英文短篇故事（纽约）245 The Knuckleball Pitcher

（单词翻译）

 　　Sandy wanted to pitch in the major leagues. His college coach said, "You need a new pitch. You need to keep batters² guessing. Learn how to throw a knuckleball." Sandy learned how to throw a killer³ knuckleball. In his senior year, he had 9 wins and 2 losses. The Yankees signed him. Sandy's knuckleball was a thing of beauty. It zigged. It zagged. It went up. It went down. It went right. It went left. It slowed down. It sped up. Batters either swung at it or looked at it. They never hit it. His knuckleball made many batters look silly. One batter¹ swung at a pitch that went behind him. Another batter swung three times at one pitch. The umpire called him out! Sandy retired⁴ after 15 years. In his last game, batters hit his knuckleball eight times. Sandy said, "My knuckleball doesn't dance anymore. I'm not pitching anymore."