Because the youngest Cartwright, Mitch of five, was mad about baseball the father of the boy, Adam, and his brothers Hoss and Little Joe made regularly a trip with the boy to a baseball game. The father of the three brothers was Ponderosa owner Ben Cartwright and he came along too often.
On a nice day the Cartwrights took the car to a baseball stadium. Adam drove and his driver’s mates were his brothers and son.
“Daddy, will you keep the score of the game for me?”, asked Mitch.
“Of course I do that”, replied Adam.
He knew that his son couldn’t read or write yet.
At the stadium the Cartwrights went to sit at their usual places. That was at the first row near the dug-out of the home team.
Mitch sat watching at the field when he felt something hard. The boy cried it out of pain. Adam reacted at once.
“Kid, what is the matter?”, he asked worried.
“My toe”, Mitch said biting his lips.
The team at the field came also at once into action.
“Mitch, what is the matter with your toe?”, asked Adam.
“It hurts. I just sat watching and suddenly I felt something hard coming against it”, the boy said.
“Was that a ball?”, asked Hoss.
His nephew nodded. Meanwhile someone of the First Aid was already warned. Chip Taylor, the player/catcher who had hit the ball through the net, came with the ball to Mitch.
“Here boy and get well”, said Chip.
Mitch got the ball and put the object right away into his bag. Adam took off the shoe and supported the injured body part. The young Cartwright tried not to let show that he was in a lot of pain but that failed.
“Can you move those toes of yours?”, asked Hoss.
Mitch said, “No.”
“I am afraid that they are broken”, said Adam.
“Mitch, shall I keep the score of the game then?”, asked Little Joe.
“Alright”, his nephew replied.
Little Joe grabbed the bag of his nephew and got out the scoring book and a pen.
“If there isn’t a doctor coming soon he might need one himself”, said Hoss.
“The he has to come himself first”, reacted Adam.
Mitch looked at the actions of his favorite team, Carson City Diamonds, and tried to forget the pain that way.
Just after a long time a co-worker came to the Cartwrights with the announcement, “The doctor can finally see you.”
“That was about time though. Our nephew sits waiting and he has enormous pain”, said Hoss.
Adam got up and lifted up his son. To keep their seat occupied Hoss put their coats on their chairs.
“Joe, you watch it”, said Adam.
Little Joe nodded.
Adam and Hoss followed with the injured Mitch the co-worker who brought them to the doctor.
“What has happened?”, asked Doc.
“A player was hitting in and suddenly this boy got hit by a ball. He can’t move his toes”, replied Adam.
The heal master examined the toes and came to the same conclusion which Adam had drawn already.
“Boy, your toes are broken. I assume that you want to see the game”, said Doc.
Mitch nodded.
“I will set your foot in a plaster of Paris dressing and after the game you must go straight to the hospital for further treatment. I also will give you some painkillers”, said Doc.
So said, so done.
Mitch wasn’t allowed to walk absolutely and got carried by his father for that reason. Hoss walked next to them and saw suddenly a joint with hot dogs standing.
Right away it came made him in the mouth and his stomach too began to rumble very hard.
“Mitchy, do you feel like a hot dog?”, he asked.
“No, I do like two”, replied his nephew.
Hoss asked the salesman, “May I have 6 hot dogs from you?”
He paid and got the hot dogs. Mitch got the first one right away. Walking back to their seats Hoss had already eaten 2 hot dogs.
Little Joe saw his brothers and nephew coming. Looking at Mitch Little Joe knew more than enough. Adam and Hoss sat down and Adam held his son on his lap.
“After the game we must go to the hospital because Mitch has his toes broken”, said Adam.
“Pa won’t like that. We have promised to bring his grandson home in one piece”, reacted Little Joe.
“I do have another ball”, said Mitch.
He made his nest to his father while is injured foot rested on the lap of Hoss.
When the game had started Mitch forgot his broken toes. Adam and Hoss kept an eye on the boy and then especially his broken toes.
“When the game is over we wait with leaving. I don’t think that Mitch will mind that”, said Adam.
Mitch had his black glove tight to catch a foul ball that way.
In the seventh inning third baseman Dennis Smith hit a ball but it didn’t end up in the field but exactly in the glove of the youngest Cartwright.
“It must be your lucky day”, said Hoss.
“Why?”, asked Mitch.
“Well, first you get hit by a baseball and you get it too and later on you catch one”, his uncle replied.
“I was just born for the luck”, Mitch reacted dry.
Adam only could confirm that. Little Joe put the caught ball in the bag of his nephew.
When the stadium was nearly empty the Cartwrights went away. Little Joe had put the shoe of Mitch the bag and Adam carried the boy. When Mitch got placed at the backseat he screamed it out of pain. Adam gave the car keys to Hoss and went to sit with his son at the backseat.
“Directly to the hospital of Virginia City”, Adam said when they all had gotten in.
At the hospital Mitch got treated right away by doctor Paul Martin. Adam remained the whole time with his son while Hoss and Little Joe waited in the canteen.
“Mitch, I will set your ankle, foot and toes into plaster. For the time being you won’t be able to play baseball. Walking too shall be difficult but for that you get crutches”, said Paul.
Paul brought the Cartwrights to the plaster room and let there the ankle, foot and toes of Mitch set into plaster. The boy found it very interesting and let that show clearly.
Ben Cartwright sat reading on the porch when his sons and grandson came home. The rancher put his book down and walked to the Mercedes of his eldest son.
“So, did the game need an extension that you are so late?”, he asked.
“Not that but your grandson got injured because a ball player hit a ball against his toes. After the game we had to go to the hospital for the boy to let set into plaster. His ankle, foot and toes to understand”, said Adam.
He helped his son out of the car and gave him the crutches.
“Hi grandpa. I got hit by baseball and I got the ball from the catcher. Later on I caught another one”, Mitch said excited.
“Next time I come along too and then we come home in time”, said Ben.
No one of the Cartwright brothers and especially Mitch would never forget this afternoon and/or game.