On a hot June afternoon in 1944, in Brooklyn, softball teams from two Orthodox Jewish parochial schools play against each other. The two teams have a rivalry based on their different religious beliefs.
Reuven (Roo ven) Malter, a Modern Orthodox Jew, narrates the story. His team, with their coach, Mr. Galanter, gets to the softball diamond first and practices while Mr. Galanter encourages them. Their opponents, a team of Hasidic (Hah see dick) Jews, arrive. Their coach insists that his team get five minutes of practice time, then he proceeds to sit on the bench and ignore the players while he reads a religious book in Yiddish.
Reuven reminds himself that his father, a Modern Orthodox scholar and teacher at a yeshiva, doesn’t mind the differing beliefs of Hasidic Jews but does object to their self-righteousness and their belief that their congregation’s leader, or tzaddik (sah dick), is the only arbiter of Jewish law. One such tzaddik is Reb Saunders, whose son, Danny, plays on the opposing team.
During the early, hard-fought innings, the Hasidic team is carried by the ability and determination of their leader, Danny. Danny has a way of hitting the ball very hard, right at the pitcher, whom he barely misses on his first hit. The next time Danny’s team comes to bat, Reuven is the pitcher. Danny smashes a ball that hits Reuven in the eye, shattering his eyeglasses and causing him great pain. After the game ends, Reuven is rushed to the hospital.
