Chief Sunrise, John McGraw, and Me by Timothy Tocher
"Easy there," came the voice. "If you're fixin' to throw somethin', at least let me get my mitt on." CHIEF SUNRISE, JOHN McGRAW, AND ME is a middle-grade baseball story featuring an all-American kid head-over-heels in love with the game. On the run from his abusive dad, Hank joins forces with an ace Seminole Indian pitcher who's determined to break into the big leagues. Together they go in search of the big time: playing for the New York Giants during their 1919 season. The pair's picaresque adventures take them from Florida to New York, where nineteen-year-old Chief makes a believer of the Giants' famed manager, John McGraw, and Hank gets to experience life as a bat boy.