The 3-2 Pitch

He hopes to get you this time with his

fastball. Last pitch was a slow curve.

Caught you off guard, didn’t he, and

sent the count to 3 and 2?

You need to guard the plate knowing you

can foul off a few bad pitches, yet odds

are he will get a strike out in the end. But

the fastball.

You’ve faced this guy before; you have

watched his approach to batters on dozens

of replays. The fastball, low and away, right

where you like it.

So, halfway into his wind-up with no one on

base, you draw back and begin your swing.

98-miles per hour they said up in the booth,

and you nailed it on the sweet-spot of the bat.

And with all your power and a smooth lifting

swing you sent that ball 430-feet, a screaming

line drive over the center field wall. And

the crowd goes crazy.

This is why you make the big bucks, and I

am stuck out here in the cheap seats, hav-

ing spilled my popcorn and coke, watching

you strut your stuff as you round the bases

and head for home, as the guy next to me
raises high the ball he caught on the fly.

Chris Hanch  10-15-15