Sixth Story: Home Run!

Chapter 5

7 February 2022 (4th inning)

"Strike one!"

Quang throws a curveball which flashes past the 'H-A' batter. The lad seems unfazed and straightens his back in anticipation of the next pitch.

"Strike two!" the umpire declares.

The game is slowly grinding to a standstill, as neither team has been able to score so much as a single point in this inning so far. At the bottom of the second inning, while Phúc was able to steal the third base, the second and the third batters were ruthlessly struck out. The clean-up batter managed to land a hit. Nevertheless, the lead-off was unfortunately not speedy enough to reach the home base without getting tagged by the catcher. Thus, Minh was stranded on the bases.

The situation, however, has gotten much more precarious for the boys of 'A' High. Their rivals have scored three points in the third inning after the fielders seem to have burnt out and made many more mistakes than before. Mr Sinh was not too pleased with this outcome and instructed them to focus on the game.

The heat in the air at noon has created a hot mirage that distorts the image of the pitcher's mound. No one in Hanoi would believe that it is still the winter, as Tết (6) marks the start of spring and the first day of Tết was on the 1st of February this year. Quang performs his pitching motions and delivers his finishing pitch.

The ball flies off in a line drive, catching both Quang and the second baseman off guard. Minh immediately springs to action and tries to catch it before it touches the ground. Sadly, he is a split second late and it grazes his glove.

"Safe!"

The lead-off batter of 'H-A' has already reached the second base. The next athlete comes to the batter's box, waiting for the first pitch.

"Ball!"

The second batter widens his eyes as if he just encountered a difficult Mathematics question in the final examinations. He shakes his head and readies himself again.

"Ball!"

"Ball!" the home plate umpire shouts.

"What is going on, ladies and gentlemen?" one of the announcers frantically ask. "Are they going to intentionally walk him?"

Mr Sinh sits in the dugout, his hands covering his face and his elbows resting on his thighs. His hands are trembling, but very lightly, as if he is waiting for the end of a surgical operation of one of his loved ones. Hiền wants to say something to comfort him, but she is afraid that she may unintentionally aggravate the awkward atmosphere.

Quang wipes his brows with his handkerchief, then thinks of which type of pitch to deliver next. Seemingly having found his answer, he prepares to throw the fourth pitch. Unfortunately, he has made a fatal mistake.

His control and speed of the pitch are both dangerously lacking.

Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, the batter swings hard; a loud clank sounds out throughout the stadium. The ball, however, travels right for Quang and knocks him down the mound.

"Quang? Quang!" Minh and his teammates run towards the mound, with Phúc signing at the umpire for a time-out.

"Are you alright?" Phúc lightly taps his cheeks, trying to rouse him back to consciousness. "Come on, talk to me! Dammit!"

"Umpire!" Mr Sinh leaves the dugout. "That batter knocked that boy out of his daylights! Aren't you going to do something?"

"Based on baseball regulations, he will not be penalised," the umpire responds. "Do you have any problems with that?"