Going to the Show (closed)

Michael Foles has been playing baseball since he was 5 years old. In high school he was the Big Man On Campus. He was an All-State shortstop as a Junior. There were college and pro scouts at every one of his games junior and senior years. As a Senior he was once again named to the All-State team, and he was voted the state player of the year. He had scholarship offers from every major college baseball team in the country, and he was drafted with the third pick in the first round by the Baltimore Orioles.

He decided to sign a contract with the Orioles instead of going to college. Soon thereafter he started his journey through the minor leagues. He reported to Single-A shortly after signing and tore it up. The next year he was started in Double A, and in July was promoted to Triple A. It was unusual for a position player to move this rapidly through the minors, but Michael was hitting the hell out of the ball, and his fielding was flawless.

Michael started his second full season, his third over all, at Triple A. Once again, he was playing extremely well. Then, early in June, the starting shortstop for the Orioles tore his ACL. Michael was sitting in his room at the team hotel when his cell phone rang. It was the GM of the Orioles. Michael was being called up. He was going to the show. He was only 20 years old, and he was going to be in the majors. The Orioles were on the road. He was expected to meet them the next day at Yankee Stadium.

Payton texted her best friend, Mya. On my way. Be there in fifteen. Be ready. They were taking a road trip. From Maryland to New York. To watch the Orioles take on the Yankees in Yankee Stadium... They would probably be the only Orioles fans there, but they really didn't care. It was gonna be a blast.

They had tickets right next to the visitors dugout, first row. As close as you could possibly get to the players during the game. The closest they had ever gotten tickets. It was an exciting thought that they might actually get some autographs this game.

Payton was decked out in her special edition, camo Machado jersey, one of her favorite players on the team. She had on a pair of tight fitting denim shorts, Orioles flip flops, and her Orioles ball cap, not to mention her earrings sporting the bird, and her bracelet as well. If she was going to a game at Yankee's Stadium, everyone would know what team she was rooting for!

Payton pulled her SUV up to Mya's house and honked the horn. Mya came outside, considerably less decked out- she wasn't quite as big of a fan... but still with an O's t-shirt on. Payton shook her head and tsked, but they were off. They had a three hour drive, so they cranked the music up and sang along at the top of their lungs most of the way.

When they were almost there Payton got an alert on her phone which she read. Baltimore Orioles SS, JJ Hardy, torn ACL. Triple A player Michael Foles pulled up for game today.

"Oh hell," Payton mumbled. "I hope he's good."

Shortly after, they pulled into Yankee Stadium's parking lot and Payton grinned at Mya. "Ready?" she asked as they looked out at the sea of gray and blue fans before them. With a smile on their faces, they stepped out of the SUV and headed towards their seats.

Michael couldn't believe it. The last couple years had been crazy. He had signed his contract with the Orioles with the thought that he would be in the minors for 4 or 5 years before he had any chance at possibly a September call up. Here he was in his third year and he was being called up in June. The equipment guy took him to the airport early in the morning and he was on a plane to JFK Airport. When he got his bag in New York there was an Orioles equipment girl waiting for him. She took his bag, introduced herself as Megan....she was kind of cute..... And led him to her car, which was parked illegally, but had a MLB placard in the front windshield.

Megan made small talk as the drove to Yankee Stadium. Michael had never been to New York and he was mesmerized. Megan gave him his hotel information for after the game, and talked to him about the rest of the road trip. Michael was only half listening to her. He was more focused on where they were going, and what it would be like sitting in a major league dugout tonight.

As they arrived at Yankee Stadium, Michael was in awe. He couldn't believe that he was here ....... The House that Ruth built. Megan parked the car and a bed his bag out of the trunk. Michael followed her toward the players entrance....checking out her ass as he followed her. Once she got him to the locker room, she pointed to the door and told him he was on his own now. Michael thanked Megan and stood in front of the door for a second. Then he pushed the door open and walked inside. There were players standing around, and they all stopped and looked at him. A couple of them shouted, "hey Rook." Michael nodded and stood there taking it all in. The clubhouse was huge. JJ Hardy hobbled over to him on crutches, introduced himself and pointed Michael to the manager's office. He told Michael they would talk after he spoke with the manager.

Michael knocked on the manager's door and Buck Showalter motioned for him to come in. After the introductions, the manager told Michael to sit down and relax and take a deep breath. He told Michael that there was no pressure on him...that he should just go out and have fun when he got the opportunity to play...and, oh, but the way, you are starting tonight. Michael gulped. Buck stood up, patted Michael on the shoulder and told him to go get dressed....batting practice and infield began in 30 minutes.

Michael walked out to the locker room and JJ called him over. There, next to JJ's locker was a locker with the name Foles over it. In the locker was a uniform with the number 4. Michael began to get ready. He followed his normal routine, and when he was finished he headed toward the tunnel that led to the field. He walked into the dugout, and then up the steps onto the field to begin his first night in the Show.

Payton and Mya easily found their seats. How hard could it be? They were RIGHT next to the dugout!! Payton could already see players trickling onto the field for warmups and practice. She practically skipped down to her seat. Mya followed at a more subdued pace.

Several Yankee fans booed them as they walked by. Payton simply grinned at them, since she had a beer in one hand and hot dog in the other. She quickly sat them down and without sitting down, leaned against the wall separating them from the field. She was so close to third base she felt like she could reach out and touch it.

"Look!" she told Mya, pointing to the field. "There's Davis, and Markakis! And Manny!" she grinned like a kid in a candy store. She watched as a played walked almost cautiously onto the field.

"That must be the new shortstop" she said, squinting her eyes. "Wow.... hes gorgeous!" she said laughing. "Damn... I like Hardy... but if this guy plays as good as he looks". She grinned and winked at Mya.

Finally she decided to sit down as other fans started to file into their seats. Among the neutral grays and blues of Yankee fans, their orange gear probably stuck out like a sore thumb. They watched as the players practiced. Several times she saw the new guy looking around as if in awe, and she supposed he was. She would be.

She glanced at her cell phone... "Five minutes til game time" she told Mya, who nodded as she ate a nacho.

Payton sat down on the edge of her seat and took a bite of her now cold hotdog, anxious for the game to begin.

Michael jogged out to shortstop. Since he was starting, he would be in the last batting practice rotation. Once he was out on the field he started to relax.....a little. This is where he was most comfortable. He fielded ground balls in between pitchers to the players taking BP. He was smooth with the glove, and had no problems with anything hit to him, or anywhere near him. He chatted with Machado a little. He had heard of his reputation as a hot head, but Michael knew that there was a chance, should everything go right, that they could be teammates for a long time.

When it came time for him to take batting practice, he jogged off the field and into the dugout. He only had one bat with him. The rest were being shipped. He was afraid of breaking it in BP, so, he asked around and borrowed a bat from JJ who was sitting in the dugout. It was obvious that it was his job to hang around Michael and ease his anxiety level.

When he stepped into the cage for his first round of BP, Michael's hands were shaking. He couldn't believe how nervous he was again. He took the first pitch, trying to relax, and then began to take his swings. Before he knew it, he was hitting frozen ropes. He liked the feel of Hardy's bat. After batting practice was over, Michael asked Hardy if he could borrow it during the game....Hardy agreed. Michael sat down in the dugout and talked with JJ. They talked about the pitcher who was throwing for the Yankees tonight, and they talked about positioning for some of the hitters. They went over signals both for in the field and at bat and on the base paths. Michael realized he hadn't looked at the lineup card to see where he was batting. He walked over and looked at it. Buck was protecting him and batting him 9th. That was good. He would get to ease into it. Before he knew it, the National Anthem was playing and the game was beginning.

Payton watched as the Yankees took the field. As home team, they would bat last. Tanaka was pitching that night. He could be a force to be reckoned with when he was on and Payton glanced at the Orioles lineup as it flashed on the Megatron.

The new SS was batting ninth. That was probably a good thing. Markakis, Young, Jones and Davis were the first four up. A strong lineup. She watched as Markakis walked up to the plate. Two balls in, he hit a fly ball to center, straight into the glove of Ellsbury. Young got a single, Jones struck out, and Davis hit an infield fly. Top of the first, over.

Payton sighed. "They just need to get warmed up. The bat's will turn on" she said hopefully and several Yankees played behind her laughed. "Not gonna happen, Missy" the older gentleman said playfully and Payton smiled at him.

The O's took the field and Chen began to warm up pitching. Everyone else practiced fielding. Payton found her eye travelling to shortstop... damn the man was hot. And he was good with a glove too.

Michael jogged out to shortstop for the bottom of the first inning. He looked around. He couldn't believe how huge the stadium was. He fielded ground balls thrown by Davis, and threw them back to him with ease. He felt at home here. He was hoping that he would have a ball hit to him early on. He was afraid of waiting too long would get in his head. A ground ball to him in the first inning would make the rest of the game easier for him.

With warmups finally over, Michael moved into position. Bruce Chen wound up and delivered the first pitch...... Brett Gardner hit a ground ball up the middle. Michael moved toward it, fielded it on the run, and threw across his body to first. Gardner was out by a step. As they threw the ball around the infield, Michael took a deep breath. That was just what he needed. The Yankees went three up..three down, and Michael ran off the field to the dugout.

Payton watched ad the O's easily handled the Yankees first three batters. Three up and three down. She cheered loudly with every out, unlike the rest of the stadium. It was a fast first inning and soon enough the O's all came jogging into the dugout. Her eye lingered on Foles as he jogged in.

"I thought Manny was your man" Mya teased and Payton smiled.

"Oh he is... But that dude seems like a really good addition to the team... During practice and that one hit, he seems like he can really handle the ball. I wonder how well he hits. I'd like to see his triple A batting average."

Mya nodded. She didn't care about stats like that. Soon enough, the O's began to bat again. Two men immediately got on base, two got out. Then another got a double, sending in two runs. Foles was on deck as this happened, and Payton cheered loudly. 2-0 with two outs, one man on second. Had to be nerve wrecking for the rookie... But for some reason Payton felt like he could handle it.

Michael watched the start of the inning sitting on the bench. As the Orioles rallied, he moved toward the bat rack, and ultimately to the bat rack. He was in the on deck circle when the two run double was hit. He moved out behind the plate to let the runners know they did not have to slide. Then he moved back in the direction of the on deck circle. He tossed the weighted donut into the on deck circle and approached the plate for his first major league at bat. The first of many....lye hoped.

He looked down at the third base coach who went through a series of signs. There were two outs, so, he was sure he was swinging away. He stepped into the batters box, took a deep breath, and set himself. The first pitch from Tanaka was a fast ball right down the middle. Michael teed off on it and hit it off the center field wall. He got over anxious though, and tried to stretch it to a triple. He was an easy out at third. He knew better. You never make the first or the third out at third. Nobody had to say anything to him. He knew what he did wrong. He did have his first major league hit and his first major league RBI. Machado brought his glove and hat out to him. It was time to go back to work with the leather.

Payton watched as Foles got a solid hit to center and cheered loudly... Until he stupidly tried for three. She sank to the seat with a groan.

The O's took the field again and the Yankees got two men on. The next struck out. Then their next batter stepped up and after three pitches, hit a grounder to shortstop. Payton held her breath. Could the new guy then a double play?!

He stood at short before Chen threw the pitch. He wanted the ball hit to him. He had always been that way. He wanted the ball. It happened just the way he wanted it. He fielded the ground ball, flipped to second, and the second baseman threw it on to first.....double play....out of the inning.

Michael high fives the second baseman with their gloves, and then high fives Machado as he ran off the field. As he approached the dugout, Michael noticed a woman sitting beside the dugout decked out in Orioles gear. She was cheering loudly as the O's ran off the field. As Michael ran by, he heard a Yankees fan yell something at the woman. She turned and yelled something back. When she looked back toward the field, he made eye contact with her, and winked...before going down the steps into the dugout.

Payton watched as Foles fielded the ball perfectly and turned two. She jumped out of her seat, cheering loudly. Mya was also cheering, a little less loudly beside her. She was still standing, clapping, as all of the players came to enter the dugout.

Just then she heard a man from behind her. "Hey broad! Why don't you sit down and shut up! Nobody cares if you're a fan of them damn birds!"

Payton turned quickly and glared at the rude fan behind her. "Hey, Bubba!" she yelled back. "I couldn't give less of a fuck whether you like me cheering or not!" she shouted back.

Several fans around them began to laugh. Even the Yankees fans thought the guy was being a prick and cheered when she shouted back at him. Rolling her eyes, Payton turned back, just in time to see Michael Foles about to enter the dugout.

And he looked directly at her and winked.

Payton nearly swooned right then and there. Lord but that man was a heart attack waiting to happen. Gorgeous and dangerous on the field.

Mya elbowed her. "Did you see that?! He was totally looking at you!" she said so loudly that Payton heard several chuckled from down IN the dugout. Mya blushed bright red and Payton laughed.

"Probably because I'm causing a scene" she joked, sitting down and grabbing a few nachos to await more of the game.

The game seemed to fly by for Michael. In his second at bat, he hit a line drive between third and short, but Jeter robbed him. He was disappointed in not getting a hit, but he had made solid contact, and that was something to be positive about. He made every play in the field, flawlessly. He was starting to feel like he belonged....like this is where he was supposed to be.

In his third at bat, Michael got jammed, but he looped the ball down the third base line. He stretched it into a double, but he was stranded at second. His fourth time up he filed out to center. Not bad for his debut though. 2-4 with two doubles and an RBI.

After the first time he made eye contact with the woman next to the dugout, he made sure to make eye contact with her as he came off the field at the end of every inning. She was good looking, and he decided that checking her out was harmless as long as he didn't lose his focus.

The score between the two teams stayed close all the way through the eighth inning. But what Payton couldn't quit thinking about was the fact that every time Michael Foles went off the field, he would glance up and make eye contact with her. Mya noticed it too and squealed every time, making Payton laugh.

In the top of the eighth, the O's managed to score three runs, making the score 8-5. All they had to do was hold the Yankees off for two more at bats. Even Mya was cheering enthusiastically now. The bottom of the eighth, the Yankees managed to score one, but the bottom of the ninth the O's held them. They had won the game!

The stadium was relatively quiet except for Payton and Mya, and a few other O's fans scattered throughout the stadium. But Payton was cheering as loud as she could. So loud in fact, that the rude fan behind her made another smart ass comment.

"Damn Orioles fan bimbo" he said, loudly enough for everyone around them to hear.

Payton turned slowly to look at him. "Honey," she told him, her slight country accent growing thicker when she was mad. "I have more brain cells in the left hemisphere of my brain than you do in your entire brain. Why don't you just shut the hell up and go be a an ass somewhere else?"

With that she turned around just as the O's were all walking into the dugout once again, her eyes connecting directly with Foles's again and she smiled brilliantly.

Michael was happy with his first Major League game. He had a couple of hits. He was perfect in the field. There wasn't much more he could ask from his debut. He shook hands with his new teammates on the infield after the game. After they were finished shaking hands, Michael walked off the field alone. He had only been with the team two hours before game time, so, he obviously did not have time to make friends. He walked toward the dugout on his own.

As he neared the dugout, he saw the cute girl exchanging words with a Yankees fan again. She gave it to him pretty good, and even some of the Yankee fans laughed at the guy. When she turned back around, their eyes met. Michael smiled at her, winked, and shouted to her. "You tell him. Nice job."

When Foles looked at her that time, he actually spoke. Payton's heart skipped a beat and she smiled brightly. She looked over at Mya who was giggling. "We have GOT to try and get his autograph" Payton told, Mya.

"I wanna stay and try to get a few if we can". Mya nodded in agreement. Payton stood up and leaned against the wall separating them from the field. They could hear the players in the dugout, talking and carrying on as the stadium began to empty and got quieter.

A few players came up on the field for this or that, and Payton was ecstatic when she was able to get Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and David Lough's autograph. But she hadn't seen Foles yet...

Michael thought about going back onto the field, but he wasn't sure what to do. This was his first game in the majors, and he was unsure of himself. He didn't want to seem too cocky going out to sign autographs..... After all, who would know him and want his autograph anyway.

He decided to go in and shower, and change and go back to the hotel. He thought it would be good to get some rest since it had been a long day. After showering and changing, he walked out of the clubhouse and there were some people standing around looking for autographs. A couple of kids walked up and asked him for autographs...his first as a major leaguer. He signed a couple more and then started to walk out to look for a taxi.

Mya was ready to go. Together the two girls headed out the entrance of the stadium and towards their car, which was unknowingly parked very close to where the players exited the clubhouse.

"Nuh uh!" Payton whispered, causing Mya to look where she was.

There stood Michael Foles flagging down a cab. Payton excitedly told Mya to wait and headed that way.

"The one autograph I truly wanted... and I didn't get to get it." Payton said to the back of Foles. He hadn't seen her approach. She stood behind him, smiling, holding out her ball cap with several signatures on it already.

"Could I bother you for the time?" she asked softly.

"Uh, sorry, I don't have a watch, but.." He reached for his cell phone to check the. Time when he saw the Orioles fan from beside the dugout. "Oh, hey. Nice job tonight. You really put that asshole in his place."

Michael stood there in front of her...checking her out. It surprised. Him to see somebody decked out in O's gear...especially in the visiting ballpark. He saw it all of the time in the minors, but he didn't think the fans went all out like this in the majors.

"So, are you an Orioles fan from New York, or did you and your friend decide to go on a road trip?" He saw her holding her hat with the other autographs on it, but he wasn't sure she wanted his. "Oh, and by the way, it is 10:45."

Payton smiled. She had confused him by asking for the time. Her cell phone was dead and she was curious... but really she had just been trying to get his attention. "That guy was annoying" she said about the Yankee fan earlier.

"So... any way I could get an autograph? I waited for you to come up back there but you never did... you played a helluva game" she commented as she held a pen and the ball cap out to Foles.

"I was incredibly impressed".

And you're freaking gorgeous... he mind was whispering to her, making her smile at him.

"Sure, I would be more than happy to sign an autograph for a fan who came into Yankee Stadium dressed up in all Orioles gear and shouted down an obnoxious old Yankees fan." While he signed her cap, he chatted with them. "Yea, well, being the new guy, I didn't want to look like I was tagging along on anybody else's post game ritual. I thought I would just stay low key today." In response to her compliments, he said, "thank you very much. Coming from such a die hard fan that means a lot to me. I am just happy to get the opportunity to play for the O's."