Batting Order
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Batting Order
Buy for $14.24
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Ali Andre Ali
-
By:
-
Mike Lupica
About this listen
A New York Times best seller
From acclaimed author of the Home Team series Mike Lupica comes an inspiring novel about the heart and soul of baseball.
On or off the field, Ben and Matt couldn't be more different. Ben Roberson is an all-or-nothing player: He's big, he's bold, and he's brash. Ben's swing can hit a ball right out of the park - but that's if he can get a hit at all.
Matt Baker is small and shy, and his stutter has him avoiding the spotlight - even if he’s the best all-around player on the team. But while Matt knows he’s got the chops, a part of him has always envied "Big Ben" and his attention-grabbing charm.
So it’s a total shock when Ben asks Matt to help him work on his swing because Ben can’t put the ball into play, and his showboating comes at the expense of the team. And even though Matt’s trying to help, Ben doesn’t seem to take him seriously, especially when it means toning things down.
The end of the season is fast approaching - is there enough time for Ben to realize bigger isn’t always better? For Matt to understand that sometimes, being the bigger person means standing up for yourself?
Or will they have to accept defeat?
©2019 Mike Lupica (P)2019 Simon & SchusterListeners also enjoyed...
-
Strike Zone
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Anthony Rey Perez
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 41
Twelve-year-old star Little League pitcher Nick Garcia has a dream. Several in fact. He dreams he'll win this season's MVP and the chance to throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium. He dreams he'll meet his hero, Yankees' pitcher Michael Arroyo. He dreams they'll find a cure for Lupus so he sister won't have to suffer. But mostly, he dreams one day his family can stop living in fear of the government. For one kid, it's almost too much to bear.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Nick is a amazing 12 year old
- By Kristy Cozzetti on 03-04-25
By: Mike Lupica
-
The Big Field
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Christopher Evan Welch
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 148
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 119
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 122
Hutch has always played shortstop. His idol Derek Jeter, plays the position, and more importantly, so did his father. But when a better shortstop joins the team, Hutch must move to second base. With his father's shadow looming and the championship on the line, Hutch will need to make the adjustment quickly.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
My kids were hooked!
- By kristin a. on 08-11-24
By: Mike Lupica
-
Heat
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Paolo Andino
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 424
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 324
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 323
Twelve-year-old Michael Arroyo lives in the shadows of Yankee Stadium, home of his heroes, but a place that might as well be on a different continent since he can't afford to see the inside. He also lives in the shadows of his Bronx neighborhood, hiding from the bill collectors and the officials who would separate him from his 17-year-old brother if they knew the two boys were living on their own. Baseball is Michael's only salvation.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Heat
- By bernardo roman on 08-14-15
By: Mike Lupica
-
The Batboy
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Lucien Dodge
- Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 112
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 92
It is every baseball kid’s dream summer job: batboy for your hometown Major League team. Yet for 14 year-old Brian, the job means more than just the chance to hang around his idols. Baseball was the job his father loved so much, in the end he couldn’t leave it. Yet he could leave his family. Now Brian sees the job as the way to win back his father.There is no winning back some people, though
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I connected with me and did not stay on one topic
- By Cswan on 05-01-25
By: Mike Lupica
-
Travel Team
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 246
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 173
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 171
Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court, but don't tell him that. Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. But none of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to national prominence as a boy. Danny's father knows Danny isn't the only kid who was cut for the wrong reason, and together, this washed-up former player and a bunch of never-say-die kids prove that the heart simply cannot be measured.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
This book rocks!
- By Braxton on 02-09-06
By: Mike Lupica
-
The Turnover
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Ali Andre Ali
- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 6
Gramps is Lucas’s hero, which is second only to the fact that he is also Lucas’s basketball coach. Gramps coached the team to victory in the championships last year, and when he decides to come out of retirement to coach another season, Lucas is thrilled. This season will absolutely be the greatest yet. So when his English teacher challenges the class to write a biography of the person they most admire, Lucas can’t think of anyone he’d rather write about. Except...Gramps is being cagey. He avoids every question Lucas asks, and gets angry every time Lucas brings up his past.
By: Mike Lupica
-
Strike Zone
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Anthony Rey Perez
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 41
Twelve-year-old star Little League pitcher Nick Garcia has a dream. Several in fact. He dreams he'll win this season's MVP and the chance to throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium. He dreams he'll meet his hero, Yankees' pitcher Michael Arroyo. He dreams they'll find a cure for Lupus so he sister won't have to suffer. But mostly, he dreams one day his family can stop living in fear of the government. For one kid, it's almost too much to bear.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Nick is a amazing 12 year old
- By Kristy Cozzetti on 03-04-25
By: Mike Lupica
-
The Big Field
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Christopher Evan Welch
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 148
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 119
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 122
Hutch has always played shortstop. His idol Derek Jeter, plays the position, and more importantly, so did his father. But when a better shortstop joins the team, Hutch must move to second base. With his father's shadow looming and the championship on the line, Hutch will need to make the adjustment quickly.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
My kids were hooked!
- By kristin a. on 08-11-24
By: Mike Lupica
-
Heat
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Paolo Andino
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 424
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 324
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 323
Twelve-year-old Michael Arroyo lives in the shadows of Yankee Stadium, home of his heroes, but a place that might as well be on a different continent since he can't afford to see the inside. He also lives in the shadows of his Bronx neighborhood, hiding from the bill collectors and the officials who would separate him from his 17-year-old brother if they knew the two boys were living on their own. Baseball is Michael's only salvation.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Heat
- By bernardo roman on 08-14-15
By: Mike Lupica
-
The Batboy
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Lucien Dodge
- Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 112
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 92
It is every baseball kid’s dream summer job: batboy for your hometown Major League team. Yet for 14 year-old Brian, the job means more than just the chance to hang around his idols. Baseball was the job his father loved so much, in the end he couldn’t leave it. Yet he could leave his family. Now Brian sees the job as the way to win back his father.There is no winning back some people, though
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I connected with me and did not stay on one topic
- By Cswan on 05-01-25
By: Mike Lupica
-
Travel Team
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 246
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 173
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 171
Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court, but don't tell him that. Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. But none of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to national prominence as a boy. Danny's father knows Danny isn't the only kid who was cut for the wrong reason, and together, this washed-up former player and a bunch of never-say-die kids prove that the heart simply cannot be measured.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
This book rocks!
- By Braxton on 02-09-06
By: Mike Lupica
-
The Turnover
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Ali Andre Ali
- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 6
Gramps is Lucas’s hero, which is second only to the fact that he is also Lucas’s basketball coach. Gramps coached the team to victory in the championships last year, and when he decides to come out of retirement to coach another season, Lucas is thrilled. This season will absolutely be the greatest yet. So when his English teacher challenges the class to write a biography of the person they most admire, Lucas can’t think of anyone he’d rather write about. Except...Gramps is being cagey. He avoids every question Lucas asks, and gets angry every time Lucas brings up his past.
By: Mike Lupica
-
Two-Minute Drill
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Danny Gerard
- Length: 2 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13
Chris Conlan is the coolest kid in sixth grade, the golden-armed quarterback of the football team and the boy all the others look up to. Scott Parry is the new kid, the boy with the huge brain, but with feet that trip over themselves. These two boys may seem like an odd couple, but each has a secret that draws them together, and proves that the will to succeed is even more important than raw talent.
By: Mike Lupica
-
The Only Game
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Keith Nobbs
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 105
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 90
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 89
Jack Callahan is the star of his baseball team and sixth grade is supposed to be his year. Undefeated season. Records shattered. Little League World Series. The works. That is, until he up and quits. Jack's best friend Gus can't understand how Jack could leave a game that means more to them than anything else. But Jack is done. It's a year of change.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Idk
- By Stormwalker900 on 01-27-25
By: Mike Lupica
-
Game Changers (Game Changers, Book 1)
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 116
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 92
New York Times best-selling author Mike Lupica scores a touchdown with his new middle-grade sports series!Ben McBain is every football team's dream player. He's a jack-of-all-trades guy that can handle almost any position. When the game is on the line, Ben's number is the one being called for the final play. But Ben wants to be the starting quarterback and the one thing standing in his way is the coach's son.Shawn O'Brien looks the part.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Story for Spots Players!!
- By Ms. A on 09-03-24
By: Mike Lupica
-
Triple Threat
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Emily Ellet
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 14
When 12-year-old Alex makes up her mind to join her middle school's football team, she doesn't expect it to be easy. But she also never anticipated she'd be met with scorn and derision from her exclusively male teammates. Football has always been a source of happiness for Alex. She and her single father never miss a Steelers game on TV, and Alex knows she has a talent for throwing the perfect spiral. But the guys suck the joy right out of the game for Alex - going out of their way to trip her up during tryouts and teaming up against her just to watch her fail.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good listen
- By Nic S on 01-17-24
By: Mike Lupica
-
Fast Break
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 124
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 104
Forced to live on his own after his mom dies and her boyfriend abandons him, 12-year-old Jayson does whatever it takes to get by. He will do anything to avoid the foster care system. Besides, his real home has always been the beat-up basketball court behind the projects in the North Carolina hills, and his family has always been his friends and teammates. He manages to get away with his deception until the day he gets caught stealing a new pair of basketball sneakers. Game over. Within a day a social worker places him with a family from the other side of town, the Lawtons.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Read this
- By Amazon Customer on 11-30-17
By: Mike Lupica
-
QB 1
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Nicolas Tecosky
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 265
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 213
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 213
Jake Cullen is a freshman quarterback playing high school football in the high-pressure land of Friday Night Lights (Texas). He is also the brother of Wyatt Cullen, who quarterbacked his team to the Texas State Championship last season - not to mention the son of former NFL quarterback and local legend, Troy Cullen. To be a Cullen in Texas is to be royalty…and a quarterback. All of which leaves 14-year-old Jake in a Texas-sized shadow, a tall order for any boy, especially one who's merely a freshman.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
good
- By Candy on 02-07-20
By: Mike Lupica
-
Last Man Out
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Ryan Gesell
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 70
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 60
When the Brighton Bears suit up on game day, 12-year-old Tommy Gallagher is the toughest kid on the football field. And the bravest. After all, his father Patrick is a Boston firefighter - one of Boston's bravest. Tommy's dad taught him everything he knows about football - and life. Yet even Tommy isn't strong enough for what happens when the sirens ring and, for the first time, they're racing away from the fire. "First man in; last man out" had always been his dad's motto, yet he never said anything about leaving in an ambulance.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Last man out
- By Anonymous User on 09-09-20
By: Mike Lupica
-
Million-Dollar Throw
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Brick
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 185
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 146
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 146
Award-winning journalist and ESPN personality Mike Lupica crafts a moving tale of perseverance, loyalty, and of the hope that rides on one pressure-packed football toss. If 13-year-old Nate Brodie can throw a football through a small target at a Patriots game, he will win a million dollars. Since his dad just lost his job, Nate welcomes the opportunity at first.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Best book ever!!!
- By kelly on 03-13-15
By: Mike Lupica
-
Hero
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
- Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 115
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 89
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 88
Fourteen-year-old Billy Harriman can feel the changes. The sharpening of his senses. The incredible strength. The speed, as though he can text-message himself across miles. The confidence and the strange need to patrol Central Park at night. His dad had been a hero, a savior to America and a confidante of the president. Then he died, and the changes began in Billy. What Billy never knew was that his father was no ordinary man - he was a superhero.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great book
- By Tiffany reddig on 06-27-20
By: Mike Lupica
-
No Slam Dunk
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Julio A. Sanchez
- Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 38
Wes' father always told him there was only one ball in basketball: that you had to know when to take it yourself and when to give it up, that finding the right balance was key. So at every practice and game, Wes tries his best to be a good basketball player and, above all, a good teammate. As the season kicks off, Wes finds that not everyone on his team has the same idea. All-star player and Hawks point guard Danilo "Dinero" Rey seems determined to hold the spotlight and the ball, even if it means costing his team the game.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The book was the best
- By Sandro on 05-20-20
By: Mike Lupica
-
Fantasy League
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 112
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 89
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 90
12-year-old Charlie is a fantasy football guru. He may be just a bench warmer for his school's football team, but when it comes to knowing and loving the game, he's first-string. He even becomes a celebrity when his podcast gets noticed by a sports radio host, who plays Charlie's fantasy picks for all of Los Angeles to hear. Soon Charlie befriends the elderly owner of the L.A. Bulldogs - a fictional NFL team - and convinces him to take a chance on an aging quarterback.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great read!
- By Amy M. on 01-10-17
By: Mike Lupica
-
True Legend
- By: Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 131
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 107
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 105
There's a reason teammates call him "True". Because for basketball phenom Drew Robinson, there is nothing more true than his talent on the court. It's the kind that comes along once in a generation and is loaded with perks - and with problems. Before long, True buys in to his own hype, much to the chagrin of his mother, who wants to keep her boy's head grounded - and suddenly trouble has a way of finding him. That is, until a washed-up former playground legend steps back onto the court....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great for any basketball lovers.
- By J Shelman on 03-03-15
By: Mike Lupica