[CHAPTER XXII]
JIM PUTS ONE OVER
As soon as Jim felt the bat connect with the ball he started down the base line at top speed, and top speed with Jim meant covering ground fast. Every bit of energy in him was concentrated on beating that ball to first base, and no sprinter could have made the distance more quickly. He was two-thirds of the way to first when Miles recovered the ball and straightened up for the throw. Fifteen feet from the bag Jim leaped through the air in a headlong dive for the sack, reaching it in a cloud of dust. A fraction of a second later he heard the smack of the ball in the first baseman’s glove, but it came too late. The umpire declared Jim safe, and he got to his feet, slapping clouds of dust from his uniform.
Miles really should have thrown the ball to second and tried to cut off Allen; but, as it was, the latter reached the second hassock safely, and a moment later stole third. Things now began to look brighter for the home team, especially as Mylert, who was always a dependable slugger, was next at bat.
Miles wound up and delivered a slow, elusive curve that would have fooled most batters. But Mylert judged it to a nicety and poled a safe one-base hit into right field. Allen and Jim sprinted around, the former crossing home plate with the tying run.
By this time the Pittsburgh fielder had recovered the ball. He shot it to third base, in the hope of catching Jim there. But the Giant pitcher had already reached this base and was making for home, covering ground like a frightened jack-rabbit. The grandstand and bleachers rose to their feet en masse and a roar of excited shouting swept over the field.
It looked as though Jim had ventured too much and would surely be thrown out at the home plate. But he ran as he had never run before, and slid for the bag like a human catapult. The ball actually reached the catcher ahead of him, but such was the force of the slide that when the catcher tried to touch him out, the ball was knocked from his hand and bounded over the grass several feet away. Jim was safe, and the score stood 2 to 1 in favor of the Giants!
At that the rooters went wild, and for five minutes the racket startled even the hardened residents of that neighborhood. Jim was surrounded by his team mates and pounded and thumped enthusiastically. But there was little time for this now as the game was not yet finished, and was far from being a certainty, as the Pittsburghs still had an inning at bat.
Mylert was still at first base, and Curry came to the bat next. He did his best, but hit into a fast double play, which cut short the Giant rally.
Now it was up to Jim to retain the one-run lead that he and his team mates had acquired. The Pittsburghs were wild at having the game snatched from their grasp so near the end, and went to the bat with determination writ large on their features.
Now everything depended on Jim. His support could not be relied on. He knew that if the ball were once delivered into the hands of either Hupft or McCarney they would manage in some way to mishandle it and let in a run or two. He realized that the only sure thing was to keep the opposing batsmen from even hitting the ball, and to this end he summoned all his resource and skill.