The Art of Fielding

Henry and Starblind compete in workouts. Starblind is faster, but Henry has built up endurance from years of stadium runs. Eventually, Henry beats him and feels satisfied when Starblind vomits.

Guert worries about his performance, fearing that he didn’t satisfy Owen, but Owen says that he’s happy. They smoke together, and Guert contemplates the impossibility of an actual relationship while appreciating how content he feels in the moment.

On the ferry back from the most recent game, Schwartz and Coach Cox discuss Henry. He made another errant throw. Coach Cox loans Schwartz some money, and Schwartz takes a Vicodin. The other players worry about Henry. He starts having a panic attack and walks laps around the ferry to calm himself down.

Schwartz is embarrassed that he’s experiencing erectile dysfunction with Pella. She tries to discuss what’s bothering him, and he brings up Henry. They discuss Henry’s options, and Schwartz is offended when the issue of money comes up. Pella offers to sell her engagement ring. She tells him that David is flying in the next day. They fight, and Pella leaves. Schwartz’s roommate, Arsch, gives him some cookies to comfort him.

Pella prided herself on impulsively leaving Schwartz’s house, but now she’s barefoot in the cold. She debates what her next move should be. She heads to the quad, where two boys recognize her as “Schwartz’s girlfriend.” Furious, she smacks a tree in her distraction and injures her hand. She sees Henry, who’s doing pull-ups on trees.

Guert gives Pella ice for her hand, and they fight about David’s imminent arrival. Pella continues to watch Henry doing pull-ups.

Schwartz calls Henry and asks to meet him. Pulling out the DVDs of Henry’s batting practice, which show considerable progression from a scrawny hitter to a dominant athlete, Schwartz contemplates the unforgiving nature of baseball, which requires constant perfection. As they watch the recordings, Henry’s former confidence awes them both.

Pella’s injured hand makes dishwashing difficult at work, but she’s excited to receive her first paycheck. She finds herself strangely touched by Chef Spirodocus’s praise that she’s a good employee and admiration for her work ethic. She wants to learn more about cooking and imagines herself opening a restaurant. She wonders what she’s going to do with her life.

Guert worries when Owen misses their usual meeting time. Yesterday, Owen found the yearbooks from Guert’s undergraduate career. The image of 21-year-old Guert impressed him.

Guert prepares to leave his office, determined not to be so bothered by Owen’s absence. When he opens the door, David is there.

Guert reflects that he has stopped hating David, and he possesses the self-awareness to realize that critiquing David because of the age gap in his relationship with Pella would be hypocritical considering his relationship with Owen. Later, Pella arrives and asks Guert to go to dinner with them. He looks out the window at Owen’s dorm and sees Owen’s reflection in the window, so he turns down Pella’s invitation.

Guert calls Owen, but his call goes to voicemail. He reflects on his long period of womanizing, wondering if he isn’t as good of a lover to men as he is to women. He goes to Owen’s dorm, where he finds Owen smoking marijuana. They discuss their relationship. Owen wants more than what they’re currently doing. They agree to go to a restaurant and stay at a motel together.

Pella contemplates how much more her father is smoking lately and the odd hours he’s keeping. She wonders what’s up with him. She watches him cross the quad to the dorm building where Henry and Owen live. David’s arrival interrupts her contemplation of what her father could be doing.

Pella and David head to Maison Robert. She sees Professor Eglantine, whom she admires. David tries to impress her, and Pella hopes her father will arrive soon. David tries to sound supportive of her new cooking ambitions. He wants her to return to San Francisco, but she’s adamant that their marriage is over because he’s too controlling. She realizes that he’s determined to destroy the momentum she has built in her new life.

Guert calls and says that he can’t meet up with them. David tries to gaslight Pella, accusing her of pretending that she doesn’t remember receiving earrings on Christmas. He gives them to her, and she knows that this is a kind of peace offering with strings attached. Pella drops the earrings into her wineglass and drinks both of them just to spite David. Then, she goes to the bathroom to throw them up.

Schwartz fantasizes about beating up David. Several members of the team approach him: They want Henry to sit out the next game. Schwartz doesn’t want to bench him since tomorrow is the day that Henry’s family and Aparicio will attend.

Henry needs someone to talk to, but Owen isn’t home. He calls his sister, and she’s excited to visit the college town for the weekend. Henry revisits Aparicio’s words, trying to pump himself up and gain confidence for tomorrow’s game.

Guert parks a few blocks from campus to drop off Owen. The night before, they drove to a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Guert felt bad that he stood up his daughter. He and Owen stayed in a motel, where they consummated their relationship. Guert is slightly sad that now one more of life’s mysteries has been revealed.