three up three down. I got the regular three up three down in the fifth. A leadoff single and passed ball in the sixth still wasn't enough to slow me down as that runner was stranded at second.

We were still ahead 1-0 with three innnings to go.

Friday the 13th and I am having my best game yet, I thought. That figures.

In the top of the seventh, Richard Scales got a two out single but that's all.

Still 1-0.

"You good, James?"

"Yeah, Skip, I got them."

The first two came to bat and were retired. But then. Walk. Single. Walk.

Bases were loaded. Two down. I just needed one more out.

The batter was James Jones. He watched a fast ball go by.

Strike one!

Jaime Moreno then called for the change up. I had learned long ago not to shake off my catcher.

I nodded. Took the juice off the pitch.

Ground ball.

Between short and third.

Into left field.

No.

No no no!

One run scored. Second run came home.

I just felt like all my guts had been ripped out.

I gritted my teeth and struck out Felix Jose to end the inning.

But we trailed 2-1.

I had failed to hold the lead late.

"We'll get it back! You're okay, James. We'll get it back."

We did get two men on in the top of the eighth but Wayne Davis flied out to right to retire the side.

The A's got a two out single in the bottom of the eighth but nothing more.

Top of the ninth.

All I could do was sit and watch.

Jaime came up with one out and got a single.

Tying run on base. We got a chance!

Scales grounded right back to the pitcher. Jaime was out at second. Two away.

James Torchia came up and grounded a 1-0 pitch to third.

Final score: Modesto 2 Reno 1.

My line:
8.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, L

We went back to the hotel and I just went in my room and closed the door.

For the stats junkie, I had pitched a really good game.

But for me, the only thing I could look at was the L.

I ordered a pizza and watched some tv and ignored the ringing phone.

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[vrobx1]

It would be over a week until my next start, a 9-0 loss to San Jose. The less said about that game the better.

There were just two more weeks left in the season.

My line was just awful:
19 starts. A 2-16 record. 7.16 ERA. 84 walks. 36 strikeouts.

I was ready for the season to be over.

Ready to go home.

But also ready to get another chance.

It wasn't so much that I was ready for this season to end as much as I was ready for the next season to begin.

I had a lot to prove.

This first year, I needed to take it and learn from it and move on to the next season.

There were a few things I was ready for after the season was over.

Taking Beth to homecoming was at the top of the list.

Seeing Mom and Dad was there as well.

But the thing that I was always thinking about was the 1986 season and how much different things would be then.

Beat me up all you can in 1985.

I am just going to be better for it!



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[vrobx1]

My next start came on September 29 in Stockton. There were just 8 games left in the season. I would probably get one more start before going home.

It pretty much looked like the California League Championship would come down to the San Jose Bees and the Bakersfield Dodgers.

I hate the Dodgers.

I had no intention of sticking around to watch the playoffs. I was going home and putting this miserable season behind me.

In the majors, the Dodgers and Expos had clinched again.

Man, I really hate the Dodgers!

The Red Sox had won the AL East.

The AL West was still a 4 team race, although the Royals were down to 1 in their elimination number. The Twins and Mariners were tied for first and the Athletics were 3 games back with 7 to play.

I got pounded again.

5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

We lost 9-1.

In my last 5 starts, we had scored a grand total of 5 runs.

My last start of the season was even worse.

3.0 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

And we lost 9-2.

To Bakersfield.

To the blankety blank blank blank Dodgers!

My final line for 1985:
2-18, 7.38 ERA, 128.0 IP, 89 BB, 41 K

Our final record was 41-102.

51.5 games out of first.

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[vrobx1]

In MLB, the Twins ended up edging out the Mariners by 1 game to win the AL East.

In the California League Championship, the San Jose Bees beat the Bakersfield Dodgers 4 games to 1.

Good!

In the ALCS, Boston swept the Twins and moved on to the World Series. In the NLCS, the Expos and Dodgers went the distance with Montreal winning Game 7 3-2, scoring two runs in the bottom of the eleventh to advance to the World Series for the second straight year.

Even better!

1985 already ending on a high note! With all Dodgers losing in the playoffs.

In the World Series, the Curse of the Banbino came to an end as the Red Sox won Game 7 6-2.

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[vrobx1]

The off-season disappeared and yet seemed to last forever all at the same time.

Homecoming was quite the interesting night as Beth and I got the most interesting looks from the crowd. IHS once again just had the one blemish in district, the Brahmas again, the Dodgers of high school football. The homecoming game was a 26-9 victory over the winless Bobcats. Beth was stunning in her red dress. I think some of her male classmates were seeing that side of her for the first time ever. A couple of them even came up to me and asked if they could dance with her. Which was funny. What was funnier was I never had to answer them because she immediately turned them down. They should have known by now that Beth was not going to be told who she could and couldn't dance with by some guy. Even if that guy was a professional baseball player.

I lost a bet to my Dad about the Super Bowl. My dad was an NFL/NFC guy. Just to be contrary, I took the Patriots against the Bears. Boy was that ugly!

Beth and I started casual dating. The facts I would be leaving and she was still a high school senior kept things from getting serious.

I turned 19 a couple of weeks before the Super Bowl. Just a few family friends and, of course, Beth were there. We went out and saw Rocky 4. Rocky music made me ready for the season to start.

I took Beth out to dinner for her 18th birthday.

During the off-season, I continued to throw every day. Sometimes on my own and some times I could get Coach Cummings to work with me when he wasn't working with the IHS school. Along with coaching, he also taught shop.

Speaking of Beth, she got her volleyball scholarship. The IHS volleyball had won district and advanced two playoff rounds before running into a juggernaut from Crandall High School. She got a scholarship to Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.

Soon, it was back to Reno for the 1986 California League Baseball Season!

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[vrobx1]

The one that is for sure in the baseball life is that nothing is for sure.

On December 15, 1985, the San Diego Padres had called. I was again being assigned to Spokane. Where I was originally scheduled to start to begin with.

And once again, I never threw a pitch for the Spokane Indians.

On May 4, 1986, they called back. Get to Reno. Immediately. I was starting on Tuesday.

The Reno Padres had already been playing about a month. In fact, Sandy had been there but was sent back to Miami on April 21. Jaime had been assigned to Spokane so I had a new catcher to meet.

John Frierson was 22 years old. He had been in Reno in '84 but played for Miami in '85. He was a decent player who the scouts said would make a good reserve catcher in the Big Show.

"Good to meet you, James."

We shook hands.

"Welcome back, James."

Broadway was there again. Keith Stephen was still the manager as well.

The Reno Padres had started off bad again. They were 7-18 when I took the mound for the first time in 1986.

But there was some extra media buzz going on.

"It's you, James," Broadway said.

These were national media guys covering top prospects. Apparently, I had been named the #19 prospect in MLB.

Hilarious.

National media people were enamored with me and the local people from Reno wouldn't have known who I was if I was grocery shopping at Albertsons.

"All right, James, let's put on a show." Frierson pulled down his mask and it was showtime.

Three up. Three down. I felt better. In control. I think it may have been a vibe I was getting from Frierson. There was like a positive energy that I guess only a pitcher and catcher can understand.

The top of the second started with a walk and then a single. But Frierson never flinched and I struck out the next two guys. A grounder to short retired the side.

I struck out the lead off hitter in the top of the third. A two out error was insignificant as I gave them nothing!

"Looking good, James," Stephen told me.

Kurt Deluca led off the top of the fourth with a double. But then I recorded another strikeout. A ground ball to first moved Deluca to third but a fly ball to center stranded him there.

I thought I could actually hear fans cheering. Reno Padres fans actually caring about the game on the field. All 4,014: of them.

I gave up a lead off walk in the top of the fifth. The A's bunted him to second. He moved to third on a ground out. But the next batter grounded the ball right back to me and I threw him out to retire the side.

In the bottom of the fifth, we took advantage of a couple of walks and Larry Allen got an RBI single to put us up 1-0.

Deluca got me again with a one out single in the top of the sixth but Frierson caught him stealing. That was huge because Charles Heist singled as well. But a fly ball to left retired the side.

The A's got a lead off single in the top of the seventh but I struck out the next two batters and a popout ended that.

The A's got a walk and a single to start the top of the eighth. Runners on the corners and nobody out. We just led 1-0. Frierson simply nodded at me to keep going.

Deluca was up.

I got ahead 0-2.

He grounded the ball to third. Paul Frye scooped it up. He held the runner on third and kept him from scoring. Then threw to first for the out. But now runners were at second and third.

Heist was next.

I waited for the call to intentionally walk him.

It never came.

The first pitch was grounded to short.

A clean pick up by Richard Scales.

He was able to hold the runners before firing the ball to first for the second out.

Fans rose to their feet.

I got ahead of the next batter 1-2. He hit the next pitch into right field.

I turned and watched it fall.

Harmlessly into the glove of Greg Sparks.

Three away!

Runners stranded at second and third.

I was on fumes but nothing was going to stop me!

The top of the ninth was anticimactic. It only took me seven pitches to get them three up three down.

I had a complete game shutout!

9.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K.

Player of the game!

1986 was going to be a much better year!

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[vrobx1]

Just wanted to sound off and give thanks to the readers and comments I have gotten.

Feel free to chime in at any time guys.

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[vrobx1]

In 1986, the California League had added a brand new team. The Ventura County Gulls. An affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.

We were 10-20 on May 11 when the Gulls came to Reno. They were 13-17 on the season.

It would be my second start of the season.

They got a 2 out double in the top of the first but I got their cleanup hitter to ground to short to retire the side.

In the top of the second, Frierson took care of their one out single by throwing the guy out trying to steal second.

I set them down in order in the third, including a strikeout.

In the bottom of the third, Fred Carter got us on the board with a bases loaded sacrifice fly.

1-0 Padres.

The Gulls tied it in the top of the fourth with back-to-back-to-back one out singles. I worked out of the jam but the score was now 1-1.

I got a strikeout in the fifth but gave up a single and a walk. With two on and two out, Bobby Green worked the count full before grounding to short to retire the side.

I had the chance to strike out the side in the top of the sixth but Darryl Landrum hit a two out single. Frierson, however, caught him stealing as well!

What a great asset to have as a catcher.

The Gulls got a lead off walk in the top of the seventh but he got no further than second as I recorded another strikeout.

It was still 1-1 as I took the mound in the eighth innning.

The count went full before John Kritsonis led off with a single to left. Bobby Green then flew out to right.

I was winded. Arm was aching. But I could do two more outs. I could!

I got behind Foster 2-0.

Frierson just nodded and called for the fast ball.

It didn't have the speed or movement my best pitches have.

Foster got ahold of it real good.

It sailed deep into center field.

Lee Grimes gave chase.

It dropped and rolled to the wall.

Instinctively, I moved behind Frierson to back him up in case the throw came home.

The only thing that crossed the plate was Kritsonis.

Foster stopped at third with a triple.

2-1 Gulls.

Son of a....

Amazingly, Foster was stranded there.

As we got to the dugout, Keith Stephen patted my shoulder. "You did a helluva job out there tonight. Take a seat and we will try and win this for you."

Richard Scales led off the bottom of the eighth with a single. But Grimes hit into the 6-4-3 to wipe him off the base paths.

We got the first two guys on in the ninth but couldn't advance them. Frierson came to bat with two out and popped up to short.

We had lost 2-1.

My line:
8.0 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, L

You know how I feel about that L.

Broadway could see my frustration.

"I want you to look at this." He wrote the number 89 on a note pad and then wrote the number 41. "These were your walks and your strikeouts last year."

I nodded.

Then he wrote the number 5 followed by the number 11.

"This is your total walks and strikeouts this year."

I nodded again.

"You have more strikeouts than walks now. You never had a chance at that last year. Keep pushing, James. You keep making vast improvements and you'll be a Cy Young winner. Maybe even before the 80s are over."

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