789. Chapter 789

After Suicide Squeeze

Episode 2.15

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I'd steal home, but I didn't steal Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

"Strike three, you're out!" Esposito yelled.

Rick Castle spun around. "What do mean, strike three! This isn't a real game. I'm just trying out for the team."

Espo shook his head. "Castle, you got fifty two nice, fat pitches right down the middle of the plate. And you either watched them go by you, of you whiffed. Every one of them."

"Sure, I may be a little rusty, but I was just getting in my groove. I would have knocked the next one out of the park."

Javi put his arm around Castle's shoulder. "Bro, did you ever play baseball as a kid? In high school? Anywhere?"

"Not exactly." Castle said, unwillingly.

"Not exactly?"

"I used to throw a tennis ball against a wall sometimes and catch it."

"How often did you catch it?"

"Enough times." Castle said defensively.

"Babe," Kate said softly, "I think we can go home now. You're a great detective, a great dad and the very best husband I've ever had. But you're not a baseball player."

Castle nodded and walked back towards their car, then turned around. "But I'll be there for every game that the 12th Precinct plays. I'll be your number one athletic supporter." Both Kate and Espo managed to keep from laughing.

Rick sat in the car and moped as Kate drove them home. "I never knew my dad until I was in my forties. Hell, I still barely know him. We never did the things dads and their sons do. Play catch, shoot hoops, toss a football around. Don't get me wrong, I love Martha, but she's just not a good father."

"That's because she's your mom, babe." Kate said with a smile.

That night when the Castles got ready for bed, Kate got in bed dressed in a Yankees baseball cap. And a smile. "I thought you might need a little baseball tonight. Play your cards right and you could get to second base. And who knows? You could get even farther."

Rick smiled and kissed her. "I love you, "Babe" Castle.

Rick slept very soundly that night and he dreamed. He dreamed a lot.

"Come on, Ricky." His father said. "Time to play a little catch."

Young Ricky scrambled to find his mitt and headed outside after his dad. As they always did, they played catch for at least an hour, or sometimes his dad hit grounders and Rick would scoop them up. When he'd gotten older, they began to go to the local park where he could hit and pitch.

The announcer spoke in hushed tones. "Bottom of the ninth with two out, the Eagles are ahead one to nothing. But the bases are loaded and the count is three and two. Castle looks in and shakes off the catcher. Now he nods. He winds up. Strike three looking! Rick Castle has won the State High School Championship for the Eagles."

One of the first to get out of the stands and to the mound was Castle's dad. Castle's teammates stepped away to allow him to hug his son. "Rick, I'm so proud of you. And I got a phone call a while ago. You got a full baseball scholarship to college. You're going to college."

Rick Castle was in his first professional baseball game. Sure, it was rookie league, the Arizona Fall League, but he was officially a professional baseball player. He heard the umpire call "Play ball," and looked in to the catcher and got the sign. Slider, low and inside. He pitched and heard the umpire call, "Strike!" He was psyched.

Two plus innings later, when the manager came to get him, he wasn't at all psyched. In two complete innings he'd given up seven runs, and nine hits, plus three walks and a hit batter. Now, without getting an out in the third inning, he had the bases loaded.

"You're done, kid." The manager said, taking the ball from Rick. Castle sat in the dugout and cheered for his team, but the runs he'd given up were too much for them to overcome. As he dressed after showering, the pitching coach came by. "You aren't going to last long here, kid, you keep pitching like that." He walked away leaving Castle feeling miserable.

As he walked out of the clubhouse, he found a beautiful brunette standing there. He wondered who she was waiting for, since all the other players had left.

"Hi." She said, smiling at him. "You had a bad night tonight."

That's all I need. He thought. Some baseball groupie teasing me. He pushed past her. "I noticed. Thanks for reminding me."

"Your pitches are too predictable." She called after him.

He stopped and looked back at her. "What?"

"When you have two strikes on a guy, you go to your change up to strike him out. You did it seventy one percent of the time tonight."

"It's my best pitch."

"It's not your best pitch if the batter knows it's coming. And let me see your grip for a two seam fast ball." She took a baseball from her purse and handed it to him.

He took the ball and showed her his grip.

She shook her head. "Look, put this finger here and that one, right here."

He looked down at the ball and the grip. "It feels better. Easier to throw, I think." He looked at her and she smiled. "Who are you?"

"The name is Kate Beckett. I was the pitcher for the girls' state champion high school softball team, got a soft ball scholarship to college and made it as an alternate to the US Olympic Team. But they didn't need me. And that's about as far as a woman can go in baseball today. So, here I am, giving free advice to minor league pitchers."

"I need all the advice I'm going to get. The pitching coach doesn't think I'll be here long."

"Oh, him." Kate said disgustedly. "Ten years ago he was a good coach, but now…."

"So, how about going to dinner and you can give me more advice?'

For the next game, Castle had gotten Kate a seat as close to home plate as he could. She had painted her nails with day glo orange polish and had on black jeans so they'd stand out. The catcher gave him the sign, fast ball away. Rick looked at Kate who signed fast ball away. Strike. The catcher signed for a curve ball. Kate signed for a slider. Rick shook the catcher off and waited until he called for a slider. Strike two. The catcher called for a fast ball away, Kate signed for a change up, out of the zone. Rick shook off the catcher until he got a change up. The batter, expecting a change up, but in the zone, swung and missed. Strike three. Rick started to settle down.

At the end of the sixth inning, Castle was pulled from the game. His team was ahead four to one. He got a standing ovation as he walked off the mound.

"Kate, I've been promoted to single A ball. I leave in three days. You need to come with me."

Kate shook her head. "You don't need me anymore, Rick. You've learned to vary your pitches, you've learned new pitches, and you read batters well, I don't think I have anything left to teach you."

He shook his head. "If I never touched a baseball again, I'd still need you, Kate. I love you. Come with me and be my wife."

Understandably, Rick looked stunned as he stood in front of his team's dugout, drenched in a celebratory Gatorade bath, with his arm around his beautiful wife, with his father and mother beside Kate. The commissioner of baseball was speaking. "And it's no surprise to anyone I'm sure when I announce that the Most Valuable Player trophy for this year's World Series goes to….Rick Castle."

Rick opened his eyes and saw his wife sleeping next to him, he leaned over and kissed her softly, waking her. "What?' She asked.

"You're the best pitching coach I've ever had."

As Rick got up to make breakfast, Kate wondered what he'd meant by that.