Triple Play - Cassie Cole Page 0,68

to distract me. We had a tough schedule in August, but Gallaraga’s addition to the rotation helped us immensely. He was good enough to be an ace on most teams, which gave us a one-two punch along with Rafael that injected the team with confidence. Despite our difficult schedule we went 18-12 in August, bringing our record to 75-57.

September was when we really hit our groove. Benicio Domingo, the top pitching prospect who we had called up at the beginning of August, was phenomenal. He was only twenty years old yet he had the poise and skill of a veteran on the mound. He didn’t get rattled or nervous, even when he didn’t have his best pitches that day. It was clear that he was our number-three pitcher going into the final stretch of the season, and the team started calling him ‘Mingo for short.

The bullpen finally got settled in, too. We moved Cortez into the closer role, and he thrived in the spot. He wasn’t as elite as Joel, of course, but he was quite reliable. That allowed us to move Hallaway into the setup role—the guy who pitched the eighth inning before a closer. Between the two of them, the last six outs of every game were a sure-thing.

I had to admit: it stung that we were able to replace Joel so easily. I felt acutely guilty that I was helping replace my friend and lover, and a part of me—a very small part—hoped that Cortez would struggle. But he listened to my advice about pitch selection and pitching form, and he thrived.

“See?” Theo told me one afternoon. “Relievers come and go. Starting pitchers are tougher to find.”

He was right, but I still didn’t want to admit that trading Joel for Gallaraga was a good move.

Another thing that happened in September is that the rest of the team began respecting me. There were a few pitchers who had remained skeptical of me as the full-time pitching coach, but I finally won them over. Everyone listened to what I said. They came to me before the game with concerns, and chatted with me after. I was the expert, and I was relied-upon for help. Even Gallaraga leaned on me for advice and implemented what I showed him.

There were some jokes between me and the guys, and some involved the fact that I was a woman. But they came from a friendly place, the way all teammates teased and joked with one-another. There was no malice in it.

Over the final month of the season, Darryl was Darryl. There was nobody with as much confidence and swagger than when he had a bat in his hand. He struck fear into opposing pitchers. Even though his impending free-agency still loomed over everything, he didn’t let it bother him. If anything, now he was hungry for an opportunity to land a big contract somewhere—even if it wasn’t with the Rangers.

I tried not to think about what that meant for our future. Because even with Joel gone, the relationship I had with Darryl and Rafael was stronger than ever. If anything, we all relied upon each other more than ever. There was a lot of sex—a lot of sex—but it was more than that. Watching TV with Darryl at the end of a long day, shooting the shit until we had both unwound. Cuddling in bed with Rafael and taking turns massaging each other’s back. He loved it when I gently caressed my fingernails along his back. I loved how it made him relax after a poor start. I was able to help him as a pitcher in more ways than one.

The team went 20-10 in September. At the end of the final game of the year, the standings in our division had the Texas Rangers at the top:

AL WEST STANDINGS

TEX: 95 - 67

HOU: 94 - 68

LAA: 86 - 76

OAK: 86 - 76

SEA: 67 - 95

The day we clinched the division was filled with excitement. After the final out in the ninth inning the team rushed the mound and jumped up and down in a massive dog pile. As members of the coaching staff we remained more reserved, but we still high-fived and grinned widely at each other.

Six months ago the season had begun with hope and optimism. Now we were division champions.

A strange sight waited for us in the clubhouse. Plastic sheets covered the walls and floor, and bathtubs full of champagne bottles and beer were scattered throughout the room. Rafael rushed over