Change-up by John Feinstein Read Free Book Online Page A

played. Not surprisingly, David said he played basketball and baseball. Morra, as it turned out, was a swimmer. She and Susan Carol launched into a discussion of times and splits and sets that left David and Stevie rolling their eyes at one another. Stevie was extremely relieved when he saw Norbert Doyle walking back toward the table.
    “What was that about, Dad?” David said, asking the question for all four of them.
    Norbert Doyle sat down, looking a little stunned. “You aren’t going to believe it,” he said. “I don’t believe it.”
    They waited. “Ross Detwiler got out of bed this morning and felt something click inside his knee. They think it’s his MCL, but it could be worse. Either way, he can’t possibly start tonight. None of the other starters are close to rested enough, since the LCS went seven games and all the other long guys in the bullpen worked last night.”
    Stevie could see that Morra and David’s eyes were popping out. “Dad,” Morra said. “Are you saying …?”
    “I’m starting tonight,” Norbert Doyle said. “I’m starting game two of the World Series.”
    Stevie and Susan Carol left soon after that. Acta wanted Norbert Doyle to meet with pitching coach Randy St. Claire and catcher Wil Nieves as soon as possible to go over the Red Sox lineup, since he had never faced it. “The good news is, they’ve never faced me either,” he said. “They probably don’t have much of a scouting report, since I wasn’t supposed to be on the postseason roster.”
    “You nervous?” Stevie asked.
    “Absolutely not,” Norbert said. “What’s about five steps up from nervous? Scared to death? I’d say that’s about right.”
    They broke up in the lobby, Norbert heading off for his meeting. Stevie and Susan Carol thanked the Doyle kids, and they all exchanged cell phone numbers. “What a day this is turning out to be for you guys,” Susan Carol said.
    “No kidding,” David answered. “To be honest, just seeing Dad introduced on the field last night was pretty huge. I don’t think any of us thought he’d get into a game unless it was ten to nothing one way or the other.”
    Susan Carol was beaming. “What a wonderful story.”
    Morra shook her head. “It’s wonderful that he’s pitching. But let’s see
how
he pitches.”
    “That’s my sister,” David said. “She can find the black cloud in every silver lining.”
    “Maybe she’s really
Stevie’s
twin,” Susan Carol said. She was smiling when she said it, but he knew she meant it.
    Susan Carol was practically skipping on the way back to the hotel. “I don’t know who I’m happier for right now, Norbert or you,” she said.
    “Or David Doyle maybe?” he said.
    “Huh?”
    “Come on, Susan Carol, you had the full Scarlett O’Hara bit going on back there.”
    Susan Carol reddened a little, something he had never really seen her do before. “Well, that was my role here, right? Be nice to David?”
    “Yeah, but there’s nice and there’s ‘naaace’—or let’s put it this way, I didn’t think you would enjoy it quite so much.”
    Stevie was hoping she would say something like, “Come on, Stevie, you know you’ve got nothing to be jealous about.”
    She didn’t say that, though. She didn’t say anything. He decided to drop it. He was sorry he had brought it up. Instead he took out his cell phone and called Kelleher.
    “How’d it go with the old man?” Kelleher said. “He fill your notebook with stories about Amarillo, Texas?”
    “He did,” Stevie said. “He also filled my notebook with a story about the fact that he’s starting tonight.”
    There was silence on the other end of the phone. “He’s
what
?” Kelleher said. “What in the world are you talking about?”
    “Ross Detwiler did something to his knee getting out of bed—” Stevie said.
    “Getting out of bed?”
    “Yeah, apparently. Anyway, none of the other starters are on schedule to pitch tonight, and they used the other two long