The Universal Baseball Association is written in two different "worlds". The first is of J. Walter Henry, and the second is of the fictional baseball team he has created. This team begins to take over his waking life, but when the book focuses on aspects of the team, the story is told through the viewpoint of the fictional players.
In the first chapter, Henry is immersed in his world of fiction. Every play that the characters make on the baseball diamond are decided by the random roll of dice, so that it seems more realistic. Henry claims that he is the owner of every single team in this baseball league, and is proud to present a charming new player to pitch his first game. Pitching is Damon Rutherford, and he achieves a perfect game, one where no player is able to get on base because of his perfect pitching skills.
Henry's actual life, or the real world, is one where he is an accountant. When this young pitcher wins the game for his team, he becomes extremely happy, and more content with life. However, instead of drifting away from the harmful habit of playing fictional baseball, he becomes even more immersed, wanting to "watch" Rutherford pitch more, evaluating his skills.
Suddenly, Rutherford is killed by a baseball, and Henry is devastated. The one thing that he felt was worth living for has now become threatened, and he doesn't know what to do. He struggles internally with thoughts of life, morals, and death, and ultimately comes to the conclusion that his life is now worthless.
