Safe Trip Home

A man strives to avoid the curse of The Mudville Nine

Archie didn't want to be Casey, but here he was, winning run on third and one genius of a pitcher firing bullets at him.

Swing—miss! Damn!

No swing...strike!

Inside curve...swing...contact!

The ball flew straight and low, glancing off the pitcher's mound. Sanchez bolted from third base as Archie ran toward first.

The ball sped toward the first baseman's glove—

—Sanchez brushed the plate—

—a split-second later, the ball hit the baseman's glove—

Safe at home, out at first. But the run came first!

Archie watched with amused irony the team lift Sanchez to their shoulders as the MVP.