The Batboy

Before the afternoon game, Brian puts out three types of coffee: regular, decaf, and “high test” coffee, which acts as a “caffeine bomb.” Schenkel says that the high-test coffee gives the players a “jolt,” and Brian remembers when players used amphetamines before such substances were banned. Brian believes that high-test coffee performs the same function as amphetamines.

Hank is the first player to arrive, and he has the high-test coffee. Hank struggles to remember Brian’s name, and Schenkel compares Hank to a person who continually rams his head into a wall and feels great afterward. Schenkel claims that somewhere inside Hank is “the kid” he once knew.

The afternoon game starts sluggishly, with the Tigers scoring three runs due to errors by the Rangers. However, the Rangers rally and take a 7-6 lead. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Hank bats with two runners on. He breaks his fifth bat of the game, so Brian runs to his locker to get him another bat. This bat is lighter and is one that Hank was experimenting with in batting practice. Hank calls Brian an “idiot” for bringing him the “wrong bat.” He pops out and implicitly blames his failure on Brian.