Name: _________________________________
Foul Ball
By Kelly Hashway
Emmitt followed his father to row
eleven, seats thirteen and fourteen. He
was so busy taking in the sights at the
baseball stadium that he wasn’t watching where
he was going. He bumped right into his father’s back. “Sorry, Dad.”
His father laughed. “No problem. Which seat do you want?”
Emmitt looked at the number thirteen on the back of the seat.
Thirteen was supposedly an unlucky number, and he was going
to need some luck if he was going to catch a foul ball. “I’ll take
fourteen.” He squeezed past his dad and sat in seat fourteen.
As the players took the field, Emmitt snapped pictures for his
scrapbook. He cheered through seven innings, did the wave, and
even got a foam finger. The game was great. But it was missing one
thing. A foul ball. Emmitt wanted nothing more than to catch a foul
ball. He was hoping he might even get an autograph or two after
the game, and what better thing to get autographed than a foul
ball?
Every time a batter popped a ball into the air, Emmitt sprang to his
feet. And each time, he’d groan and sit back down. He’d seen foul
balls go over his head and fall short of his row. He squeezed his foam
finger when the next batter came to the plate. It was his favorite
player - Harry “the Hammer” Watson. Emmitt stood up and cheered
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for him. He heard the crack of the bat and watched the ball sail into
the air... right toward Emmitt! He couldn’t believe it. He was going to
catch a foul ball hit by Harry Watson.
“Daddy!” the little girl sitting next to Emmitt cried. “The ball! The
ball! Catch it!” Emmitt saw the huge smile on the girl’s face. She
wanted the ball.
He turned his back to the ball just as it reached his seat. Emmitt
leaned toward his dad and the ball dropped into the hands of the
little girl’s father.
“Why did you do that?” Emmitt’s father asked. “Do you realize
who hit that ball?”
“Yeah, but look.” Emmitt nodded to
the little girl. She was hugging the ball.
“My first game and I got a foul
ball,” she said.
“I’m proud of you, Emmitt,” his dad said,
ruffling his hair. “That was a really nice
thing to do.”
Emmitt smiled as he watched the
little girl. He didn’t get his foul ball, but
he felt as good as if he had.
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Name: _________________________________
Foul Ball
By Kelly Hashway
1. When did Emmitt take pictures with his camera?
a. during the seventh inning
b. when the foul ball came near his seat
c. after his favorite player scored a home run
d. when the players first came out on the field
2. Which ticket shows where the little girl in the story was sitting? (circle one)
Section: F Section: A Section: B Section: C
Row: 11 Row: 11 Row: 14 Row: 11
Seat: 13 Seat: 15 Seat: 11 Seat: 14
Explain how you figured out the answer to the question above.
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3. What happened when Emmitt’s favorite player was up at bat?
a. He hit a home run. b. He hit a foul ball.
c. He struck out. d. He gave Emmitt his bat.
4. Why was Emmitt’s father proud of his son?
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5. Which lesson can be learned from this story?
a. Doing something nice for someone can make you feel good about yourself.
b. If you don’t pay attention, you can miss out.
c. You should always do what your parents tell you to do.
d. Even the best players strike out.
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Name: _________________________________
Foul Ball
By Kelly Hashway
Match each vocabulary word from the story
to the correct definition.
1. ______ sights a. person who tries to hit the ball in a
baseball game
2. ______ autograph b. flat marker over home base in
baseball
3. ______ innings c. interesting or exciting things to see
4. ______ batter d. moved his or her head up and down
5. ______ plate e. signature
6. ______ sprang f. loud sound
7. ______ nodded g. jumped
8. ______ crack h. periods in a baseball game
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Name: _________________________________
Foul Ball
By Kelly Hashway
In the story, “Foul Ball,” Emmitt goes to a
baseball game with his father and he wants
to catch a foul ball. When one comes his way,
he dodges it, so a little girl’s father can grab it.
Think of a time when you’ve done something kind for
someone else. Describe what you did and why you did it.
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ANSWER KEY
Foul Ball
By Kelly Hashway
1. When did Emmitt take pictures with his camera?
a. during the seventh inning
b. when the foul ball came near his seat
c. after his favorite player scored a home run
d. when the players first came out on the field
2. Which ticket shows where the little girl in the story was sitting? (circle one)
Section: F Section: A Section: B Section: C
Row: 11 Row: 11 Row: 14 Row: 11
Seat: 13 Seat: 15 Seat: 11 Seat: 14
Explain how you figured out the answer to the question above.
Emmitt was sitting in Row 11, Seat 14. His dad was in Seat 13. The
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girl was sitting next to Emmitt, so she would have been in Seat 15.
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3. What happened when Emmitt’s favorite player was up at bat?
a. He hit a home run. b. He hit a foul ball.
c. He struck out. d. He gave Emmitt his bat.
4. Why was Emmitt’s father proud of his son?
Emmitt chose not to catch the foul ball. Instead he wanted a
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little girl’s father to catch it for his daughter.
________________________________________________________________________________
5. Which lesson can be learned from this story?
a. Doing something nice for someone can make you feel good about yourself.
b. If you don’t pay attention, you can miss out.
c. You should always do what your parents tell you to do.
d. Even the best players strike out.
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ANSWER KEY
Foul Ball
By Kelly Hashway
Match each vocabulary word from the story
to the correct definition.
c. sights
1. ______ a. person who tries to hit the ball in a
baseball game
e. autograph
2. ______ b. flat marker over home base in
baseball
h. innings
3. ______ c. interesting or exciting things to see
a. batter
4. ______ d. moved his or her head up and down
b. plate
5. ______ e. signature
g. sprang
6. ______ f. loud sound
d. nodded
7. ______ g. jumped
f. crack
8. ______ h. periods in a baseball game
KH
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