Shortly after arriving at Two Mills, Pennsylvania, Maniac Magee begins to leave an impression on the residents by achieving incredible feats of athleticism. Maniac proceeds to make an amazing one-handed catch on the football field before rescuing Arnold Jones from the intimidating Finsterwald’s back yard. In chapter seven, Maniac Magee travels to the Little League field in the park, where a game had just ended. During the previous game, John McNab had set a Two Mills Little League record by striking out sixteen batters. The narrator proceeds to describe John McNab as a giant, who was no match for anyone his age. John McNab was so big for his age that he had to bring his birth certificate to every game to prove that he was not an adult.

Even though the game was over, John McNab figured that he would make baseball history by seeing how many players he could strikeout, which is why he made them continue to bat after the game was finished. John made the players continue to get back in line after striking out, and the batters remained in rotation well after they stopped keeping score. After striking out thirty-six batters, Maniac Magee walks up to the plate and proceeds to hit several consecutive home runs, which astonishes everyone. John McNab then picks up a frog and pitches it to Maniac, who bunts the frog and scores on an inside-the-park home run.