Right down the middle.
Jax didn't raise his arms. He just looked at the tiny, useless plug in his palm. pitcher plugin
78 mph.
In the clubhouse, his teammates stopped talking to him. They didn't see him throwing those pitches. They saw a walking, sweating USB drive. The veteran catcher, Manny Rivera, refused to wear the receiver helmet. "I'm not a remote control," Manny said, handing in his trade request. Right down the middle
His fastball now touched 101. His slider broke so late that home plate umpires started flinching. He struck out the side in the 8th inning of a tied Wild Card game, then did it again in the 9th. The crowd chanted "Jax, Jax, Jax," but he couldn't hear them. He was too busy listening to the silent, perfect hum behind his ear. 78 mph
Then came The Patch.
He wound up. His natural arm, tired and true, dragged through the slot. The ball floated toward the plate.