The Batboy

Brian keeps Willie company while Willie eats food from McDonald’s. They discuss the issues surrounding steroid use among baseball players, and Willie argues that the steroid era turned every player into a “suspect.” At the time, fans didn’t consider a baseball player innocent or guilty but “caught” or “not caught.” Willie states that he never took steroids because his mother taught him that drugs were scarier than “the devil.” Willie admires Hank Aaron, the 20th-century baseball player who held the record for the most career home runs until Barry Bonds, an alleged steroid user, surpassed Aaron’s total.

Brian wonders why talented players like Bonds felt the need to take steroids. Willie claims that there was a domino effect; Bonds took steroids to outperform McGwire and Sosa, and Alex Rodriguez took them to compete with Bonds. Willie thinks that Hank can still perform well, and he admires Brian for trying to help Hank even though Hank does not consistently treat Brian with kindness.

The Tigers sweep the Royals, but Hank’s performance struggles, so he returns to the batting cage. Brian helps Hank collect the balls, and Hank bemoans his age and explains to Brian that his disquiet is not about reaching 500 home runs.