[Illustration: “Just as the ball was going over his head straight as a bullet, he put up his right hand and caught the ball.”] WON IN THE NINTH BY CHRISTOPHER MATHEWSON THE FAMOUS PITCHER OF THE NEW YORK GIANTS THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF STORIES FOR BOYS ON SPORTS TO BE KNOWN AS THE MATTY BOOKS EDITED BY W. W. AULICK THE WELL-KNOWN WRITER ON SPORTS ILLUSTRATIONS BY FELIX MAHONY NEW YORK R. J. BODMER COMPANY 1910 Copyright, 1910, by R. J. BODMER COMPANY THE NEW YORK BOOK COMPANY, SALES AGENTS NEW YORK, N. Y. DEDICATION To the memory of Henry Chadwick, “The Father of Baseball,” whose life was centered in the sport, and who, by his rugged honesty and his relentless opposition to everything that savored of dishonesty and commercialism in connection with the game, is entitled to the credit, more than any other, of the high standing and unsullied reputation which the sport enjoys to-day, and to the boys who love the great American game I dedicate this book. C. M. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. THE WINTER TERM 1 II. THE LOWELL SPIRIT 9 III. GETTING ACQUAINTED 14 IV. THE JERRY HARRIMAN SCHOLARSHIP PRIZES 23 V. THE FIRST LINE-UP 32 VI. PICKING THE VARSITY 46 VII. HAL AND CROSSLEY 56 VIII. BAD NEWS FROM HOME AND FLIGHT 63 IX. THE DIAMOND MEDAL 79 X. UNDER SUSPICION 84 XI. THE STUDENT DETECTIVES 98 XII. HAL IS DISCOVERED 104 XIII. HANS TAKES A TRIP 117 XIV. PREPARATIONS AT THE RIVAL COLLEGE 133 XV. THE “LOWELL REPORTER” 142 XVI. THE ALUMNI GAME 158 XVII. THE MAKING OF A FAN 169 XVIII. THE TRIP TO JEFFERSON 185 XIX. BEFORE THE BATTLE 193 XX. THE FIRST GAME 204 XXI. RETURNING HOME 220 XXII. DISTINGUISHED FANS 226 XXIII. THE SECOND STRUGGLE 231 XXIV. HANS’ SECOND TRIP TO NEW YORK 245 XXV. THE FINAL GAME 252 XXVI. HAL-HONUSED 271 XXVII.