Big League Dreams Ch. 03

The only uncomfortable part was when she asked me if I was dating anyone, and I told her about Erin, and that I thought that there was a future for us. Allison seemed disappointed, but only briefly, and I remembered back to what Jillian had said about her having a crush on me all those years ago. But when I asked her about her social life, she was vague, mentioning that she had dated a few boys in college, but none of them for any length of time.

Eventually, I had to get back to the hotel to get ready and catch the bus, and while Allison offered to drive me to the stadium, it was too early, and I wanted to ride the bus with the guys, anyway. She dropped me at the Hyatt Regency, and I went upstairs to get my stuff and be ready.

*

The lights seemed a hundred times brighter than on any baseball field that I had ever played on, and the crowd a thousand times louder. I took the ball from Jason, who said, "Just throw strikes, Ray. It's the same game you've been playing since you were a kid." I nodded because my mouth was too dry to say anything.

"Ray, we're losing by 8. You can't fuck things up much worse," said Corey Calhoun, the veteran catcher, clearly trying to break my obvious tension. He patted me on the butt and returned to the plate, where a major league hitter was standing in the batter's box, in a game that counted.

I looked in and got the signs from Corey, and took a glance at the runner leading off first. Normally, I might toss one over, but I was worried I might heave it into the stands. Focusing on Corey's mitt, I threw a fastball, up and in. It was a little more up and a little more in than I planned, and the batter, who I realized was All-Star second baseman Alex Tavares, jackknifed backwards. Corey took off his mask and smiled at me and made the universal signal with his glove for me to calm the fuck down.

Tavares was glaring at me from the box, and I threw a slider low and away, which he swung at and missed. He fouled off my next pitch, and I threw another ball. Corey signaled for the change up, running in, and I threw it perfectly. Tavares swung hard, and missed by a foot. I noticed him looking at me funny when he walked away.

I had just struck out my first batter in the major leagues. No matter what ever happened in my life, my name would appear in a big league box score. Fuck you, Mr. "organizations need lots of arms."

Since I had come into the game with one out and a man on first, after our starter had given up 6 runs in the sixth, all I needed was a ground ball. The next batter was a light hitter, their shortstop, Paul Hogarth. Corey called for a fastball outside, and he swung and missed. He then called for the change, running left, and it did exactly what it was supposed to. Hogarth topped the ball to our first baseman, Orlando Vargas, who fielded it and stepped on the bag to end the inning. I had done what had been asked of me, and I trotted off the field, although I'm not sure that my feet were actually touching the ground. (When I checked the video later, though, they were.)

Jason clapped me on the shoulder. "Good job, kid. You're done for the night."

That was it. My debut was over, and I had no idea what was going to happen next. I decided to stay on the bench and watch the rest of the game, which didn't get any better for us.

The locker room was quiet after the blowout loss. A few of the guys that I had come up with came by to quietly congratulate me, as did a couple of the veterans, which I really appreciated. When I checked my phone, I had messages from former teammates, my parents, friends, old coaches, Erin, and Allison.

I started to respond to the texts when the bus was ready to head back to the hotel. Some of the guys were going out, but others just wanted to get back. I spent the ride talking with some of them, and texting, mostly with Erin. When we got back to the hotel, a couple of the guys offered to buy me a celebratory beer at the hotel bar, and I couldn't say no.

While we were drinking, my phone dinged with a message from Erin.

"I hope you're enjoying tonight!"

I quickly responded, "I am, but wish you were here."

A few seconds later, the phone dinged, and the message was a smiley face, a baseball and a thumbs up.

"Texting with your girlfriend?" Sammy O'Leary asked.

I nodded sheepishly.

"OK, Rook, let's see a picture," Corey demanded.

I scrolled through my pictures until I found one that was good, but not at all suggestive. I turned the screen around.

"Whoa, Ray!" Corey exclaimed, leaning in to get a better look. "What's her story?"

"Grad student. Teaches at the college."

"Shit, man, if I knew there were women like that teaching in college, I woulda gone," said Jimmy Ellison, our backup infielder.

"Trust me, Jimmy, I did go to college, and I never had a professor who looked like Erin."

Sammy looked at me. "So, you probably can't wait to get back and see her, right?"

And that was the rub. "I think I'd rather stay up here as long as possible, honestly."

"Don't fucking tell her that," Corey interjected, laughing.

"Hey, if I stick around, maybe she'll join me."

"Lemme see that picture again, Rook," demanded Jimmy. After looking at it, he said, "You better hope so."

I shrugged. "Look, I know that I'm probably here for a couple of weeks, max. But who knows?"

"Kid, that changeup might keep you here. If not this time, then some time," Corey stated.

"Thanks, Corey. I hope so." I turned to Sammy. Y'know, I learned that pitch from Allison Pullman."

He looked shocked. "No fuckin' way, Ray."

So, I told them the story, after which, we finished our beers and went to our rooms to sleep. I knew that I had to savor every minute in the luxury hotel before my likely return trip back to my apartment.