Revenge of the Astros

Revenge of the Astros is a GoAnimate story by Sarah West. The Houston Astros (The World Series Champion of 2017) face the Pittsburgh Pirates (The World Series Champions of 1979). Suddenly, during the eleventh inning, the team begins facing a few problems. A few of the best players aren't doing so good, and the Astros are losing to the Pirates fast. Just as the Astros are about to give up hope, Ellie, Alex, and the International Super Sports League arrive and agree to help the Astros win the game. The kids help the team, and eventually, they win the game.

Transcript
(It's a perfect day for a Houston Astros game against The Pittsburgh Pirates. Everyone in town has tickets for the game. In the field, the coaches go over a few ground rules and then the teams split up)

A.J.: Okay, Astros, huddle up!

Chris: This better be a good game. I don't want those stupid Pirates to win against us.

Michael: Neither do any of us. I want everyone to play fair.

(At 1:30, the game starts)

Announcer: Play ball!

Astros Fan: Kill 'em, Chris!

Pirates Fan: No mercy, Johnny!

(5 hours later, The Astros and The Pirates were tied 4 to 4. The Astros are scoring a bunch of runs, but the Pirates keep chipping away at the Astros' lead. Josh whacks the ball just as Chris pitches)

Chris: Oh no! Not again! Catch it, Juan!

(Just as Juan is about to catch the ball, it whacks him in the head. He accidentally trips over himself as he picks it up, and accidentally throws the ball in the wrong direction. Chris slaps his forehead)

Chris: What's wrong with Juan? He's one of our best catchers.

Jose: I don't know, but I have a bad feeling that we might not do so well.

(In the fifth inning, the next catcher, Evan, commits four errors. Chris gets really angry)

Chris: What's wrong with my teammates? Do they even care? Are they even trying? Come on, Evan! Wake up!

(Just then, he hears the coach blow his whistle)

Coach Jeff: Time out!

(Coach Jeff comes over to Chris)

Coach Jeff: Chris, you can't judge your teammates for being so clumsy. Maybe they feel embarrassed when they make an error. They're not trying to fail.

Chris: I know. I just want my team to win against the other team.

Coach Jeff: Well, it doesn't matter who will win, as long as everyone plays fairly.

Chris: Oh...okay.

(The game starts up again. The Astros try their best to score more points. Alex gets a bloop hit with the bases loaded. Soon, the Astros realize that the Pirates are earning more points than them)

Mike: Holy cow! We're losing 5-7! We can't let those Pirates beat us!

Carlos: Relax, guys. It's my turn to bat, now.

(Carlos leads off the inning. With just his luck, he strikes out. Derek gets a double, so the tying run is on base. But then George hits a pop-up, which earns two outs. Then J.D. is up)

Brian: Come on, J.D.!

Reymin: It's up to you!

J.D.: Relax, guys. I'm all over it.

(J.D. crushes the very first pitch, but it's a foul ball. the second pitch is right over the plate, and he takes a huge hack at it)

Coach Dave: Foul ball!

J.D.: Uh, oops. Okay. that's two strikes. But that's okay. All it takes is one pitch and one swing to tie this inning. Or win it. It's hero time.

(J.D. waits for Tyler goes into his windup and watches as he throws the ball. Before the ball is halfway to him, J.D. knows that he will hit it. He grips his bat as tight as he can, and swings. His home run helps the Astros win the inning)

Derek: Awesome job out there, J.D.! Only a few more innings to go!

J.D.: Exactly. We're gonna win this thing for sure.

(After a few innings, a few of the players for the Pirates are getting angry because they're losing to the Astros. One of the players come over to where the Astros are taking a bench break)

Josh: Hey, Astros. You know what time it is? Payback time!

Will: As if! We're gonna hammer you guys.

Colin: Yeah, prepare to be crushed, Pirates.

(Once the next inning starts, the Astros try to score more points than the Pirates. Josh slams the very first pitch, scoring a home run)

James: Rats. He scored a home run.

(Josh showboats around the bases with a huge grin on his face. When he reaches home, he jumps on the plate like he just landed on the moon)

Marwin: Sheesh, what a jerk.

Tony: Hey, the good thing is that this game has a lot of scoring. Falling behind one point isn't the end of the world, because you'll probably catch up. And we're going to score one point ahead of the Pirates.

Preston: Are you sure about that, Tony?

Tony: I'm positive. I'm confident that we'll win.

(After the inning ends, the the Astros score one point ahead of the Pirates. Then, as the game goes along, the Pirates earn more points than the Astros, and then the Astros score more points than the Pirates. It goes back and forth for the whole game. Once the ninth inning starts, both teams are tied)

Coach Dave: Okay, Jordy, you're up!

(Jordy comes up to bat)

Adam: Come on, Jordy!

Gregory: Slam it, Jordy!

Dallas: I hate to admit it, but these batters can be tough outs. Some of them have gotten three hits already. I heard that his guy hits the ball hard. I hope he doesn't hit as hard as the other batters.

(Dallas pitches, and Jordy hits the ball and dribbles a soft ground toward Preston at first base)

Preston: I've got it!

Jake: Ha! Easy play.

(Preston scoops the ball up, and Jake runs over to cover the bag, when Jordy stomps on Jake's foot. Coach Jeff blows his whistle)

Coach Jeff: Time out!

(Coach Jeff comes over to Jake, who is rolling around in total agony)

Jordy (sarcastically): Uh, sorry about that. It was an accident.

Coach Jeff: It's okay, Mercer. These things happen.

Jake: What? He went for my foot on purpose!

(Coach Jeff examines Jake's foot)

Coach Jeff: It's not broken, but it's already starting to swell.

(Two of the Astros players help Jake over to the bench, and Coach Jeff brings him an ice pack)

Coach Jeff: Looks like we're gonna have to play without you, Jake.

Jake: Darn.

(A few more innings later, the Astros aren't doing so good)

Chris: I can't believe it. Those Pirates are no match for us. So far, they've crushed a few of our pitchers and a few of our batters.

Derek: I know. If we don't do anything about it, we'll lose to the Pirates.

Tony: What are we gonna do? It's the eleventh inning, and if we don't put ourselves together, the Pirates will win. How are we gonna win against the Pirates now?

(Just then, they see a group of teenagers come up into the field)

Ellie: Um, excuse us, but can we help you win against the other team?

Coach Jeff: Uh, sure. Who are you kids?

Alex: We're the International Super Sports League. We're really good at any sport and we help other teams win big games.

Irene: We're here to help you, just like how we helped the Chicago Cubs last summer.

Ellie: That's right. We're gonna help you beat the Pirates.

Coach Jeff: Hmm, I guess our team could use some professional help. Okay, kids. You're in. You can be our substitute players for the day.

Alex: Alright! Let's do it!

Irene: Let's crush those Pirates!

(Before the inning starts, the International Super Sports League huddles up for a quick strategy reference)

Ellie: Okay, guys, here's the plan. We're going to fill in for the injured players, and we're going to help them win. Irene, you're a pitcher. Alex, you're in the infield. Laura, you're in the outfield. Josh, you're a catcher. I'll be in the bullpen if you need me.

Laura: Allright.

Josh: Got it.

Irene: Yes, ma'am.

Alex: I sure hope I'm better at batting than I am at pitching.

Coach Jeff: Enough talk, kids. Let's play ball.

(At first, things go okay. The Pirates load the bases, but the Astros manage to get two outs)

Irene: Okay, we've got two outs. All we need is one more to keep the score tied.

Josh: I'm on it!

(David hits the ball to Josh, who tries to catch it, but misses, earning the Pirates two home runs)

Josh: Rats.

(The Astros get the third out on the next pitch)

David: Nice catch, butterfingers.

Josh: Man, those Pirates are no match for us.

Irene: Don't worry, Josh. We still have one more chance to bat. Two of the players on our team have reached base with two outs.

Josh: Yeah, but, here comes out number three. We gotta help the Astros win this thing.

(Alex comes in to bat)

Ellie: Come on, Alex! You can do it!

Alex: I'll try my best.

(Alex tries to hit the ball, but keeps striking out)

Umpire: Strike one! Strike two!

Ellie: Yikes. Alex is kind of iffy when it comes to batting. I can't just sit in the bullpen and watch us lose. I've got to do something!

(Ellie rushes out of the bullpen)

Ellie: Wait! Sub!

(Ellie takes the bat from Alex)

Ellie: I'll take that, Alex. Hand it over.

Alex: Good luck, Ell. You're a better batter than I am.

Ellie: We've got one more strike. If I hit this, the Astros will win. Here it comes.

(The final pitcher, Trevor, throws the ball to Ellie. With her best aim, Ellie swings. She hits the ball, sending it flying over the stadium, For a few seconds, everyone is completely silent. Suddenly, the crowd cheers wildly)

Alex: Home run!

Chris: We won!

Trevor: No! No! The Astros won again! Curse you, Houston Astros!

(The Pirates angrily break their bats and storm out of the stadium as the Astros celebrate their victory)

Ellie: We did it! We helped the Astros win the game!

Jose: Great job, kids! We won against the Pirates, thanks to you!

Ellie: It's our pleasure, Mr. Altuve.

Colin: Do you think you can help us win another game next year?

Alex: We sure could, but we'll have to see who you're gonna play against first.

Irene: Yeah, there are a lot of teams out there that seem more powerful than you guys.

Josh: Totally.

Coach Jeff: Thanks for helping us win the game, kids. We would lose to the Pirates if it weren't for you.

Ellie: You're welcome, Coach. Now if you excuse us, we're out of here.

Alex: Farewell, Astros. Keep working hard, like all sports teams should.

(The International Super Sports League leaves the stadium)

A.J.: Wow, what an amazing game. Someone should write a story about it.

Coach Jeff: Yeah, someone should.

(Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Pirates are in trouble with the coach manager, Clint Hurdle)

Clint: Pirates, I can't believe it. You lost to another team. What happened to our previous championships?

Andrew: But Clint, it was those kids' fault that we lost against the Astros. If it weren't for them, we would've won.

Gregory: Yeah, how were we supposed to know that a group of powerful kids would help a weak team become stronger than us? Why do they call themselves an "international" sports league? We haven't seen them play in any other games.

Clint: YOU KNOW WHAT? I'VE HAD ENOUGH WITH ALL OF YOU IDIOTS! WHEN WE GET BACK TO PITTSBURGH, I'M GOING TO HAVE ALL OF YOU DO EXTRA PUSH-UPS DURING PRACTICE!

(The Pirates grumble and walk off in a huff)

Andrew: This is so not fair.

Gregory: Next year, we're gonna get our revenge on those gosh darn Astros.

(Iris out on the angry Pirates players)