Arm: The Fastest Yankee
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
It was the same every time Raffy thought about it. He could see the same ballfield, not too far outside of Santo Domingo; actually it was more an uneven patch of sand than a real ballfield. He remembered a ball hit out to him in the infield---an incredibly high pop-up. It soared upward, framing itself against the azure sky. It hurt his eyes to squint at it but he forced himself to keep looking as he stood under and waited---motionless and concentrated. 'PAH - - -pah - - - pah - - -' He heard the ugly, short bursts of sound exploding all around him. He took his eye off the ball to watch in paralyzed amazement as some of his teammates fell to the ground convulsed with agony. The ball, too, fell to the ground just behind him and rolled away untouched and unnoticed. He saw his older brother, Julio, and his friend, Pedro, running and took off after them. He called out for them to wait but in vain. He kept running toward the palm trees beyond the outfield. He heard more shots and saw the sand puff up all about him. He began to run zigzag as his father, Ramon, taught him. The bullets continued to ping against the ground to the right and left of him. His brother had already reached the trees and was shouting to Raffy to run faster although that was not really possible. He reached the shelter of the palms just behind Pedro who was temporarily hidden in the luxurious undergrowth. Raffy lost his footing, tumbling head over heels in the underbrush. The automatic fire cut down two of the smaller palms and their long fronds slapped at his face. Raffy's brother stood over him, his face deadly pale.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Raffy Rodriguez, a Yankee pitcher, is the son of a former freedom fighter in the Dominican Republic. After narrowly escaping death at the hands of his father's enemies, Raffy is sent to the U.S. where he demonstrates his extraordinary baseball skills. A shoulder injury brings Raffy to a young orthopedist, Dr. Dolores St. Vincent at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Her research has produced an untested cure for severe muscle and tendon injuries. Her discovery and skillful surgery result in a super powerful arm for Raffy. When Raffy returns to baseball, it is apparent to major league scouts that he possesses the most remarkable fastball in the history of the game. The media dubs him 'Arm' and he is signed by the New York Yankees.
Dolores and Raffy discover their love for each other. She is beginning to realize that the revolutionary treatment which reconstructed Raffy's arm may be of short duration, and his arm could fail again. Raffy is locked in a heated World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite Dolores' warnings, he has agreed to pitch more frequently to make up for the loss of two Yankee starting pitchers. A series of unexpected events not only puts Raffy's arm in jeopardy, but also his life.