The Substitute Pitcher
A baseball story about a nervous player in the big game, with eight questions on quoting the text and explaining what it says.
Read the passage
The bleachers at Maple Park were packed for the championship game, and the noise rolled over the field like thunder. Dani Reyes stood at the edge of the dugout, gripping her glove so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
A few minutes earlier, the Hawks’ starting pitcher, Marcus, had twisted his wrist while diving for a ball. Coach Williams had scanned the bench, and his eyes had stopped on Dani. “You’ve been practicing that fastball all season,” he said. “Today you get to use it.”
Dani had pitched in practice a hundred times, but never in a real game, and never with so many people watching.
Now it was the bottom of the sixth inning. The Hawks were ahead 4–3, but the other team had loaded the bases, and there were two outs. Dani walked to the mound on legs that felt like jelly. The batter, a tall boy with a scowl, tapped the plate with his bat. Dani’s heart hammered so loudly that she was sure the whole park could hear it.
She glanced at the dugout. Behind her, the shortstop, Priya, pounded her glove and called, “You’ve got this!” Coach Williams cupped his hands around his mouth. “Just play catch!” he shouted. “Like in your backyard!”
Dani closed her eyes and pictured her grandfather, standing in the backyard with his old leather mitt, saying, “Easy does it, mija. Nice and smooth.” Her shoulders loosened. She opened her eyes, stared at the catcher’s glove, and let the ball fly.
Strike one. Strike two. The tall boy swung hard at the third pitch and hit nothing but air. The umpire threw up his fist, and the crowd erupted. Dani’s teammates poured out of the dugout. Marcus, his wrist wrapped in an ice pack, was the first to reach her. “Great job, Dani!” he said, grinning. “You saved us.”
Answer the questions
- Why did the Hawks need a new pitcher? (1 point)
- Copy the exact words from the first paragraph that show how tightly Dani was holding her glove. Use quotation marks. (2 points)
- The story says the batter had a “scowl.” What does this tell you about him? (1 point)
- The story says Dani’s legs “felt like jelly.” What does this comparison show about how she felt? (2 points)
- Quote two different phrases from the story that show Dani was nervous on the mound. Use quotation marks around each one. (2 points)
- Why do you think Dani closed her eyes and pictured her grandfather? Quote part of the text to support your answer. (2 points)
- How did Coach Williams help Dani on the mound? Quote his words in your answer. (2 points)
- Write a summary of the story in two sentences. Tell what the problem was and how it was solved. (2 points)
Answer key for parents and teachers
1. Marcus, the starting pitcher, twisted his wrist while diving for a ball. (1 point)
Finding information (RL.5.1). The cause is stated in the second paragraph, so the child practices finding and restating it.
2. “gripping her glove so tightly that her knuckles turned white” (accept: “her knuckles turned white”). (2 points)
Quoting from the text (RL.5.1). Quoting accurately means copying the words exactly and putting them in quotation marks.
3. He looked angry, grumpy or unfriendly. (1 point)
Word meaning (RL.5.4). Using a single word to understand a character.
4. She was very nervous. Her legs felt weak and shaky, as if she could hardly stand. (2 points)
Language choices (RL.5.4). Explaining what a simile shows, not just spotting it.
5. Any two of: “legs that felt like jelly”; “heart hammered so loudly”; “gripping her glove so tightly”. (2 points)
Quoting from the text (RL.5.1). Backing up a claim with exact words from the text, which is the Grade 5 reading skill.
6. Remembering him calmed her down. After she pictured him, “Her shoulders loosened.” (2 points)
Inference (RL.5.1). The child explains what the text implies and uses an exact quote as proof.
7. He reminded her to stay relaxed and treat it like a game of catch: “Just play catch!” (2 points)
Explaining from the text. Combining an explanation with an accurate quote.
8. One point for the problem (the starting pitcher was hurt and Dani had to pitch with the bases loaded in the final inning); one for the solution (she calmed herself, remembered her grandfather’s advice, and struck out the batter to win the game). (2 points)
Summarizing (RL.5.2). A summary keeps the main events and leaves out the small details.
What this practices
Finding information (RL.5.1), Quoting from the text (RL.5.1), Word meaning (RL.5.4), Language choices (RL.5.4), Inference (RL.5.1), Explaining from the text, Summarizing (RL.5.2). The codes in brackets are Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (reading). Standards vary by state, so check what your child's school uses. Points and answers are a guide: accept any sensible answer that is backed up by the text.
Now try the writing task
Write the next scene. The Hawks celebrate. What does Dani say to Marcus and her grandfather?
Aim for eight to twelve sentences. Read it back aloud together and fix anything that does not sound right.
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