The Art of Fielding Chapter 1 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • Mike Schwartz, whose Legion team just won, watches the scrawniest player on the other team, Henry.
  • During the game, Schwartz—whom we assume is not scrawny—taunts Henry while he's at bat.
  • As catcher—and a terrible sportsman—Schwartz tells Henry what pitch was coming, "Since you can't hit anyway." When Henry misses, Schwartz calls him a "Pussy" (1.5)—very unsportsmanlike conduct.
  • But as he watches Henry field balls from his coach—he has an art of fielding, you might say—Schwartz realizes he "couldn't let [Henry] walk away" (1.12).