The next candidate managed to get a single, but was caught stealing second, and Joe had a chance to retire his third man.
It was a chance not to be missed, and he indulged in a few delaying tactics in order to place, in his mind, the hitter and his special peculiarities.
With a snap of his wrist Joe sent in an out curve, but the manner in which the batter leaped for it, missing it only by a narrow margin, told our hero that this ball was just “pie,” for his antagonist.
“Mustn’t do that again,” thought Joe. “He’ll slam it over the fence if I do.”
The next—an in-shoot—was hit, but only for a foul, and Joe, whose heart had gone into his throat as he heard the crack of the bat, breathed easier. Then, just to puzzle the batter, after delivering a “moistener” that fell off and was called a ball, Joe sent in a “teaser”—a slow one—that fooled the player, who flied out to shortstop.
Joe was beginning to feel more confidence in himself.
The others of the Pittston team grinned encouragingly at Joe, and Gregory clasped his arms about the young pitcher as he came in to the bench.
“Can you stick it out?” he asked.
“Sure! Have you any word yet on the ’phone?”