For Hutch playing shortstop has always been home on the baseball field. Hutches father, Carl Hutchinson once played professionally until injuries caused his father to sit home and watch the games on the couch. Hutch has always played and started at shortstop for the Post 226 Cardinals American Legion baseball team until the top shortstop prospect in Florida since A-Rod Darryl “D Will” Williams who is expected to go pro when he is older joins the team and forces Hutch to move from his home position of shortstop to second base.
The game is very close and it is the championship game that with a win would lead the Cardinals to the states where they would battle to be the top team in the state. It is the bottom of the last inning with no outs and the bases are loaded and Hutch was on deck with his team down by 2 runs he is about to step up to the plate before Darryl talks to him for a minute saying “Work a good count and just try to get a walk so I can be the super star and get the game winning hit”. As Hutch is walking to the plate he thinks to himself about what Darryl says and is kind of amazed of how greedy Darryl is. Stepping into the batters box the first pitch is delivered and Hutch swings and sends the ball over the right centerfield wall giving the Cardinals the walk of win and sending them to the State championships. At this point in the bok we find out what kind of person Darryl is by him not congradulating Hutch on the walk off winner and this is the first problem between Hutch and Darryl throughout the book.
The Cardinals are now in the first round of the state tournament and it is the bottom the the last inning and the cardinals are up by 1 and there are two outs wiith runners on second base and third base and there is a pop fly hit up the middle and it is in the outfield grass and both Hutch and Darryl are running after it knowing this ball needs to be caught or the balll game will be over and they will loose. Hutch and Darryl leap for the ball at the same time and Hutch catches the ball colliding into Darryl but still holding onto the ball, and the cardnals win the ball game. After Hutch is about to begin to celebrate with his teammates Darryl throws a fit at Hutch yelling at him saying “That was my ball what do you think you were doing when you ran into me!” and there is a dispute in the middle of the field but they are seperated. adn move on to practice the next day
The next day at practice Hutch seess his father givin fielding tips to Darryl at practice after he sees the dispute the day before at the game and also has never given tips to his own son but now he is giving tips to Darryl, and this enrages Hutch and he tackles Darryl and is suspended for the quarter finals game. The Cardinals win the next game 5-4 without Hutch but will the Cardinals be able to beat the #1 American Legion team in the state, and will Hutch and Darryl be playing as teammates not rivals on there own team to win the state championship? Also will Hutch and his father find love in each other and can Carl Hutchinon be the baseball dad that Hutch always wanted?