crack_van | Catching Up by americanleaguer (R)

This is my last post for the month of October! I'd have liked to post a few more recs, but unfortunately that was not do be. I do hope you'll come check us out at

theboysofsummer and on AO3, though.

Fandom: BASEBALL RPF
Pairing: Pudge Rodriguez/Maribel Rodriguez, Pudge Rodriguez/Nolan Ryan, Pudge Rodriguez/Ugueth Urbina, Pudge Rodriguez/Josh Beckett, Pudge Rodriguez/Justin Verlander
Length: 73,488
Author on LJ:

americanleaguer
Author Website:

americanleaguer's masterlist.
Why this must be read: This fic is truly epic in every sense of the word. It tracks over twenty years in the life (and relationships) of Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, and highlights important or pivotal moments in his life. A friend described it as "basically like the biopic of Pudge Rodriguez' life," which I think sums it up perfectly. Catching Up feels epic in tone, structure, scope, and length. It feels almost cinematic. It's one of my favorite pieces by

americanleaguer, and she's written a lot of things that I love.

Pudge dropped down easily, automatically shifting on the balls of his feet for balance. Ryan visibly relaxed, peeled a hand off of the wall and rested it on the top of Pudge’s head. Pudge reached for his belt.

In his catcher’s crouch at the feet of his pitcher. That was right; it was how things were supposed to be ordered in the world. It had to be some small part of why Ryan was now allowing this, was OK for some heavily relativized version of OK. Pudge was meant to fold at the knees and do any number of things in the service of men towering high over him, throwing him fastball after fastball and sometimes a curve.

Catching Up