| From the introduction, each of the Jacksons caught a baseball fouled off by a
different Smashers player. By clue 1, each caught a ball in a different inning
of the game, with one catching a foul during the 1st inning and another catching
a foul during the 9th, or last, inning. Neither Jeff (clue 2), Jim (3), nor
Jason (7) caught the 1st inning foul ball, so either John or Jason did. If
John had caught the foul during the 1st inning, by clue 8, one boy would have
caught a foul off the bat of Smashers' player Chance Evers in the 3rd inning.
The latter wouldn't be Jason, who caught his souvenir in the 4th inning or
later (7); nor would he be Jeff, who caught his ball two innings after one boy
caught a foul off the bat of the catcher (2)--not John (8). If Jim had caught
the Chance Evers foul, by clue 3, John would have snared the foul off the bat of Bobby
Bunter in the 1st inning--no (1). If Jerry had caught the 3rd inning foul,
by clue 9, one boy would have gotten his souvenir in the 5th inning off the
bat of the first baseman (9). One of the three remaining boys would then have
caught a foul ball in the 9th inning (1). If Jason had, the fifth foul ball
catch would have been in the 6th inning (7) by Jeff or Jim, but then by clues
2 and 3, a sixth catch would have been made in the 4th inning. If either Jim
or Jeff had made the 9th inning grab, by clues 2 and 3, the fifth catch would
have been in the 7th inning, and there would be no way for Jason's foul ball
catch to work (7). So, John did not catch the 1st inning foul; Jerry did,
and the souvenir off the first baseman's bat came in the 3rd inning (9).
By clue 8, John didn't catch the 9th inning foul ball, so either Jason, Jeff,
or Jim did. If Jason had caught the 9th inning foul, by clue 7, John, Jeff,
or Jim would have caught a Homer Long foul in the 6th inning. If John had
caught the ball in the 6th inning, Jeff or Jim would have snagged a Chance
Evers foul in the 8th (8). Jeff didn't, because he caught his souvenir two
innings later than the boy who speared the catcher's foul (2) and John isn't
the catcher (8); and Jim didn't, since he caught his foul two innings after
a brother grabbed the Bobby Bunter foul (3) and no two catches came in the same
inning. If either Jeff or Jim had snagged the 6th inning foul, by clues 2
and 3, the fifth catch would have been in the 4th inning. John couldn't have
made that catch, since two innings after John's catch another boy nabbed a
foul by Chance Evers (8) rather than Homer Long; nor could the other of Jeff
or Jim have made the 4th inning grab, or one brother would have caught a ball
in the 2nd inning (2,3), a sixth catch. So, there is no way for Jason to have
caught the ball in the 9th inning and the other clues to work. Either Jeff or
Jim made the 9th inning grab, so a fourth catch occurred in the 7th inning
(2, 3). If the other of Jeff and Jim had made the 7th inning catch, the
fifth souvenir would have come in the 5th inning (2, 3)--but there is no way
for Jason's catch to occur without a sixth catch (7). If Jason had caught the
7th inning ball, the fifth catch would have occurred in the 4th inning (7).
John couldn't have made it, or there would be a sixth foul souvenir in the 6th
inning (8); nor could either of Jeff or Jim have made it, or there would be a
sixth catch in the 2nd inning (2, 3). So, John garnered his souvenir ball in
the 7th inning, with the Chance Evers foul ball then caught in the 9th (8).
Since John didn't catch the catcher's foul (8), Jeff didn't make the 9th inning
grab (2); Jim did, and John's 7th inning catch came off Bobby Bunter's bat (3).
Jason couldn't have caught the 3rd inning foul (7), so Jeff did. Then Jerry
snared the catcher's foul ball (2). Neither Jason (7) nor Jerry (9) grabbed
the Homer Long foul, so Jeff did. Then Jason grabbed a foul in the 6th inning
(7). By clue 6, Jason's grab came off the shortstop's bat. Then Milt
Wheelhouse is the Smashers catcher (4); Rocky Glover plays shortstop. Chance
Evers is the second baseman and Bobby Bunter the center fielder (5). In sum,
the Jackson five caught Smashers foul balls to take home as souvenirs as follows:
- 1st - Jerry off Milt Wheelhouse, catcher
- 3rd - Jeff off Homer Long, first baseman
- 6th - Jason off Rocky Glover, shortstop
- 7th - John off Bobby Bunter, center fielder
- 9th - Jim off Chance Evers, second baseman
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