Saving Mr. Player is a short story by Stephen King, first published in Omni magazine in 1979 and later collected in King’s 1980 anthology, Skeleton Crew. The story follows a group of boys who attempt to rescue their beloved baseball coach, Mr. Player, after he is kidnapped by a mysterious stranger.
The story begins with the boys, Dave, Billy, and Pete, playing baseball in the town park. Mr. Player is their coach and mentor, and they admire him deeply. After the game, the boys are walking home when they see a strange man standing in the middle of the road. The man is tall and thin, with long white hair and a beard. He is wearing a long black coat and a wide-brimmed hat.
The man stops the boys and asks them if they know Mr. Player. The boys say yes, and the man tells them that he has kidnapped Mr. Player and will hold him for ransom. The man says that he will release Mr. Player if the boys can bring him a million dollars.
The boys are terrified, but they know that they must do something to save Mr. Player. They decide to try to raise the ransom money. They go to the police, but the police don’t believe them. They think that the boys are just making up the story.
The boys decide to take matters into their own hands. They start by trying to borrow money from their parents and friends, but no one has a million dollars. Then they try to rob a bank, but they are caught by the police.
Conclusion
The boys are sent to juvenile detention, but they are determined to escape. They manage to get out of detention and set out to find Mr. Player. They eventually track down the kidnapper’s hideout, but they are outnumbered and outgunned.
