this was as difficult a test as he would get.
“Now pitching for the Rangers. Number forty-one: Joel Rogers.”
The opposing player stepped into the batter’s box with his bat on his shoulder. Joel dug his cleats into the dirt on the mound and stared in to get the sign from the catcher. He shook off two pitches before nodding.
From my perspective in the dugout I couldn’t tell if it was a fastball or a cutter, but it caught too much of the plate. The batter swung his lumber, hitting a line drive into center field.
“Shit!” I cursed.
Coach Schultz chuckled as if he was happy to see Joel struggle. Down at the other end of the dugout, the manager glanced my way doubtfully.
“Come on, Joel,” I whispered. “Buckle down.”
The first pitch to the next batter was too low, and was called a ball. The next pitch was a cutter that jammed the batter—he dribbled the ball to the shortstop, who flipped it to the second baseman to begin a double-play. The crowd cheered with excitement.
The crowd noise in the stadium rose now that there were two outs. Joel looked more confident on the mound as well. The first pitch was taken for strike one. The batter took a huge swing at the next pitch, fouling it off for strike two. The buzz in the stadium increased, and the fans stood up and cheered. I held my breath as Joel stepped into the next pitch.
Swing and a miss for strike three.
The crowd went wild. I was just as loud in the dugout. Joel punched his fist into his glove and shouted with joy on the mound. The players jogged out of the dugout and shook hands and congratulated each other. Joel pointed at me with a huge grin on his face. I grinned back just as happily.
For now, both of our jobs were safe.
“So far, so good,” the manager told me on the way back to the clubhouse. “We’ll send him back out there the next time we have a save opportunity.”
“Hope he continues to succeed,” I said humbly.
Coach Schultz was already in his office in the clubhouse. When I walked by his door he barked, “Betts! Get in here!”
I felt like a student being called into the principal’s office as I sat in the chair across from him. His cheeks were red with anger as he glared at me.
“I told you never to go behind my back,” he said. “There’s a chain of command. If you get any ideas, you come to me with them first. Then if I agree, I pass it along to the manager or Theo.”
“I didn’t go behind your back,” I repeated. “It came up in the coach’s—”
“I’m sick of arguing with you,” he snapped. “Theo says I can’t fire you, but he didn’t say nothin’ about banishing you to the computer desk.” He jabbed his finger. “Your job is to sit at that desk out there and watch game footage. Before games, during games, and after games—you sit your ass there. You don’t talk to the players. You don’t help them warm-up. You don’t join us in the dugout during the game. From this point forward you’re a glorified analyst.”
My stomach sank.
“Coach Schultz, please,” I begged. “Give me a warning. It’ll never happen again. But let me keep doing what I’m doing. I want to work with the players.”
“I don’t give a shit what you want. You’re done being a coach.”
Theo appeared in the doorway behind me. His hands were in his pockets. “Hey, Bobby. Got a second to talk?”
“We’re busy.”
Theo winced. “It’s important. Why don’t you come to my office so we can discuss some things…”
“Is this about how you’re listening to her advice over my own? No. I’m not going to your office, Theo. You got somethin’ to say, you can say it right now.”
“Are we really doing this here?” Theo asked softly. There was a dangerous look in his eyes. “You want me to say this in front of people?”
“Spit it out,” Coach Schultz barked. “So I can get back to work.”
Theo sighed. “Suit yourself. You’re fired, Bobby.”
16
Natalie
I almost fell out of my chair with surprise.
Coach Schultz’s jaw hung open. “I’m what?”
“You’re fired, Bobby,” Theo repeated. “I’m going to give you a chance to pack your things and go peacefully.”
“This is about the closer?” he demanded. “You’re firing me because this girl made one good roster decision?”
“It has absolutely nothing to do with that,” Theo said evenly. “You know what this is about. The