[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-129620-en":3,"doc-seo-129620-105":29,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":90},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":11,"is_downloadable":11,"audit_status":11,"page_count":20,"language":21,"language_code":22,"site_id":23,"html_lang":22,"table_of_contents":24,"faqs":25,"seo_title":26,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":27,"read_time":28},129620,962084928904,"Asher","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d",1,"Story & Novel","Strike Zone - Chapter 1","Twelve-year-old Nick García chases an all-consuming dream in the South Bronx, aiming to win MVP of his summer baseball league while also seeking hope for his sister and safety from government and ICE threats. Guided by coach Tomás Viera and inspired by Yankees pitcher Michael Arroyo, Nick studies Arroyo’s story and practices in the same grounds tied to his hero’s past. The narrative sets a tense, aspirational tone as Nick’s faith in baseball and personal courage builds.","ALSO BY \\#1 BESTSELLER MIKE LUPICA  \nTravel Team Heat Miracle on 49th Street Summer Ball The Big Field Million-Dollar Throw The Batboy Hero The Underdogs  \nTrue Legend QB 1  \nFantasy League  \nFast Break Shoot-Out Last Man Out  \nLone Stars  \nNo Slam Dunk  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \nPHILOMEL BOOKS  \nAn imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York  \nFirst published in the United States of America by Philomel, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2019.  \nCopyright © 2019 by Mike Lupica  \nPenguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish  \nbooks for every reader.  \nPhilomel Books is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.  \nVisit us online [at](at penguinrandomhouse.com)[ ](at penguinrandomhouse.com)[penguinrandomhouse.com](at penguinrandomhouse.com)  \nLIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA  \nNames: Lupica, Mike, author. Title: Strike zone / Mike Lupica. Description: New York : Philomel Books, 2019. | Summary: Twelve-year-old Nick García dreams of winning MVP of his summer baseball league, of finding a cure for his sister, of meeting his hero, Yankee pitcher Michael Arroyo, and of no longer living in fear of the government and ICE agents.  \nIdentifiers: LCCN 2019014207 | ISBN 9780525514886 (hardback) Subjects: | CYAC: Fiction. | Dominican Americans—Fiction. | Family life—New York (State)—New York—Fiction. | Baseball—Fiction. | Bronx (New York, N.Y.)—Fiction. | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Sports & Recreation / General. | JUVENILE FICTION / Sports & Recreation / Baseball & Softball. | JUVENILE FICTION / Social Issues / Emigration & Immigration. Classification: LCC PZ7.L97914 St  \n2019 | DDC [Fic]—dc23 LC record available at [https://lccn.loc.gov/2019014207](https://lccn.loc.gov/2019014207)  \nEbook ISBN 9780525514893  \nThis is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author ’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.  \nVersion_1  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \nThis book is for Conor Gleason of the Bronx Defenders. A hero of the city of  \nNew York.  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \nContents  \nAlso by \\#1 Bestseller Mike Lupica  \nTitle Page  \nCopyright  \nDedication  \nChapter 1  \nChapter 2  \nChapter 3  \nChapter 4  \nChapter 5  \nChapter 6  \nChapter 7  \nChapter 8  \nChapter 9  \nChapter 10  \nChapter 11  \nChapter 12  \nChapter 13  \nChapter 14  \nChapter 15  \nChapter 16  \nChapter 17  \nChapter 18  \nChapter 19  \nChapter 20  \nChapter 21  \nChapter 22  \nChapter 23  \nChapter 24  \nChapter 25  \nChapter 26  \nChapter 27  \nChapter 28  \nChapter 29  \nChapter 30  \nChapter 31  \nChapter 32  \nChapter 33  \nChapter 34  \nChapter 35  \nChapter 36  \nChapter 37  \nChapter 38  \nChapter 39  \nChapter 40  \nChapter 41  \nChapter 42  \nThree Months Later  \nChapter 43  \nChapter 44  \nChapter 45  \nExcerpt from Heat  \nAbout the Author  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \n1  \nIT FIGURED THAT NICK GARCÍA WAS PLAYING IN THE DREAM LEAGUE.  \nHe loved to dream as much as he loved throwing a baseball, something Nick knew in his heart—even if he’d never say it out loud—he could do as well as anybody his age in the South Bronx.  \nNick’s coach, Tomás Viera, once told him he could throw even harder atthe age of twelve than Nick’s hero, the great Yankees pitcher Michael Arroyo, had at the same age.  \n“Now, I can’t actually prove that,” Coach Viera said.“But I saw Michael play when he was in Little League. Heard the sound the ball made in the catcher ’s glove. The ","cbCaidXv5KWToLGw","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidXv5KWToLGw","pdf",2114185,224,"English","en",105,"# Chapter 1\n## Nick García’s dream league and practice\n## Inspiration from Michael Arroyo\n## The South Bronx ballfields and Yankees connection","[{\"question\":\"Who is the main character in Chapter 1?\",\"answer\":\"Chapter 1 centers on twelve-year-old Nick García as he dreams about winning baseball recognition and pursuing a future with the Yankees.\"},{\"question\":\"What motivates Nick’s dedication to baseball?\",\"answer\":\"Nick is driven by his desire to pitch for the Yankees, inspired by Yankees pitcher Michael Arroyo, and by the hope of improving his family’s situation.\"},{\"question\":\"What role does Coach Tomás Viera play in this chapter?\",\"answer\":\"Coach Tomás Viera guides Nick’s training, talks through Nick’s prospects, and supports his belief that he can grow into a stronger thrower. \"}]","Strike Zone - Chapter 1 | PDF",1786106863,345,{"code":4,"msg":30,"data":31},"ok",{"site_id":23,"language":22,"slug":32,"title":13,"keywords":33,"description":14,"schema_data":34,"social_meta":85,"head_meta":87,"extra_data":89,"updated_unix":27},"strike-zone-chapter-1","",{"@graph":35,"@context":84},[36,53,67],{"@type":37,"itemListElement":38},"BreadcrumbList",[39,43,47,50],{"item":40,"name":41,"@type":42,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":44,"name":45,"@type":42,"position":46},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":48,"name":12,"@type":42,"position":49},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/story-novel/",3,{"item":51,"name":13,"@type":42,"position":52},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/strike-zone-chapter-1/129620/",4,{"url":51,"name":13,"@type":54,"author":55,"headline":13,"publisher":57,"fileFormat":60,"inLanguage":22,"description":14,"dateModified":61,"datePublished":61,"encodingFormat":60,"isAccessibleForFree":62,"interactionStatistic":63},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":56},"Person",{"url":40,"name":58,"@type":59},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-08-07",true,{"@type":64,"interactionType":65,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":66},"ViewAction",{"@type":68,"mainEntity":69},"FAQPage",[70,76,80],{"name":71,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":73},"Who is the main character in Chapter 1?","Question",{"text":74,"@type":75},"Chapter 1 centers on twelve-year-old Nick García as he dreams about winning baseball recognition and pursuing a future with the Yankees.","Answer",{"name":77,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":78},"What motivates Nick’s dedication to baseball?",{"text":79,"@type":75},"Nick is driven by his desire to pitch for the Yankees, inspired by Yankees pitcher Michael Arroyo, and by the hope of improving his family’s situation.",{"name":81,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":82},"What role does Coach Tomás Viera play in this chapter?",{"text":83,"@type":75},"Coach Tomás Viera guides Nick’s training, talks through Nick’s prospects, and supports his belief that he can grow into a stronger thrower.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":51,"og:type":86,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":58,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":88,"canonical":51},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":23},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":91},[92,95,99,103,108,113,118,123,128,131,135],{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},90,"story-novel",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":104,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":109,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":114,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":119,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":127},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":126,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":130},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":132,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":133,"show_sort_weight":132,"slug":134},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":136,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":137,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":138},19,"General","general"]