#second basemen

[skyscrapes-landscapes]

If i could have that right back

know what i know about his dad i may have ended up having an early morning cup of coffee with him reminiscing about his dad as we were parked outside an all-night convenience store. i could’ve told him all i knew now, that his dad paved the way for Clemente himself, that he was from Pineland in East Texas, probably 5’7″, and that he played for the Pirate affiliate in Denver. His first manager…

[travisdermotts]

having an argument, so I need to propose the question here: what position would mitch marner play in baseball, and why is it second base?

[roseworth]

i think baseball should get rid of all rules about runner interference and blocking the bases. free for all bitch

[imperatorrrrr]

hello!!! T, you've been given the task of assigning three devils players to play on your baseball team. who are you choosing and what positions are you putting them in? -💐

FUN!

Okay, its gonna be for my Metsies.

Jesper Bratt - Shortstop - I just feel like Bratter has the verstatility and stealth and quickness needed to be a shortstop you know? Need to be agile and speedy, all things that describe my boy Bratter. Shortstops are also like now placed near the top of the lineup because they're like guaranteed to get on base and Bratter definitely has the consistency of offense there.

Jack Hughes - Catcher - hardy har har, get your jokes in now. Jacky Boy would be a great catcher because the catcher basically calls the shots. He picks what pitches the pitcher throws. Its an incredibly strategic position and Jack is so fucking smart, I think he'd be amazing as a catcher. Plus, catchers need to be able to make quick decisions on when to try to throw out a player and when to not and you need a wicked good arm, and I feel like Jack's shot kind of translates to that skill.

Luke Hughes - First Baseman - so the first baseman is usually TALL and I feel like Luke has that covered. He needs to be able to stretch and he kind of plays defensively a lot because he's around the base whenever there's someone on base trying to catch the runner stealing, etc. A good first basemen is almost always part of a double play because youre trying to get the runner out and the runner has to go to first base first right so like think about how Luke had so many assists last season.

[majorleagueupdates]

BREAKING: the IRS is now allowing shortstops to claim second basemen as dependents on their taxes.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

so, about that baseball au? 👀

Tobias plays right field. It's all about those insanely long catches and those even more insanely long throws. He's fast and light, able to spot a ball in the air and be sprinting to intercept it well before it's even reached the top of its arc. Tobias can not only run and not only throw, but he can jump like nobody's business to intercept a ball in the air. He can't snatch every single home run that clears the top wall, but if it clears the wall by less than 12 inches, you bet that he'll be there making one hell of a grab to intercept it. What he lacks in power he makes up for with speed and accuracy.

Marco is their starting pitcher. He can coordinate and communicate, but more importantly he can be tricky. Marco's the classic ambidextrous change-up knuckleball trickster, not the fastest fastball thrower but an absolute expert in lying with his body about where the ball's going and how it'll be spinning when it gets there. Pitching is about dividing attention between the guy inching down the third-base line, the catcher throwing signals, and the batter getting into position. The ability to read all that, and to hide a fastball in a curved-looking throw, is where Marco excels.

Rachel bats cleanup. She plays center field as well, but her strength is in batting. Her greatest weakness is her greatest strength: she swings at too many pitches. That runs the risk of strikeouts, but it also means that she can sometimes turn a curveball into a double or even a home run. She's the power hitter, able to rocket pitches into the nosebleed section often enough that she sells more t-shirts than the rest of her team combined. That said, when all else fails she can also be counted on to make a sacrifice bunt.

Ax is on third base. It's a position that requires keeping a close eye on the batter and the infield all at once, managing the risk of steals while also being ready to intercept smash hits. Above all, being on third base requires being fast: able to grab a 120 MPH hit out of the air and wing it back to a teammate before there's even time for the runner to think about making it to first. Third basemen are likely to go overlooked, but they're crucially important for the defense of the whole infield.

Jake catches. It's the position most associated with being able to take punishment. Runners collide with you, pitches hit you, backswings can take you out, and your knees are shot to hell within five years. But the catcher faces the field, and the catcher has to communicate with the field. The main line of contact is with the pitcher, everything from requesting pitches to signaling an impending steal, but the catcher has to be able to shout to the field as a whole with a second's notice. The catcher is up and down, up and down, throughout the game, and the catcher has to decide judiciously when to argue with the umpire.

Cassie is their shortstop. Of course. This position is all about support, about being where your teammates are not so that they can focus on covering their own bases. Shortstops have to be flexible, to float between positions and play backup to the basemen and outfielders alike. Shortstops are the most overlooked, the least understood, the most likely to be dropped from Little League teams that are short on players. But an actual MLB team cannot function without a shortstop, because their ill-defined role is actually to hold the entire rest of the defensive team together.

[boatboysrowout]

i am So Very Interested in the burger king vs mcdonalds au if you're willing to share more 👁️👁️

i'm so glad you asked

it's all grian's fault, of course. 'it'll be great if all my friends got a summer job around the same place!' he said. 'it'll be fun hanging out on our lunch breaks!' he said. 'this is a genius idea, nothing will go wrong!' he said.

it goes wrong in less than a day.

it all starts with scar's job application getting rejected from burger king. he takes this very personally, as the man who interviews him is grian's friend who had just been hired the day before, and scar had been assured he would get an easy in. ren, however, didn't like how many questions scar was asking about their ice cream machine and where their security cameras were placed.

so out scar goes, sulking his way through a successful interview to work at the white castle down the road, joining bdubs and cleo. the rest of grians friends end up scattered in shops around the two restaurants with varying degrees of satisfaction with their summer jobs.

grian, as he is wont to do, waffles around a bit before committing to a job. he's pretty sure he's going to join bigb at the library, but before he decides, he goes to pay scar a visit to make sure he's still not sulking about the burger king fiasco.

that, too, is a mistake.

grian doesn't know what happened. he swears he just meant to stop in and say hi. and maybe play a little prank! just a funny little joke! only he didn't realize how much hair spray bdubs uses and how flammable that made his hair, and really, how could grian have known that the second after he fled the scene of his crime, scar would walk in at the exact wrong moment holding a lighter, making him look like the guiltiest motherfucker on earth?

it's absolutely not his fault.

but.

now scar is out of a job again, and he's gotten it in his head that the only way to get his revenge on ren is to work at the mcdonalds across the street from the burger king and, to quote scar, "make him regret not taking my offer." and listen. this is the third job scar's had in two days. it kind of feels a little bit like grian's responsibility to make sure he doesn't get fired from this one too. but it'll be fine. what else could go wrong?

so much. so, so much.

scar almost immediately goes off the rails. he creates his own customer rewards program in which he refuses to serve a customer if they don't pledge their undying loyalty to the mcdonalds in exchange for scar certified McReputation points. this somehow is remarkably successful despite grain's repeated warnings that this is a scam- scar pulls some strings and grian is forced into kitchen duty after he tries to warn one too many customers. martyn and ren catch word of this and try institute a similar program, albeit to a much less successful degree. scar, however, cannot let that stand.

grian also cannot let that stand, but this is more due to martyn coming over every day during his lunch break and annoying grian by telling increasingly convoluted jokes all ending with a punchline relating to the mcdonald's broken ice cream machine.

so that afternoon grian and scar pay the burger king a visit. scar goes up to the front counter and gives ren and martyn the longest sales pitch of his life, something about cereal, and while they're distracted grain climbs through the drive through window and smashes their ice cream machine with a baseball bat.

that's the beginning of the end.

ren takes the attack way too personally. he gets naked, makes martyn crown him with a shitty cardboard crown, dubs himself the burger king, and declares war on the mcdonalds.

he and martyn set out to recruit for their army amongst the rest of their friends in the area to varying degrees of success. they first go to visit joel in his art shop, but quickly decide to leave after the first thing they hear upon walking in is a conversation in the back room in which someone appears to be blackmailing joel over something in the basement.

they decide to try impulse and tango down at the arcade, and both of them are so confused by ren's sales pitch they just agree to make him go away (they do the same thing when scar and grian visit them a few hours later).

ren and martyn's visit to the white castle is the worst yet. instead of walking in and recruiting bdubs and cleo with their impassioned speech and thirst for justice, the burger king and his hand walk into an active warzone.

there's smoke everywhere. bdubs is screaming. martyn swears he hears a gun go off. cleo is cackling. someone runs past them entirely engulfed in flames. as ren and martyn make a hasty retreat etho cheerfully greets them from his seat on a bench outside the building, tinkering with something that looks suspiciously like a pipe bomb.

they decide to take a break from recruiting after that.

meanwhile, scar and grian have been busy. they've recruited jimmy and scott from the florists down the road to launch a yelp smear campaign against the burger king, tanking them from a respectable 3.8 stars to 1 star in an afternoon. to a normal human being, this would mean nothing, but they text a screenshot of this to martyn and ren with the caption 'this u?'

martyn and ren have never once reacted to anything normally or proportionality in their life.

skizz, one of their regulars, also takes great offense to this. he insists that this is a devastating blow against the burger king's honor, and vows to get revenge.

no one's sure exactly how he does it, but within an hour he manages to trace one of the bad reviews back to jimmy and promptly doxes him, getting him fired due to the content of his surprisingly popular google+ account.

scar and grian, after laughing hysterically for an hour over the fact that jimmy was a google+ influencer, continue their reign of terror over the burger king by taking a selfie of them next to the burger king drive through menu, which they somehow have relocated to the roof of the mcdonalds.

it's the last straw for ren.

decked out in a red cape made of the burger king curtains and armed with a spatula and the fury of a thousands suns, ren marches across the street to the mcdonalds and challenges scar and grian to a winner-takes-all duel.

a crowd begins to gather, with nearly everybody grian knows save for the people involved in what has been dubbed the white castle war, forming a loose arch behind ren and martyn as they begin to chant for a fight.

grian and scar, who came outside to see what all the commotion was about, both predictably panic at the sight of two men in capes charging towards them backed by a crowd chanting for blood. grian tries to claw his way back up the roof while scar, possessed by the spirit of apollo, does the only thing he can and chucks a potato at ren's head.

that potato hits ren square in the forehead and knocks him out cold.

the crowd goes silent.

martyn, thinking ren is dead, drops to his knees and cradles his unconscious body close to his chest and dramatically confesses his everlasting love, vowing to never leave ren's side and to never stop spreading the tale of ren's 'grey long and strong' bits.

grian, upon witnessing this, realizes to his abject horror that he also has gay feelings for his manager.

he has no idea what to do with these feelings, and the crowd is still chanting fight, and he's experienced a lot of stress and unexpected emotions in the last five minutes, so he really can't be blamed when he turns on his heel and punches scar in the face.

scar, surprised but absolutely willing to go along with it, punches grian back, and they begin beating the shit out of each other in the most pathetic fist fight a mcdonalds parking lot has ever witnessed.

meanwhile, there's police cars and fire trucks with sirens on speeding down the road past them, and someone in the crowd realizes 'oh shit are those all going to the white castle?'

so the crowd immediately abandons the world's worst fight to go see what the hell has been going down in the white castle.

it takes a bit, but, with martyn still confessing his love and sobbing over ren's unconscious body, grian finally manages to land a lucky hit and knocks scar out, sending him crumpling to the ground. for the second time that day, grian realizes with horror what he's done, and frantically tries to run to get a medic only to trip over scar's unconscious body and knock himself out as well.

The headline of the local newspaper the next morning reads as follows:

...anyone wanna ask me about my last life mall au

[sinsandsuccubus]

Batter Up - Urban Wyatt

Context: There’s something about Urban in short shorts that does something to you….

Genre: smut

Word Count: 1.3k+

Pairings: Urban Wyatt x GF!Fem!Reader

Warnings: 18+! Sexual activity.

a/n: yall…. YALL. I just got in from a party as I’m writing this and I go on insta to find Urban playing kickball? In short shorts? Almost getting a grand slam? Now I need to take another shower. And so will you.

Also, sorry for any typos. I did read this over, but ya know, I'm kind of hornknee from Urban

-

Please DO NOT ENGAGE if not older stated age. Reader’s discretion is advised. I am not responsible if YOU CHOOSE to continue.

-

Masterlist ☽☾

It was the annual Homies Kickball Tournament, which was not only a way of gathering those local in Louisville, but to raise charity. When Urban asked you to participate, you were hesitant, wondering what people would think about Urban’s girl on the team. Yet, none of your friends were worried about it, and honestly, you were past giving a fuck about other people’s opinions on your relationship with Urban. The trick that tipped it over though, was Urban’s uniform.

The shorts he wore?

You wanted to pull his pants down right there and-

Yeah.

You were currently out on the field, getting yourself ready for the round, as you were up next to kick after Urban. Jack had gone, the bases becoming loaded, as it was now Urban’s turn, you giving Urban a firm pat on the ass. He yelped and jumped in response, rubbing his ass from the slap.

“You got this babe!” You cheered on, smiling at your boyfriend.

You watched as the ball rolled towards him, and Urban took careful steps, punting the ball far across the field.

Well fuck. That was hot.

You stood in shock as the players ran across the base, Jack being the last to hit the home plate. That left Urban out on the field, particularly on second base. You looked at him in the distance, hand over your eyes to shield yourself from the sun.

“You got this! Bring me home!” You heard him shout, seeing the thumbs up you gave him.

Oh, you were about to bring him home alright.

As the ball rolled towards you, you being last to kick before halftime, you concentrated, thinking about nothing else but both you and Urban reaching home plate so you could give him sloppy toppy in the bathroom.

You mean, his present for being such a good sport.

You kicked the ball, hard, sending the ball flying across the field, far enough out to where you and Urban could both make it home safely.

You took off running, clearing the bases as you went, before heading for home plate. However, you noticed the ball being thrown to the third basemen, and him making the move to come after you. You picked up your speed, turning your head slightly to see the ball being thrown at your back. You quickly spun out of its direction, it flying past the person at home base, the crowd cheering you on. You ran across the base, Urban there to scoop you up as the team jumped for joy.

“That’s my girl!” Urban said as he put you down, to which you pulled him down by the collar of his shirt down for a kiss, the crowd “awwing” at the two of you.

“Gross guys, get a room!” You heard Jack yell, not paying him any attention as you moved your mouth to Urban’s ear.

“Meet me in the bathroom.” You quickly jogged off, scooping up an empty Gatorade water bottle off the floor, running back inside the stadium to make it appear you were going to fill it up before the next two rounds.

Yeah, you were. Totally.

Urban quickly found you in the bathroom, to which you pulled him close, kissing him immediately and locking the door behind you, his lips soft on yours.

“Mm, baby. Baby. Babe. Slow down, what’s this all about?” He spoke, pulling away from you.

“You! Being hot, in those sexy ass shorts, kicking that ball all sexy. It just made me… fuck- really fucking horny.” You spoke rushed, Urban quickly washing his hands before you guiding him to the bottom of your shorts, pushing them and your panties aside to reveal your drenched pussy.

“Damn baby, you’re really this turned on?”

“Urban… you have no clue what you do to me.” You spoke softly, looking up at him with lustful eyes.

“Well, I’ll have you know,” He paused, bringing your hands towards his shorts, his dick pressing hard into your palms.

“That I’m so fucking hard for you right now. Seeing you run across those bases to home plate, your tits bouncing, perfect ass,” he grabbed your ass and pulled you close, bringing one of your legs to rest on his hip. “This fucking ass. God Y/N, that shit was so hot.”

“Well, it seems that we both have a problem, don’t we?”

“Yup. We should probably solve this problem before the game starts up again, right?” Urban asked, raising an eyebrow and stroking his chin.

“Absolutely. I’ll start.” You quickly washed and dried your hands before pulling Urban’s shorts down, his hard dick springing free, precum leaking from the tip. You licked the droplets up onto your tongue, sighing at the taste.

“Y/N, don’t tease me like that.”

“Sorry babe. Let me make this quick, we do have a game to finish.” You swiftly took Urban down your throat, him moaning loud as you took him to the base of his cock, moaning to send vibrations up his shaft.

“Fuck Y/N, goddamn.”

You kept going, jerking him off while sucking him at the same time, the hand job becoming sloppy. Then, you took his dick all the way down your throat again, flexing your tongue so that it curved to his dick, making a suction almost. You played with his balls, massaging them with the saliva that had trailed down from your blowjob.

“Fuck baby, your mouth feels so good.”

You kept going, determined to make Urban cum down your throat. You wanted it so so badly.

However, that was cut short when he pulled you up by your throat, bending you over the counter of the bathroom sink.

“I need to fuck you right now.” Urban pulled your shorts and panties down swiftly, eyeing your wet pussy.

“Spread it for me.” He spoke, spitting on his hand as he jerked himself off, though he was pretty wet enough. You spread your lips, hearing a “fuck” from Urban.

Before you knew it, he had thrust inside you, working at a fast pace from the start.

“Ohmygod. Ohmygod, fuck, Urban please.” You moaned, folding your body over the cool countertop, the coldness feeling good against your torso.

Urban jerked your head up by your throat, moving his one hand to remain on your neck while the other smacked your ass, shortly thereafter moving to your hip. He pounded you into the counter, you not taking notice of how good he was making you feel.

“Look at me when I’m fucking you, you understand?” He squeezed your throat, you letting out a choked gasp, nodding at him while you looked at him in the mirror. He slapped your ass, making you moan some more.

“Use your words.”

“Yes Urban, ohmygod, yes, I’ll keep looking. God, yes.” You managed to get out, moaning and stumbling on your words. The hand from your throat moved to your clit, Urban rubbing light but firm circles on the sensitive bud.

“Fuck, Urban, you’re gonna make me cum.”

“Cum for me. Cum for me Y/N, cum on this dick.”

You yelped, coming down hard on Urban, your whole body shaking with satisfaction. However, Urban kept at it, chasing his own high.

“Fuck, baby, Y/N, shit. Where do you want it? Tell me now before I cum.”

“In my mouth please, fuck. In my mouth.” You spazzed around him again, him quickly pulling out of you as you dropped to your knees, shaking from your second orgasm as he shot his load into your mouth. You licked up anything that didn’t make it, cleaning your lips of the rest of his cum.

“Fuck Y/N, that was so hot.”

“You’re fucking hot babe.” You spoke, him helping you get up from the floor steadily, your body still shaking. You both fixed yourselves before you heard a knock on the door.

“Come on now y’all! I gotta fucking piss and y’all in there fuckin. I hope you cleaned up after yourselves, Jesus.”

[8-rae-rae-8]

CoD Baseball AU updated

Team name: London LionHearts

Price - pitcher

Laswell - manager

Farah - assistant manager

Shepherd - company manager

Valeria: Pitching and batting coach (extra hard on Graves)

Ghost - catcher

Soap - center fielder

Gaz - right fielder

Roach - left fielder

Graves - first basemen (Taken under Kate’s wing as ‘the other american’ in a british league) ((excluded often but bc hes a dick))

Alex - second basemen

Rodolfo - third basemen

Alejandro - shortstop

Rudy and Alejandro are always put together bc they aren't as effective if they aren't a pair. Laswell jokes that their brains are connected

[centralperkchenford]

After the baseball game in 5x11 tim should Lucy how to hold a bat but she’s to turned on by his voice in her to pay attention

I also want to write a fic where Tim teases her about calling him her friend 😌. I hope you like this anon! 🩶

After the baseball game in 5x11 tim should Lucy how to hold a bat but she’s to turned on by his voice in her to pay attention

I want to feel you by my side, standing next to me

“Teach me how to hold the bat.” Lucy tells Tim once everyone has cleared the baseball field. Tyler’s team had won much to Lucy’s surprise and they were going to celebrate with ice cream. Tim looks up at her as he’s putting away the equipment, and smiles at her as he stands up with a bat in his hand.

“You want to learn how to hold a bat?” He asks amusement lining his voice. She nods and goes over to the home plate. He follows suit and comes so he’s behind her, his chest pressed into her back.

And Tim has been this close to her before. They were all over each other during the UC op, and they have cuddled and kissed since their first and second dates.

But there is something different about Tim pressed against her back, she can feel every part of him even through his jeans and shirt. And he’s more relaxed like he knows he can do this without it being awkward.

He places the bat in her hands and then scoots away a little moving her foot into the right position.

“Okay.” He begins his voice low and rough. “Put one of your hands on the bottom of the bat and then the other on top of that hand. She does as he says and then he’s leaning over his chin on her shoulder as he adjusts her hands.

“Okay now make sure your bottom palm is facing down and your top palm is facing up.” He says into her ear his voice getting lower and deeper somehow. It sends shivers up her spine and she hopes Tim can’t tell just how turned on she is by his voice.

“Perfect.” He mutters into her ear and it once again sends involuntary shivers down her spine. She turns to look at him expecting to see a smug look on his face but instead she is met with intense tenderness that makes her look away.

“Now do you want to hit a ball or do you prefer me to stay behind you?” He asks his mouth near her ear and she nods although she’s not sure what she’s nodding to.

Tim hums and then steps back, Lucy has to bite her tongue from protesting. She already misses his warmth.

He strides out to the pitcher’s mound with a ball in his hand. “Eye on the ball.” He tells her sternly and she nods still holding the bat like he showed her. He throws the ball light and easy and she watches as the ball comes closer and she swings barely hitting the ball. It goes straight in front of her.

“You swung too soon.” He says shaking his head in disappointment. She snorts and he waves his hand at her.

“Get back in position.” He says sternly. “Let’s do this again.” Lucy does as he says willing to humor him for just a little bit longer.

She gets back on home plate adjusting herself and her hands on the bat. He squints at her and the nods clearly satisfied with her position. She rolls her eyes at him, and the nods that she’s ready.

“Eyes on the ball Chen.” He says firmly. He throws the ball and again it’s light and slow and she swings the bat and the ball goes a little farther this time, to first base.

She grins at Tim who nods his head but he clearly looks disappointed again.

“See if this was a real game the first basemen would have caught your ball and then you would have been out.” He tuts at her. She rolls her eyes again at him affectionately.

“C’mon Tim one more time.” She says her voice taking on a higher pitch. Tim sighs but he nods and walks back to get the ball.

He throws the ball again and Lucy really concentrates on this one, and once it comes close enough she swings hitting the ball clear over Tim’s head and into the outfield. Lucy grins as Tim turns back to look at the ball and then turns to look at Lucy. He’s by her side before she can even blink, and she’s in his arms being swung around.

“That’s my girl.” He says pride evident in his voice. She giggles and buried her face into his shoulder.

“I knew you could do it.” He says his voice low and deep again. “You always manage to get it right.” Lucy giggles and then cups his face and kisses him, her feet still off the ground.

“Well I do have a good teacher.” She says teasingly. He grins at her and puts her back on the ground but he doesn’t let her get far, he tucks her into his side and Lucy sighs happily glad to be back in the cocoon of warmth and safety.

“Are you ready to go?” He asks her softly. She nods and he takes the bat from her. They walk side by side and put the ball and bat in the wagon. And Lucy knows she will be okay if Tim is always by her side.

[ggothamite]

fuck it yj98 baseball lineup

cassie - first basemen

kon - designated hitter/pitcher

ray - right fielder

tim - catcher

bart - center fielder

anita - shortstop

slobo - third basemen

cissie - second baseman

greta - left fielder

[professorspork]

THE BIG RWBY BASEBALL POST

(previously on Leah Combines RWBY With Sports That Had Peak Popularity in The Early 20th Century: 2021 Kentucky Derby Horse Names as RWBY Weapons, Ranked)

Friends, it's that time of year again.

"Baseball season?" you ask. And I say: yes, but also.

"Oh. RWBY hiatus?" you groan, realizing I'm about to do something slightly unhinged.

Bingo.

To make a very long story short, I love these two things, and wanted to combine these two things, and have very strong opinions about these two things, so here we are: a post that makes a functional baseball team out of RWBY characters. True, the Venn diagram of people who like both these things as much as I do to serve as my audience is probably small. True, baseball positions aren't astrological signs and anyone of any personality can play anywhere, but lord knows there are Tropes and I plan to indulge.

SO. I give you the starting nine (plus some bullpen depth) of the Beacon Huntresses:

Pitcher: Weiss Schnee. Among several decisions that are no-brainers, this one is probably the no-brainiest. Weiss is a lefty (always highly in demand for pitchers) and her balletic combat movement style translates perfectly to a distinct delivery mechanic. Weiss is a high velocity, high strikeout pitcher who induces a lot of swings and misses with nasty breaking stuff that dances through the air and paints the corners. Because it brings me joy to think about, I'm going to say that Remnant uses old NL rules so Weiss has to bat, and I'll rank her at like a Cole Hamels-level "hey, that's not embarrassing for a pitcher!" career .400 OPS. Not afraid to sac bunt when she has to, but beats out the throw more often than you'd think.

Catcher: Jaune Arc. Yes yes get in your "White Knight real" jokes while you can about Weiss and Jaune playing as the regular battery. This one was also an easy selection; catchers are valued most highly for their strategic minds and defensive capabilities, with any offense added seen as a bonus. As the latest kerfuffle with the Cardinals blaming Willson Contreras for *checks notes* not being Yadi Molina shows, having trust in your catcher to call the game and be thoughtful in his pitch selection in high-leverage situations is paramount. That's Jaune all over. Probably not much of a power guy but has pop when it counts and is excellent at pitch framing.

First Base: Yang Xiao Long. Okay I promise I'll stop calling every decision a no-brainer but THIS ONE REALLY IS. Yang is your classic slugging first baseman, of whom there are literally too many examples to name-- including many righties YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE LEFTY TO PLAY FIRST OKAY. Yang's a Vladdy. Hits for serious power, but more than that embodies the quality that the best first basemen have: she's The Mayor. Truly iconic first basemen are fun to chat with! They are friendly to all their visitors as opposing players stop over on their way around the diamond; this is Yang to a T. Yang probably used to play center field in high school and got converted to 1B in the minors. Most likely on the team to induce very silly rundowns with goofy, clever, self-sacrificial baserunning. Has a penchant for always hitting homers the next time she faces a pitcher after she's been hit by a pitch.

Second Base: Blake Belladonna. She is all about those scrappy diving catches, and flipping to Ruby quickly so they can turn two (but I'm getting ahead of myself). Blake's a utility infielder who'd be comfortable anywhere but let's be real she likes playing the right field side because she gets sad when she can't easily make smirky meaningful eye contact with Yang at all times, so they keep her at second so she won't pout. Probably hits high average but low slugging. Most likely to volunteer to be a position player pitching during a blowout and then, like. Unexpectedly throw 93 with movement. Definitely steals a lot.

Shortstop: Ruby Rose. Ruby has the brains to be a catcher but to waste/ruin her speed on catcher's legs would be a crime; she's got zippy athleticism written all over her. She bats leadoff because she has excellent plate discipline; she's a hard out and gets on base a ton. Think a DJ LeMahieu or Bryson Stott at his best-- sprays to all fields, and sees pitches in the double digits like every other at-bat because she's happy to stand there and keep fouling it off with an infuriating smile on her face until the pitcher makes a mistake. Steals even more often than Blake does, but specifically is a tricksy little imp on the basepaths like Anthony Volpe-- like she would definitely induce a throw when she was already back at the bag because she dances around. (I s2g there's video of this but I cannot find it anywhere sry.)

Third Base: Penny Polendina. Fast hands, Gold Glove-level defense. Unfortunately she's built in the mold of an Adalberto Mondesi or Byron Buxton where it's like "no better player on earth when she's healthy but she's NEVER HEALTHY;" she's got glass bones and has had multiple weeks-long trips to the Injury List or needed season-ending surgery because something popped or snapped. The sort of player where it's like "god no you don't understand, the game is so much better when she's playing" and it's a heartbreaker because SHE KEEPS GETTING TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU. Once did a bat flip after a home run because Ruby encouraged her to and, like, the bat shattered on the grass somehow because she's that strong.

Left Field: Emerald Sustrai. Because if you ask her, her face turn was... out of left field! Eh? Eh??? Okay yeah sorry. To me Emerald is a 2022 Oswaldo Cabrera situation where they threw her in left because they had nowhere else to put her even though she'd never played it before in the minors but she was just. Instantly extremely good at it. Has great range for tracking down fly balls in foul territory. Very streaky hitter who either runs super hot and super cold with no in-between. Steals a lot but also gets caught stealing a lot because she's impatient (see also: streaky hitter, probably chases out of the zone and has really poor plate discipline). But she's getting better! Most likely to come up with cute home run celebration ideas and then absolutely refuse to take credit for them.

Center Field: Pyrrha Nikos. This is the last of the extremely obvious no-brainers. Pyrrha is your star franchise player in center field; she is your Aaron Judge, your Mike Trout. Hits for average and for power, pure athleticism and grace, the player everyone's heard of even when they don't give a shit about baseball. Also now I'm just thinking about how Mike Trout would 100% be like "actually that cereal isn't very good for you" and Pyrrha would 100% stay up all night riveted to the Weather Channel and then call in to compliment the meteorologist they are the same person. Her catches at the fence are so spectacular, you could swear her glove's magnetized.

Right Field: Nora Valkyrie. Is there a very obvious "designated hitter" joke to be made about Nora "be strong and hit stuff" Valkyrie? Yes, of course. But I already said Remnant doesn't have the DH and let's be real, Nora's got a CANNON for an arm and thus belongs in right. Like I'm talking throws like this beaut from Hunter Renfroe the other day-- you do not run on Nora, because she WILL get you out on what you think is a routine double. Bats cleanup and probably has a whole Bash Brothers routine with Yang, including special handshakes. Definitely a pull hitter.

Regular starting lineup is most likely:

Ruby

Pyrrha

Yang

Nora

Blake

Penny

Jaune

Emerald

Weiss

Rounding out the team in the bullpen are:

Long relief: Lie Ren. When your starter melts down and you need someone to keep things calm and give you like four quality innings without giving up more runs, Ren's your guy. Also very happy to play setup man. Throws a knuckleball, says Nora taught him how, and refuses to give more details when people ask.

Closer: Oscar Pine. Admittedly probably more of a ground ball pitcher than a strikeout guy; he induces weak contact and is always going for the double play. I see him as a David Robertson or Kenley Jansen type who gets himself into jams and then gets out of them and like. Yes more often than not he gets the job done but sometimes he'll give you a damn heart attack about it. OSCAR WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS.

In the process of writing this post Helen asked me who the manager would be and noted Qrow would give absolutely adorable A League Of Their Own vibes. She also suggested that Ozpin (well, Ozma) probably invented baseball in the first place, so... more proof that she's funnier than me.

okay I've been thinking about and then writing this for almost five hours now I have to stop. should I have put some of this behind a cut? probably! but I think it's beautiful, so... sorry but not sorry to all your dashboards <3 I want you to know this included way more specific baseball player comps at one point but I took some of them out so you might have a chance of understanding this <3

[sylkiddsey]

Prompt: “Hold Onto Me”

Set in the early/ middle of season 8

Sylvie’s going to kill Stella. She’s actually going to corner her behind the rotting benches on their side of the field and murder her.

She did this. She implanted this stupid idea about her and Matt; Matt freaking Casey who has to be the worst possible person to have somewhat feelings for.

Okay, maybe Olivia is the one to blame since she said the stupid six words that can’t stop ringing through her brain like a bell. Still, Stella didn’t disagree. She also didn’t slap Sylvie across the face for even considering wanting Matt. Instead, she smirked and now she won’t let it go.

Now, she begged Sylvie to join the CFD softball team who annually plays against CPD. It’s strictly a pissing contest whose only prize is winning and bragging rights. It’s something Severide created so he could kick Jay Halstead’s ass.

Her best friend, her evil intentioned best friend, encouraged her to join this year. She insisted it was because Sylvie played softball in high school. Her friend knows she has a good arm so of course she’d want her on the team.

Wrong, this decision; this torture, is all because of Matt Casey. Stella convinced her here, so she had no choice but to stare and pine for the man who brings a whole new definition to the word swoon.

He’s hot on any given day, that much is obvious. It’s just a fact because any girl who encounters him on a scene, sweaty, stern and sometimes dirty, gets star eyes. They look at him like some Greek god and Sylvie’s human.

Matt’s incredibly attractive but this scene, this look is ungodly. When she first saw him, she rubbed her eyes so hard she saw spots. She thought she was hallucinating but this man was real.

The second-hand cheap uniform that’s oversized on her fits him amazingly. His shirt is halfway unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up so all she can see is tan skin. Plus, his backwards baseball cap stirs something inside her that she didn’t even know existed.

Not to mention, his semi-competitive nature is a real turn on. All of it is entirely inappropriate considering he’s Gabby’s ex-husband. Matt’s her friend and she reasons with herself that any woman would admire this look. Hell, maybe Hailey and Kim are right there with her.

However, based on their starry looks for their respective partner’s, she doubts it. Unfortunately, she’s probably the only one foaming at the mouth. Well, she has seen the blonde female patrol cop making heart eyes at him.

There’s that at least.

God, she’s going to kill Stella after this. There’s no way she didn’t know what she was doing. She wanted her to have to see Matt like this. Just because she’s so happy with her own firefighter man does not give her the right.

Although Sylvie has murder on her mind, she’s also sadistically glad to play alongside him. She’s damn good and it’s thrilling to see his reaction. He even swatted her ass in congratulations after she ran into home base when Cruz advanced to first.

He’s never done that before, and she really can’t say she hated it. Although it was a little awkward when Hermann did the same thing. It’s endearing how into the game Hermann gets. She loves seeing his carefree self.

All and all, playing on the team is fun and they are definitely kicking PD’s ass. They are up by five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jay and Atwater are good and Hailey’s surprisingly fast, but Adam and Kim can’t stop flirting to really do any good. Plus, the patrol cops Platt threatened so they’d join the team are clearly not into it. They rarely make contact with the ball or catch anything in the outfield.

Realistically, her team is in much better shape. Matt and Severide are athletes and Stella and Foster are so competitive it turns into skill. Cruz is one of the best third basemen and Gallo has hit more home runs than anybody. Even Ritter is quick on his feet.

She’s sure they are going to win which is probably why Severide gives in and lets her pitch another inning. His arm is sore, so he forfeits his pitcher status so that means she’s up again.

So far, she’s striked out most of PD aside from a few badly called balls. Trudy Platt makes a very biased umpire, but what can you do? Severide, aka the self-elected leader, pulled himself out while bases were loaded. Hailey had just reached first, pushing Atwater to second. Now, Jay is up to bat, and he looks determined.

His used helmet tips down and he adjusts, getting into a proper swinging stance. “Show us what you got Brett.”

What is it about men and trash talk?

She bends her knees and winds her arm. Ideally, it should pass through the strike zone without that bat making contact. She reels back and shoots forward, throwing the pale-yellow ball as hard as she can.

Jay swings, but misses, the softball landing in Cruz’s catcher mitt with a thwack. Platt declares her throw as a strike.

“Atta girl!” Stella hollers from the short-stop position. She smacks her hand into the glove and winks.

Okay, maybe Sylvie won’t kill her. She’s too encouraging for that.

Jay murmurs, scuffs his sneaker against the dirt and then repositions. He holds the bat behind his shoulder, and she winds up again, throwing the ball a little higher this time. Jay swings and misses, Platt declaring a second strike.

One more and he’s out and CFD bats again. She can easily do this.

“You got this, Brett.”

She looks over her shoulder. Matt’s playing first base because, duh, he’s just that good. He grins at her which causes a wave of nervousness to rush over. Before, she felt confident, but now with Matt’s very blue eyes tracking her every movement, she has butterflies.

God he looks so good. This Saturday evening hue does wonders for him.

Once Jay repositions again, she winds her arm back. She rotates her joint in a circle and releases the ball once it’s straight. It soars in the air harder than the previous ones and she watches Jay’s shinny blue bat make contact. Her eyes drift back onto Matt so she can watch him in action. She registers the harsh clinking noise and hears a simultaneous gasp amongst PD players inside the dugout.

She’s not sure what that is about until the ball comes flying back in her direction and beams her directly in the side of the head. Everything goes dark and before she can process anything, she tastes rich dirt on her lips.

There are a lot of voices all around her, but the throbbing inside her skull and eye socket makes it hard to process any of it. Jay can really hit the ball which should’ve been obvious. The man hits doors with battering rams for a living.

He has some power.

“Sylvie, can you hear me?”

Oh great. Matt, of course he’s here. Of course, the man she can’t get out of her damn head just witnessed her not so graceful face plant into the dirt.

This is humiliating.

His warm, rough hand grazes the back of her head. Despite not being able to open her eyes, she knows his face is right in front of hers. His voice sounds close, and she can also smell the faint scent of the cologne he probably put on before all this.

He grips her shoulder with his unoccupied hand. “Hey, I need you to open your eyes.”

The tone of his voice somehow lessens the pain, so she tries to blink. At first, everything is blurry. All she can see is redness and several sets of feet. After she lets her eyes adjust, she realizes she’s on her stomach. Her right eye is also swollen and throbbing.

“Hey, she’s coming to!”

Stella? Sylvie rolls herself onto her back covering her bad eye. Stella’s crouched next to her, shouting at Foster who is rooting around in the dugout. She’s probably looking for a first aid kit.

The game has apparently stopped. Everyone is crowded around her like she’s some zoo extraction. It is so embarrassing.

“Sylvie, hey? Are you alright?” Matt asks, allowing his hand to cup the side of her face. His worried features are blurry, but still tense.

“Geez, is she okay?”

Jay’s bent at the waist, hands on his knees by her feet. His expression is a mixture between worry and guilty.

Matt shoots him a tense glare, voice low and angry. She’s heard him talk like this on scenes with uncooperative people. “What do you think? You beamed her in the head.”

She’s sure poor Jay didn’t mean to do it. He just had a great hit and maybe if she wasn’t admiring Matt, she could’ve ducked.

Matt turns his attention on her again, narrowed eyes growing soft. His fingers brush some dirt off her face. “Hey, can you talk to me? Do you know where you are?”

Unfortunately, she does.

Her stomach churns at the reality of all this along with the pain. She feels herself grow pale.

“I’m going to be sick,” she murmurs, turning onto her right side by Stella. If she’s going to lose her sandwich Cindy packed for all of them, she’d rather Matt not witnesses that. She’s sure Stella won’t appreciate it, but this is also kind of her fault. She talked her into this.

When she’s on her side, the nausea dissipates. After she feels better, she rolls onto her back. Somehow, she ends up in Matt’s lap with his arm supporting her shoulders.

Emily runs over with the pitiful first aid kit someone left behind in the dugout. When she unpacks it, there is only a small bottle of rubbing alcohol and a warm ice pack.

Sylvie feels something wet roll down her face. She touches the skin above her eye and realizes it must’ve split open from the ball's stitches. She’s bleeding.

“You need a hospital, partner,” Foster says. “You’ll probably need stitches and a CT.”

Yeah, she’d agree she has a concussion. A cop’s strength will do that to a person.

“I’m so sorry, Brett,” Jay apologizes.

She gives him a thumbs up and mumbles, “It’s fine.”

Matt looks down at her, gently caressing her head. “I’m going to take you to Med.”

“What about the game?” Severide asks.

Both Stella and Matt glare through his soul. Although, she’s not upset with him at all. She doesn’t expect they stop the game all because of this.

“She’s bleeding and concussed. I think you’ll survive forfeiting the game,” Matt retorts.

“No, keep playing,” she insists, wincing at how talking aggravates her injury. “Cindy or someone from the stands can take me.”

“No way,” he argues. “I got it.”

Oh god. This can’t get any worse. She loves how much he cares, but he’s killing her.

Stella must notice because she pipes up. “It’s okay, Casey. I can take her. You keep playing.”

Matt begins maneuvering her in his arms. She groans as he just barely jostles her. She’s seeing stars.

“No offense Kidd, but I don’t think you can carry her to the car,” he replies.

Carry? She can probably walk.

“Casey, I can walk,” she protests, but he doesn’t listen. He slides one arm under her back and legs.

“No, you can’t Sylvie,” he replies. “Hold onto me.”

She has no choice but to do what he asks. She wraps her arms around his neck, and he hoists her in his arms like she’s weightless. The movement makes her dizzy, so she rests her head on his broad shoulder.

Despite how embarrassing this is, she can’t say she’s miserable. This is surprisingly nice.

“Kidd, can you grab my keys from my bag and help me get her in the truck?” He requests.

“Sure.”

Sylvie ignores the commotion around her and focuses on how nice it feels to be in his arms.

:::

She winds up behind a curtain in Med’s ER with one of Matt’s old t-shirts against her bleeding eye as she waits. Unfortunately, the ER is overflowing with people who are in worse shape so she’s stuck waiting. It doesn’t matter that Matt already made an enemy out of one of the doctor’s she doesn’t know after he demanded she get some ice; she still has to wait.

The bleeding has slowed, but she’s definitely dizzy. Matt had of course carried her in despite the many many times she insisted she could walk. He never listened because he carried her until he gently sat her on the gurney.

Now, he’s standing next to her with one of her hands tight in his. He took off the hat at some point, so his hair is disheveled and messy. It’s not a bad change.

She really didn’t think he’d stick around, but they’ve been waiting almost an hour and he’s stayed by her side. She’s somewhat reclined back with her knees propped up and her left-hand holding pressure against her face.

He told her ten minutes ago that Stella texted that she and Emily were trying to visit, but with the ER so packed, the nursing staff wanted all unnecessary visitors out.

She understands and as much as she loves her friends, Matt is great company too.

She squeezes Matt’s fingers to lessen the pain because her eye is throbbing and swollen. He must notice the additional pressure because he turns his head and frowns.

“Hey, is it getting worse?” He asks.

“No, just throbs every now and then. I guess that is happens when you take a softball to the eye socket.”

So far, he’s been standing next to her, leaning on the railing every once and awhile after stretching his back. Now, he reaches for one of the plastic chairs with one hand and drags it next to her. He sits down, resting both elbows on the railing and moves his free hand to her head.

He sweeps some hair out of her eyes. “Yeah, Halstead hit you hard, Brett.”

She bites her lip to keep from laughing. “Yeah, I know Casey. I felt it.”

Matt chuckles, letting his hand rest on the top of her head. “I bet. You dropped to the ground instantly. I don’t think anyone had time to react.”

God, that’s so embarrassing.

She groans. “Just great. That’s not humiliating at all.”

“Oh, come on,” he replies. “There is nothing embarrassing about getting hurt. It was Halstead’s fault. Not yours.”

“He didn’t mean to hit me. It was a good hit,” she says. “I should’ve ducked or gotten out of the way. It’s not Jay’s fault.”

He leans back but keeps ahold of her hand. “I don’t care. You shouldn’t have gotten hit like that. You’re going to need stitches and you probably have a concussion.”

She ticks one finger in the air. “Definitely have a concussion. Paramedics know these things, but hey, at least I didn’t break anything.”

The second she makes the joke, she regrets it. Matt’s expression shifts and she berates herself for making light of the Arnow fire.

“I…I’m sorry,” she whispers, squeezing his hand. “I shouldn’t have…”

He shakes his head and shifts his gaze down. “No, no, you’re right. I guess it’s kind of hypocritical of me to be upset with Halstead for hurting you when I did the same.”

She’s so stupid. How could she bring this up? It’s not Matt’s fault. She’s never blamed him ever.

“Casey, you didn’t…” she chews on the inside of her lip. “It wasn’t your fault. I would never blame you for what happened.”

He meets her stare. “I called you in, Brett. I told you it was safe. That’s on me.”

She knows he holds so much guilt over that day, especially Otis’s death. It’s unnecessary because it wasn’t on him. It was the factory’s negligence that caused the blast.

“You thought it was,” she replies. “Everyone did. There was no way for you to know. I don’t blame you and you shouldn’t blame yourself.”

“Yeah,” he replies, but she can tell he doesn’t believe it. He probably never will.

She switches gears and lets her gaze settle on his hand, watching as his rough thumb grazes her pointer finger in soothing patterns. Originally, she thought this injury was a curse, but it’s kind of a blessing. It’s nice to see how much he cares.

He’s a great guy.

“You know,” she whispers, looking up at him. She wants this next confession to really sink in. “More than anyone in the world, I’d trust you with my life. I really would, Casey.”

The signature solemn Matt Casey looks changes. The corner of his mouth ticks up in a small grin. “I appreciate that.” He clears his throat, and she swears his cheeks turn a little red, but that might just be her impaired vision. “When Boden came over the radio and said someone was hurt…I was really hoping it wasn’t you. I mean, I didn’t want Foster or anybody else to be really hurt, but I don’t know.”

She holds her breath in anticipation. The confession startles her to her core. What does that even mean?”

“I guess what I’m saying is…worst case scenario for me was that it was you who was hurt…well, aside from the absolute worst…”

She gently interrupts him. They both know what he means. “Yeah, I know.” She decides to shift the tone. “I knew I’d grow on you eventually.”

Huh, maybe that wasn’t a good idea. She is concussed and the pain meds just now kicked in. She’ll blame her loose filter on that.

Matt chuckles, scratching the back of his neck. “Well, I wouldn’t say you never did. I mean, I’ve liked you since the day I met you.”

Platonically, she reminds herself.

She purses her lips. “No, you definitely didn’t. We barely knew each other. I was just…”

Gabby’s best friend.

God, she’s the worst person ever. She shouldn’t be holding Matt’s hand right now. It’s wrong.

She tries to ease her hand away, but his grip never waivers.

Whatever. If he’s okay with it, so is she.

It’s all friendly anyway.

“Okay,” Matt concedes. “Maybe it took me a couple years to really appreciate you in all your glory, but I had a lot going on. Now, I don’t know…I guess it’s easy with you. I mean, talking and hopefully, building a friendship.”

His sentence trails off with a question. She can’t believe he would think for one second that she doesn’t consider him as a friend.

She does.

The pain meds are leaving her feeling fuzzy. She grins, readjusting the shirt that smells like Matt against her eye. “See? I knew you’d fall in love with me.”

Oh my god.

She lifts her head and the room spins, but she’s too immersed in her panic to clock her symptoms.

Did she really just…

To her surprise, Matt doesn’t look appalled by her stupid slip-up. He’s actually grinning in amusement.

“Oh my god,” she whispers. “I didn’t mean…pickles.” She shakes her head, averting her gaze onto the tiled ceiling. “Platonically of course. I meant platonically fall in love. I say the same thing to Severide which I obviously don’t want him in love with me. Not that he would. I mean, he’s madly in love with Stella which I want! I want my best friend so happy. I’m not…oh my god.”

She feels like a human car crash. Every move she makes causes more damage.

“Brett,” Matt laughs.

“Obviously you’ll never fall in love with me,” Sylvie says. It’s true. “Nor would I ever in a million years want you to, Casey.” Unfortunate lie.

He raises his eyebrows. Did she offend him?

“You’re not my type. You’re not unattractive obviously…I mean, I’m not saying I don’t think your…”

Now would be the best time for her blood vessels to pop if she does in fact have a brain bleed. It would shut her up, but also give her an excuse to hide behind after all that word vomit.

“Sylvie,” he interrupts, lightly patting her head. “You’re drugged up on pain pills. Probably best you stop talking.”

Yeah, definitely not a bad idea.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I’m so sorry. You can um…I can wait alone. I don’t want to put you out. You probably have things…”

“You better not be trying to push me away now,” he says. “I like being here for you, okay? And I like that you seem to like it too. Just let me.”

Gosh, he’s so earnest. It amazes her.

“I do like you here. I appreciate it,” she says. “I really do.”

She does.

Appreciate him.

[sourlemonbabes]

Thomas Hewitt x Vampire Reader

CW: Blood, violence It was a record high for this summer. The scorching heat was unbearable even to locals. That's why Thomas was grateful he mostly worked in the basemen. He only came up to eat, sleep, and capture victims. He learned a bit about this latest batch. He learned that they were from Pennsylvania and were traveling to Arizona for their second year at college. Unfortunately, they won't be making it this year, or any other year. Thomas wiped the sweat from his forehead as he placed the cleaver down on his workbench. He had just finished up with the last body, it's all been wrapped up and put in the cellar freezer to be saved for another day’s meal. He hears the metal door scrape against the hardwood floor as it’s slid open. “Tommy dinner’s ready, come up when you are!” The sweet voice of his mother calls to him. Thomas decided to clean himself and his workstation up before eating.

[erisismywaifu25]

Free Until Dawn

Before we start, a few bullet point facts to get out of the way:

•Jake and Bella are the same age (Bella is still older) and Seth and A.J. are a year younger than them

•In this Twilight fanfic universe, vamps and wolves who were changed before they turned 18 continue to age until they reach 18 cause I said so

•Jasper served in the Union

•My idioms or comparisons may suck but sometimes the only way for me to get a point across is to be extremely descriptive

•This story follows both the movies and books and may switch between the book’s timeline and the movies

•Proofread but not perfect

Also this story is Seth Clearwater x OC (?) Cullen based on my friend who requested this slow-burn fic, cause there are almost no Seth fanfics (the disrespect😤✊🏻). All chapters are named after Florence+the Machine songs cause me and my bestie love her stuff.

Word count: 9491

Without further ado…Chapter 4 of Shake It Out

——————————

     “You going to play fair this time?” Alice asked as she stretch her left arm across her chest while standing at second base.

     Emmett scoffed, twisting his back only a few away from Alice, “I always play fair.” The striped baseball cap was secured by him for emphasis.

     As it thundered around them, seven out of the eight vampires were currently preparing for a game of baseball patiently, on some parts, awaiting Bella and Edward’s arrival following the Cullen's official introduction to her. Lucky for Bella, she was about to witness a sacred tradition in the Cullen household that started years before A.J. was around. It was something each vastly different personality could enjoy and gave each of them a chance to use their physically enhanced abilities to their full capacity. 

     Nine days after A.J. joined the rest of her family in Forks, Edward decided a baseball game was just what A.J. needed. The idea for a baseball game to ease A.J. into the new family dynamic, came to Edward after he caught A.J. reminiscing about a game-saving catch from her human years. Later that day, he approached Carlisle and proposed a game the next time it stormed, and naturally, Carlisle and everyone else eagerly agreed. So on the ninth day, when the forecast called for a thunderstorm and delivered, the Cullens played a heated baseball game. 

     During A.J.’s first game of baseball with the Cullens, the newborn broke out from the remainder of the barrier she had built up after her transformation. Being a part of the winning team, with star pitcher Alice, definitely aided A.J. in feeling like her old self. Easily the last ‘strike’ of her barrier, especially since striving to win and typically doing so, had encapsulated her human years. Along with the fun on that day, Emmett saw an opportunity to ensure he would always be on the winning team and jumped on the bandwagon; claiming the title ‘A.J.’s Coach’ after witnessing her skilled third-basemen skills.  

     “Nu-uh,” Alice exclaimed and placed her hands on dark leggings, “You totally lied about that ‘foul ball’.”

     “I didn’t lie about the foul ball you hit.” the younger of the two Cullens smirked, “Ain’t nothing to be ashamed of, Alice. You’re just a crappy hitter.”

     Alice gasped and smacked his shoulder, “At least I can pitch without taking someone’s head out!” she defended herself.

     Emmett snickered before a smug smirk crept onto his alabaster skin, “Can’t help it, Wonderland. I’m jacked like Hercules!” he kissed both of his biceps after flexing underneath his navy blue tracksuit.

     “Alright, alright, alright,” Jasper called out as he strutted towards the bickering siblings, “No fraternizing with the enemy.” 

     The Texan placed a hand upon Alice’s narrow shoulders which dawned a white baseball vest, and gently guided her away from Emmett with a baseball bat in his other hand.

     By first base, a groan came from Rosalie that was bending down by the waist and holding her calves to stretch. The couple and Emmett, who were conglomerating near home base, turned their attention to her.

     “You’ve watched ‘Dazed and Confused’ too many times.” the tall blonde gracefully swung her torso up to stand straight.

     “No such thang’, Rosie.” A.J. quipped while flashing next to Rosalie with a moderately sized pink boom box in her sleeve-covered arms, “We Texans support each other.”

     A.J. met eyes with Jasper’s, a mischievous glint in both their eyes to match their smirks. A silent conversation transpired between the Texans, much to the others' despair before they both resumed what they had been doing.

      The youngest Hale gave Rosalie a friendly pat on the back and clicked her tongue before jogging off toward the right side of home plate where Esme and Carlisle were chatting. Her black backpack bounced off of her back as the wind pushed against the buttoned pinstripe shirt, which was similar to Carlisle’s, which was tucked into her black leggings. On her feet was a pair of hot pink socks that peeked out of the same dusty white sneakers she always wore when participating in any outdoor activity - provided an extra bounce to her step. 

     A ‘bleh’ left A.J. when Carlisle and Esme shared a sweet kiss just as she walked past them. 

     “I think I feel my teeth rottin’.” the girl swiped her tongue across her top set of teeth.

     The lovers parted with a chortle from each and turned their attention to their youngest child. 

     “You know, Angel,” Esme sang as A.J. set the boom box down after kneeling a few feet away from them, “You might find yourself falling for someone like your father and I have for each other.” 

     A.J. shook her head as four of her siblings snapped their attention to their conversation.

     “Absolutely not,” Emmett commented with a small frown.

     Alice rolled her eyes at the overprotective brute, “Dating is normal and healthy; especially for developing teenagers.” she spoke with her arms crossed.

     Rosalie stared at Alice, “She’s going to have to wait, regardless, Alice. There aren’t exactly sixteen-year-old vampires roaming around here, and we don’t need another reason for the Volturi to be on our backs.”

      The Cullens stilled. Faces dropping, bodies tensing, and minds swirling with guilt. The words Rosalie were the same as they always were; spitting out insults or malign words aimed towards Edward and Bella’s relationship. Though, this time, her words held a different meaning for the group. Reminding them all A.J. couldn’t have what they wanted her to; what they all wished she could.

     A normal life.

     Having been changed at the youngest age of fifteen in the Olympic Coven, she had even less time to have lived as a human. Too quickly was she thrown into this world; too quickly had she been forced out of the other. They all knew she loved her family dearly, and they shared the sentiment, but they were aware of her desire to ‘be’ a teenager again; to live a normal adolescence. They desired the same for her. Rosalie most of all. Despite a few apprehensions about A.J. dating, the choice being stripped from her makes it a bit harder to play the role of an ‘overprotective and gruff’ family member.

     A.J., having her back turned to the brooding vampires, knew what they were all thinking and could feel the tension in the atmosphere. She often thinks of the same thing - she craves it. Not necessarily romance, but at least the choice to.  More often than not, she chooses not to share her thoughts on it, except for a few times when Edward caught her thinking about it or her and Rosalie’s late-night talks. Unfortunately, ignoring them only made the thoughts and desires stronger. The fact of the underlying doom of immortality is that every choice you’d thought you’d gain - every decision you’d thought you’d get to make twice, gets ripped away from you in a few short moments.

     A.J. shook her shoulders as if a chill ran over her, and unzipped the small compartment on the front of her backpack once she set it in front of her. 

     “Listen,” she broke the silence as she pulled out a CD case with four men sitting around a table on the cover, “they’d have to be a very special person for me to consider datin’ - I mean, I’m hot…and got standards.”

     Her unspoken mission of raising the mood was a success as a plethora of smiles, and an eye roll or two made its way around.

     “Oh no! Guys, where’d the sky go?” Emmett feigned a look of fear as he peered up at the sky with a hand as a shield, “Oh, never mind, it’s just A.J.’s big-ass head.”

     A.J.’s mouth dropped at her brother's words just as she finished placing the CD in the correct compartment, and twisted her torso while in a squatted position.

     Rosalie sent a glare toward Emmett before saying, “There’s nothing wrong with confidence.” her eyes softened when she turned to A.J. from afar.

     

     “It’s hot on you, babe,” Emmett explained, his body language matching his whiny tone, “Not on A.J.”

     A.J. snorted, along with Alice, and the other Cullens gave Emmett a look of confusion at his choice of words.

     “I sure hope it’s not hot on me,” A.J. spoke with a flabbergasted tone as she fumbled with buttons on her boombox.

     Emmett physically faltered, “I-I-you guys know I didn’t mean it like that.”

     Jasper quirked an eyebrow up, “Oh, really, dearest brother? Then by all means, please elaborate your eloquent words.” he spoke with one hand still on Alice’s shoulder and the other twirling the metal bat.

     Emmett frowned, “I was trying to compliment my wife and insult A.J. at the same time, which proved to be more difficult than expected.”

     “Seems you really are only brawn.” Jasper teased further, an almost sinister smirk across his face.

     “Hey!” Rosalie barked out with a harsh expression, “I may be on your team, but I won’t hesitate to hurt you.”

     Emmett’s demeanor changed instantly to smugness at Rosalie coming to his defense. The smirk on Jasper’s face didn’t move, instead, it seemed to grow wider at Rosalie’s threat; as if he were daring her to touch him. He dropped his arm from Alice’s shoulders and dipped it into his pocket.

     “I’d like to see you try, yank.” the Texan leaned back as he pointed the baseball bat at her.

     At the sight of Rosalie beginning to stomp forward, Carlisle thought it best to speak up.

     “Rose,” the eldest vampire warned, arm tucked under his wife’s white jacket and around her waist.

     The irritated blonde’s head snapped toward Carlisle’s so fast it was a miracle it didn’t break.

     “What?” She spat, annoyed at Jasper and Carlisle.

     Carlisle gave her one of his hopeful smiles, “Let’s try to have a nice day.”

     “That goes for you too, Jasper,” Esme paused before switching her gaze to a smug Emmett, “And you.”

     “W-what-I,” Emmett fumbled over his words, “I’m a victim of defamation! I’m innocent here.”

     Jasper lowered the bat to the ground and settled his weight on it.

     “Yer’ ‘bout as innocent-,”

     A.J. drowned out the bickering behind her, engrossed in her boom box and getting it to work. The recurring problem, which she insisted was easily fixable and did not require a new one, was that the CD she put in would spin for a few seconds before coming to a stop. She grew more agitated as she repeated the process of taking the CD out, exhaling on it as she would on a cold window, gently wiping it off on her black leggings, then placing it back in the compartment, and pressing play - only to have to repeat the process. After another failed attempt, A.J. took an unsatisfying deep breath before forcefully exhaling through her nose. 

     “Shit.” A.J. huffed to herself, thankful no one could hear her over the bickering.

     “Ya know, ever since the fall of New Year’s Eve of ‘08, my boom box ain’t never played the same.” A.J. thought aloud to anyone who would listen.

     Rosalie was heading up the field and across to A.J.’s side instantaneously; always being willing to help her baby sister. It helped that she was the most skilled mechanic out of the Cullen Coven; her confidence in cars crossed over to most things technical…except t.v.s, though she was always looking to expand her knowledge. In her own time.

     “Did you put fresh batteries in?” Rosalie inquired once she reached A.J.

     A.J. observed Rosalie squatting down next to her, out of her peripheral vision.

     “Yes, I put fresh batteries in,” A.J. snarked out without thinking.

     The tone she used earned the young vampire a warning look from Rosalie, who stared her sister down. A.J. shut her eyes and turned away for a moment, before returning her gaze to Rosalie.

     “Sorry, that w’n’t directed at you,” she earnestly apologized, “This damn thang’ is pissin’ me off.” she gestured vigorously at the malfunctioning boombox with pinched brows.

     Rosalie ushered a ‘thank you’ in response before examining the portable stereo further.

     As the two Hale girls inspected the boombox and the other Cullens chatted amongst themselves, a silver jeep pulled toward the wide-open field. Its wheels tracked through the soft ground, leaving a muddy trail behind it and on the black tires. 

     Esme and Alice both grinned excitedly at the arrival of the new couple and Carlisle smiled softly, not outwardly matching their level of excitement. Emmett and Jasper were too busy misconducting themselves to turn their attention to the car as it was pulled into park a bit away from the others. From beside her, A.J. felt Rosalie tense up. Well aware of Rosalie’s opinion on all of this, she knew her attitude could turn fast and possibly ruin what was supposed to be some family fun time. 

     Esme and Carlisle shared a look before both turning back to give Rosalie an encouraging smile. Rosalie, who held the look of distaste she always held when Bella was in mind, gave them nothing promising in return. With a cheesy grin and painfully raised eyebrows, A.J. shot her parents a double thumbs up. The couple chuckled at her behavior and returned her thumbs up and smile, at a lesser volume. 

     The eldest Hale sister turned her attention to A.J. after observing Carlisle and Esme’s reactions, to find her sister still in the over-the-top position. In a blink, the newborn now sat with a dramatized frown and slowly raised her left hand to rest on her no-longer beating heart. Her head shook in a defeated manner, in hope that her big sister would crack a smile at her ludicrous behavior. Fortunately for A.J., in a move so minuscule only the trained eye would notice, the right corner of Rosalie's lips raised ever so slightly. Victoriously, A.J. beamed; savoring the lightened presence and softened gaze of her bitter sister.

     During this transaction, Edward stepped out of the driver's side door and walked around the silver Jeep he arrived in. His gaunt hand opened the passenger-side door, and out stepped Bella in a rugged, brown jacket with her brown hair in a ponytail covered by a baseball cap that mimicked Emmett’s, only being worn the right way around. Her shoulders were hunched as she was within herself in a way that completely contradicted the way Edward delved into himself; usually. Today, however, Edward seemed more withdrawn than usual. Previous teasing didn’t aid in reducing his nerves at all, and the fact of the constant threat this brought to Bella and his family, well, it added up.

     The couple shared the same social awkwardness, but Bella carried herself in a way that lacked confidence and made her appear fragile. Whereas during most occasions for Edward, he exuded confidence, some even say arrogance; at least that’s what A.J. had heard from her sibling's school gossip and teasing. For the unusual pair, however, it seemed to work quite well for them.

    While A.J. observed her brother and his new girlfriend, Rosalie had found what she believed to be ‘the sweet spot’ on the pink boom box. With a loud ‘thump’ that nearly made A.J. jump out of her skin and attracted the others' attention, the CD in it began spinning fast. A.J. beamed at her sister, who she considered a hero at the moment, and flicked her head between the boom box and her at a lightning-fast speed. A.J. excitedly placed her index finger onto the ‘play’ atop the boom box and pressed it without hesitation. Music blared from the speakers, bass instantly filling the chests of the two vampires who sat in front of it.

     “WHOO!” A.J. cheered and fell back onto her butt.

     Emmett thrust his fist into the air, “HELL YEAH!” he yelled.

     “YEAH!” Jasper joined with a playfully stern face and copied Emmett’s action with the bat.

     From an awkward angle, the ecstatic newborn wrapped her strong arms around Rosalie’s midsection, nearly toppling the elder Hale over. 

     “Thank you!” the girl squealed while Rosalie gained her balance back.

     Rosalie smiled brightly as she hugged A.J. back, “No problem, just stop letting people touch your stuff.”

     “I tried to stop Emmett from recreating that scene from ‘Say Anything’.” Edward called out from the Jeep where he and Bella just finished a conversation.

     “Aw, come on,” Emmett whined with a smile, “It was Valentine's Day! I had to do something for my babe. After 72 years together, you gotta’ keep it fresh.”

     The burly Cullen winked at Rosalie, who didn’t spare a glance at her husband, leaving him dejected as she marched her way to Carlisle who was only a few feet away from her. Carlisle had retrieved the second baseball bat from a long white and blue that also contained extra gloves and umpire gear and was resting his weight upon it. He greeted Rosalie with a close-lipped smile and opened his mouth to ask her but was quickly stopped by her palm flying up in front of him as she stomped by.

     A.J. could feel the anger radiating off of her sister, even without a special power and her being across the field now. She knew it was a miracle for Rosalie to even be here, with her previous plan of leaving to avoid the game and Bella all together. Without a doubt, A.J. knew it would get better once the game started, the others thought so as well, especially since her demeanor was quite bright beforehand the new couple arrived.

     “So that’s how you’ve managed to keep her.” Edward teased Emmett as he and Bella reached home plate.

     Emmett flashed next to Edward, causing Bella to jump, and wrapped a thick arm around his brother’s shoulders, which were covered by a button-up baseball jersey.

    Edward gave the younger vampire a look, already knowing what he was about to say. 

     “Emmett, that’s revolting,” Edward grimaced and pulled himself from Emmett’s grip.

     “What?” Emmett furrowed his dark brows, “I was just gonna remind you that I’m not the one who thought sparkling was a dealbreaker.” he decided to keep his previous thought to himself.

     A few of the Cullen ‘children’ laughed at Emmett’s remark, despite it being at Edward’s expense. His joke, as expected, did not sit well with Edward who was glaring at his brother.

    A.J. glanced up at Jasper messing with a baseball bat, “Oo! That’s awkward.” 

     The girl sucked a breath through her bunny-like teeth while beginning to read through the tracklist on the back of her CD case.

     A half-hearted grin slowly spread its way onto Edward’s face and his right flew up to swipe his mouth.

     “You know, Emmett,” his arm was now around Emmett’s shoulders, “I think you're just scared of your team losing.”

     “Not unless you plan on throwing the game,” Emmett smirked with crossed arms.

     Edward’s shit-eating look was stolen by Emmett. His head snapped over to Esme, asking a silent question, but easily found the answer by using his gift.

     “Rosalie and Alice wanted to be on a team this time,” Esme explained nonetheless while grabbing umpire gear out of the baseball bag, “We’re team ‘Wonder Woman’!”

     Edward furrowed his brows, “Jasper’s on your team.” His inquiry was disguised as a statement.

     “It’s an honor to be on a team named after comics’  finest heroine,” Jasper answered for himself as he practiced his batting stance to the side of Carlisle and Rosalie.

     Edward looked to Emmett, “And we are…MVP?” a look of dissatisfaction was on his face.

     “I was vouchin’ fer the Cheetahs, personally,” A.J. spoke up, “You know, Wonder Woman’s nemesis and all.” she clicked the skip button at the top of the boom box.

     Esme smiled at her children’s banter and pushed her way toward Bella with a black baseball glove and chest protector. Bella met her gaze with a close-lipped smile and hesitantly took the glove when the Cullen matriarch extended it to her.

     “Glad you’re here,” Esme wrapped an arm around Bella, “We need an umpire,” she stated while leading the girl to home base.

     Emmett waltzed past them, “She thinks we cheat.” he continued heading down the field.

     “I know you cheat.” Esme taunted as Emmett tossed a baseball between his hands.

     A.J. tsked, “Y’all love to say that ‘cause our team happens to always win.” she goaded while placing her ‘Muse’ CD back into the small compartment of her backpack.

     “What about last time,” Rosalie asked with a sarcastic tone from her spot near second base.

     Bella glanced at the brooding woman, “What happened last time?” she switched her gaze to Esme as they parked themselves at home base. 

     “Here, slip your jacket off for a moment, sweetie,” Esme instructed kindly, “Last time we all played, which was…,”

     “March 30,” Alice answered from the pitcher’s mound.

     Esme thanked Alice with a smile, “Thank you. Anyway, Carlisle continuously struck out during the first inning, resulting in team ‘VIP’ having five fewer runs than team ‘Great Batsy’.” 

     During her explanation, Esme slipped the black chest protector over Bella’s neck. 

     “Crying, Bella,” A.J. scooted her bottom to face Bella, “I was cryin’ and I don’t even have tears.”

     Carlisle smiled sheepishly, “In my defense, I had a lot on my mind.”

     A.J. didn’t miss the subtle embarrassment that showed on Edward’s face nor the looks her siblings gave him.

     “No excuse, sir,” A.J. threw a finger up, “We’re winners, and I expect ya ta act like it!” 

     Her behavior earned a chuckle from Carlisle and an exclamation of agreement from Emmett. 

     As this went on. Esme adjusted the chest guard causing Bella to blink at the sudden movement but eventually helped Esme settle it on her torso. Once it was resting on her shoulders, Edward snaked behind Bella and adjusted the straps across her upper back. Esme then stepped away to give the new lovers some space. Her pallid face held a warm expression at the sight of the ‘son’ she had grown most fond of, finally finding happiness in love. 

     The sweet moment was soon ruined as Bella was jerked back by the force Edward unconsciously used. A crease formed between Esme’s dark eyebrows as she frowned at the  uncomfortable scene in front of her. She sent a small smile; whether it was a warning to be mindful or encouragement was unknown; and stepped away from the couple to help the others in setting up.

     “Sorry,” Edward’s hands faltered on the straps, “Last time I did this was back when A.J. had first joined us.” he secured the chest guard on Bella’s back.

     Bella nodded, still holding her brown jacket on her arm. The sleeves of her white shirt twisted as Edward’s hand snaked around her to lift the brown jacket off of her right arm.

     “It’s okay,” she swallowed as Edward prepared her coat to assist it on, “How long ago was that?”

     “Why does it matter?” Rosalie snarked out with crossed arms and a hip popped out.

     Edward paused in helping Bella put her jacket back on to give a warning look to the blonde.

     Carlisle’s lips pressed into a straight line, “Rose,” he warned.

     Bella looked back at Edward before back at Rosalie.

     “It doesn’t, I was just curious.” Bella answered honestly.

     “And it’s a perfectly valid question,” A.J. spoke up.

     Rosalie’s eye roll could practically be heard by the others.

     A.J. briefly glanced back at those behind her, “If we’re goin’ off the day I actually moved here, then…,” she trailed off while calculating.

     “A.J.’s lived here since last August.” Carlisle answered for her.

     Bella nodded as she consecutively pushed her arms through the sleeves of her jacket as Edward finished helping her by hiking the coat up until it was entirely back on. 

     “It’s a little tight,” Bella stated with tight lips as she rolled her shoulders.

     The jacket she wore barely fit over the padding of the chest guard thrown onto her. Her arm movement was restricted, but she supposed it was better to have stiff arms than a shattered sternum. 

     Loud guitar suddenly blared from A.J.’s boombox, the owner of it now swaggering over to home plate. She snatched up a black glove lined with hot pink from the gear bag on her way over.

     “Sorry, Bella-rella,” A.J. approached the uncomfortable human, “It’s either have no protection ‘gainst my lethal pitches and get soaked down to your knickers, or have protection from such pitches buuut still get soaked - ‘cause-uh-do you smell that?”

     A.J. threw her arm around Bella’s padded shoulders and thoroughly inhaled with her nose pointed toward the sky. 

     “It’s gon’ rain.” A.J. rasped out while gradually lowering her head.

     Emmett grinned from over by third base, “It’s gon rain!” he repeated.

     “IT’S GON’ RAIN!” A.J. shouted before patting Bella on the back and jogging to the pitcher's mound.

     Esme chuckled next to Carlisle before turning to her husband.

     Her hands pressed his chest, “Alright, enough chitter-chatter, Bella didn’t come here to talk. Let’s play some baseball!” 

     Esme patted Carlisle’s chest, signaling him and the remaining Cullens not in place, to assume their positions on the field.

     A.J. eyed Alice as she approached the pitcher’s mound, “You’re gonna’ have to move.” A.J. jutted her left thumb toward home plate.

     Alice furrowed her brows, “And why is that?”

     Rosalie frowned as Carlisle her way, “Yeah, why is that? The team I’m on lost last time.”

     “We know,” Emmett stated, “We decided, however, that we wanna play the field first… and so A.J. can pitch first.”

     Rosalie rolled her topaz eyes once again while Alice agreed to their decision and they both jogged back to home plate. The remaining two members of team ‘Wonder Woman’ had yet to move from their previous spots at home plate and waited for the others to get into position.

     “Keep an eye on Emmett, alright,” Edward spoke into Bella’s ear with a smile.

     Emmett frowned, “Hey, we’re on the same team!” 

     His fist slammed into his gloved left hand, clearly itching for the game to start.

     “That doesn’t change your track record.” Edward retorted after flashing over to second base as Carlisle jogged to first.

     With the baseball gripped tightly in her right hand, A.J. swung her arm toward Jasper at home plate, who was also preparing.

     “Careful, Eddie,” A.J. warned, “Might start ta’ think you're a snitch.”

     Edward chortled, “How can one be a snitch in baseball?”

     A.J. craned her neck to look at him, “Uh, I don’t know, mind reader.” she squinted suspiciously at him.

     Emmett glanced between before a look of realization spread across his pallid face.

      “Ohhh, yeah, I see what you’re gettin’ at, Aje,” Emmett smirked while eyeing Edward, “You’re gonna listen to our team's thoughts and then sabotage us.”

     Edward paused and blinked, words escaping him. One weakness he would never admit, even if he was being tortured, is the effect Emmett and A.J. have to completely and utterly bamboozle him. Once the shock of Emmett’s accusation wore off, Edward peeled his eyes open and met Bella’s brown ones. She held an amused expression, her eyes asking a question Edward couldn’t hear. He sent her a silent shrug as an answer whilst A.J. and Emmett continued their rant.

     “Alright,” Carlisle’s call silenced Emmett and A.J., “I’m sure Edward is not planning a betrayal, and even if he was-,”

     “Which I’m not.” Edward chimed in.

     “I know,” Carlisle spoke in his mind with an apologetic look, “Even if he was, I think we’d still manage to win. Even without Rose on our team.” 

     A smug smile spread across Carlisle’s lips, as a chorus of ‘Oo’s’ blended with the breeze that blew his striped scarf.

     “Let’s go then,” A.J. spun on her heel to face home plate, “Jasper.” she nodded.

     Jasper nodded back, preparing his stance.

     “Angel.” he smiled at her, eyes filled with determination.

     In an instant, A.J. propelled her right arm forward. The ball flew from her hand and headed straight to Jasper. The bat he held swung out and away from his shoulder, his torso and legs twisting to enhance the force he hit with. With a loud crack of thunder, the ball collided with the bat and launched high into the sky. Unfortunately for Jasper, the ball headed into the air directly above A.J., who leaped up what seemed like five-hundred feet to Bella, and caught the ball with ease in her gloved hand. A.J. landed on her feet with a thud, sufficiently stopping Jasper from running just as he dropped the bat.

     Bella glanced up at Esme from her squatted position a little ways behind Jasper as laughs or winces echoed through the air. The speed at which the Cullens play made it difficult for her to decipher anything, let alone the baseball knowledge she lacked. She briefly wished she would’ve paid more attention to her step-father’s career now. Answering her silent question, Esme nodded to her with a grimace.

     “Out.” Bella called.

     “Oh-ho-ho, Mr. Whitlock,” A.J. called in a nasally British accent, “How it seems your strategy has grown weak.” her smile grew at the sound of Emmett’s snicker.

     Alice watched as her husband tracked back to join her and Rosalie on the sidelines, frown on his face but posture still perfect. Jasper handed her the bat as he passed her and continued until he was next to Rosalie.

     “It’s okay, Jazzy,” Alice cooed, “It was only your first bat.” she gave him an assuring smile as she approached the plate.

     A.J. grinned at Alice as the older vampire settled into batting position. A strike of lightning in the distance lit the grey sky and was quickly followed by a deafening crack of thunder. Bella jumped in her skin at the unexpected volume which only heightened her stress levels. Having noticed the jump, Esme raised a hand that had been resting on her knee and placed it on Bella’s padded shoulder. She gave the girl a squeeze and a gentle smile as Bella craned her neck to meet Esme’s gaze.

     “Hey, batta’-batta’, hey, batta’-batta’, swang~,” A.J. mimicked exuberantly swinging an imaginary bat.

    A smile spread onto Alice’s face upon hearing the song, “I got ta just do my thang~.” she happily sang back.

     “Enough singing,” Emmett yelled, “Get on with the game!” he eagerly threw his fist into his gloved hand.

     A.J. frowned as she twisted her head back, “Let us enjoy ourselves!”

     “Clearly someone can’t dance.” Alice smirked teasingly still in her batting stance.

     Emmett’s hands paused with an almost offended look on his face. Those spectating were either watching thoroughly entertained, or less than amused and wanting to continue with this close game.

     “Oh, I can dance,” Emmett answered nonchalantly, “Tell ‘em, babe.”

     Thunder cracked around them as all eyes zoned in on Rosalie, awaiting an answer.  A smile slowly grew on her diamond-like jaw as if a pleasant memory was filling her mind.

     “Oh, he can dance,” her declaration rewarded her a wink from her doting husband.

     A.J. stuck her tongue out, “Bleh,” she faked a gag as her torso rag-dolled.

     Esme chuckled at her reaction from her hunched-over position behind Bella.

      “Alright, ‘nough talk, let’s get back to the game.” Esme clapped her hands together right as it thundered.

     Carlisle nodded at his wife, “Impeccable timing.” he smiled at her.

     She quirked a short eyebrow up at him with a smirk, “Thank you.” 

     Returning her attention back to the game, A.J. peered up at the sky as if she was waiting for something. Her eyes fluttered shut as she forcefully inhaled for an exaggerated amount of time. Bella furrowed her brows at A.J.’s action, briefly glancing up at Esme again. 

     “She’s waiting for the thunder,” Esme answered without taking her eyes off the scene in front of her.

     “She technically don’t have to,” Jasper chimed in, “As long as we’re playing during a storm, we don’t have to wait for a ‘loud sound’.”

     A.J. lowered her head, “I like the dramatics. Sue me!”

     Before Bella could blink, the ball was flying at Alice. With another loud crack of both thunder and the bat and ball colliding, Alice dropped the bat and dashed toward first base. The ball flew past A.J.’s left side and headed to Emmett who immediately jumped into action. He shot into the air, left arm extended above him, with the ball directed at him. As Alice reached first base, the ball grazed the top of Emmett’s gloved hand and continued into the forest behind them. 

     Edward darted back into the forest as Alice approached second base. His topaz eyes bounced rapidly around the trees and brush until he spotted the baseball. Edward then snatched the ball off the ground and threw it to Emmett through the trees, who was anticipating the throw. Emmett hurled his body to the left and roughly landed at third base when Alice stepped on it.

     A chorus of ‘whoos’ and hollers sounded from home plate as Alice bounced victoriously on third base. Emmett scoffed as he rolled onto his knees before hopping up while Edward came flashing back from the woods. 

     “Lucky shot,” Emmett commented as he stood next to Alice.

     Alice looked up at him with a smug look, “That was pure skill, Emmett.”

     “Damn right it was,” Jasper called out with his arms crossed.

     The Cullens continued an epic game of baseball, one that was far too fast for the human eye to properly view. Bella struggled to see anything but the aftermath chatter and positions after the end of a run. Thankfully for her sake, Esme or another member of team ‘Wonder Woman’ was there to help her with the calls; disregarding Rosalie. 

     The Cullens had made it to the third inning, in record time thanks to their enhanced abilities. Team ’MVP’ was currently three runs ahead of team ‘Wonder Woman’. Jasper had redeemed himself and hit a home run, Alice was currently at second base, Esme resided by Bella and awaited her turn, and Rosalie was currently up to bat. Team ‘MVP’ were positioned the same way as before and eager to continue.

     “You ready?” A.J. nodded at her sister as they both readied themselves.

     Rosalie crouched into position, “As ever.”

     A.J. drew back her right arm before swinging it forward and putting her weight on her front leg. The baseball flew toward Rosalie before another crack echoed through the field and throughout the surrounding forest. Rosalie dropped the bat, pushed off of home plate, and sprinted down the field. The baseball was heading between second and third base, where Edward and Emmett were positioned on either base. 

     Alice sprinted past Edward and Emmett who were distracted by the fast-approaching ball. As the pixie-like vampire passed by third base and Rosalie reached first, Emmett and Edward jumped simultaneously with their arms outstretched and ready to catch the ball. Unfortunately, the duo collided with each other in a loud ‘thwack’ and the two members of team ‘Wonder Woman’ managed to reach home plate. The women secured two more runs for their team and caused a total wipeout for the opposite team that resulted in Edward and Emmett splayed out on the grass and the baseball deep in the forest.

     Alice skidded to stop a few feet away from home plate and Rosalie followed by sliding across the grass and onto home plate. Amidst the cheers of the successful team, Jasper ran to Alice and picked her up into a spinning hug; squeals of laughter leaving the victorious woman. With a grin, Esme extended her arm down to Rosalie who grabbed it with a smirk and hopped up. 

     “That’s how we do it!” Esme high-fived Rosalie once she was standing.

     Bella nodded from her squatted position, “Yeah, that was a good play.” 

     Rosalie glared down at the girl, “You couldn’t even see it.” she spat.

     Esme’s smile turned to a frown, “Rose.” she warned.

     “What? It’s true.” Rosalie defended.

     “Well, I mean, she’s right,” Bella said, “I-I couldn’t see it, but-,”

     “Alright, how ‘bout we turn our attention to the real issue ‘ere,” A.J. interrupted the three, “Which is betrayal!”

     A.J. thrust her finger in the direction of a chuckling Emmett and Edward who had just stood up.

     Edward, having already heard what she was about to say, ceased his laughter.

     “A.J., are you really pushing this?” Edward groaned.

     A.J. fought back a smile, “Oh, yes, indeed I am pushin’ this, traitor!”

     Emmett stared at Edward, “Oh, yeah. It is a bit strange that the mind reader Edward didn’t read in my mind that I was gonna jump for the ball.” a smirk spread across his short jaw.

     “Exactly!” A.J. eagerly agreed with a stomp, “He sabotaged us so the loser team would have a chance!”

     Rosalie crossed her arms, “I think we have a chance regardless of Edward’s treachery.”

     “I’m-I am not a traitor. I did not even think of reading anyone’s mind, because I was focused on the game.” Edward let out a flabbergasted laugh.

     Emmett adjusted his stance and crossed his arms.

     “Exactly what a traitor would say,” Emmett stated.

     

     Edward’s tongue darted across his pristine white teeth as he grinned in annoyance, “I think the only one you should be accusing of ’treachery’ is Alice.”

     A smirk spread across Edward’s lips at his words. 

     “What!” Alice’s hands fell onto her hips.

     Her eyebrows knitted together underneath her navy blue cap at the sudden accusation. A crack of thunder sounded around them as if Alice herself conjured it up with her voice. The babbling duo, Emmett and A.J., observed Alice before staring at Edward and then meeting each other’s gaze. Skeptical looks were painted upon their pale faces as the wind picked up around them. The rest of the Cullens and Bella were left awaiting their next move, wondering if Edward’s distraction worked or not.

     The accusing pair busted out in chuckles and giggles, ripping Edward’s hopeful look off of his face. 

     Emmett turned his head to a dejected Edward.

     “Alice wouldn’t have the time to see our moves,” Emmett stated matter-of-factly.

     A.J. nodded, “Yeah, plus, she ain’t on our team.”

     Emmett and A.J. smirked at each other as if they just deduced the most abstruse mystery in history. A snort could be heard coming from Hale ‘twins’ by home plate, though that did nothing to deter the growing confidence of A.J. and Emmett.

     Edward chuckled out in confusion, eyes darting around those who stood throughout the field. His mouth opened and closed, struggling between the option of a logical defense or leaving the whole ordeal to rest. Staying silent seemed like the best option, considering logic fell upon deaf ears when it came to Emmett and A.J., but ultimately Edward decided to play the ‘call on the parent’ card.

     “Carlisle,” Edward pleaded to the man who was standing near first base.

     Edward motioned to his ‘attackers’, hoping the wise man’s words would bring some sense to the situation. Carlisle looked upon his son with tight lips and one hand over the other resting in front of his body. A glint of amusement shone in Carlisle’s golden eyes from the scene he silently observed, much to Edward’s dismay. 

     “Emmett, A.J.,” Carlisle spoke, “Edward isn’t a traitor-,”

     The wind picked up around them and quieted Carlisle as a fog emerged from the enclosing forest. A gasp fell from Alice’s lips while her arms fell from her hips to her sides. Her eyes had seemingly glazed over, hinting at the vision she was having. As if in slow motion, Edward stared at her before peering over at the forest behind them just as Alice’s vision ended. The rest of the Olympic Coven’s eyes turned toward the forest, whether it be from their own acute hearing or sensing the seriousness of Alice’s vision.

     “Stop!” Alice yelled desperately as it thundered around them.

     Edward was across the field and next to Bella at a moment's notice, the rest similarly hustling about. With her eyes still peering past the bare trees, A.J. felt an arm grip her left bicep tightly. Her eyes flicked over to see Emmett pulling her toward the rest of their family, Carlisle on her other side. Their eyes held a look of worry as they flashed over together.

     A.J. flickered her gaze between them as they joined the rest at home plate, to which Edward was pulling Bella toward the Jeep as Alice spoke quickly. A.J. stared at her family with knitted brows, clearly missing a vital piece of information, though she heard words of getting Bella out of here and nomadic vampires hearing their baseball game. 

    “Nomad vampires?”

     Panic fell upon A.J., concentrated in her chest, as memories filled her mind. She swore she could feel teeth tearing into her skin again, the excruciatingly slow loss of blood, her vision blurring, the taste of iron mixed with mud cutting off her breathing; choking her as water filled her lungs. Squeezing her eyes shut,  A.J. attempted to combat the rising terror with logical thoughts.

     “I’m a vampire now too.”

     “They can’t hurt me.”

     “I ain’t food anymore.”

     “They might be vegans like us.”

     “No, they ain’t. They’re the ‘predator’ on the news.”

     Unfortunately for her, the thoughts weren’t anything but a mere hindrance, to what she knew was illogical fear. 

     “It is illogical, right?” A.J. questioned herself amidst the chaos growing around her and the sudden absence of music.

     Before she could freak herself out more, a wave of peace washed over her and drowned out the fear in her chest. A moment after, two hands came to rest on her shoulders, which she deduced to be Jasper’s as everyone else was in her line of sight.

     Her head snapped up, the bottom of her messy braided pigtails bouncing with the movement. A.J. was met with an assuring smile from Jasper, who squeezed her strong shoulders.

     “Everythang’s gonna be alright.” Jasper reassured her as he guided her to stand in the back with Bella.

     A.J.’s pigtails bounced again as she nodded furiously, “Yeah, I know.”

     With another squeeze and a close-lipped smile, Jasper parted from his sister and hurried over to Emmett who stood waiting at the far right end of the line of vampires.

     “Get your hair down.” Edward ordered Bella with a pinched expression.

     Bella momentarily froze and stared at Edward with a bewildered look, before hesitantly pulling the hair tie from her mousy brown hair. 

     Rosalie turned around with a scowl, “Like that’ll help, I can smell her from across the field.”

     With one last look, Rosalie turned back to face the oncoming threat with the others. Carlisle moved to stand tall in the front as everyone else gathered around. They formed a ‘wall’ in front of Bella, her being the obvious vulnerable human here, and A.J. as she had been pushed to the back by Jasper. 

     “I shouldn’t have brought you here, I’m so sorry,” Edward shook his head as Bella pressed him for an answer, “Just be quiet and stand behind me.”

     Bella clung to Edward’s side as he stepped toward the others but stayed just behind them with Bella. The youngest Cullen moved to Bella’s other side, matching the body language of her family. Past the line her family created in front of the three, A.J.’s copper eyes fell upon three figures emerging from the woods. 

     In the front, passing through the growing fog, was a dark-skinned man with long locks, an orange leather jacket atop his bare torso, and a pair of dark, lined pants. To his right, was a woman with curly ginger hair and a long fur shawl that blew in the wind as they tracked forward; a confident smirk carved into her alabaster skin added to her alluring appearance. Lastly, the most menacing of them all was a man who stood to the left of them; his blonde hair was pulled into a low ponytail that enhanced his dark, hooded eyes. The one characteristic that united them was the piercing ruby color of their eyes, which reminded A.J. of her own a couple of months ago.

     The young vampire hurriedly untucked her pinstripe jersey from her leggings all the while keeping her eyes trained ahead. With her enhanced speed, she threw open the buttons of her shirt, leaving her with just a baby blue tank top adorning her torso.

     “Here,” A.J. spoke to Bella, snapping the girl out of her frozen state.

     The human turned her head to face the newborn vampire and her eyes followed consecutively. Her gaze fell upon A.J.’s worried face as the taller of the two threw her jersey around Bella and placed it on her shoulders. Bella briefly unlatched herself from Edward for the jersey to encase her shoulders and arms.

     A.J. adjusted the jersey on Bella, “It’s not much, but I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t wash it last time we played so it’s…oh shit.” 

     A.J.’s ramblings were cut short as the trio of vampires was now standing still a few feet away from the group. With her enhanced hearing, she heard Bella’s heartbeat pick up next to her and prayed that the oncoming threat wouldn’t notice amidst the storm.

      The frontman raised his right hand in a fluid motion, and in it was the homerun ball Rosalie hit. His pristine teeth contrasted against his dark skin as he flashed an inviting smile. A.J. couldn’t help but appreciate his good looks despite the tense situation. His shorter stature and medium build were carried casually, in a way that let you know he was confident and felt no need to compensate. The exposed torso revealed by his unbuttoned green-tinted vest and jacket showcased his toned upper body. He was undeniably tantalizing and attractive, though A.J. supposed that’s what made him dangerous.

     “I believe this belongs to you,” The vampire remarked before flicking his wrist and sending the ball toward Carlisle.

     Carlisle caught it with ease, an unreadable expression on his face. 

     “Thank you.” a friendly smile appeared on Carlisle’s face.

     A.J. shifted her weight before stepping over to stand next to Esme. Sensing her daughter moving next to her, Esme instinctively reached for the girl’s bicep before snaking her arm around A.J.’s. and pulling her close. Esme flicked her eyes to A.J.’s arm upon meeting bare skin, curious as to what happened to her jersey. In response, she received a simple smile and her daughter’s cold left hand on hers.

     “I am Laurant,” the stranger spoke again, “And this is Victoria and James.”

     A.J.’s gaze lingered on Victoria, her voluminous curls framing her soft features. Her presence intrigued the young vampire more and more as she studied her face and body language. It was almost feline, the way she moved, her minuscule movements were elegant and smooth. Once again, it was clear how her looks could be a weapon.

     James, however, did nothing but frighten A.J. Everything about the vampire screamed dangerous and to stay away. He, unlike his coven-mates, did possess the same alluring appearance or body language. The ways his eyes seemed to stare into your soul along with his tall stature reminded A.J. of the tales of Slender Man she’d heard some classmates talk about before she was turned. His weapon, without a doubt, was intimidation.

     “I’m Carlisle,” the Cullen patriarch gestured to the others standing beside him, “This is my family.”

     

     “I like your shawl,” A.J. spoke and nodded to the one draped around Victoria.

     Instantly, she felt all eyes on her and Esme pull her tighter to her side. The girl shrugged it off, thinking to herself that flattery is usually the best way to smooth things out. 

     Victoria eyed A.J., taking in her appearance having paid more attention to everyone else.

     “Thank you,” Victoria smiled, “I like your top. It’s a good color on you.” her words seemingly rolled off of her tongue.

     A.J. returned the smile, “I know, right.” she let out a stiff chuckle.

     Flattery certainly worked for herself as her apprehensive mood lessened from the compliment.

     “Yes, well, I’m afraid your hunting activities have caused something of a mess for us.” Carlisle brought the attention back to him.

     Laurant’s dark eyebrows raised as his ruby eyes widen ever so slightly.

     “Our apologies,” he spoke earnestly, “We did not realize the territory had been claimed.”

     His apology seemed almost empathetic according to A.J.’s ears. Regardless of whether or not she had been swayed by his being, she almost took his apology to heart if it had not been for the guard she desperately held onto.

     Carlisle nodded, “We maintain a permanent residence nearby.”

     Laurant twisted his neck to face James who was peering past Carlisle and Esme at Edward. A.J. unconsciously hardened her eyes in anticipation of what the nomad may do, having a hard time relaxing in his menacing presence. She feared what he may attempt to do to her family and wondered just how capable his coven could be against the Cullens.

     “Really?” Laurant’s smooth voice held a tone of disbelief, “Well we won’t be a problem anymore. We were just passing through” His gaze returned to Carlisle.

     

    “The humans were tracking us, but we led them east,” Victoria announced, “You should be safe,” she spoke the last part in a hushed tone as she leaned her head forward for emphasis.

     Carlisle nodded, “Excellent.”

     A.J. caught the reluctant smile on her father’s face. It was one she’d seen him use on a woman who had struck up a conversation with him on one of A.J.’s earlier excursions to ease her back into society. She recalled the woman’s tone being rather flirty as she rang them up at the register.

     Laurant glanced around at the Cullens.

     “So,” he pressed, “Could you use three extra players?”

     One by one the Cullen’s eyes fell upon Carlisle, awaiting his response. His gaze never left Laurant as he silently considered the best option.

     Laurant smiled, “Oh, come on, just one game.”

     Carlisle let out a quick sigh before smiling, “Sure, why not. A few of us were leaving - you can take their place.”

      A.J. crane her neck to glance back at Edward and Bella. Edward’s hardened gaze seemed almost frightened as he glared ahead at James. The fear on his face didn’t come from a fear of his own well-being but Bella’s. A.J. knew that was the only thing on his mind, getting Bella away from here and keeping her safe. 

     “Why didn’t you just flash her to the car? You had time.” A.J. thought to Edward who only briefly spared her a glance.

     Deciding to let it be, A.J.’s eyes moved to Bella who stood with her mouth slightly agape and still clung to Edward. The young vampire knew the human’s fear well and sympathized with her, especially since it was unknown how long Bella would be forced to endure this.

     “We’ll bat first.”

     A.J.’s turned around in time to see Carlisle toss the ball to Laurant, but Victoria flashed her pale hand up in time to catch it.

     “I’m the one with a wicked curve ball.” The smirk permanently edged into Victoria’s face grew wider.

     The atmosphere grew lighter at her remark as the Cullen's spirit slowly returned.

     “Oh, well I think we can handle that.” Jasper egged her on which earned a confident smirk from Emmett and A.J.

     Laurant sang out an ‘oh’ at the banter, body swaying with anticipation as he clapped.

     A.J. leaned her torso forward, “I’m a bit of’a star pitcher myself.” she eyed Victoria with a smile while Esme began to pull her toward the others as they retreated back.

     “We shall see,” Victoria spoke as both she and Laurant spun around to head down the field.

     Though his coven-mates were moving to prepare for the expected game, James stayed stationary with his animalistic gaze set on Edward and Bella. His head tilted to the side as he further inspected his ‘prey’, but Bella kept her gaze set on Edward. Her arm was wrapped around his as she waited for him to move though he stayed in an intimidation contest with James. Finally and with one last look, James turned on his heel and began to find his spot on the field. Bella let herself breathe as they were almost off the hook, but she relaxed too soon. Just as she and Edward began turning, the wind blew against their backs which pushed her scent straight toward James. 

     James’s neck twisted as he inhaled deeply, eyes fluttering shut as he faced the couple again.

     He exhaled and smiled, “You brought a snack.” 

     The predatory vampire lunged forward in a hunched manner, ready to pounce on his prey. Edward pushed Bella back and jumped to action as well, all but A.J. following suit, including James’s coven-mates. The young vampire swiped her jersey off of Bella’s shoulders and swiftly threw it on as she moved to stand in front of Bella. The girl’s copper eyes glared at the trio in front of them, her fear manifesting into courage. She and Bella suddenly stumbled back as Esme pushed A.J. farther away from danger. Perhaps that was where her courage came from; an unconscious understanding that her family wouldn’t allow any harm to come to her.

     “A human,” Laurant questioned as the tension grew.

    “The girl’s with us.” Carlisle stated with a calm voice, “I think it’s best if you leave.” his eyes stayed trained on James.

     Laurant nodded, “I can see the game is over. We’ll go now.” he held his palms open and facing the ground as he slowly backed away.

     Once again, James lingered, this time with Victoria by his side, who seemed eager to kill for him. Laurant glanced at James questioningly, his patience running thin for such antics.

     “James.” Laurant called out.

     With a growl and one last look, James’s posture straightened as he turned away from the Cullens. Victoria followed with a hiss and joined James to which they wrapped an arm around each other and stalked away. Laurant led them as he walked backward before gradually spinning around to walk straight.

     A.J. watched as Edward slowly raised from his hunched state, deep in thought…or what she assumed was James’s.

     “Get Bella out of here.” Carlisle ushered as he placed a hand on Edward’s shoulder, “Go.”

     The eldest Cullen then pushed Edward back toward where Bella and A.J. resided. A.J. quickly flashed to the side and gave her brother an encouraging smile to which she received a nod. As Edward rushed Bella to the jeep, the Cullens quickly gathered what they had come here  with.

      “W-wait, what ‘appens now?” A.J. asked as Carlisle wrapped an arm around her shoulder and placed his right hand protectively on her other.

     “We go home.” Carlisle answered and began to lead her away in the direction of home.

     A.J. stared at him as the others caught up with them, “Then what?”

     Carlisle looked down and gave his daughter a close-lipped smile as Esme flashed to her other side.

     “Let’s just get home first.” he told her.

     A.J. nodded and turned her gaze forward before stopping dead in her tracks and craning her neck to look around Carlisle.

     “Wait, my stuff!” she called out.

     “Don’t worry, we got it.” Rosalie answered as she slugged A.J.’s backpack around her shoulders and Emmett cradled the girl’s boom box.

     A.J. nodded again, “Thank you.” she let her gaze fall forward.

     The girl bit her tongue in anticipation of what was going to happen. The courage she had gained left her once she heard the wheels of the silver Jeep skid away in the mud. Dread replaced it as the primary emotion in most of the vampires present. Her thoughts were far too jumbled and rapid for her to calm herself down as Carlisle began to pick up speed. One thing that remained clear in her mind as she started to run, was her family staying safe. Though, she had no clue how she'd do it.

[guentzel]

BASEBALL PRIMER: Positions

Here is the tag where you can find all the posts.

I'll be going over each playing position a little more in-depth here, and there will be an additional post going over the more 'obscure' positions/roles. These are the main nine that you should know, though, and their role. Important note: not all of these rules are hard and fast, especially about who covers who. Depending on the play, things change, but players have to act quick on their feet.

Positions:

Each position has a number generally associated with it (1-9) and these are not the same as batting order position. We'll talk more about batting order in the batting section. I won't be referring to them as number, but I will put them on their assigned position so it'll help you learn. During plays, announcers will often call them by number (3-2-5, for example) instead of by actual title as it's quicker.

Pitcher (1)

Pitchers are players who throw from the pitcher's mound. They throw to a catcher, and there are many different types of pitchers and roles. A pitcher has a variety of different ways in which they can deliver a pitch, but there's also plenty of ways that they can't. Pitchers throw a variety of different pitches, which all change based on velocity and the pitcher's grip.

Catcher (2)

Defends home plate and receives pitches from the pitcher, as well as calls what pitch he wants the pitcher to throw. A catcher must also "frame" a pitch, which means they must try to make a ball look like it was in the strike zone, even when it isn't.

Catchers are the only position that can see the whole field, which makes them great commanders. They give their pitchers sign through PitchCom, which prevents opposing players from stealing signs. A catcher must know his pitcher's strengths, as well as the current batter's strengths and weaknesses in which they can get them out. Because of the defensive prowess a catcher often possesses, team will disregard their offensive production, as a good catcher can get runners out when they attempt to steal, and get runners out at home.

The catcher position is extremely, extremely complicated, and I can't cover this all effectively in this post, so I'll just give you a link to wikipedia (lol).

1st Base (3)

Defends first base. Ideally, a first baseman is tall, throws left handed, and has good reflexes and flexibility. In order for a runner to be out at first, the first baseman's foot must be on the bag with the ball in his glove before the runner touches base (hence the flexibility and height).

When there is a runner at first and a chance of a pickoff attempt by the pitcher, the first baseman will stand with their fight foot against the bag, waiting for the pitcher to either pickoff or deliver the throw. When there is no runner aboard, the first baseman typically plays behind the bag and closer to the foul line, in which the pitcher typically covers for him.

2nd Base (4)

Defends the area nearest to second base on the right hand side of the bag (being on the left hand side was banned with the shift). Quick hands and feet are required in order to turn double plays, as they are the "pivot position" on the field. They need to be able to handle the ball quickly and efficiently. Most 2nd basemen are right handed.

Third Base (5)

Defends the area nearest to third base. This area is known as the "hot corner", because the third baseman stands closer to the batter than every other field position. As with most positions, a good accurate and strong arm are required in order to make plays across the diamond.

Shortstop (6)

Shortstops cover the space between second and third. They tend to see the most play on the field, and their spot is much more demanding defensively because of it. A shortstop needs to be agile and have a strong arm in order to make plays at any of the bases. Shortstops are required to cover second base in double play situations when the ball is hit to either the second or first baseman. Shortstops can also cover third, depending on the play (ie: rundowns, bunting attempts).

Shortstops also tend to be the cut off man with throws from center or left (but from left is mainly the third baseman's job).

Left Field (7)

Plays in the area designated as 'left field'. To tell if a player is in right or left, it's the left side of the way the batter is facing the field. Outfielders must be fast and have great accuracy and arm in order to make plays at any of the bases. Typically speaking, the left fielder will have the weakest arm, as they are in the most shallow outfield position and do not need to throw as far. They tend to receive more balls than right fielders due to the "pull" right-handed batters have when they swing.

On any play, left fielders must back up third base.

Center Field (8)

Plays in the area designated as 'center field'. They face the same requirements as the other outfield positions, but outfielders typically are faster than any other position, and have greater throwing accuracy. Center fielders have to cover more area than the other outfielders, so speed is a must. Typically, they also catch the most fly balls.

The center fielder backs up all catches made by either of the corners. The center fielder backs up throws to second when the runner attempts stealing second base. They are often 'commanders' of the outfield, allowed to call off either corner if they have the best chance at catching the ball.

Right Field (9)

Plays in the area designated as 'right field'. They face the same requirements as the other outfield positions, but right fielders tend to have the strongest arm out of all the outfielders, as they have to make the longest throw to third. A right fielder must always be able to make that through accurately, and fast.

A right fielder's job is to back up first base on throws being made by a pitcher or catcher, in order to prevent the ball from going into the outfield and allowing runs to be scored. They will also backup first base on a bunted ball (aka 'cover the bag') so that the catcher or first baseman has a chance to get it. Any time a ball is thrown from the left side of the field, the right fielder will also back up second base. Finally, a right fielder will cover first if the first baseman is in a rundown between third and home.