Fastball.

The sun is covering half of the field as Ron O’Halloran walks back to the pitchers mound. The infielders can see pretty well from their position but if they have to take a high pop up they could lose the ball in the sun. The outfielders are standing in full sunlight so they have to strain their eyes to see the hitters.

It’s the bottom of the ninth inning, the score’s tied and John ‘Home Run’ Fowler is the lead off hitter. Fowler is the last batter that Ron wants to face in this situation. He is currently hitting .390 with 47 R.B.I’s and twenty six home runs.

Ron Picks up the rosin bag and dries his throwing hand while he thinks about the three times today that he has faced Fowler. He struck Him out in the first inning. Walked him in the fourth and then watched him score on a double. Ron fouled him out to the third baseman in the sixth, each time Ron was able to avoid the use of his favorite pitch, and Fowler’s, the fastball.

Ron knows that using a fastball against Fowler is like playing Russian Roulette, if you get it past him your OK but if he gets hold of it... Every fastball that Fowler has hit this year has gone out of the park.

Finishing his warm up pitches Ron Hears the umpire holler, “Batter up.” Fowler steps into the batters box and takes a few practice swings. Ron watches his opponent as he does this and marvels at his size. His arms are so big that they seem to be trying to escape from his jersey by tearing it every time he swings that big bat he uses. Ron eyes his catcher intently waiting for a sign. The catcher calls for a fastball but Ron shakes it off. He knows that he doesn’t have the strength left to get a fastball past Fowler and it would certainly go out of the ball park. The next sign calls for a slider. He takes this one and with all of the intensity that he can muster, winds up trying to look like he is going to throw the fastball but slides his fingers down the side of the seam causing it to spin downward taking the ball out of the strike zone.

Fowler watches as the ball comes off of Ron’s fingers hoping that the pitcher will try to run a fastball past him on the first pitch. He tightens his grip on the bat and begins to swing at the expected point of arrival.

“Strike One!” The umpire hollers, as John’s bat catches only empty air.

Ron’s feeling of relief is brief as he receives the ball from the catcher and starts thinking of his next pitch. If he tries the fastball now Fowler may not be expecting it, but the catcher calls for a curve. Ron accepts the change in thinking and puts both fingers on the right seam. Winding up he raises his left leg high in the air to gain momentum and to shield the ball from the hitter.

Fowler is concentrating on the delivery and waits to see the ball as it passes Ron’s shoulder. Anticipating the curve he watches as it spins to the outside of the plate. He is still watching as it passes.

“Ball one!”

To throw the batter off of his thinking Ron now chooses to repeat the curve. This time he puts emphasis on his delivery to feign the fastball.

Fowler watches this one pass also.

“Ball two!” the umpire hollers.

This is the first time in two months that Ron has pitched an entire game and the task is starting to tire him. He steps off the rubber and walks to the back of the mound again picking up the rosin bag. Perhaps he should call a conference and give the ball up to a relief pitcher. No, he decides, he can beat this guy. Just don’t throw him anything that he can put out of the ball park. Like.. a fastball. A sinker thrown like a fastball will make him swing again he thinks. Getting the right sign from his catcher he winds up and delivers.

“Ball three!” Comes the answer from the umpire as the ball gets away and drops out of the strike zone.

Well now Ron has his team in a big hole. Being behind the best hitter in the league is bad enough but now he’s worried about putting the winning run on base with a walk. The next hitter is too good to ignore, because he scored Fowler in the forth after a walk. Ron has to get Fowler out.

Ron watches the sign from the third base coach to Fowler out of the corner of his eye. With three balls and one strike they may want him to let a pitch go by. Believing that He may do this makes this a good time to catch up with another strike. Now seems the time for the one pitch that he didn’t want to use. The pitch that Fowler is waiting for, the fastball.

Ron is desperate and he knows that Fowler will be waiting for him to try to blow his favorite pitch past him. He can see Fowler tensing up, digging his right foot deeper into the sand at the back of the batters box, his big arms stretching his sleeves to their breaking point. He pulls his power hand to the very bottom of the bat as he gets ready for what is to come.

Ron pulls all the power that he can muster from his tired body. With his fingers tight together and throwing his leg high in the air to get every ounce of energy left in him, he expels the ball from his hand. With a loud....Umph! The fastball is on its way.

CRACK!