The rhino in right field
(Book)

Nick wants to change his life. For twelve whole years, he's done what his hard-working, immigrant parents want him to do. Now he's looking for his own American dream and he thinks he's found it. The local baseball team is having a batboy contest. Nick's goal-to be a Mudpuppy for a day! But the contest is on a Saturday-the day Nick has to work in his father's shop. There's one other tiny-well, not so tiny-problem. A 2,000-pound rhinoceros named Tank. Nick and his friends play ball right in the city zoo-and Tank lives just beyond the right field fence. Nick's experience getting the ball out of Tank's pen has left him frozen with fear whenever a fly ball comes his way. How's a lousy fielder going to win the contest? One thing Nick knows how to do is work hard, and he practices every day with his best friend, Ace, and a new girl named Penny, who has an impressive throwing arm! But that's not enough-to get to the contest, Nick resorts to a plan that has him lying to his parents and blackmailing his uncle. All while dodging the school bully, who's determined to win even by playing dirty. -- from Amazon.