The Art of Fielding

Content Warning: This section discusses death, disordered eating, mental illness, addiction, substance use, sexual content, and cursing.

The Coshwale team arrives, giving an intimidating display of wealth. Henry worries because Owen didn’t come home last night. The mood is tense. Owen finally arrives, reading The Art of Fielding. Everyone is clearly nervous about Henry’s performance.

Pella can’t escape the school chatter about the baseball game and, after swimming, eventually heads to the game. She is pleased to see that Schwartz shaved his beard. She eavesdrops on spectators’ conversations about Henry and makes a wager with one of them, betting that Henry won’t throw a ball into the stands.

She’s surprised to see Guert there, sitting between people that she later realizes are scouts and Aparicio. She watches her father walking along the fence to meet Owen. From the look on his face, Pella realizes that he’s in love with Owen. She worries about the repercussions for her father and knows that this can’t end well for him.

Henry makes a bad throw that the first baseman snags. The other team harasses him. On the next play, he fields a routine grounder but finds himself unable to throw it.