Dividing Pain

“Call the plan. Let the pitchers hold runners. You don't have to prove you're me.” Tang passed over his gear. “Be yourself.” The Thunder entered the seventh down two. Rain fell harder, but the game had grown hotter. The Whales starter had thrown one hundred pitches. His Fatigue was 89, Focus still 84, his will protecting the lead. Lin led off. Tang's borrowed pain still needled his knee, and his own focus was only forty-seven. No trade remained. He remembered Tang's instruction to secure the ball. A hitter could do the same. He ignored two temptations, fouled a fastball away, and took a slider in the dirt. On the fifth pitch, the pitcher had to enter the zone. Lin sent it up the middle.