1 The First Catch

The Alien next door. Baseball Blues

隔壁的外星人。棒球蓝调

one. The first catch, HARRIS WALKER AND HIS BEST FRIEND Roxy Martinez burst out the front door of Harris's house. They clutched baseball gloves, a bat, and a ball in their hands.

一个。第一次抓捕，哈里斯·沃克和他最好的朋友罗克西·马丁内斯从哈里斯家的前门冲了出来。 他们手里拿着棒球手套、球棒和一个球。

The sun shone brightly. The last bits of snow had melted. The first flowers had started to sprout, and a warm breeze mixed with the last of the chilly air. "It's finally nice enough outside for the First Catch of the Year!" Harris said as he and Roxy ran to opposite sides of his front lawn. The First Catch of the Year had been a tradition for Harris and Roxy since they were both old enough to throw a baseball.

太阳明亮地照耀着。最后一点雪已经融化了。 第一批花已经开始发芽，和煦的微风混合着最后一丝凉意。 “外面的天气终于好到可以进行今年的第一次捕鱼了！”哈里斯说，他和罗克西跑到他家前草坪的两边。 自从哈里斯和罗克西长大到可以扔棒球的时候，每年的第一次接球就成了他们的传统。

Roxy took a few practice swings with her bat. "I got this new bat for Christmas," she said. "I can't wait to use it!" "And I got this new catcher's mitt," Harris said, pounding his fist into the soft leather. "Time to break it in!" Roxy put down her bat and slipped on her glove. She picked up the baseball and threw it right into Harris's mitt. It landed with a crisp, cracking sound.

罗克西用她的球棒练习了几下。 “我在圣诞节得到了这只新蝙蝠，”她说。 “我等不及要用它了！”“我还买了这只新的接球手手套，”哈里斯说着，用拳头捶打着柔软的皮革。 “是时候打破僵局了！”罗克西放下球棒，戴上手套。 她捡起棒球，把它扔进哈里斯的手套里。 它落地时发出清脆的碎裂声。

"I can't wait for tryouts!" Harris cried. "I hope I get to play catcher this year." Harris skipped a ground ball across the lawn. Roxy took two steps to her right, then reached over to field the ball backhanded. "And I hope I get to play shortstop," Roxy said. "Keep making plays like that and you'll be on the team for sure!" Harris said.

“我等不及要参加选拔赛了！”哈里斯哭了。 “我希望今年能担任捕手。” 哈里斯跳过一个滚地球穿过草坪。 罗克西向右走了两步，然后伸手反手击球。 “我希望我能打游击手，”罗克西说。 “保持这样的表现，你一定会入选球队的！”哈里斯说。

Harris and Roxy planned to try out for the Chargers, the local youth baseball team. The Chargers played against other teams from nearby towns. Roxy tossed the ball high into the air. "Pop-up!" she yelled. Harris looked up, raising his glove to shield his eyes from the sun. The ball started to come down.

哈里斯和罗克西计划参加当地青少年棒球队“闪电队”（Chargers）的选拔。 闪电队与附近城镇的其他球队比赛。 罗克西把球高高抛向空中。 “弹出！”她喊道。哈里斯抬起头来，举起手套挡住太阳。 球开始落下来。