Sylvester Coddmyer III is having a dismal baseball season until he takes advice from a mysterious ex-ballplayer named Cheeko and starts to play more aggressively.
The boys are all hesitant when one boy's mother is the only parent who volunteers to coach their Little League team, but there is quite a surprise in store for them.
Twelve-year-old Danny thinks that there is something very familiar about the girl who plays shortstop on the team he faces during the championship series, and his curiosity leads him to a surprising discovery about his own adoption.
Already troubled by his parents' divorce, Bobby Canfield is further distressed when he learns that his father, who has coached him in running bases, intends to move away.
"When his teammate Stu is injured during practice, Manny promises to keep quiet so he can play, but then Stu starts acting funny, and Manny struggles with whether to keep his silence or break his promise and let his team down" --