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Roy caught the pitcher's eye. His own had blood in them. Youngberry shuddered. He threw—a bad ball—but the batter leaped at it. He struck out with a roar.

This passage is from the ninth chapter of "Batter Up!" The moment represents the fulfillment of the vegetative cycle: Roy has become the Whammer, and he is struck out by a young kid nearly the same age Roy was when he struck out the Whammer. This moment is probably the greatest change that the well known 1984 film adaptation of The Natural makes. It can be argued that Roy striking out is key to the story's mythological underpinnings: the vegetative cycle must continue. It is pure tragic irony to have Roy be struck out just as he struck out the Whammer. On the other hand, the film allows Roy to succeed, and thus fulfill the quest of the Holy Grail (the pennant), as Sir Perceval did. Finally, it can be argued that Roy got no less than he deserved for his thick-headedness throughout most of the novel. Whatever the outcome and its interpretation, when Roy swings that bat for the last time, a roar is inevitable.

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