Chapter 11

The next two days were a little nerve racking, because I kept expecting a call that didn't come. I heard from Mom and the girls at the new condo in St. Pete. They were having a great time getting a tan and relaxing. Mom told me that she was feeling very good and had gone to a local doctor to be checked. She said that she had been watching her diet and was feeling great.

The girls were curious that I hadn't been called up when the guy in the rotation went on the DL. I explained to them what I had learned, and said I was anxiously waiting to play in the bigs. They all said they were going to remain in St. Pete to enjoy the beach and the new condo for a while.

My next day to pitch arrived and I was able to pitch very well again. I gave up a bunch of singles and a double to the right field corner with one run scoring this time. That was in the sixth, so I didn't go back out for the seventh. The Manager decided that I didn't need to go out as an infielder, but wanted to change his mind when the shortstop stepped on something wrong and was hobbling a little.

I couldn't go out, but I could help direct the new shortstop where to play and holler encouragement.

We were sitting around for the Manager's comments after the game, when he said, "Matt pitched a great game today, but we were able to find out that he's human like the rest of us. Someone actually scored on him. I'll be curious to see how that affects his next outing."

I asked the pitching coach after that if I could watch the game film so I could see what I had done wrong. The coach told me that they weren't bad mistakes, but the ump was not calling strikes for stuff in the bottom of the zone, so I was letting balls get up into easy hitting territory. He told me to watch the film, and to consider how to strike people out if I couldn't use the entire strike zone.

That was easy, since I would need to use the palm ball I had been practicing, more of the fork ball, and have absolute control of my slider. I would be working on all of those pitches. My curve was excellent and I did control it, but I was afraid of it as I had been hit hard a couple of times using it. I guess that's why I didn't like to throw changeups unless the sign came from the dugout.

The pitching coach began to work with me more intensely. We worked on the palm ball until I had decent control over a pitch that liked to travel about fifty-nine feet, then drop straight down. It would be a strike if the batter was forward in the box, but it would be a ball if he were back. The catchers had to work to block the ball as it was like a changeup and often bounced in front of the plate. The coaches use video to emphasize what we do right and wrong, and I liked the way the palm ball came out of my hand.

I was pitching to one of the better Triple A teams two weeks later. The first time through the order is usually easy, and this was no different. The catcher I liked was behind the plate and was good at studying the batters with me. We varied the first pitch the second time through the order, but it had to be a strike whether fork, curve, or slider. We had to have a deceptive pitch and it needed to be a strike in case they stood there and took one.

I was perfect through six innings when we started over on the order for the third time in the seventh. The catcher and I figured the top of order would be laying in wait for anything to swing at. We agreed on trying the three slider approach; a regular slider across the plate, a back door that came from the opposite direction, and a third slider that was off the plate.

It worked, but they were making contact. The infield was lights out fielding and getting the ball to first. The bottom of the order would be up when I pitched the bottom of the ninth, and those guys can be problematic. My first pitch slider was a comebacker to me that I threw to first. The second batter did exactly the same thing, and I was getting a little gun-shy by having two straight come back to me.

The catcher trotted out to me and said, "This is the last of them. This guy has hit sliders in the past, but apparently has trouble with a slow/fast combo. How about a first pitch fastball with all you have? Make it low but fast, then use your new improved changeup, and finish him off with the palm.

That's what we did. The first pitch fastball had the guy tied up so bad he couldn't get the bat to swing. The changeup worked and he was swinging when I let the ball go. The palm ball totally baffled him as he swung at a ball bouncing on the plate. The catcher tagged him out and game over.

The team came running out of the dugout, bouncing around to congratulate me. It was then the realization that I had pitched a no-hitter came. That's a good feeling. What was an even better feeling was that I had hit two home runs, a double, and two singles. We won six to nothing, and it was a big win for us as this team had always owned us when we played them on their home field.

That kind of news travels fast, as Andrew Friedman was the first to call and congratulate me, and Joe called a little while later. He told me, "Keep learning down there and you'll be up soon. I'm proud of you for finding a way to get along with the Manager. That possibly says more than your no-hitter today. Keep up the good work."

I thanked the pitching coach for helping me get my pitches the way they would be most effective. That I had good control was actually more important than the speed of my fastball. Not many hitters can hit a fastball at 95, but they can anticipate and swing in time to blast the ball. I used the approach of using the entire strike zone, especially the two low corners. You can usually strike batters out looking if an ump is calling the low strike zone as strikes. You just don't want to let that ball go a millisecond too early and let it travel up in the zone. It was the same as hitting in that it required practice and more practice.

I missed a couple of days playing in the infield while some other players were getting experience, but I was used as a DH in those games. That was fun, but pitchers and catchers were now aware of me and rarely threw to me. It's no fun unless you can swing the bat. Relievers always want to challenge someone with a good average, so it was usually off relievers that I got hits.

It was late July when the Manager told me to come into his office. This was after a game and a long bus ride back to Charlotte. When I went in he said, "Well, it's time, Matt, you're being called up to the big club. You've proven to be an asset pitching, an asset in the field, and also with your bat. I think your biggest contribution is your ability to get along with everyone in the clubhouse, and that includes me. You know I wasn't hot for you when you came to me. My brother said you were a troublemaker. That's what I thought of you, but I decided to give you a chance when you didn't go tattling to Friedman and Maddon. You know I tested you for a few days to see what you were made of, but you did everything I asked and did it with a good attitude. That's a good ballplayer, and a man you want on your team and in the clubhouse. Go get your stuff together and drive to St. Petersburg. You can fly if you want to leave your car, and we can reserve a hotel room for you until you can find a place if you want."

"Thanks for the offer, but I have a place to stay down there. I'm tired so I'll stay in the bunkroom and get an early start in the morning. What time is their game tomorrow evening?"

"They are just getting home tonight, and tomorrow's an off day. Report in when you get in tomorrow and see if you can talk to Joe to find out what he wants you to do. Goodnight and good luck. Oh, and thanks for working with me. You taught me that I can be wrong."

I was smiling as I almost skipped down the hallway toward the bunkroom. The feeling I had was priceless. This was elation.

I called Mom to tell her, and she told me how happy she was for me. She said her health was good and she was keeping her intensity down so she wasn't so stressed out. I reminded her that she could sit back and relax if she wanted. She told me to call the girls since they had completely moved down to St. Pete. She told me that she would come down to visit this coming weekend.

The girls squealed with excitement when I called them. They wanted me to immediately jump in the car and drive down. They also understood that I was worn out, but would be there late tomorrow. I told them, "It's almost 700 miles, so it will take about eleven to twelve hours to get there. I could fly, but my car would be up here."

The girls were so excited that they told me to give the car away or sell it. They wanted me there immediately. I told them I would drive and be there tomorrow. They surprised me by agreeing and telling me to hurry to bed so I could get an early start.

I packed what little I had with me and went to bed.

I woke at four to my cell phone buzzing as my alarm. I showered, dressed, and left smiling at the guys sleeping in the bunks. These were the guys who didn't want to have the hassle of an apartment. It worked fine for me and it was free.

I was stopping at the little diner to have my steak and eggs by four thirty. There was a different waitress there who already knew all about me. She put my order in and chatted with me. I bragged that I was on my way to the big club in St. Petersburg and she congratulated me.

I asked her to have a couple of sandwiches made up, a bunch of fruit, and bought a thermos full of coffee. With that and three bottles of water, I was on my way by five.

I stayed at what I think was right at seventy-nine miles an hour by using cruise control. I had to stop for gas and a potty break a couple of times, but I was determined to drive straight through as quickly as possible. I was making great time and I could probably have made it in nine to ten hours if I didn't have to stop for gas or to pee.

I called Joe Maddon, the Ray's Manager, while on the way down to tell him I was driving and would get there this afternoon. He told me to stop by the ballpark if I got in before four so I could do my front office paperwork. He asked, "When did you pitch last?"

"Four days ago, so I could do it if you need me for a start."

Joe said, "I'm going to use you at short. Escobar came up a little lame, so I'll use you there. We need some spark to our hitting. Our defense is always tops, but we are having a tough time with the bats once again. The least you'll do is pinch hit. Listen, get here, do your paper work today, then show up at the ballpark at two tomorrow. It's normally three or four for an evening game, but come in at two and you can limber up."

I called and told the girls I would be there around five or six as I had to stop by the ballpark to do paperwork. They said they were really excited and that I should hurry.

It was tempting to speed up, but I knew a State boy would be pulling me over if I did. I was already pushing it driving at the high seventies.

I parked in the players' parking lot right at three thirty. The front office people were very nice and efficient, already having an entire packet made up for me. They wanted to get me a hotel room, but I told them I had a place to stay locally. I was directed to see Joe after signing a bunch of papers and giving them my bank account numbers so everything could be a direct deposited.

The man was still the smiling person he always was. He welcomed me and told me not to get nervous tomorrow, as it wasn't my first time up with a big club. I told him I was anxious to play wherever it was. I had to assure him I had a good place to stay and confided in him that I had bought a condo and it was waiting. He smiled knowing that I had been proactive about housing.

It took me longer to get to the condo than I thought it would. I had figured about ten minutes, but it was closer to twenty-five by the time I parked in one of my slots and grabbed my bag.

I used my key to the building's back door and went into the big lobby there. I followed the hallway around to the back where there were four units that faced the beach. I slid my key into the lock and opened the door to see my place furnished and ready to live in for the first time.

There was no one in the condo, but the sliding glass door to the beach was open. I looked out to see two women lying in the sun. I used my cell phone and called Sherry's number. I watched as she answered and I said, "I'll be home in just a minute. Have everything off but the stereo, and have it down low."

The two girls were so excited they sat up without reattaching their tops and had to quickly look around to see who they had flashed. They grabbed their towels and came running to the door.

I was sitting on the couch watching as they came in and went straight to the bathroom in the master bedroom. I heard the shower come on and figured I would have some fun in the huge new shower.

I shed my clothes on the way to the bedroom and stepped into the shower with the girls. Their mouths dropped open and with a big grin, Jeannie said, "We're so glad you're here. You're going to love it. We're trying to get your mom to come down and stay here too. This place is awesome."

We did a lot of kissing and touching until I shut the shower off and told both of them, "I want you on the bed right now. Towels or no towels, I want my women. There were giggles and laughter as we prepared the bed. We spent from nearly six until nine making up for the loving we had missed. We were lying on the soaked towels with their heads on my shoulder. They both held up their fingers and showed off their rings. It was Jeannie who told me, "There have been a few times that I was ready to takeoff with some guy who I'm sure wouldn't be anywhere near your caliber, but then I remembered how much I loved you and Sherry is part of the package too. I can't leave both of you, so you're stuck with me. It's not that I don't love you, but I was lonely and I know Sherry was too."

Sherry snuggled closer if that was possible, kissed me on my cheek, and said, "I'm here, Baby. I'm always going to be here. Jeannie is too, but she gets lonely and wants immediate satisfaction. She'll get used to your schedule."

I told the girls, "We need to get up and go for something to eat. I'm starved and could use a whole night's sleep."

Jeannie sat up and said, "Get up and put some shorts on. We'll do the same and show you how much food we have."

I found out that the fridge had several great looking pieces of meat and the freezer had a lot more. The girls pulled me out of the still open sliding glass door and showed me the built in gas and charcoal grill that was on the patio. They turned me around and pointed at a big tub with a top on it. The tub appeared to be made of the same man made stone that was around the patio. "Where did that come from?"

Sherry told me, "That is your Mom's present for our new place. Actually it's all of our moms' present. They'll be down soon, but we have to have them come one at a time unless you buy the other unit next door and do some major remodeling."

I wonder if that was a real suggestion or something that they might have fantasized about.

The gas cooker had piped in city gas as I was able to get a flame going with a push of a button. I left it on low to warm up and we went in to pick out our supper.

We had steaks and veggies, and they even had some of the protein shakes I told them about. I asked the girls, "How did you guys afford all of this. You don't have a job, do you?"

Jeannie told me, "You gave us each a debit card on your checking account. We've watched the balance and you don't use hardly any money. We figured food would be what you needed, so we bought food."

It was Sherry who confessed, "We also bought a couple of really neat bikinis you will love. We're going to be so brown you'll think you have a couple of island girls to fool around with."

We walked the beach after supper and dishes, a long way to the north, then turned and walked back. We had locked the door on the way out and I had luckily remembered to bring my keys. Jeannie showed me a secret place on the patio that had a key holder.

I told the girls about my schedule for tomorrow, but didn't know whether or not I would be playing. They said it didn't make any difference as they were going to be at the park to watch me make my major league debut with the Rays regardless.

We slept like babies until after nine the next morning after some serious loving. I got up and told the girls, "I run in the morning, so I'll be gone about an hour. We'll eat either here or wherever you want when I get back."

This was my first experience running on a beach. The tide was out, so I could run on the wet sand that was firm. I would switch and run on the streets if I had to run on the loose dry sand. I was able to check out a lot of places that looked interesting by running about three miles one way and three miles back. I'm sure we would discover all of the good places and enjoy them.

We ate with me having my steak and eggs and while the girls had some bacon, scrambled eggs, and a piece of toast. Sherry said, "I can't believe you can eat so much and not gain any weight. I know you're only eating protein and working out a lot, but you eat a lot. We'll go to the grocery store and get more eggs and protein shakes while you're at the ballpark. You won't have to look for us at the game because we have seats on the aisle behind the dugout. We called the front office and they got us a deal along with your discount. We've been to several games already and Joe always waves. You know even the front office has been counting the days until you were brought up. Sure hope you are all they think you are."

"Me too. I'm going to work at it and play the best ball of my life."

We lay out in the sun for about a half-hour before I decided to go in and shower. I didn't know what the dress code for the Rays was, so I put on some nice slacks and a knit shirt so I looked like business casual. I would have to do some shopping now that I had a place to keep clothes.

I arrived at the park before two and walked around the clubhouse, then down the hall to Joe's office. I knocked on the open door and he looked up, "Hey, Matt, you're even early. You know we're all excited with you and for you. I know you're not the second coming, but we have big hopes for you.

Jim Hickey, the pitching coach, came in the door and stuck his hand out with a smile. "It's great to have you, Matt." He turned to Joe and told him, "Scott and Stan are here, so let's warm up our new arm to see how we'll use him later."

Joe told me that I'd soon know everyone, as Scott was the bullpen catcher and Stan was the bullpen coach. I was thinking to myself that I didn't want to spend a lot time in the bullpen if I could help it.

We went down to the clubhouse locker room where the equipment people showed me my locker that already had a fresh uniform hanging there. There were shoes, socks, workout pants and shirts, along with caps, jocks, and cups. I changed clothes using the extra hangers in the locker to hang my clothes up. There was a little basket with a lock for my valuables, so I stashed my wallet and car keys, taking the note of the combination. I tried the combination a couple of times to make sure it was correct then locked the basket.