My First Homerun, I Love Baseball!!

Each year the kids on the block would clean the vacant lot across the street from my house for summer sports games. We loved to play dodge ball, tag, football, and baseball! I was in the 4th grade, and my 14 year old brother, was the team captain. Every day I would ask him if I could play baseball with the boys. He would say, "not right now sis, when you are old enough" you can be on my team. So I would sit on my front porch and watch the game, in the summer heat.

One hot humid summer day, the boys got together for the baseball game. They were short one player. My brother came over to ask me to stand in for Glenn, the absent player. He said, "you don't need to hit, someone will hit for you, you only need to run when we tell you too!" I was so excited, I was going to play with the big boys!

I ran over quickly, and stood next to the batter! My legs fully spread apart in anticipation of the sprint to first base, as soon as they would tell me to run, I would take off like a rocket! I couldn't hit, but, I was a good runner, and my brother knew it! I would often beat him in the short race for home, after school.

The batter missed the first ball, and the referee called a strike! I knew exactly what that meant, just two more tries, and we are out! I shouted to the batter, hit the ball, I haven't got all day! As I often heard them say. The pitcher tossed the ball again, underhand, and the batter hit the ball into right field. As I stood there waiting for my brother to tell me to run. Everybody shouted Run, Run, Run to first base. So I ran to first base and stopped, and turned around waiting for my next command. Everybody said, Run, Run, Run to second, frantically waiving theirs hands in the air! So I ran to second and stopped right there. Somebody said, Run, Run, Run, keep going to third! So I ran to the next base!

I began to slow down, and before I could stop, I heard my brother say, "no, no, keep going, keep going" all the way, run, run..."run home"... so I ran across the street.