章 5: Outfield Beginnings (4)
Linus stood in the outfield, trying to keep his focus sharp. Two outs were already in the books, and there was a runner on first. His mind replayed the scenarios over and over again, as he had learned to do in other sports. If the ball came his way, all he had to do was catch it, and the top of the inning would be over. Simple enough. But if he couldn't catch it, he needed to stay calm and remember what Liam had told him: get to the ball as fast as possible and throw it to second base.
The grass beneath his feet felt soft but firm, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the field. Linus took a deep breath, settling his nerves. "What if the ball flies over me?" he thought, picturing the worst-case scenario. It was a long throw from right field to second base if the ball got past him. Still, he reminded himself, if that happened, he would just throw it as far as he could. There wasn't much more to it than that.
His thoughts were interrupted when he saw the eighth batter swing. The bat connected with a sharp crack, and Linus instinctively tensed up, ready to react. But the ball wasn't heading his way. He let out a quiet breath of relief, watching as it sailed toward left field. The left fielder sprinted in, but the ball dropped just in front of him. The batter reached first base, while the runner on first made it to second.
Linus felt a strange mix of validation and reassurance. The left fielder, someone who clearly had more experience than him, had also missed catching a similar ball. "Maybe I didn't do so bad after all," Linus thought to himself, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. It was comforting to know that even someone more experienced could struggle with the same kind of hit. It wasn't just him.
Before Linus could dwell on it too much, the ninth batter stepped up. Linus watched closely, knowing that every play mattered. The pitch came in, and the batter made contact, but it wasn't a powerful hit. The ball dribbled toward the pitcher, and Linus watched as the pitcher calmly scooped it up and made the easy throw to first base. Three outs. The top of the inning was over.
Linus jogged in with the rest of the team, feeling a wave of satisfaction wash over him. The other team still hadn't scored, and he had survived another inning without making any critical mistakes. His teammates gathered in the dugout, talking strategy and planning their next at-bats. Linus, still catching his breath, found a spot to sit quietly by himself, replaying the events in his mind.
He didn't have much time to reflect before Liam came over, grinning from ear to ear. "Not too bad, right?" Liam asked, his voice cheerful and encouraging.
Linus shrugged, but there was a small smile on his face. "Yeah, I thought I was too slow to get to that ball, but the left fielder missed one just like it, so maybe I wasn't as bad as I thought."
Liam chuckled, his eyes bright with understanding. "Yeah, that's what we call a bloop single," he said, leaning against the fence. "It's one of those hits that drops behind the infielders and just in front of the outfielders. They're almost always singles, so you don't have to stress about it too much."
Linus nodded, appreciating the explanation. It made sense, and knowing that there was a name for what happened took some of the pressure off. "Bloop single, huh?" he repeated to himself, trying to lock it into his memory.
"Exactly," Liam said, giving him a pat on the back. "And even if you did worse, it's still your first time. You're doing great."
Linus looked at him, feeling a swell of gratitude. It helped that Liam was there, explaining everything and helping him make sense of it all.
Liam straightened up and glanced toward the field. "Looks like we're up to bat. You're probably not going to hit this inning, but stay ready just in case," Liam said, then added, "Oh, and by the way, I don't have another bat with me, so you'll have to use mine when it's your turn. Hope you don't mind."
Linus nodded, watching as the first batter stepped up to the plate. He remembered that the first three batters on their team had gotten out, so they still hadn't gotten a hit yet.
The *ding* of an aluminum bat rang through the field, and Linus leaned forward in his seat, watching as their fourth batter sent a sharp ground ball up the middle. He made it to first base easily. Their next batter worked a full count before hitting a fly ball to right field, which was caught for the first out. The runner at first tagged up and sprinted to second base, putting them in a good position to score.
The dugout came alive with excitement, and Linus noticed the energy building around him. He wasn't entirely sure about baseball, but everyone here seemed to really enjoy it. He was taking everything in and figuring out the game, bit by bit.
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