Buddy is a thirteen-year-old boy who loves baseball. Arriving at the field for the first practice of the new season, he is excited about his prospects and those of his team, the Blue Sox. But then he sees a new boy, Ben, wearing a catcher's mitt. Catcher has always been Buddy's position, and Buddy is a little worried about his place on the team. And with good reason, because Ben, a superb athlete whose family just moved to town, earns the starting position at catcher, and Buddy is relegated to the bench. So what should he do? Should he quit the team and get a job to save money for college as his father has suggested to him? Or should he stick with Coach Ted, whom he idolizes, and his teammates and learn to play a new position, which is what his grandfather thinks would be best for him?
After struggling with this dilemma during a long night while trying to fall asleep, Buddy decides to quit the team and get a job to occupy the long summer days without baseball. But Buddy has a problem facing the truth about his decision. He tells his teammate Joe he quit so he could get a job. Joe tells Buddy that the real reason he quit is he has too much pride. Later, Buddy admits to his little brother Mark that his pride was in fact what caused him to quit the team and that he was doing just what Mark did when he lost a 'Sorry' game to Buddy--he was "hiding in the closet." What should he do now? Can he swallow his pride and rejoin his old team where he once enjoyed the fellowship of teammates like Ben, Joe, and Freddie and where he learned so much not just about baseball but also life from his hero, Coach Ted?