Larry did his best, but luck was against him. He poled a hot grounder between first and second base, but the Pittsburgh shortstop smothered it and pitched Larry out at first.
“Good night!” he exclaimed, as he reached the bench. “Thim Pittsburghers has more luck than brains. Shure, it wuz a lovely hit, and I had your money spint already, Mac, whin that spalpeen tuck it away from me.”
“Well, it’s the safe ones that count,” remarked the manager. “Anybody can hit them at the fielders.”
Allen was next at bat, and his team mates sat tense, waiting to see what he would do. The chances of the Giants winning the game were getting poor, and already many of the more pessimistic rooters were leaving the stands. Allen was not noted as a slugger, and Jim followed him. Many thought that McRae would substitute a pinch hitter for Jim, as a pitcher is not supposed to be a very heavy slugger, and Jim had not the reputation in that line that Joe possessed.
Two strikes were called on Allen, when the Pittsburgh pitcher loosed a wild throw that struck the batter on the arm. This sent Allen to first base and put the next move up to Jim. To many of the fans it seemed as though McRae should put in his heaviest slugger at this point, but the manager, with that knowledge of men’s hearts and minds that had made him famous in the game, thought otherwise. He understood Jim’s desire to win this game above all others, and he believed that Jim, backed by that desire, would be more apt to slam out a hit than any other man on the team.
“Go in and win your own game, Jim,” he admonished his young pitcher. “Make the crooks wish that they’d let Joe pitch this game. Show them that dirty work doesn’t pay.”
“That’s exactly what I hope to do,” said Jim, with a grim set to his square jaw. “I’d be willing to give my next year’s pay to win this game.”
Miles seemed a trifle rattled by hitting Allen, and the first two balls he pitched were wide of the plate. The next was a low, fast one, and Jim scooped it up, sending it whistling straight at Miles. The ball came so fast that the pitcher was unable to hang on to it, but he succeeded in stopping it, and it rolled along a few feet toward first base.