For Love of the Game Page #9

Chapel has done it for eight,

retiring 24 consecutive batters.

Billy Chapel is certainly getting more

than a little help from his friends.

It don't matter to the sun

If you go or if you stay Thanks.

Billy Chapel, right?

Right.

I took my kids to see

you play your rookie year.

Long time ago. You

were great. Thank you.

keep it up.

I'll be there in one minute.

Shine down on me

Billy?

Do you remember me?

Heather, sweetheart.

Oh, God. How are you?

I mean, what are you doin'

here? I'm going to U.S.C.

Really?

Yeah.

That's great.

Are you playing

the Angels or-

Yeah, here for the Angels.

And how's your season going? Okay.

Well, not so good really,

but, uh, it's almost over now.

How's your mom? [ Girl

] Heather! Hurry up.

She's good.

She's really good.

Heather!

Go.

I miss you.

I miss you too.

Like you did the day before

You don't have plans, do

you? [ Jane ] No, I don't.

Well, I'm gonna be there, and

it's been a while. A long time.

just thought dinner at the

Waldorf might be nice. About 6:00?

How about 8:
00, your room? Even better.

Great. I'll see you then.

Mmm-hmm-hmm

Oh, no, oh, yeah

What can I say

What can I do

I'm still in love

So why aren't you

It don't matter to the moon

If you're not in my life

I knew it the day I fiirst

met you fiive years ago.

What? I've always known

it. You don't need me.

You and the ball and

the diamond, you're perfect.

You're a perfectly

beautiful thing.

You can win or lose the game

all by yourself.

Oh, babe

But it matters

To me

[ Man ] You feelin'healthy?

You're lookin'good.

How are you feelin'?

Your shoulder? All right?

'Cause I'm gonna

keep ya in there.

[ Crowd Cheering ]

Mike.

You all right, Billy?

Yeah.

Got a pen?

Oh, yeah.

I want you

to do me a favor.

I want you to give this

to Wheeler's nephew.

His nephew? Yeah, that

kid in the clubhouse.

Oh.

All right. Let's go, guys. Come on!

Let's go!

Let's go, guys. Come on.

Come on now!

What do ya say?

Three more!

Come on!

Nothing but tops out there!

jesus Christ.

[ Scully ] Billy Chapel is 40 years old as

he sits in the dugout here at Yankee Stadium.

Forty years old,

arm weary and aching.

And don't let anybody tell you

or Billy that life begins at 40.

4, 100 innings Billy Chapel

has walked to the mound...

in a brilliant,

19-year career.

But never before, in all those

years and in all those innings,

has he ever had a date with

destiny as he has right now.

He will make the fateful walk to

the loneliest spot in the world,

the pitching mound at Yankee Stadium

in quest of the pitcher's dream,

the perfect game.

Billy Chapel, in quest

of the perfect game.

You also realize he may very well be

at the crossroads of a brilliant career.

He's a cinch to wind up

in the Hall of Fame.

However, after this game,

he has to make the big decision.

A:
Will he continue to do

what has been his life,

maybe more important

than life itself, baseball?

Or will he hang it up,

and would a perfect game...

give him the logical

conclusion to the great career?

Strout.

You're hitting for Ruiz.

Grab a bat.

[ Scully ] At 40 years old,

Billy Chapel is flirting...

with perhaps the greatest

accomplishment in baseball.

Standing in his way will be Matt

Crane hitting for Babe Nardini.

Then Jesus Cabrillo.

And Ken Strout has a bat

in his hands in the dugout...

and might very well get

the call to bat for Jaime Ruiz.

And, you know, Steve, you get

the feeling that Billy Chapel...

isn't pitching

against left-handers.

He isn't pitching

against pinch hitters.

He isn't pitching

against the Yankees.

He's pitching against time. He's pitching

against the future, against age...

and, even when you think about

his career, against ending.

And tonight, I think he might be able to

use that aching old arm one more time...

to push the sun

back up in the sky...

and give us

one more day of summer.

Lord, I know that

I always said...

that I'd never involve You

in a baseball game.

It always seemed silly.

I mean, You got enough to do.

[ Exhales ]

But if there's any way You could make

this pain in my shoulder go away...

for about ten minutes.

Clear the mechanism.

[ Cheering Quiets ]

[ Cheering Increases ]

[ Feet Stomping ]

[ Cheering, Stomping

Continue ]

Clear the mechanism.

[ Cheering Increases ]

Okay, okay.

Three more...

like I done a million times.

[ Lyons ] That's tough to come off the bench

and sit and watch eight innings of play...

and then go up there cold and

have to try and swing the bat.

But if you don't get your pitch

and hack at it early,

you might not see one

for the rest of the at bat.

[ Scully ]

Matt Crane poses quite a threat,

especially now when Billy

has to be on the ropes.

No, Gus. A curve

would hurt too much.

[ Scully ] Ground ball to the right side,

smothered back at third base by Lee Giordano...

- He's out!

- and throws him out!

[ Scully ] That would

be another brilliant play.

No! He beat it!

[ Scully ] Two more outs to

go, and here's Jesus Cabrillo,

who struck out

and flied to center.

It's been over 40 years

that I sat at Yankee Stadium...

and broadcast the perfect game

by Don Larson in the World Series,

and now I never thought

I'd be able to see another one,

especially from a 40-year-old pitcher who

may very well be at the end of his career.

Gus, goddamn it.

Gus, just hold it

over the middle of the plate.

I'm just throwin'

straight sh*t right now.

[ Scully ]

Big swing and the count 0 and 1.

What are you swingin' at? That

was a ball. This guy's a bum!

[ Groans ]

[ Scully ]

There's a drive down the line.

Foul!

What a scramble up there.

What used to be

just a souvenir...

might very well turn out

to be a very valuable baseball.

[ Booing ]

Oh, God.

[ Chapel ]

Yeah, I know, I'm stallin'.

Everybody knows I'm stallin'.

[ Booing ]

Maybe you'd be stallin' too.

[ Scully ] And there's a

strike three call. Strike!

Billy Chapel, striking out Jesus

Cabrillo for his ninth strikeout,

and he is one out away...

Ken.

from the perfect game.

- Wreck it.

- All right, skip.

[ Scully ]

On deck is young ken Strout,

who will take

his swings for Jaime Ruiz.

[ Man On P.A.] Batting for

Ruiz, number 60, ken Strout.

Why not?

[ Lyons ] This is a great move

by Bobby Mack, the Yankee skipper,

sendin'a kid up, ken Strout,

his first major league at bat.

He's just young enough and just

cocky enough to not realize...

the magnitude of

the situation that he's in.

[ Scully ] There's a line

drive down the right field line,

hooking foul!

And that was too close for comfort

for the Tigers and for Billy Chapel.

Well, I don't scare you

at all, do I, Strout?

Guess you forgot who I am.

[ Chuckles ]

Oh, God.

Think Billy.

Don't just throw.

Think.

No, a curveball's for sh*t.

He knows it. I know it.

He knows it.

This is gonna hurt

a little bit.

[ Groans ]

Strike two! [ Scully

] What's that old line?

"If you can keep your head when

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