Storyworks Original Fiction
Leo is up at bat. Can he
handle a curve ball?
Parker
Pitcher
the
BY TOMMY GREENWALD | Illustrations By MARK ELLIOTT
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s t o r y w o r k s
UP
CLOSE
Perspective
Two characters can see the same situation
differently; they have their own perspective, or way of seeing
things. How do the characters in this story see things differently?
I
t was just the first game of the season,
but Leo Galt, second-string third
baseman for the Riverton Tigers, had
already decided he wanted to quit
Little League.
As Leo waited anxiously in the
on-deck circle, his hands started
sweating through his brand-new
batting gloves. It was the last inning of the
game, the score was tied 1-1, the bases were
loaded, there was one out, and he was up next.
It was the moment most kids dreamed about.
Not Leo.
To make things worse, the kid on the
mound was Clay Culpepper, the fastest pitcher
in the league.
“Strike three!” yelled the umpire, as poor
Billy Claxton trudged back to the dugout.
“Any advice?” Leo asked Billy. “Any
suggestions?”
Billy barely raised his head. “Pray.”
Leo slowly walked over to the batter’s
box. But before he got there, his coach, Mr.
Metcalfe, ran up to the umpire.
“That’s 85,” Mr. Metcalfe announced. “He’s
out of pitches.”
The umpire looked over into the other
dugout, where the other manager nodded sadly.
Clay stomped his feet angrily. He didn’t want
to come out, but the rules said that he could
throw only 85 pitches in a game.
Suddenly, Leo’s hands stopped sweating. He
wouldn’t have to face Clay! This was the best
news he’d gotten since his teacher, Ms. Brindle,
forgot to give the class homework because she
was so excited that her favorite contestant on
Dancing With the Stars had won.
While the other team figured out the
pitching change, Leo glanced into the stands.
It seemed as if the whole town was there. He
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waved at his parents. His mom waved back,
but his dad was too busy fiddling with the
video camera. Then his eyes landed on Jessica,
the most annoying girl in the whole school.
She stuck her tongue out at Leo, and his ears
turned red.
All of a sudden,
he felt a smack
on the top of his helmet.
“Galt! Pay attention!”
Mr. Metcalfe stood over him, blocking the
sun with his giant head.
“Keep an eye on this pitching change. It’s
the first game of the year, and I want to get out
of here with a win.”
“Sorry, Coach.”
The other team’s manager looked into his
dugout. “Parker!” he yelled. “Get out here!”
Mr. Metcalfe leaned down to Leo. “Who’s
Parker?” he whispered.
Leo shrugged. Must be somebody new who
just moved to town.
They watched as some skinny kid with long
hair sprinted to the mound. “That must be
Parker,” Mr. Metcalfe said.
“He doesn’t look so bad,” Leo announced,
trying to convince himself.
Then Parker turned and faced the batter’s
box, and Leo’s heart fell out of his chest.
Parker was a girl.
A girl!
The crowd gasped, then started murmuring
wildly. A girl had never played
in the town’s Little
League before.
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But Leo wasn’t
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sto eba lay
crowd just then.
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He was staring
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at Parker,
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who was happily taking her warm-up pitches.
She threw even faster than Clay Culpepper.
Leo looked down at his gloved hands. They
were drenched.
“Batter up!” announced the umpire.
Leo looked out at the mound. Parker was
smiling and chomping on gum. Leo noticed
her ponytail, which was swinging back and
forth behind her head, and had the irrelevant
thought that ponytails actually do look like
ponies’ tails.
That’s funny, Leo thought to himself, as
Parker wound up and fired her first pitch.
“Strike!” hollered the ump, although
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Leo was pretty sure he was just guessing, since
the pitch was so fast there was no way either of
them could have seen it.
Leo backed out of the batter’s box and
adjusted his soggy gloves. Out of the corner of
his eye, he noticed that Jessica was suddenly
paying close attention. Oh, great, Leo thought.
If she sees me become the first kid in the
history of the town to get struck out by a girl,
she’ll be more annoying than ever.
He adjusted his batting helmet and got
ready for Parker’s next pitch. She went into
her huge windup, but this pitch came in about
a million times slower than the first pitch. A
changeup! Leo took a mighty swing, but
unfortunately for him, it
was about five seconds
too early. Not only did he
completely miss the ball,
but he fell down right on
his face.
“Strike two!”
The crowd laughed
as Leo got up and dusted
himself off. He couldn’t
bring himself to look, but
he was pretty sure he heard
Jessica laughing loudest of
all.
“Shake it off!” urged
Mr. Metcalfe, clapping
his hands.
Leo looked into his
dugout, hoping to see the
supportive faces of his
teammates, but they all
just looked relieved that
they weren’t him. He
searched the crowd for his
parents. His mom looked
worried, and his dad looked
embarrassed.
Then Leo noticed a
group of his classmates
sitting up on the hill. Leo
felt a tiny bit better, daring
to hope that his friends would
stick by him no matter what.
That was until Jason Kelper,
who had been his best friend
since kindergarten, stood up on
top of a giant rock next to the
scoreboard. “If you strike out,”
yelled Jason, “you have to wear a
dress to school tomorrow!”
So much for loyalty.
The umpire swept home plate
with his broom. “Come on, son,”
he said gently. “Time to step back
in and face the music.”
Leo stared out at the mound
with what he hoped was his most
intimidating expression. But
Parker wasn’t looking at him. She
was looking at the crowd. First she
looked at Jessica, who was laughing
and pointing at Leo. Then she
looked at Leo’s parents, rubbing their
hands together nervously. And then
she looked at Jason and his friends,
who were still laughing at Jason’s
hilarious joke.
And the interesting thing, Leo
noticed, was that for the first time,
Parker wasn’t smiling. She was shaking her head.
And she was frowning.
Finally, she looked back at Leo. Then she
wound up and fired.
Leo saw the pitch
coming, and it seemed as if time
stopped. He tried to get ready for what would
surely be the most humiliating moment of his
life. He started wondering what he would say
to his friends. He tried to guess what annoying
thing Jessica would say to him. And he felt
guilty about the idea of telling his parents—
especially his dad, who loved baseball so
much—that he was going to quit.
Then he noticed something about the
pitch. It wasn’t that fast. It wasn’t that slow. It
was about average.
And it was headed straight for his butt.
By the time Leo realized what was
happening, it was too late to react. The pitch
hit him with a big PLUNK! But it didn’t hurt.
It didn’t hurt at all.
In fact, it felt great.
“Take your base!” shouted the umpire.
The crowd was silent for a split second.
Then there was a big roar, as people realized
that since the bases were loaded, Leo getting
hit by the pitch meant that the winning run
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would score and the Tigers would win. Leo was
a hero!
As soon as he reached first base, Leo was
mobbed by his teammates. His mother was
jumping up and down. His father smiled and
waved with the video camera. His friends on
the hill were giving him the thumbs-up.
But he couldn’t find who he was looking for.
Then he saw her. Parker.
He was sure she hit him on purpose—why
else would she throw a bad pitch like that? He
wanted to thank her for saving him, for making
sure he wouldn’t be the kid who lost the game
to a girl. Maybe he’d even invite her for ice
cream.
She was in the dugout. Her coach was
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patting her on the back. She must be ashamed
that she threw the game, Leo thought.
Then she looked up. Her eyes were red.
So she had not hit him on purpose after all,
he realized. Why would she? They barely knew
each other. She had wanted to win too.
He waited for the coach to walk away.
“Good game,” he said.
“Not really,” she answered, “but thanks.”
“Did I hurt you?”
“Nah,” Leo said.
“That’s good.”
Leo saw his parents waving him over, so he
started to walk away. But suddenly, as if he’d
forgotten something, he turned back to Parker.
“Welcome to Riverton,” he said. “I think
you’ll really like it here.”
name
OR
AUTTH
LIGHT
SPO
A closer look at one of Our favorite Authors!
Tommy Greenwald
Author Tommy Greenwald has been obsessed with his children’s athletic
accomplishments since before they were born. Aside from being an author, he plays
piano and has a pretty big office at a company that creates advertisements for Broadway
shows. “I hope ‘Parker the Pitcher’ helps kids realize that there’s a lot more to sports
than the final score,” Tommy says. “Now if only I could get myself to believe it too.”
Tommy doesn’t
like to brag, but he
wants you to know
that he coached
his son Joe’s Little
League team, and
they made it to
the World Series.
(Joe’s the tall guy
in the center.)
Tommy is the author of the fabulous Charlie Joe
Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading and its sequel,
Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Extra Credit. The
name of his main character was inspired by his
own three sons, Charlie, Joe, and Jack.
Photos courtesy of Tommy Greenwald
WRITE TO WIN!
By the end of the story, Leo understands something about
Parker. What is it? Do you think this will change his perspective
about the game? Explain your answers in a well-organized
paragraph. Send it to “Parker Contest” by December 15,
2012. Ten winners will each receive a copy of Tommy
Find an
activity
Greenwald’s new book, Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide
sheet
to Extra Credit. See page 2 for details.
online!
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