Wild Pitch (Cal Ripken, Jr.'s All-Stars Series #3)

by Cal Ripken Jr.

Overview

Robbie Hammond is the hardest throwing pitcher in the Babe Ruth League. But what good is all that heat when he can't seem to find the plate? With Robbie struggling, the Orioles are suffering through a nightmare season, still looking for their first win. Robbie's teammates are whispering that the only reason he's even pitching is because he's the coach's kid. They've even given him a new nickname: Ball Four.

What the other Orioles don't know is that Robbie is still haunted by a fastball that got away from him and injured a batter in last year's All-Star Game. Now, with the pressure mounting, he's willing to try anything to get his control back, including listening to a mysterious boy who just might hold the key to helping Robbie and the Orioles save their season.

This third action-packed book in Cal Ripken Jr.'s All-Star series will have readers on the edge of their seats as they root for Robbie's comeback.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423140054
Publisher:	Disney-Hyperion
Publication date:	03/04/2014
Series:	Doctor Who #14 , #3
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.30(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	700L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Cal Ripken, Jr. was a shortstop and third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles for his entire career (1981-2001), a rare occurrence in Major League Baseball today. Nicknamed "The Iron Man" for his relentless work ethic and reliability on the field, Ripken is most remembered for playing a record 2,632 straight games over 17 seasons, shattering the record previously held by Lou Gehrig at 2,131. He was a 19-time All Star and is considered to be one of the best shortstops professional baseball has ever seen. In 2007 he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, after earning the third highest voting percentage in Hall of Fame history. Mr. Ripken is CEO of Ripken Baseball, Inc., (www.RipkenBaseball.com), a company dedicated to growing the game of baseball at the grassroots level, and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (www.RipkenFoundation.org), which uses baseball as a tool to help underserved youth. He currently lives in Maryland with his wife, Kelly, and two children, Rachel and Ryan.

Kevin Cowherd is an award-winning sports columnist formerly with The Baltimore Sun. He has also written for Men's Health, Parenting, and Baseball Digest magazines and is the author of a collection of columns, Last Call at the 7-Eleven. He has coached youth baseball, basketball, and soccer teams for many years. He is the father of three and lives with his wife, Nancy, near Baltimore, Maryland.

Editorial Reviews

Robbie showed great promise as a pitcher for his team last year. But this season when Robbie winds up for a pitch, his nervousness causes him to send the ball anywhere but over the plate. If this continues, he may end up with the most walks in history of his youth league! His parents know he harbors feelings about having hit a batter with an errant pitch last year. However, they do not know how much it bothers Robbie. Robbie still worries that he may have hurt the batter badly. A conflict with a bully from another team is another obstacle in Robbie's path. It takes Robbie's teammates and a youngster who lost an arm in an accident to get Robbie back on track for a win in the biggest game of the season. The pace of this book makes for a good page-turner chock full of baseball games, terms, and teamwork. It is a boy-friendly book, but girls who like baseball can enjoy it, too. Feelings that are important to middle grade readers are handled well. The authors, a professional baseball player and a sports columnist, combine efforts to make this book a winner. This is a book from the "Cal Ripken, Jr.'s All-Stars" series. Reviewer: Nancy Garhan Attebury

Children's Literature - Nancy Garhan Attebury