Unwritten Rules Series

Zach Glasser has put up with a lot for the sport he loves. Endless days on the road, playing half-decent baseball in front of half-full stadiums and endless nights alone, pretending this is the life he's always wanted. The thing is, it could have been everything he ever wanted—if only he'd had the guts to tell his family, tell the club, that he was in love with his teammate Eugenio Morales. Well, ex-teammate now. When Zach wouldn't—couldn't—come out, Eugenio made the devastating choice to move on, demanding a trade away from Oakland. Away from Zach.

Charlie Braxton has it all: a wicked curveball, a beautiful wife, and the kind of money and attention that's attached to a professional baseball contract. Except his famous curveball comes with intense social anxiety, his wife is actually his soon-to-be ex-wife, and the money . . . Well, suffice it to say, he knows what it's like to be treated like an ATM. But at least he's better off than the new guy.

Jake Fischer has been here before: pitching for the Oakland Elephants, hiding his worries behind a smile, hoping to win it all. Ten years ago, it didn't turn out the way he wanted. Nothing in his life did. But now he's back—and so is the one teammate tied inexorably to his past. It doesn't matter how many times catcher Alex Angelides replays that moment during the Fall Classic over in his mind, the outcome never changes. He's not sure what happened to make that pitch glance off his glove, or what happened with his relationship with Jake—and he's not going to be the one to ask.