Minor League Game in Mauldin, South Carolina

Minor League Game in Mauldin, South Carolina

By Dave Malone

The right fielder steps to the plate.
Lines of gray hair sneak out
 
of the batter’s helmet.
Criss-crosses decorate the back
 
of his neck. Jersey too tight
around his midriff. The pants
 
are wrong, too. The announcer
calls his name, and it crackles
 
and dies in the outfield. I know
this guy. He was an Expo once,
 
god, that must have been a decade ago,
and I remember now, he hit .362
 
after 40 games then something happened,
what happened, he lost a son, a wife,
 
as if the game only mattered.

Dave Malone is a poet from the Missouri Ozarks. His most recent poetry collection is Bypass (Aldrich Press, 2023). He grew up in both Kansas and Missouri. In Kansas he was a die-hard Royals fan, rooting for phenomenal players like Frank White and Amos Otis. In Missouri he recorded fond memories of hot box, headfirst slides, and skinned elbows.

Sam Williams is a cartoonist, comics publisher, and baseball enthusiast based in Bournemouth, UK.

The Twin Bill is a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. You can support The Twin Bill by donating here.