Chapter 3,
Nine up, Nine down?
As you know Jefferies went first, and did very well and show he was a power pitcher, comparable to Roy Oswalt. Striking out four and allowing two hits including a home run… His biggest thing was how tired he got after the fourth pitcher. Another Strikeout and got sluggish on the mound. His catcher came up to him and kept asking is anything wrong. He would say no and keep going. But after that first time, he gave up that home run; it was a fastball around the edges. The thing about that it was the same pitch around the same places three pitches earlier. He finished out with another hit and got them out with a double play… So his statistics are 4 SO 3 hits, 1 HR and a Double play. His average mph is 84 mph.
While 'Shifty' with twitch and all, right now did the better of the two. He showed his durability and his ground out skills as he got seven straight batters out, including 3 Strikeouts, and allowed one hit. He has good power behind that arm enough, that it can slow down bat-ball impact that the ball can go as far as the pitchers mound and stop. But during that hit when he tried to throw that batter out he threw it to the first baseman. The ball hit the glove and jumped up and with his quickness, got a double. He ended up with these stats; 3SO 1 hit and an error. His average mph was 89 mph
Then it was Draco's turn.
"Good Job, Robinson" said the assistant as he patted Shifty's back.
"Malfoy, Draco, you're next."
As both of them came on the mound, Bill keeps telling him in his ear
"Alright Drake, the main thing is just having to listen to what I said last night and most of all…" Bill stopped Draco before he got to the mound and faced him and said…
"Have fun" and Bill smirked and went to the plate.
The assistant came out of the dugout and said "first up, Shortstop Willy Edison."
Then a short and immensely muscled white man, looks to have brown hair, comes to the batters box and takes his stance; he leans back three inches, with his right foot forward. But the weird part about his stance when raises his bat over his head and starts whisking it around and spins it to an oval.
As Draco see the first batter of the day he raises his eyebrow in amusement he goes back to last night and what Bill told him about the lineup.
"Ok Drake, first in the lineup is Willy, the guy's from Kansas and is our shortstop. He is very aggressive at the plate, but when he hits it he is dangerous speedster, but besides that you should get him out easily with the way you're pitching. So all you have to do is just pitch around the strike zone, especially the top of the strike zone as you will see his 'reach' wont be close enough…"
And as he said, Willy's 'reach' is not even close.
"He has to be bloody around 5'4"" said Draco to himself.
As he was wondering what reason he was on this team on the first place and let alone the starting shortstop, "even though he's short, he is one of the best jumpers I've ever seen… He can turn from 5'7 to almost seven feet in a mere jump. His ability is better than most of our taller Outfielders". Still though, this should be an easy strike out…
And then Bill shows the first sign; two fingers, a fastball top corner.
Then Draco gives the nod, and pulls his quick windup and release, and as soon as he releases the ball from the hand…
"THUD!" it's in the catchers mitt.
"Strike one!" said the umpire.
"Guys!" said the assistant that was holding the speedometer. "Come and look at this. You won't believe it…" and believe is what they didn't after what they saw in red numbers on that speedometer.
"110…" Said Ramirez, shock and a stunning realization in his eyes, he in his career of a manager (which is a short one because he on his 3rd year of managing ever) or a player in college or Even in the pros playing for the Toronto Blue Jays as a 1st baseman, he seen pitches go that fast. And of course he has seen some great pitchers play the game, Nolan Ryan; one of the greatest strikeout pitchers of all time, Steve Carlton; an enduring pitcher that can get a person out at any time with his signature slider, even Sandy Koufax called the greatest of his decade, but 110 on a fastball? This raw potential has never been seen since the likes of…
"CY Young" and Ramirez look over to Draco. Like he saw earlier his predictability is a show able weakness and his splitter could use some work, but besides that he has some raw talent and finally thinks to himself… "This one is special" yea, he's is special alright
"THUD!" again the speed is oh so relevant…
"115?!?" said the assistant… And it seems it just gets faster.
Ramirez quickly turns to Malfoy, with fear evident in his eyes…
"MALFOY!! Hey, stop for a minute." Ramirez comes out to the mound. And looks him in the eye and shudders, he also has a cold stare… a stare that can inject fear into hitters.
"Yea coach?" said Draco as his face softens and looks at the young manager with amusement.
"Look, Malfoy you have some unbelievable raw talent not seen before. But the thing is we don't want you career to end early because of it. Most pitchers go at it early in their careers, but there is a story that you should know. There is a pitcher with great stunning skills just like you called Smoky Joe Wood. His first seasons with the Boston Red Sox were with brilliance and pure pitching talent. After having the likes of a 23 win season in his 3rd year, he has a legendary 4th year of 34-5 including tying the Major League Baseball Record of 16 straight wins with the consistent one, Walter Johnson and beating him doing it, pitching a great shutout game doing it, winning 1-0. But sadly the true force of his talent never comes because an injury in the arm during spring training made him never the same he could never pitch again after that and made himself into a batter. Even though he had a good career doing that as well… Look kid, it's the fact you have great, immense talent, of the likes of Wood, we don't want you're pitching career go down the drain like his did with those injuries. So slow down and take your time and use your pitching abilities when you really need it. Get me?"
As he hears what Ramirez is saying to him, Draco never noticed the true potential that he have. That how far his hard work has come, and what a week can do for this platinum haired, former Slytherin student. But he kind of knew that he had the arm strength from the years that his father forced him into "Death Eater Camp" the kids called it… The abuse, the learning of the Dark Arts early, and for people that didn't want to do it like Draco, he would pay dearly… all Draco wanted to be was a regular wizard. And just for anger after the abuse and work he does, Draco would run out back and take big rocks and just throw at things, anything really, from cans to birds that was on the trees (I mean he was a good aim), to even house elves. And thanks to his anger at his Death Eater Parents that almost took him to the side of Voldemort, has gave him a new lease on life and just made things just clearer.
"Yea I get you, Coach." Draco was going to say but Ramirez stopped him.
"No Drake, Call me, Marv" Said Ramirez. And suddenly he wore that oddity that is called his smile.
"Ok, Marv" it felt good to be on a team and smirked at him and Marv ran off the mound.
After Draco struck out the next batter with a calm storm of Splitters and 'Sly-balls' The 'clean-up' batter came to bat…
He slowly comes up to the batters box, with his bat he his sand like skin color comes motion and he looks up and stares straight at Draco. Few had that frigid, icy, stare besides himself, and remembers the last time something like that was given to him… it was the night of the last battle… the night when he finally put silence to his fathers reign of madness, when he killed his father in Cold Blood… Then he picks up his bat and puts it on his left shoulder, and is standing position.
"He must be that guy Bill has been talking about…" He goes to last night and the talk they had with him the longest.
"This guy is a big time prospect in the Winter League; He is the best hitter in the league and plays Triple-A in the New York Mets Organization. His name is Josh Killingworth and he can flat out hit! The man has just light it up on most of the league. He leads the league in home runs and RBI's; that's runs batted in. But still, he has also speed compared to Willy but can make better contact with the ball. Just be careful and do not, I repeat do not, PITCH IT DOWN THE MIDDLE!!!!" Just stay around the plate and hope he does not get any bat on it."
As a kid that started in Hogwarts, he had bold way of doing things to get his way, from embarrassing pot head and Granger, (he don't call muggle born wizards 'Mud bloods' any more. It is to him, it's just a death eater word, and he was trying to forget his death eater past.) And controlling Slytherin house and just being the man at Slytherin. But when he joined the Order, he decided to leave the past behind him. But habits die hard.
He pulled the windup, and his signature 'sly ball' came into play, blasting and whizzing down the middle…
"Let's see if he can really hit this bull-"
"CRACK!" the sound of Killingworth's bat was the next thing he heard…
He looks up in fear as the ball was slicing through air heading to the right field line, and that ball went back, back, back, and…
"FOUL!!!" the umpire at third base confirmed.
And Draco breathed a huge sigh of relief. So did Bill. Than that look of relief from Bill turned into anger, and he yelled "TIME OUT!!!" and trotted up to the mound. He took off his catchers mask and held it by his hips.
"Drake, didn't I tell you last night about this," Said Bill in a murderous whisper…
"Yea, mate but I wanted to see what the bugger can do myself." Draco whispered also but he has his head tilted to an angle so he can see his feet smoothing the mound.
"And he did, didn't he, here is a damn tip Drake, listen to you battery partner, cause in the end, were in this together. Understand man?"
"Yea,"
"Good." And he jogged back to home plate.
After Josh pulled a single to left field, the next batter came up to bat.
His name is Floyd Keller; he came out of the University of Oklahoma. Not as strong as Killingworth, but still is a dangerous batter. He is a more all around player and sometimes he is compared to Joe DiMaggio…
Draco raised his right eyebrow, looking confused like he was looking for Waldo in those muggle books.
"You know, Joe DiMaggio, of the New York Yankees? He holds the record for consecutive hits with 56."
While for Draco, still looking for Waldo.
"Well, forget it. Just look that he still has some weaknesses… Show him some heat and he'll be afraid of you…"
"Keller, huh?" Draco whispered, "This should be interesting…" But the problem is he has Killingworth on First. And Josh was readying for a steal. Draco kind of knew to pick off, but well…
When Killingworth came of first, and Draco tried to throw over to first… it showed that he needed some practice… that ball towered, sky high over the first baseman, And crashes into the Dugout, giving Killingworth third base.
By the next mound visit, Bill was yelling like hell in high water and Draco just hung its head.
He finally got into the kick of things by striking out the next two batters and taking getting Killingworth at home on a squeeze play.
Draco's final stats: 5 SO 3 hits 1 ground out and an error.
"Thank you men we will tell you when you come back for practice tomorrow." Said Ramirez, then he walked into the club house with his coaches.
That night…
Here sits Marvin Ramirez's office, it's around ten o' clock at night, full of baseball memorabilia. Memoirs of baseball from a signed baseball in 1986 from his favorite baseball team, The New York Mets. Or the "Miracle Mets" they call them. When they came back from almost two outs and against a dangerous Boston Red Sox team with the great Roger Clemens in his first years on the mound and came back and with its shining moment Bill Buckner's error at first which started extended it to game 7 and won the World Series. With Marv's Hero, Keith Hernandez right in the middle. To the jersey that he wore when the Toronto Blue Jays won in 1993 when he was in dugout when with one out, Joe Carter's home run in the bottom of the ninth to cap the series, second ever winning walk-off in World Series history, that was framed above his head.
He sits down with his pitching coach, Richard sitting opposite of his Cedar-Oak desk, eating Chicken Lo-Mein, with papers of the players all over the desk. He was on their last and biggest subject of the night before leaving.
"Alright, we got to deal with this final spot in the rotation, with the first game of the season only a week away, we got to do something with these three greatly potentially great pitchers" Said Ramirez in anguish. He was thinking about this final spot in the rotation all night and it just tired him completely.
As Richard slurps his noodle he comes up with his suggestion, "Look" he said.
"Why don't we see if we know how deserves middle relief the most…"
"Well, the main one I see is Jefferies, he doesn't last more than three innings but he can pitch during these innings."
"Well then we scratch him out," and Jefferies was scratched,
"So its either Malfoy or Robinson,"
"Malfoy can go a longer than Robinson, even though he was predictable most of the time…"
"Yes that's true, such a tough choice… so, wanna flip for it?" asked Ramirez.
"Sure" said Richard he pulled out his lucky quarter…
"Heads its Malfoy, Tails its Robinson"
"Alright."
He flipped it up and made its Journey down to the desk….
And straight to the desk as it if it's making its stone, chiseled decision… Both coaches looked onto the Quarter.
"Well, the quarter has spoken, we'll tell the guys together tomorrow" told Marvin.
"Sure, so well, we call it a night?"
"Yea, we call it a night…"
Will it be Malfoy or Robinson? Find out in the next chapter, The Breakdown… Thanks to all who have reviewed and please pass this story on as much as you can. And most of all R/R! Thanks!
Later…