Daichi lunged to his feet as he collected the ball with ease. As the ball hammered into his glove, he was already in a throwing motion.
PAH
Schoop's glove caught the throw with ease in the perfect position. The man swiped his glove in front of the base, tagging Bleday before he could slide onto the base.
"Out."
The crowd erupted thanks to the amazing play on the field.
Ken who once again found himself in the dirt thanks to ducking Daichi's throw grinned widely. He had been saved by his brother once more.
Probably the only glaring weakness in Ken's pitching game was his pick-offs. As someone who spent most of his earlier career not allowing runners onto base, he had never really needed to develop the skill.
However, there was no way that he could keep up such a situation in the Major League. This was especially the case once batters began to get used to his pitches.
"Daichi throws a rocket to 2nd to save the stolen base, Bleday really miscalculated with that run."
"I think he would have been fine if Ken hadn't thrown a fastball. Any of the off-speed pitches would have allowed him the extra few moments he needed to slide onto base."
Back in Japan, it was nearing midday after 8 innings and the bar was beginning to get a little busier. The four ex-Yokohama players were glued to the TV.
"ORYAHHHH! Let's go!" Makoto pumped his fist in triumph at the flashy play.
"Hehe, that arm is as strong as ever." Hiroki commented, shaking his head.
"Guys… I'm gonna ask you one last time, please keep it down." The bartender looked like he wanted nothing more than to leave so he didn't have to deal with these guys.
"Come on boss, can't you see our Kouhai on the TV? How can I not support him with my all?" Makoto said, wearing a pitiful expression.
At that moment, a man walked into the bar sporting heavy stubble and looking like he hadn't slept in days. He approached the bar and casually ordered a drink before his eyes wandered.
His body froze as he saw the table with four familiar faces seated.
"Eh!? What are you guys doing here?" he called out in shock.
"Hmm?"
Makoto turned, only for his expression to turn into one of shock.
"Coach Hanada!?"
"EH!?"
Yusuke, Makoto, Shiro and Hiroki were dumbstruck seeing their old coach Seiji Hanada seated at a random bar in Tokyo. Shouldn't the guy have been at Yokohama High?
"Coach, what are you doing here?" Shiro asked.
"I just came for a drink… Am I not allowed?" Seiji felt a wave of fatigue as he looked at the kids who seemed far more grown up than he remembered. Such a scene made him feel old.
"You came at the right time Coach." Hiroki said, heading over and draping his arm across the man's shoulder, "Your number 1 pupil is playing in the World Series right now."
"Number 1 pupil?" Seiji replied with a frown.
He looked up at the TV and saw another familiar figure. It happened to be a close up so there was no mistake on who it was on the mound in the most important series of the year.
"Ken!?" Seiji was dumbstruck.
"You didn't know he was playing in the World Series coach?" Yusuke queried, finding it hard to believe.
"I—I don't keep up the NPB let alone the Majors." Seiji admitted, his eyes locked onto Ken's figure. There was a sense of awe watching the enigmatic Ken on the big screen.
"Well, take a seat and watch. You can be proud that you contributed to his meteoric rise into the Major League." Hiroki said, wearing a grin.
Seeing his old coach brought back fond memories. It felt right to have him here watching the first match of the World Series.
Seiji scoffed, "Ken basically did his own training regimes, he even trained you lot. How did I contribute to his rise?" the guy said a little self-deprecatingly.
"Don't say that Coach. I've heard Ken mention you plenty of times." Shiro replied, consoling the guy.
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout! 3 outs, changeover."
"Oryahhh~" Makoto called out, his voice barely above a whisper.
"That's 8 innings without a run, we could very well see a shutout here today from Ken." The commentators voice filled up the bar, causing Seiji's expression to stiffen.
"Wait, he's been pitching since the start?"
Hiroki nodded, "Yeah, he's been pitching well today. Of course its not as good as his Perfect Game a couple of weeks ago, but this is the World Series, we can't expect him to throw another perfect game."
Seiji felt his mind spin. He had known that Ken was drafted since he had attended his wedding, but from what he remembered, he was going back for spring training to secure a roster spot.
Finding out that Ken not only made a roster spot on the team, but also clawed his way to the World Series and threw a perfect game made Seiji feel a sense of pride he hadn't expected.
The words he said earlier were his true feelings. He had not helped Ken as much as some people might think. In fact, the guy basically took care of his own training and even brought his teammates along for the ride with him.
If one were to ask Seiji what impact he thought he had on Ken, he would say not much, if anything at all. However, that did not mean he didn't see Ken as one of his players.
Such a thought made him reminisce, subconsciously comparing the current Yokohama team to the one Ken and the others were apart of.
'Yeah… There's no comparison.' He thought dully.
WHOOOOSH
WHACK!
Seiji's gaze snapped back to the TV where a batter had just slogged the ball into the outfield and was now heading around the bases.
"Go Daichi!" Hiroki spoke out in a hushed voice.
"Daichi Takagi hits a nice double, securing his spot on 2nd base. His brother Ken is up to bat, will he be able to finally get a run on the board for Detroit?"