You didn’t pay as much attention
to the arm motion as you did to
the high kick of the right leg
In fact, both arms dropped behind
him, glove on the right hand, ball
gripped tightly in the left hand
The leg was raised as if he were trying
to kick a cloud and when it came down
it gave the ball speed as it was released
The left arm came up and over as he
let the ball go like a prisoner escaping
from jail, fast and low
Escape velocity was usually 90 mph or
faster, or if he wanted, slower, a curve
like a boomerang
There was a slider that drove batters
to mental institutions as it caught the
outside corner and the umpire yelled Strike!
He wore number 21 on his back and give or
take one or two usually won that many games
every year, 13 years of twenty or more wins
By the time he retired he had won more games
than lefthander in history – 366 – a god among
the peons and pretenders to the throne