Dick Merriwell's Backers

In this sports-themed novel, we are introduced to Dick Merriwell, a young boy who is part of his school's baseball team. The story begins at the beginning of the sixth inning when Sam Kates went into the box against the Tufts freshmen. The score then stood seven to one, in favor of Yale Umpty-ten. Tufts had shown no ability to connect with Dick Merriwell's shoots and benders. This was the opportunity to give Sam a good try-out, and so, at Dick's suggestion, he changed places with Kates, who had been playing first.