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The Kid Who Batted 1.000 Mystery Cache

Hidden : 8/19/2022
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


The cache is not hidden at the posted coordinates, but some very simple arithmetic will produce the final location


I realized a couple of days ago that my daily find streak has passed the 1000 mark (a not very precise guesstimate some time ago had left me expecting it to be a couple of weeks later). Reflecting on this nice round number reminded me of a favorite baseball book I bought at the Scholastic Book Fair in fourth grade. I no longer have the book; since fourth grade was more than a few decades ago, the following synopsis may not be entirely accurate (but it's certainly close enough to solve the puzzle).

 

The Kid Who Batted 1.000, Bob Allison and Frank Ernest Hill, 1951

This is the story of a most unusual season in the history of the perennial cellar dwellers of the American League. The team was known as the Chicks, apparently named for the owner, Zeke Chickering. Not pleased with the teams losing ways, Chickering suggested that manager Popoff Pendergast and his staff might find themselves unemployed soon unless the team's record improved.

Popoff, in turn, assigned Pretzels Litzenberg, the rag-armed former ace pitcher, to scout out new talent for the team. In some unnamed corner of Oklahoma, Litzenberg discovered Dave King, a 17 year old chicken farmer. Dave had never played organized baseball, but he  had a bat, and was adept at deflecting rocks that were tossed in his direction.

Invited to try out with the Chicks, Dave showed that he could connect with any pitch close enough to the plate to be called a strike. The team management developed a strategy that could only succeed in a juvenile sports story; Dave is instructed to foul off every pitch near the strike zone until he has drawn a walk. 

This being a juvenile sports story, the plan works. From his first game appearance through the end of the regular season, Dave draws a walk every time he comes to the plate. Fortunately, Dave can also run the bases; he scores frequently and the Chicks begin to win. By the last day of the regular season, they are in first place—it's World Series time!

Dave and the Chicks continue the strategy that has brought them this far, but the series is hard fought. Each team won three of the first six games. As Game 7 progresses, Dave steps into every backyard ballplayer's favorite fantasy scenario. Game 7 of the World Series—tied in the bottom of the ninth—two outs. After fouling off the first two pitches, Dave even has two strikes against him. What could happen next?

The pitcher winds up and delivers the ball. Dave swings and makes contact, just as expected. The ballpark falls momentarily silent as the crowd realizes what they are seeing. Dave has hit the ball harder than ever before, and it's a fair ball. Pandemonium devours the silence as the ball leaves the yard, Dave circles the bases, and the Chicks win the World Series! The miracle season gets the miracle ending that had to happen.

*   *   *

But that's not the end of the story. Dave King retired from baseball, took his World Series share back home to Oklahoma, and invested it in a bigger and better chicken farm.

Paul Harvey would have known what to say about that.


Now that you know the story, you just have to answer two questions and do some simple math to find the final coords.

#1—How many at bats did Dave have during regular season play?

Subtract that number from the North component of the published coords.

#2—What was Dave's batting average for the World Series?

Add that number to the West component of the published coords.

 


You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.

 

 

Congratulations to kcmcacherFTS, and maytricksFTF.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

uggcf://jjj.zyo.pbz/tybffnel/fgnaqneq-fgngf/ng-ong

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)