Standing in the Strike Zone

by Steve Liskow

About the Author: Steve Liskow's stories have appeared in Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, and several anthologies. The first two-time winner of the Black Orchid Novella Award, he has been a finalist for both the Edgar Award and the Shamus Award.

Excerpt

By the sixth inning, I couldn’t decide whether Mulaney, the umpire, was getting paid or getting laid. Or both.

Sure, there are always a few calls that go against you in a game. A strike on the corner, a ball that’s foul by an inch, a close play at first, but every close one went against us that day, and it was getting to my pitcher. I was catching, so I had to keep my mouth shut or it would get even worse.

But in the top of the sixth, I came up with two out and a runner on third, one run behind. Grayson, the other pitcher, had a curve that gave us enough trouble without the umpire. I managed to foul one off and held off before another dove into the dirt in front of home plate.

The next pitch damn near peeled the letters off my jersey. I stepped back and tried to decide if Grayson would throw his curve again or try to beat me with heat. He glanced at the runner, then his arm resembled a Ferris wheel before the ball streaked toward me. Heat, and I let it go by.

“Strike two,” Mulaney bellowed.

“Seriously?” I glanced back at him and tried to keep my voice casual. “I couldn’t have reached that one with a flagpole.”

“Looked good from here.”

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