Suddenly he remembered what Mom had said in another game: Do we have to do the expected all the time? He looked toward first and then third. The Stars were playing deep. He could try a bunt. It just might work. What could he lose?
The pitch came in. He shifted his feet and bunted the ball down the third-base line, catching the Stars completely off their guard! The bunt was perfect!
“Nice going, Nick!” shouted Mom.
Three on and Gale came up. The fans yelled. Gale’s parents sat still, waiting patiently.
“There you are, Gale!” yelled Nick. “I saved you a rap! Now, clonk it!”
Stinky stretched and pitched. Gale swung. Crack! A solid smash! A high long ball to deep left! It kept going. . . going . . . Gone over the fence! A home run!
It was over. The Thunderballs — and Mom — had won the pennant.
Gale beamed proudly as he gripped Nick’s hand. “Thanks for saving me that rap!”
The Snows came forward and shook hands with Mom. “Wayne thinks an awful lot of you, Mrs. Vassey,” said Mrs. Snow. “He’s always talking about you and your family. I wonder if you all would come over some day soon. My husband and I would love to have you. Will you?”
Mom’s face shone radiantly. “We’ll be glad to, Mrs. Snow.”
Another figure joined the small group. Burt Stevens. A smile was on his face, but it wasn’t as broad as it had been. He stretched out his hand to shake Mom’s.
“Congratulations, Coach,” he said. “You won it fair and square.”
Mom’s eyes sparkled. “Thank you, Mr. Stevens,” she said, and then added mischievously, “Sorry you don’t get a chance for a playoff.”
“And I won the bet,” Dad said. “The Stevenses are taking the Vasseys out for a Chinese dinner. That’s the bet we had agreed on in Mr. Wong’s restaurant. Tomorrow okay, Coach Stevens?”
“Tomorrow’s fine,” said Mr. Stevens, smiling.
Matt Christopher®
Sports Bio Bookshelf
Muhammad Ali Mario Lemieux
Lance Armstrong Tara Lipinski
Kobe Bryant Mark McGwire
Jennifer Capriati Yao Ming
Jeff Gordon Shaquille O’Neal
Ken Griffey Jr. Jackie Robinson
Mia Hamm Alex Rodriguez
Tony Hawk Babe Ruth
Ichiro Curt Schilling
Derek Jeter Sammy Sosa
Randy Johnson Venus and Serena Williams
Michael Jordan Tiger Woods
The #1 Sports Series For Kids
MATT CHRISTOPHER®
Read them all!
Baseball Pals Dive Right In
Baseball Turnaround Double Play at Short
The Basket Counts Face-Off
Body Check Fairway Phenom
Catch That Pass! Football Fugitive
Catcher with a Glass Arm Football Nightmare
Catching Waves The Fox Steals Home
Centerfield Ballhawk The Great Quarterback Switch
Challenge at Second Base Halfback Attack *
The Comeback Challenge The Hockey Machine
Comeback of the Home Run Kid Ice Magic
Cool as Ice Inline Skater
The Diamond Champs Johnny Long Legs
Dirt Bike Racer The Kid Who Only Hit Homers
Dirt Bike Runway Lacrosse Face-Off
Line Drive to Short ** Slam dunk
Long-Arm Quarterback Snowboard Champ
Long Shot for Paul Snowboard Maverick
Look Who’s Playing First Base Snowboard Showdown
Miracle at the Plate Soccer Duel
Mountain Bike Mania Soccer Halfback
No Arm in Left Field Soccer Scoop
Nothin’ But Net Stealing Home
Penalty Shot The Submarine Pitch
Prime Time Pitcher The Team That Couldn’t Lose
Red-Hot HighTops Tennis Ace
The Reluctant Pitcher Tight End
Return of the Home Run Kid Top Wing
Roller Hockey Radicals Touchdown for Tommy
Run For It Tough to Tackle
Shoot for the Hoop Wheel Wizards
Skateboard Renegade Wingman on Ice
Skateboard Tough The Year Mom Won the Pennant
All available in paperback from Little, Brown and Company
THE YEAR MOM WON THE PENNANT
The Thunderballs’ new coach has a few tricks up her sleeve!
When Nick’s mother takes on the job of coaching the Thunderballs, Nick is mortified. Being teased by his baseball team’s archrivals, the Tornadoes, makes it worse. But when Mom leads the Thunderballs to one victory after another in a race toward the pennant, Nick changes his tune - and the Tornadoes start singing the blues! This fast-paced baseball story has plenty of humor and action and will appeal to all young sports fans.
Matt Christopher is the name young readers turn to when they’re looking for fast-paced, action-packed sports novels. For a listing of all his titles, please see the last pages of this book.
* Previously published as Crackerjack Halfback
** Previously published as Pressure Play