Chapter 7

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Max continues to stand in the batter's box as he attempts to wrap his head around this new turn of events. It never crossed his mind that his adult strength could still be intact in this small frame. He hadn't really carried anything heavy enough to tip him off to this fact, but thinking back, he does note that his backpack, and even the bat he just swung, haven't really felt as hefty as they should. After briefly thinking about how interesting it would be to live life as a sort of Superman, Max decides it would be in his best interest to keep this a secret.

"Whoa, the wind really got ahold of that one huh!" Max calls out, hoping to explain the unexplainable. "Probably the farthest I'll hit a ball the rest of my life!"

Mr. Finchman continues to stare in awe at Max as one of the fielders hops the fence to retrieve the ball, then finally breaks his silence.

"Yeah, that was something all right. I guess the wind is blowing out pretty strong right now, I think. Let's see if you can do that again."

The coach winds up and tosses another ball right down the middle of the plate. This time, Max takes a little something off as he swings and hits a routine ground ball to third. Another swing sees a short fly ball to center as Max has discovered a happy medium between too much, and too little. After his allotment of pitches is up the coach walks toward the plate to have a word with Max.

"I'll tell you what, that's the first time I've ever seen a kid your size hit a ball that far. That must have been the combination of a perfect hit, and maybe catching a jet stream or something. Anyway, I'm sure it's something you'll never forget. I know I won't."

"You're definitely right coach, that's something I'll probably tell my grandkids about."

"Okay then Max, why don't you go and head on out to the field to shag balls. Great job!"

While jogging out to left field Max is greeted by Matt, who's in a bit of amazement himself.

"Dude, that homerun might have made it out of a major league park! That was awesome, almost like magic!"

"Just got lucky I guess. I think I hit the perfect ball, and the wind was really blowing out hard when I hit it. It was pretty damn cool though."

"I didn't feel that much wind but whatever, that was still really awesome. I think with our two bats in the lineup we're gonna take this league by storm my man!"

With that the two head their separate ways. Matt starts jogging toward centerfield, and Max continues his path to the left. As Max reaches his position, he feels that this situation has actually worked out quite well. He managed to not only impress his manager and teammates, but also given them a hell of a story to tell in the process.

For the next 20 minutes or so, Max finds himself shagging balls for the other players. It turns out to be a rather enjoyable experience, something he could probably do for hours on end and never get sick of. It's more just being on a baseball field for him, however. It's the calling off of teammates on a fly ball, getting a high five for a nice grab and even missing a grounder that takes a bad hop, then getting heckled by the guys. It gives Max a feeling of euphoria, something that can be hard to come by at times.

Once every kid has their turn at the plate it's time to switch with the other group and go work on fielding. The field that the other coach is using is just a short trot for the players, and it takes but a few moments before the groups pass each other as they switch activities. Upon arriving at the field, the children are greeted by Coach Rogers.

"Hey guys, welcome. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood! Alright, all joking aside, I know that fielding isn't quite as fun as hitting, but it is just as important when it comes to winning at baseball. How we're going to start is by pairing up and throwing some grounders to each other."

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