The Submarine Pitch Read online

  “All right,” she said.

  She made the call. A few seconds later she replaced the receiver and looked at him. Her hands were trembling. “He’s there,” she said. “In the intensive care ward.”

  “Can I see him?” he asked.

  “No. Nobody can, except his closest relatives.”

  Bernie went to his room, took off his uniform, and lay on the bed, praying that Dave would be all right.

  An hour later the phone rang, startling Bernie. He was sitting by the living room window, looking out at a bluejay perched on the fence.

  His mother answered it. “Bernie,” she said, and cleared her voice. “It’s for you.”

  He went to the phone, his legs unsteady, and took the receiver from his mother. “Hello?” he said.

  “Bernie, this is Mr. Grant. I wanted to thank you for calling, but I — I’ve got some sad news to tell you.”

  “About… Dave?”

  “Yes, about Dave,” said Mr. Grant. “He has a disease of the liver. I guess he didn’t tell you. He never told anybody. He’s been fighting a battle with it for the last two years. I hope he’s going to get well, but Bernie, he doesn’t look too good right now.”

  Bernie felt his heart split into a million pieces. He choked back tears. “Thanks for calling me, Mr. Grant,” he said.

  He told the sad news to his family, and when he saw their eyes blink with tears he didn’t hold back any longer.

  The next morning he went to the hobby shop and bought the model of the Constitution that Dave had been saving up for.

  He came out of the store and couldn’t believe it when he saw Vince standing there.

  “Hi, Bernie,” Vince greeted him calmly. “I was coming down the street and saw you go in there. I wanted to apologize about the way I’ve been acting lately. I guess the track team thing got me down.” He paused, then continued. “Too bad about Dave, huh?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  They started to walk down the street together.

  “I never knew he was sick, did you?” Vince asked.

  “No. He never told anybody. But I suspected that something was wrong with him. He always got tired so quickly.”

  “He’s a great kid. He showed you how to throw that submarine pitch, didn’t he?”

  Bernie nodded. “He showed me because he couldn’t pitch himself,” he said, feeling a lump rising in his throat.

  They crossed to the next block.

  “Dave was saving to buy this model,” said Bernie. “Now that he’s so sick, I thought I would for him. I was going to buy a bike, but I figure this model of the Constitution is a lot better.”

  “It sure is a beauty,” admitted Vince. “Here, let me carry it for a while. It must be pretty heavy.”

  “It is,” said Bernie, as he handed it over to Vince.

  They took turns carrying it as they walked all the way home.

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  THE SUBMARINE PITCH

  Bernie’s striking ’em out with his secret weapon!

  Bernie Shantz is thinking of hanging up his pitcher’s glove for good, but his best friend, Dave, won’t hear of it. Dave convinces him that all he needs is a secret weapon—an underhand throw known as the submarine pitch. Bernie agrees to give the pitch a try since Dave is so keen on the idea, and since Dave can no longer play baseball himself, for some mysterious reason. Bernie is excited when the pitch baffles one batter after another, but when Dave doesn’t show up for a game one day, his excitement turns to concern.…

  Matt Christopher is the name young readers turn to when they’re looking for fast-paced, action-packed sports novels. For a complete list of all Matt Christopher titles, please see the last pages of this book.

  * Previously published as Crackerjack Halfback

  ** Previously published as Pressure Play