AN: FINALLY, THE NASTY ONE HAS COME BACK TO FANFICTION! Wow it really has been a while everyone. Not in the sense of the site itself, but for this particular story, I know that Charlie Brown's adventures were a bright spot for some readers but it didn't generate enough following for me to keep writing it regularly. But the other day I got the sudden urge to reread my previous chapters and felt it was time to add another installment to this story after leaving it hanging on a cliffhanger for such a long time. So, without further ado let's drive into the story headfirst once more!
Chapter 23: Rise from the Ashes
== Martin Grey's Office ==
Charlie Brown regathered his composure from his outburst and reported promptly to the owner's office as requested. Knocking once and entering after a rather aggressive "Enter!" from Martin Grey he did so and shut the door behind him.
"Ah Charlie Brown, the person I least want to see at this very moment." scoffed Martin as he ran his long fingers through his slicked back pompadour haircut.
"A pleasure as always Mr. Grey. To what do I owe the honor of gracing your presence?" replied Charlie Brown respectfully despite his urge to rip his head off at the attitude.
"You known damn well what this about! Don't play dumb with me!" exclaimed Martin as he picked up a crystal ashtray and chucked it at the wall causing it to shatter just to the right of Charlie Brown's head. Charlie Brown just stood his ground unflinching at the sheer act of petty intimidation.
"Of course, the incident involving Kwon and Price. I'm assuming this is to discuss punishment for my actions." replied Charlie Brown as he nodded his head.
Noticing his boss' attempt to calm himself with several deep breaths, Walt spoke up.
"That's right Charlie Brown because of your outburst, you brought a bad stain on the organization that may cause some of our fanbase to turn on us. Though I don't believe this will be an issue as your ascent last season was something out of a fantasy novel. The sheer number of accolades will be enough to convince our fans that you weren't going after the manager without some just reason." said Walt in a calm tone that helped to focus Martin.
"He's right, but this has potentially ruined our chances to market you to other clubs and around the league as one of our franchise faces. The amount of money lost alone is enough to give me a brain aneurism." interjected Martin which caused both of the other room's occupants to sigh. Martin was always concerned with making money even though he had plenty of it already.
"Be that as it may our fans will still love you regardless, but if we don't punish you in some capacity the Commissioner may step in and do it in our stead to protect the integrity of the game. Before we assign you your punishment, is there anything you'd like to say in your defense." asked Walt as he wanted to keep Martin focused on something other than his wallet.
"Just that I believed that I was doing the right thing by trying to protect my body's health. I may have overreacted though and am willing to accept whatever punishment you assign." replied Charlie Brown as he held his head up and locked eyes with both men.
"The organization has decided…" started Walt.
"Walt hold that thought!" interjected Violet as she burst into the room followed quickly by manager Bryan Price.
"Violet what is the meaning of this!" exclaimed Martin as he shifted his focus to the concerned face of his daughter.
"Bryan has something to say regarding this situation being discussed father." she replied as she moved over allowing him to have the floor.
"Gentleman you can't place the blame solely on Charlie Brown. He was only reacting to a poorly designed motivational trick I was using." said Price as he got shocked looks from all three men.
"What nonsense are you babbling on about Bryan?" asked Martin.
"I was trying to light a fire under Charlie Brown to be a leader for our team with the idea of him sacrificing his health and durability to go back out and win two games in our opening series. I wasn't quite expecting his reaction and realized I made a grave error in estimating the amount of fight and fire in this man's spirit. If you want to punish him then I should punish me as well." explained Bryan as Charlie Brown was in awe of his actions.
Never before had any manager at any level of baseball he'd played went out of their way to defend him. It was always the opposite; everyone would use him as the proverbial punching bag and blamed everything on him either out of necessity or plain ignorance. To say this man had earned a multitude of respect from Charlie Brown was an understatement.
Walt and Martin were both speechless for a few moments as they processed the information placed in front of them. They both then huddled up behind the brown oak desk and spoke in hushed tones for a bit before nodding and turning back around.
"In light of this new information, Bryan we are going to fine you $75,000 dollars and suspend you for the next two games. Also, Charlie Brown you're going to be suspended for those two games as well, but we won't fine you." explained Walt as the two nodded in understanding.
"That seems more than fair to me. But what baffles me is how that footage was taken inside of our ballpark without our knowledge." said Charlie Brown as the whole room stopped and pondered that a moment.
'I hadn't thought about that, I've made it a point to avoid Lucy at all costs since I got the job here and doubly so since Charlie Brown was drafted by Walt." thought Violet as Charlie Brown noticed her expression which confirmed his suspicion of her not being involved with the leak.
"We may have had a breach of security. I'll have some of my staff look into it, there's no way she should've been here unsupervised!" said Walt as he left the office in a hurry to get cracking.
The others also took their leave as Martin called for one of the janitors to clean up the mess he made.
== Press Conference the Next Day ==
Charlie Brown was seated in the middle of the microphone table in front of the team logo's backdrop in the media room. Seated to his left was Walt and to his left was Martin, while to his right was Bryan and Violet to his right. Martin had just finished passing out his punishment and some of the reporters and fans alike were outraged at the small punishment.
"This punk needs to be suspended longer!" said one overweight male in his 40's with a Votto jersey on. Several others voiced the same sentiment.
One reporter managed to get Violet's attention for a question.
"Yes Grant?" she nodded.
"Charlie Brown do you think your actions will get you traded away and serve as another lesson for younger kids to not act like a 'blockhead'?" asked Grant Kinkade from the NY Times with a smirk as he hoped to goad the young ballplayer into flying off the handle again.
"I'll field that question Charlie Brown." said Bryan as he interjected and got the room to quiet down and he proceeded to go on a long rant spanning 70 different variations of the f bomb and eleven other profanities in the defense of his pitcher. He further went on to take blame for the situation and how Charlie Brown's actions were warranted and that he'd never seen a ballplayer so passionate for the game as he was.
After that Charlie Brown was able to speak his mind about the situation and how he felt his actions although noble were done in a poor manner that made him look like a crazy person. He then went on to apologize to the team, the staff, the fans, the organization as a whole, and the game of baseball for his decision. He then went on to gracefully accept his suspension and promised to use it as a learning experience that would benefit himself and the team in the long run. At the end of it, he managed to win over the entire crowd with his attitude and wisdom that awed everyone into silence. He left to a round of applause that hadn't echoed in that room since their last postseason birth in 2012, four years prior.
== Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates ==
The first two games saw the team experience life without Charlie Brown or manager Bryan Price as bench coach Jim Riggleman took the helm and led the club in his stead. Both men had also been barred from all of the team's facilities for these games and met up at a bar to watch with fans who were present on both nights. They even handed gave out some autographs and took photos with those who requested them, although Charlie Brown received many more requests as a rising star in the league.
Game one was a close victory as the team managed to rally and won by a score of four to three. Starter Henry Dennis went six solid innings giving up three runs along with collecting six strikeouts; although the victory went to right hander J.J. Hoover who pitched a clean ninth inning improving to a record of one and zero on the season. Offense was provided by Dias' first homer of the season, an RBI double from Dennis, Billy's RBI double and a walk-off homerun courtesy of Billy as he hit his first of the season.
Game two was another close victory as the team won the game three to two. Anthony De Sclafani took the mound and pitched six great innings only giving up two runs and recording three strikeouts, but the win went to right hander Burke Badenhop pitching two scoreless innings to make his record one and zero on the year. Closer Aroldis Chapman also earned his first save of the season as he pitched a clean ninth inning. Offense came in the form of Brandon's two RBI double and Brayan's go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning.
Game three saw the return of Charlie Brown and Price, but the ball was given to ace Phil Hughes as the team sought to sweep the Pirates out of Cincinnati. Sadly, the team failed in the endeavor as they were shutout in a two to zero loss Sunday afternoon. Hughes gave the team six innings of two run baseball while recording three strikeouts, but you can't win if you can't score as the pitching performance was squandered.
== Game Day Monday April 11th, 2016 ==
It was a modest sunny Monday afternoon in the "Windy City", but oddly enough there was no wind blowing at the confines of Wrigley Field on the North side of the city. The 1:20 PM start time would be unhindered as the stadium was packed to the brim for the Cubs home opener against Charlie Brown and the Reds. He'd be going up against touch competition in the form of right hander Jake Arrieta who struggled in his first start of the year but was a dangerous pitcher in his own right. Not to mention the hot hitting bats of 1B Anthony Rizzo and RF Jorge Soler. The game got underway as the crowd roared to life following the warmup pitches of Arrieta.
== Top of the 1st ==
The inning was a rather quiet one for the Reds. LF Billy Hamilton led off the game with a flyout to shallow left, but CF Adam Eaton followed it up with his first double of the season which got over the left fielder's head. The momentum was capitalized on though, as RF Jay Bruce struck out swinging on a 4SFB down the middle and 1B Joe Mauer grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.
== Bottom of the 1st ==
Charlie Brown took the mound in the bottom half as the faithful Cubs fans laid into him with chants of "You're a hothead!" and "Overrated!" as he warmed up and took a moment to look into his dugout. He locked eyes with Marcie and smiled at her before mouthing "Don't worry I got this." to her as he then stepped on the mound and locked eyes with leadoff hitter SS Starlin Castro. The glare that Castro received was one that could freeze even the hearts of the bravest people as he swore that Charlie Brown's icy blue eyes led to a frozen tundra of hate that would swallow him alive. Because of that he was struck out after a six pitch at-bat that ended when he was late on the low and inside 4SFB.
The chants were stifled slightly, but the more diehard fans kept theirs going as 2B Javier Baez ended up ground out to third base after a seven pitch at-bat. 1B Anthony Rizzo was up next and struck out swinging after a five pitch at-bat when he chased a high and away 4SFB that he was late on. The crowd was deathly silent as Charlie Brown taught them a valuable lesson, don't jeer him or else he'd make you pay. Charlie Brown walked off the mound with fire in his eyes as the team looked to rally behind him.
== Top of the 2nd ==
The inning started rather pedestrianly as 2B Brandon Phillips grounded out to shortstop as Castro made the easy play. C Brayan Peña then struck out looking at a low Curveball from Arrieta that caught the knees for the second out. 3B Kristopher Negron then laced his second double of the season over the centerfielder's head to keep the inning going. SS Zack Cozart was then intentionally walked to put runners on first and second base as Charlie Brown strode up to the plate.
"Here we are Reds Nation two outs in the second inning and two runners on as Charlie Brown walks up for his first at-bat of the game. Ed we've brought this up a couple of times in the past but teams don't seem to be learning from their mistakes. Every time the batter in front of Charlie Brown has been intentionally walked, he's gotten a hit and scored a baserunner for his team." said commentator Eddy McGee as he looked over at his broadcasting booth counterpart.
"That's right Eddy, Charlie Brown is three for three lifetime in these situations with his most recent victim being Ian Kennedy of the San Diego Padres last August. I'm, surprised they're even challenging him after the dominant first inning he had silencing the jeering fans here in Chicago." replied color commentator Ed Callahan as he looked out at the game with pure joy on his face at the situation the Reds found themselves in.
"Arrieta comes set and takes a look back at second, before glancing over to first and nods his head. Here's the first pitch of the at-bat."
THWACK!
"That's a liner that gets down in left field, Negron is around third as Lake fields and fires to the plate. The ball is up the line though as Negron scores to make it a one to zero game as Charlie Brown delivers a clutch RBI his first of the season. Make him four for four in these situations Ed." commentated Eddy to the fans as Ed made the mark in his notes.
Billy walked up for his second at-bat at he looked to keep the inning going, but struck out as he was early on a high and in curveball that fooled him.
== Bottom of the 2nd ==
RF Jorge Soler was the first man up for the Cubs in this half inning as he looked to get his team's momentum back. He failed in that endeavor as he grounded out to Cozart after a six pitch at-bat.
Next up was C Miguel Montero who took Charlie Brown's second pitch to the right center gap as it got down for extra bases. Montero walked into second easily with a double. 3B Tommy LaStella followed him by hitting the very next pitch right on the chalk line into the right field corner as he switched places with Montero who walked home and tied up the score one to one.
LF Junior Lake came in next to keep it going, but Charlie Brown struck him out on the fourth pitch he was late on a high and away 4SFB. CF Arismendy Alcantara was the next batter and he fought for seven pitches but ultimately struck out when he was late on another high and away 4SFB from Charlie Brown.
== Top of the 3rd ==
Now with the crowd back in it, Arrieta bounced back with a clean inning in the third. Eaton started the inning off with a single to right field, but Bruce then grounded into a tailormade five to four to three double play. Mauer then followed that up with a flyout to Alcantara in medium deep centerfield.
== Bottom of the 3rd ==
P Jake Arrieta led off the third inning and struck out after a four pitch at-bat when he was late on another high and away 4SFB.
Castro then got the inning going back in the right direction by singling into left field after three pitches. Baez followed his example and also singled to left field after five pitches.
The inning looked promising as power threat Rizzo walked up with two on and only one out. He hit the fourth pitch up the middle softly past the mound. Brandon barehanded the ball and flipped it behind him as Cozart barehanded the ball as well and fired it to first base to complete the four to six to three double play.
== Top of the 4th ==
Brandon led off the inning for the Reds with a solid single into left field. Following him, Brayan also took a single into left field putting two runners on with no outs in a great scoring opportunity for the team.
Sadly, the team failed to capitalize on the scoring opportunity as Negron struck out on a high 4SFB that he was late on, and Cozart grounded into an inning ending four to three double play as Baez fielded the ball and stepped on the back himself before firing it to Rizzo.
== Bottom of the 4th ==
Things didn't get any better for the Reds as Soler jumped on Charlie Brown's middle away 4SFB and deposited it in the left centerfield seats for his fourth homerun and gave the Cubs a two to one lead.
Charlie Brown battled back though as he got Montero to flyout to Bruce in deep right after two pitches, before then getting LaStella to flyout to Billy in shallow left.
But Chicago countered when Lake jumped on the first pitch of the at-bat and hit it into left field for a base hit. Alcantara then hit the third pitch he saw up the middle and into center, Brandon mishandled the relay throw and allowed the runners to advance to third and second on the play.
Arrieta walked up with a great chance to help his own cause, but squandered the opportunity by being frozen on a high and away 4SFB that caught the corner on the fifth pitch of his at-bat.
== Top of the 5th ==
Charlie Brown led off the inning by chasing an inside twelve to six curveball that broke way inside on the first pitch of his at-bat. Billy followed that up by grounding out to Baez at second base, and Eaton grounded out to LaStella at third giving Arrieta a one-two-three inning for the first time today.
== Bottom of the 5th ==
Castro led off the inning with a three pitch pop-out behind the plate for his third at-bat of the game. Baez then followed that up with a seven pitch swinging strikeout when he checked his swing on a low and inside curveball and couldn't hold his momentum back. Following that Rizzo stepped in and laced the second pitch of his plate appearance back up the middle. Charlie Brown couldn't get out of the way and did the best thing he could.
THUD!
The ball hit him squarely in the lower small of his back as he crumpled to the ground in pain. The ball ricocheted to Mauer who tagged Rizzo out before hustling to the mound with his teammates as Marcie and Peppermint Patty raced out of the dugout to check on Charlie Brown.
"Charles are you okay?!" exclaimed Marcie as she was near tears as she felt his lower back for any swelling and she found it as it was already ballooning up.
"Chuck same something please." pleaded Peppermint Patty as she shook him back to focus.
"I'm awake! I'm awake! The answer is twelve!" exclaimed Charlie Brown as she slapped his arm playfully.
"Idiot that's my line, still glad you're okay though." she said rather relieved at the situation.
"Yeah I'm good, but let's make it look like its semi serious so they relax and think another pitcher is coming in. Then when I come back out next inning, it'll really rattle them." Said Charlie Brown rather sneakily as he chuckled before putting on a face of pain as they both helped him to his feet and escorted him to the dugout with both his arms over their shoulders.
The crowd clapped loudly for him as they were relieved that he was okay, and the game continued on.
== Top of the 6th ==
Price was actually amazed at Charlie Brown's psychological trick and decided to okay it for next inning, but warned that one hit and he'd get the bullpen ready to replace him. Charlie Brown nodded and told him not to worry about it as he hid in the shadows with an ice pack on his back so none of the fans would see him.
Bruce started the inning off by grounding out to Castro at shortstop. Mauer then grounded back to Arrieta for an easy and quick second out.
The bats then came alive for the Reds as Brandon drilled a fastball to right field and deposited it in the seats for his second homer of the season and tying the game up at two. Brayan and Negron then hit back-to-back singles into right and left field to put runners on with two outs. Noticing the on deck circle was empty to keep up the ruse, Arrieta went after Cozart and got him to groundout to Rizzo who flipped to Arrieta covering the bag to keep the game tied.
== Bottom of the 6th ==
The Reds took the field without anyone on the mound to start the inning and the umpire was about to yell at them for delaying the game as the bullpen was oddly silent as well. Just then, Charlie Brown burst out onto the field to retake the mound to the audible shock and awe cries of the fans and the opposing team who thought he was a goner after that liner last inning. Charlie Brown just warmed up as if it was no big deal and got ready to pitch.
Soler was unfazed by the surprise appearance and lined the third pitch over Eaton's head in centerfield as it got all the way to the wall. Utilizing his great speed, Soler legged out his first triple of the season as true to his word, Price got the bullpen going as relievers started warming up.
With a runner on third and no outs it looked like a no-doubter that the Cubs would score a run and take the lead right? Well Charlie Brown had other ideas about that line of thought. Montero struck out after a three pitch at-bat when he chased a low and away PLM that ducked out of the zone. LasStella then smacked the first pitch he saw towards the outfield, but Cozart was in the way and made the catch on the liner for the second out. That put all the pressure on Lake as he looked to not squander a golden opportunity that doesn't come around often in baseball. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat he swung and missed a low middle PLM ball as he thought it was a fastball and was fooled by the off-speed pitch. Charlie Brown ran off the mound pumping his fist and beating his chest as he celebrated with his teammates for avoiding the scoring situation.
== Top of the 7th ==
With a pitch count in the mid nineties, Charlie Brown was subbed out for pinch hitter William McCord as Price looked to take the lead after a solid start from the young pitcher. McCord didn't get on, but Eaton did and with two outs and runners on first and second Brandon laced an RBI single into centerfield to give them a three to two lead.
== End of the Game==
That lead would hold up as Chapman would come in and earn his second save of the young season and slam the door on any hopes the Cubs had of taking the game.
Brandon was awarded Player of the Game honors as Charlie Brown reflected on his start.
'Another quality start as we really messed with the opponents' minds in this one. It was so satisfying coming back from suspension to have a performance like this and rise up from the ashes as a newly reborn phoenix. Look out MLB, Charlie Brown is back and better than ever.'
Pitching Summary: Win (3-0), 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 1.89 ERA, 94 Pitches, 67 Strikes, 27 Balls
Batting Summary: 1 for 2, 1 RBI (First of Season)
AN: That's a wrap on this chapter as Charlie Brown bounces back from Lucy's attempted sabotage as a better pitcher in his eyes. Let me know your thoughts on the chapter and where it can be improved upon or any praise that you have for me. Don't forget also to leave and favorite and follow the story to be notified when the next chapter is uploaded. Thank you guys so much for sticking with this story and I can't wait to update it again in the near future. Catch you in the next chapter, this "The Nasty One" signing off!
-PRAK #TheNastyOne
