They hated the booing and the hard edge of the fans. But he could tune into the fans’ passion for their home team, could turn it inside him and make it his. They loved baseball and that was what mattered. Competition and team rivalries gave the game its edge, its magic, and Mets fans’ energy added to the heady mix.The weather was perfect, not hot like it could be for so many games played back East in the summer. He’d pitched six decent innings, except for the run he’d given up in the third. The Mets’ best slugger always seemed to know when Scotty’s slider was going to break. He made a note to ask Alex about him. One good thing about having a hitter for a friend—no, not just a hitter, a master slugger—was that he shared his insights. He knew how an experienced hitter studied a pitcher. Alex’s advice and keen observations were gold to Scotty; the guy was a wizard of the plate and Scotty soaked up his wisdom. Next time he faced the Mets’ big guy, he’d have his number.But six decent innings wasn’t good enough.
