by R. Gerry Fabian
Our ace,
number one starter,
pulls a calf muscle
while fielding a bunt
and throwing out the runner
by half a step
in the second inning.
The manager signals for the kid
just called up from Triple A today.
It’s getaway day.
The last game of a three-city trip.
The bullpen is in shambles
as only two starters
have managed to go seven innings.
On the mound, the manager says to me,
“He’s got to give us at least four innings.
Don’t let him throw himself out.”
The kid sprints in from the bullpen
with perspiration dripping down his neck
and drops the ball when
the manager hands it to him.
R. Gerry Fabian is the author of three novels and four books of poetry. His latest book of poems, Ball On The Mound, is a collection of original baseball poems, available at Amazon.