Mystery Coach Read online

  “Fine,” replied Mr. Herrick. “As soon as the Pipers get off the field, take over. We’re scheduled to take our raps last.”

  He looked around at the boys, all of whom were just standing about, thrilled that at last they had found a new coach.

  “Hey, what is this?” he shouted. “A picnic or a baseball game? Play catch! Warm up! The picnic’s over!”

  Chris smiled at Tex. “We’ve got ourselves a coach!” he cried.

  He wanted to say something else, but Tex was running off with a ball, eager to play catch and loosen up his throwing arm.

  12

  THE FIRST THING Mr. Herrick did was change the lineup. He shifted Chris to second in the batting order and Wally to sixth. He also shifted Frank Bellows from eighth position to fifth and started Don Mitchell at right field instead of Spike Dunne. Don was eighth in the batting order. Bill Lewis was pitching.

  “Batter up!” yelled the ump.

  The sky was gray and there was a light breeze blowing. The stands were packed.

  The first Piper stepped into the batter’s box and Bill Lewis stepped onto the mound.

  “Play in closer, Tex!” yelled Mr. Herrick. Chris looked over at third and saw Tex take a few steps in closer toward the basepath. Now that’s coaching, he thought happily.

  A blast over short! Then a bunt to third that Tex fielded nicely and pegged to second. A wide throw! The runner raced to third and the hitter to second.

  “Watch your throws, Tex!” shouted Steve.

  Tex was hurt. You could tell by the way he kicked at the dirt.

  “Tough luck, Tex!” said Chris. “Get the next one!”

  A long, shallow drive over second! Both runners scored, and the hitter came to rest on second base. A clean double.

  The next Piper drove a hot grounder to Chris. He fielded it and pegged it to first for the out. A grounder through short scored another run. A strikeout and a fly to center fielder Mick Antonelli ended the Pipers’ big inning.

  “All right. Now it’s our turn,” said Mr. Herrick. “Tex! Chris! Steve! You’re the first three hitters!” He lowered his voice. “Now, listen. I don’t know if Coach Edson ever gave you any signs, but I will. Two’s enough. When I touch the brim of my cap, that means the batter bunts. But the runner must make sure the ball is on the ground before he takes off. Understand?”

  The boys nodded.

  “Good. The other sign is for a hit and run. I’ll give it only when a man’s on first and only in certain situations. That sign is crossing my arms. Got it?”

  The boys nodded again.

  “Fine. Okay, Tex. Start it off.”

  Tex did, with a walk. Chris glanced at Mr. Herrick and saw him touch the brim of his cap. The bunt sign was on.

  He let the first pitch go by. It was high. The next pitch was in there and he laid it down. A clean bunt to third. The Piper third baseman threw him out at first, but Tex was safe on second.

  Steve flied out to short left, bringing up Mick. The cleanup hitter singled through second, scoring Tex, and Frank grounded out.

  Pipers 3, Blazers 1.

  The second inning went scoreless, but the Pipers came back hot again in the top of the third, again scoring three runs.

  “They’re hitting Bill pretty hard, Dad,” said Steve as he came in to the bench.

  “Okay. So now you fellas hit Keller hard,” responded his father.

  Chris grinned. Invalid or not, Mr. Herrick was acting as a real coach should.

  Tex, leading off again, banged out a single. Chris expected a bunt sign from Mr. Herrick but the acting-coach was looking in another direction. Had he forgotten? Chris wondered. Should I bunt, anyway?

  He did.

  “Foul!” yelled the ump as the ball arced back to the screen.

  “Chris!”

  Chris saw Mr. Herrick motion to him, looking rather disturbed, and he ran to the bench.

  “Did you see me touch my cap?” asked Mr. Herrick.

  “No. I thought you’d forgotten.”

  “No, I didn’t forget,” answered Mr. Herrick. “We’re five runs behind. This is no time to bunt. Get up there and swing!”

  Chris belted the third pitch for a single, advancing Tex to second base. Then Steve doubled, scoring Tex, and Chris held up at third. Mick grounded out and Frank poled a long one to center. The fielder caught it. Chris tagged up on the catch and raced home for another run. Wally walked and Jack Davis grounded out to end the half-inning.

  Pipers 6, Blazers 3.

  Neither team scored again till the bottom of the fifth when, with one out, Mick tripled to deep left center and scored on Frank’s single over second. Spike Dunne, pinch-hitting for Wally, flied out. Then Ken Lane, pinch-hitting for Jack Davis, got on base by virtue of an error.

  “Bring ’em in, Don!” yelled Chris as Don Mitchell stepped to the plate. Don took a couple of mighty swings, then popped a fly to the pitcher to end the threat.

  The top of the sixth. The last inning. And the game looked dark as ever for the Blazers. Having Mr. Herrick coach the team helped a lot, but he couldn’t hit for the Blazers; he couldn’t catch for them. He could only advise what to do. It was up to them to do it.

  Crack! A long, streaking belt to deep center field. Mick dropped back … back … and caught it! One out.

  Another long drive! A clean hit to left center going for two bases. A hit now would put the Pipers ahead by three runs.

  Bill Lewis pitched hard to the next batter, got him to a three-two count, then struck him out. The next Piper socked a sizzling grounder to Chris. Chris got in front of it, missed the hop, and the ball hit his chest. He quickly retrieved it and fired it to first. Out!

  “Nice hustling, Chris,” said Mr. Herrick as the second baseman ran in to the bench. “Now let’s get some hits.”

  Bill, leading off, struck out. Tex belted a long drive to center, but to no avail. The Piper outfielder caught it on the run. One more out and that would be it. The Blazers would go down to their fourth defeat in a row, twice at the hands of the Pipers.

  Chris liked the pitch coming in, swung and crack! A hard, shallow drive to right center. He rounded first and made it safely to second for a neat double.

  Steve hit a scratch single, advancing Chris to third bas’ e, and Mick came up.

  “Over the fence, Mick!” yelled Chris. They needed a long blast to tie the score, a homer to win the game.

  Crack! A blooping fly over third! Chris scored and Steve held up at second.

  Pipers 6, Blazers 5.

  Two more runs. They needed two more.

  Frank was up. So far he had grounded out, flied out, and hit a single. If you’re ever going to do it, Frank, do it now, pleaded Chris.

  Wham! A real hard, solid blow to deep left! The Piper fielder dropped back … back.… He couldn’t reach it! The ball dropped behind him, both Steve and Mick crossed the plate, and Frank stopped at third for a beautiful triple—a triple that won the ball game.

  It was over, and the Blazer fans screamed their throats dry as they swarmed onto the field and hugged the players who had come through for them.

  Then Chris, Tex, Steve and the rest of the team advanced upon Mr. Herrick like a horde, and one by one they shook his hand.

  “Mr. Herrick, please coach us the rest of the season, will you?” asked Tex. “We need a guy like you.”

  Mr. Herrick smiled. “Well … I don’t know,” he said modestly. “Some of you didn’t like a stranger telling you what to do.”

  The place went silent all of a sudden. The boys looked at each other, then at Mr. Herrick. And then, like a shot, the realization hit them.

  “You’re the man on the telephone!” Tex yelled.

  “That’s right!” the other guys chimed in, all except Chris.

  Mr. Herrick’s smile spread wider and he nodded. “Right. I’m the man on the telephone,” he confessed.

  “I thought you were,” Chris said. He turned and looked beyond the backstop screen and the grandstand, to the
white house catercorner across the street, the house where the Herricks lived. He looked back at Mr. Herrick.

  “You watched us from your house,” he said. “That’s how you knew us and were able to tell us what we were doing wrong.”

  Mr. Herrick nodded. “Yes. I was using binoculars and I had Steve give me your names. That’s how I was able to call each of you.”

  Chris turned to Steve. “Did you know he was doing it?”

  “Yes. But I didn’t want to ask him to coach the team. I … I didn’t think you guys would … well … want him to.”

  “Oh, no?” cried Chris. “What about it, guys? Do we or don’t we want Mr. Herrick as our coach?”

  “YES, WE DO!” they shouted almost in one voice.

  “There,” said Chris. “It’s settled.”

  He smiled at Mr. Herrick. “Thanks, Mr. Herrick,” he said. “We really appreciate it.”

  “So do I,” replied Mr. Herrick, smiling and blinking his eyes. “And from now on call me Coach.”

  MYSTERY COACH

  by Matt Christopher

  What can a team do when all of its members know they are getting absolutely no coaching from a man they thought they could depend on?

  That was the question Chris Richards and the rest of the Blazers asked themselves when they found out to their amazement that their coach, the strong force in back of last year’s team, didn’t seem to care anymore. To make matters worse, Steve Herrick, one of the team’s best players, started talking about quitting the team and walking out with a few of the other players. Then suddenly the mysterious phone calls began to occur. It seemed that each member of the team started to get instructions on the phone from a mysterious voice that would only identify itself as “Coach.”

  How the boys finally identify the mystery coach while at the same time come to understand how to get along as a strong team unit is the subject of this fast-paced sports story from an author who has given enjoyment to many thousands of young readers who hunger for exciting stories that are told simply and well.

  Illustrated by Harvey Kidder

  THE KID WHO ONLY HIT HOMERS

  by Matt Christopher

  Illustrated by Harvey Kidder

  Sylvester looked like a poor prospect for the Redbird’s baseball team at their first practice. He was pretty bad at bat and even worse in the outfield. He was ready to give up playing altogether when he met a stranger, Mr. George Baruth, who loved baseball just as much as he did. Mr. Baruth told Sylvester he could become a top-notch player and began to coach him. In no time at all this became true. Whenever Sylvester came to bat for the Redbirds, he hit a home run. Before long, Sylvester was famous, and yet he had new problems. How could he handle the fame which the press had brought him? And what would happen when Mr. Baruth went away as he said he would have to? Would Sylvester still have his good luck at bat? This is an entertaining story of the rise of a phenomenal young baseball player. Sports fans will be especially intrigued by the mysterious Mr. George Baruth and the special talent he gives Sylvester.

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