Shortstop from Tokyo Read online

  Books by Matt Christopher

  Sports Stories

  THE LUCKY BASEBALL BAT

  BASEBALL PALS

  BASKETBALL SPARKPLUG

  LITTLE LEFTY

  TOUCHDOWN FOR TOMMY

  BREAK FOR THE BASKET

  BASEBALL FLYHAWK

  CATCHER WITH A GLASS ARM

  THE COUNTERFEIT TACKLE

  MIRACLE AT THE PLATE

  THE YEAR MOM WON THE PENNANT

  THE BASKET COUNTS

  CATCH THAT PASS!

  SHORTSTOP FROM TOKYO

  JACKRABBIT GOALIE

  THE FOX STEALS HOME

  JOHNNY LONG LEGS

  LOOK WHO’S PLAYING FIRST BASE

  TOUGH TO TACKLE

  THE KID WHO ONLY HIT THE HOMERS

  FACE-OFF

  MYSTERY COACH

  ICE MAGIC

  NO ARM IN LEFT FIELD

  JINX GLOVE

  FRONT COURT HEX

  THE TEAM THAT STOPPED MOVING

  GLUE FINGERS

  THE PIGEON WITH THE TENNIS ELBOW

  THE SUBMARINE PITCH

  POWER PLAY

  FOOTBALL FUGITIVE

  JOHNNY NO HIT

  SOCCER HALFBACK

  DIAMOND CHAMPS

  DIRT BIKE RACER

  THE DOG THAT CALLED THE SIGNALS

  THE DOG THAT STOLE FOOTBALL PLAYS

  DRAG-STRIP RACER

  RUN, BILLY, RUN

  TIGHT END

  THE TWENTY-ONE-MILE SWIM

  WILD PITCH

  DIRT BIKE RUNAWAY

  THE GREAT QUARTERBACK SWITCH

  SUPERCHARGED INFIELD

  THE HOCKEY MACHINE

  RED-HOT HIGHTOPS

  THE HIT-AWAY KID

  THE DOG THAT PITCHED A NO-HITTER

  Animal Stories

  DESPERATE SEARCH

  STRANDED

  EARTHQUAKE

  DEVIL PONY

  Copyright

  COPYRIGHT © 1970 BY MATTHEW F. CHRISTOPHER

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS BOOK MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY ELECTRONIC OR MECHANICAL MEANS INCLUDING INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE PUBLISHER, EXCEPT BY A REVIEWER WHO MAY QUOTE BRIEF PASSAGES IN A REVIEW.

  First eBook Edition: December 2009

  Hachette Book Group

  237 Park Avenue

  New York, NY 10017

  Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com

  ISBN: 978-0-316-09423-8

  Contents

  Books by Matt Christopher

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  How many of these Matt Christopher sports classics have you read?

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  Joe, Jan, Chandra, Kihm and Joey

  1

  GET two, Stogie!”

  “Let ’er come!” Stogie Crane yelled, back-trotting to deep short. He smacked the pocket of his glove a couple of times and crouched forward, arms dangling, at the edge of the infield grass.

  Coach Bob Dirkus, standing by home plate, tossed up the ball and rapped a hot, bouncing grounder a few feet to Stogie’s right side. The wiry shortstop rushed behind it, fielded the ball neatly, and whipped it underhand to second. Second baseman Russ Russo caught it on the bag and pegged it to first. The peg was high but Bob Sobus jumped and speared it.

  “Home it!” yelled the coach.

  Bob, a left-hander, pivoted on his left foot and whipped the ball to Tony Francis. Tony pegged it across the diamond to Stogie, covering the keystone sack. His throw was high too, and Stogie had to jump. He snared the ball in the small web of his glove, laughed over it, then pegged it to Fuzzy Caliel at third and Fuzzy winged it home.

  “Two again!” yelled the coach.

  Stogie Crane smiled across at Russ. “Muff it and you’re a hunk of cheese!”

  “You’re on!” cried Russ.

  The grounder was to Russ’s left side. He got behind it, nabbed it and fired it to second. Stogie, grinning like a cat, caught it at his knees on the run, stepped on the sack and whipped it to first. It was a strike throw. Bob caught it and zipped it back to Russ, who had to run hard to cover his base. The throw was wide and sailed out to the outfield, where an outfielder picked it up and tossed it in.

  “What do you want me to do — throw it into your pocket?” yelled Bob.

  The skinny second baseman wiped his brow and flicked the sweat off his fingers. “I’m sorry. I left my long arms home!”

  Stogie chuckled. “Just make those throws good when we tackle the Copperheads,” he reminded.

  “Snakes alive!” cried Russ. “We playing those guys tomorrow?”

  “Playing, you say? Man, you’d better not forget your tommy-hawks! We’d better slaughter those guys in the first inning. We can’t —”

  “Quit your jabbering out there and get down to business!” yelled Coach Dirkus. “Get two, Bob!”

  Bob caught the big hop, rifled it home, caught Tony’s quick return throw on the bag, then pegged the ball across the diamond to Fuzzy.

  “Hey, Stogie,” said Russ, as Fuzzy lollied the ball in to home. “Here comes what’s-his-name, that Japanese kid.”

  “Sam Suzuki,” said Stogie.

  The kid had just come around the dugout with a short, stoutish man who was his father. Sam Suzuki was short, too, for his age. He was about as old as Stogie and the other kids on the Mohawk baseball team. What surprised Stogie was that Sam was wearing a Mohawk uniform. Boy, he certainly hadn’t wasted time in getting acquainted with Coach Dirkus. Well, maybe the coach wanted no argument with Sam’s father, a judo expert.

  The coach waved to Mr. Suzuki, then motioned Sam forward. Sam, carrying a glove, smiled and ran up to him. Stogie couldn’t hear what they said, but in a moment he could guess. Sam pointed toward short and then came running out.

  “That’s Sam Suzuki, Stogie!” Coach Dirkus yelled. “Introduce yourself! Then I want you to alternate with him!”

  Stogie’s chin dropped. He forced a smile to try to match the one plastered over Sam’s face and stuck out his hand. “Hi, Sam. I’m Stogie Crane.”

  “Hi, Stogie. I am Hideko Suzuki. Call me Sam.”

  Stogie’s smile faded slightly. “Did you play shortstop in Japan?”

  “I always play shortstop. My favorite position.” Sam laughed. “You are not worried I play shortstop too, I hope?”

  “No.” But Stogie’s smile flickered, then died.

  Heck, why should he be worried? Sam didn’t really expect to take over the shortstop position, did he? Besides, Coach Dirkus seldom let a kid play a full game. He would put in a sub about the fourth or fifth inning.

  “Heads up, Russ!” cried the coach.

  He bunted the ball in front of the plate. Tony flung off his mask, scurried across the plate, scooped up the ball and pegged it to second. Russ caught it, snapped it to first, and Bob whipped it back to home.

  “All right, now! Get one!”

  Fuzzy fielded the low hopper and made the throw to first. The ball sailed home, back to Bob, then home again.

  “Stogie!”

  Stogie set himself at the edge of the grass, snatched the grass-cutting grounder, and pegged it letter-high to Bob. Sam’s turn was next. Stogie backed him up, smiling as he watched the coach hit a soft grounder to the Japanese boy. Sam charged the ball, caught it near the ground, snapped it underhand to Bob, then hustled to cover
second.

  Bob whipped the ball to him. Sam nabbed it out of the air, spun, and pegged it to third. The ball traveled like a white bullet.

  “Nice going, Sam!” yelled Coach Dirkus.

  Sam looked around and smiled at Stogie. “How do I look?” asked Sam proudly.

  “Good, Sam,” said Stogie. “You look good.”

  2

  RUSSO! Peters! Crane! Let’s start off with some bingles!”

  It was the next day and the Mohawks’ third game of the season. Coach Bob Dirkus stood in the sun next to the dugout, holding a pad. He wore regular pants, but his shirt was part of a baseball uniform he used to wear when he had played with the Westport Eagles. His black cap, the letter M on it, was the same as the Mohawk players’.

  Larry Hill, the Copperheads’ tall left-hander, finished throwing his warm-up pitches and Russ stepped to the plate.

  “Look at ’im hug the plate,” observed Fuzzy. “It’s a wonder he doesn’t put his arms around it.”

  “That’s his strategy,” said Dennis Krupa, a sub infielder. “Ten to one he gets on.”

  Larry Hill fired two balls outside of the plate, got one over, then another for a two-and-two count. Russ stepped out of the box and rubbed his hands in the soft dirt.

  “His hands get hot quickly,” said Sam Suzuki, laughing. “Maybe should carry towel. Not so dirty.”

  Stogie, standing to the right of the dugout with his bat, heard it all. The guys laughed, but he couldn’t see anything at all funny in the remark.

  Crack! Russ belted a one-hopper to third. The Copperhead third baseman snagged it easily and whipped it to first. “Out!” yelled the base umpire.

  Beak Peters stepped into the box next. He was built like a young tree and had a nose that seemed to be too big for his face.

  He let two pitches go by, both strikes, then stepped back and jiggled his helmet a couple of times. He walked back into the box and blasted the next pitch through the pitcher’s box, making Larry Hill jump like a scaled cat.

  “Your man, Stogie!” Fuzzy yelled. “Let’s start a merry-go-round!”

  Stogie looked at Coach Dirkus. “If it’s in there, belt it,” said the coach.

  The Copperhead infielders were talking it up, sounding like ten men out there instead of four. The Copperhead catcher was talking it up too, sounding like a stuck needle on a phonograph. “Right in here, Larry! Right in here, boy! Right in here, Larry! Right in here, boy!”

  Boom! Stogie’s bat connected with the ball and sent it cruising through space toward left center field. Beak streaked to second, rounded third, and bolted for home as the third base coach windmilled him on. The left fielder finally got the ball and pegged it in to third, forcing Stogie back to second for a neat double.

  Stogie looked across the diamond at Sam Suzuki and saw the Japanese boy clapping thunderously. Somehow Stogie felt he needed that hit. He wanted to show Coach Dirkus he was still the best man to play shortstop.

  Jim Albanese, up next, popped the first pitch to short for out number two.

  Bob Sobus came up. A left-handed hitter, he stood at the plate straight as an arrow, his legs spread apart just a little, his bat held inches off his left shoulder.

  Larry Hill slipped a strike past him. Bob swung at the next pitch and missed it for strike two. He swung at the third, and this time bat met ball and sent it hopping like a frightened rabbit between first and second. Stogie rounded third and scored. The throw-in held Bob at first.

  “All right, Fuzzy-wuzzy,” said Dennis. “Practice what you preach.”

  “Got your movie camera?” asked Fuzzy. “I’d like to do a commercial first.”

  “Get up there and hit!” Coach Dirkus hollered at him.

  Larry Hill stretched and delivered. The throw went into the dirt and past the catcher’s mitt to the backstop screen. Bob Sobus trotted to second.

  “Three more like that and you’ll have it made, Fuzzy!” yelled Beak.

  Larry Hill didn’t throw three more like that. He sizzled two over the plate, then one up around Fuzzy’s neck which Fuzzy swung at and missed. “Strike three!”

  “Guess you should’ve done a commercial anyhow,” said Stogie, running out with him. “You might’ve made a hit.”

  Fuzzy laughed. “Wasn’t my fault there wasn’t a camera around!”

  Stretch Servo, the Mohawk pitcher, walked the Copperhead lead-off hitter. The next batter hit a clothesline drive to Stogie. One out. Stogie whipped it to first and picked off the runner before he could tag up. Two outs! The third Copperhead took two strikes in a row, then lined a drive between right and center for two bases. The next batter singled, driving him in. Stretch mowed the fifth batter down with three pitched strikes.

  “Start it off, Bernie,” said the coach at the top of the second inning.

  Right fielder Bernie Drake did —with a pop-up. Tony Francis singled, then Stretch went down swinging. Lead-off man Russ Russo took two called strikes, then laced a single through short. Tony galloped around second and held up at third.

  “Knock him in, Beak!” yelled Fuzzy. “Don’t let ’im die there!”

  Beak fanned.

  The Copperheads picked up two runs, one of them on an error by Fuzzy. Stogie, leading off in the top of the third, took a hard-swinging cut at the first pitch and belted it a mile. Only it was straight up. It came down from its dizzying height and the Copperhead third baseman caught it.

  “Too bad,” said Sam. “Should be that way.” He pointed toward left field.

  “I know,” said Stogie, squeezing between a couple of guys on the bench. I wonder if Coach Dirkus figures on playing Sam, he thought.

  Jim Albanese doubled. Bob Sobus walked. Then Fuzzy Caliel swung all the way around on a slow pitch — swung hard enough to drive the ball into the next state. But the little white apple did nothing but dribble down toward third. Fuzzy dropped his bat and scampered for first as if a ghost were after him, and made it. The cheers that exploded from the fans were the loudest Fuzzy had received so far this year.

  “Bases loaded!” yelled Beak. “Clean ’em, Bernie! You’re due, man!”

  Bernie tripled.

  “There ya go!” cried Beak, clapping furiously.

  Tony struck out and Stretch flied out to finish the big three-run inning.

  Stretch retired the first Copperhead on five pitches, then walked the next one. Stogie came in slightly and moved a few steps closer to second as a left-hand batter strode to the plate. The lefty blasted a long high fly to center which sent Beak Peters back a dozen steps. He caught the ball and pegged it in, holding the runner on first.

  The next hitter uncorked a drive that went looping over Stogie’s head. Stogie ran back sideways, gloved hand stretched out, his eyes on the ball that seemed to be floating through the air like a balloon. It skimmed his glove and struck the grass. He caught the bounce, looked back, and saw the runner arriving at second base. No play. He relayed the ball to Fuzzy, who carried it halfway to Stretch before tossing it to him.

  The next batter hit a high grounder to Fuzzy, who touched third for a force-out. Three away.

  Mohawks 5, Copperheads 3. The top of the fourth coming up.

  “Stogie, I want Sam to hit for you,” said the coach. “Ready, Sammy?”

  Sam beamed. “Ready all the time,” he said happily.

  3

  RUSS RUSSO led off in the top of the fourth with a looping single over second. The coach signaled Lee Cragg (pinch-hitting for Beak) to bunt, but Lee’s first two tries resulted in fouls. He had to swing now. He took two balls, then lashed hard at the next pitch, sending it high into the air over short. The Copperhead shortstop grabbed it for the first out.

  “Okay, Sam,” said Fuzzy. “Show ’em how you do it in Tokyo.”

  “Tokyo?” Tony Francis frowned. “Is that where he’s from?”

  “Sure. Where did you think he’s from —Mexico City?”

  Sam whipped a couple of bats around a few times, then dropped one and stepped to the p
late.

  “He spreads his legs awful wide for a short guy,” observed Dennis.

  “And look at him wave that bat around,” said Fuzzy. “Maybe he’s chasing the bugs away.”

  Smack! Sam Suzuki connected with the first pitch. The ball sailed over the third baseman’s head, curved outward, and struck the ground just inside the foul line. The entire Mohawk bench stood on their feet. “Go! Go!”

  By the time the left fielder had relayed the ball in, Russ had scored and Sam was perched nicely on third base.

  “A triple!” cried Fuzzy, clapping thunderously. “How ’bout that? And the first pitch, too!” He laughed at Stogie. “Looks like you’ve just lost your job, Stogie, ol’ boy!”

  Stogie grinned politely. He tried hard to hide a feeling that had been gnawing at him ever since Sam Suzuki had come upon the scene. That triple had magnified the feeling a hundred times over. Yet it was strange. He didn’t know exactly what that feeling was. Was it envy? Was it jealousy? Maybe it was one or the other, or both. But he knew it wasn’t right to be envious or jealous of anyone. Envy and jealousy destroyed friendship, and made you feel sick inside, too.

  Jim Albanese popped up to the catcher for the second out. Bob Sobus took a strike, then pitcher Larry Hill lost his control and walked him. Dennis Krupa batted for Fuzzy and grounded out to end the half inning.

  “If I knew you were going to do that,” grumbled Fuzzy, “I would’ve batted myself.” As if he had anything to say about it.

  The Mohawks trotted out to their positions and the Copperheads came to bat.

  Coach Dirkus squeezed in between Stogie and Fuzzy on the bench. “Sam tell you guys about that glove of his?” he asked, grinning.

  “Not me,” said Stogie.

  “Me, either,” said Fuzzy. The other guys edged closer.

  “He’s really proud of it, you know,” said the coach. “It seems a famous Japanese ball player, Shigeo Nagashima, signed his name on the glove. So it’s worth a lot to Sam.”

  Russ fumbled a grounder, putting a man on first. The next hitter clobbered a long high fly that went clean over the left field fence for a homer. Stretch looked nervous on the mound after that, even though the infielders and outfielders chattered to cheer him up.