Once upon a time, there was a little league team playing an exhibition game. One of their players, Shortstop Sam, was having a bad day at the plate. He kept hitting grounders and striking out. During one at-bat, he stepped up to the batting tee with a determined look on his face. As he swung the bat, he connected with the ball and sent it soaring into the air. The Outfielder was ready for a fly ball but instead saw the ball go right past him and land in a tree! The ball was stuck and the whole team was worried they would lose the statistic of one hit. Suddenly, Pinch-Hitter Pete came to the rescue. He climbed up the tree, got the ball and hit a double! Shortstop Sam was so happy, he laughed and cheered with the rest of the team. From that day on, Shortstop Sam never let statistics get him down, and Pinch-Hitter Pete was known as the hero of the game!

Reflections

1. How did Shortstop Sam feel about his performance in the game?
2. Why was Pinch-Hitter Pete able to help the team?
3. What did Shortstop Sam learn about statistics and performance?
4. How did the team react when Pinch-Hitter Pete hit the double?