for the world series, and for boys and baseball…

 the stretch (Detroit ’68)

it’s bottom of the ninth, two men out

two men on, so I’m pitching from the stretch.

he’ll be looking for the heater, so take a little off,

go outside, right at the crack in the second

porch step. it’s September, and the Tigers are a game up

with three to play – Freehan is flashing the signs

Ernie Harwell’s voice is in my head—“how could the skipper

leave the kid in the game at a time like this?”

as I start my motion, the runners go — absolutely everything

comes down to this–down to this lonely kid throwing

and throwing again, down to hitting that porch step, down

to this ball spinning now toward home

down to the twitch of the hitters’ hands, down to this cutter

finally starting to bite

© 2016 jafink/oldbonesnewsnow.com