The field won’t be the only place he kneels for her. Sierra Getting called up to the majors was the dream of a lifetime, but pitching in the All Star Game after months of choking on the mound is a beautiful nightmare. Until I meet him in the dug-out. My sports idol. My teenage hero-worship crush. Home Run Derby winner and one of the most sought after players in the league—on and off the field. I don’t date ballplayers. Mateo Reyes stares at me from behind home plate and gives me the lifeline I need. But off the diamond? No game, no rivalry, no fear of failure terrifies me as much as the things he makes me want. Mateo Fourteen years of chasing a Series ring, and what do I have to show for it? No ring. No one to call mine while everyone else moves on and settles down around me. An empty house that’s nearly as cold as I am accused of being by every commentator and tabloid. I may not be as good as I once was, but I am not finished yet. Every game, my body screams a little louder that I am running out of time. If this season is my last shot to make all I’ve sacrificed mean something, I should resent the midseason trade that brings us a rookie who doesn’t know how to trust herself or her catchers. When I stare at Sierra Ramirez from behind the plate, resentment is the last thing on my mind.