Ken's whole body went cold as he heard his pitch get walloped by Bran De La Cruz the clean up batter for Miami. All he could do was watch the ball soar over his head and fly over the wall, into the crowd.
The horn blared, signaling the home run.
The crowd cheered wildly after the Grand Slam.
And just like that, the score was 4-0 in Miami's favor despite shutting them out for the first 3 innings. With a single strike of the bat, the game had been blown right open.
Ken could hardly believe it. This was the first time in his career that he'd given up a Grand Slam, he felt so helpless. Everyone had trusted him to get them out of this pinch, but the worst case scenario occurred.
'How did he hit that so well?' Ken thought, his mind replaying the moment.
It was not a bad pitch at all, the course was good and the velocity was high. Despite being one of his relatively newer pitches, his cutter had never been hit like that before.
The home run caused the Ligers morale to plummet, specifically Ken who felt like he was on an island by himself in the middle of an ocean.
"Batting 4th out of left field, JJ Bleday!" The announcers voice was filled with passion as he announced the next batter, cutting through the dead atmosphere on the field.
Only now did Ken snap out of his reverie.
He watched the man step into the batters box and took a deep breath.
'It's not over yet…' he thought, gripping his fist tightly.
'I just need to keep them scoreless from now on and we can make a comeback.'
Saying this in his heart seemed to bring him motivation. Baseball was never over until the final horn, giving up now would reduce their chances to nothing.
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
***
2 hours later, the game came to and end.
Ken wearily got up from the bench and went straight into the locker room, followed closely by Daichi and Rohan. Out of the two, the latter looked to be rather downcast.
"Ken…"
Ken raised his hand, stopping Rohan before he continued. "If you say something along the lines of this loss was your fault, or try and apologize to me, I will not hesitate to smack you."
His words were met with silence, an indication that this was exactly what Rohan was going to say. He knew how the guy would be feeling, but there was no point dwelling on such a thing.
Ken took off his uniform and tossed it next to his bags.
"I'm going to have a quick shower."
He was the first one in the showers, and no one followed behind him.
Ken had only pitched for 2 innings before his grandfather took him out of the game. He managed to stop the runs after the Grand Slam, but the damage had already been done.
The final score was 6-2 after the 9 innings. Despite all their hard work, Detroit were only able to cross home plate two times. It seemed that both their offense and defense was in tatters without Daichi in the lineup.
As the warm waters washed down his body, Ken's determination solidified. There was one more game left in Miami before they headed back to Detroit for the possible remaining 2.
With the series now tied at 2-2, the team who got the next win would be in a commanding position. Ken was determined to be the team to win.
After all, his entire career was on the line with this system mission.
When he returned to the locker room, Mark was waiting for him with the whole team. Ken suddenly understood why no one else had entered the showers.
"That was a tough loss, but I don't think we played bad." Mark announced, his eyes moving over the players. Even without a keen eye one could tell that this loss had affected the team.
"Ken, stuff like this happens in baseball all the time. If I see you beating yourself up over it, I'll kick your ass." Mark singled Ken out, causing a chuckle to ring out in the locker room.
Ken blinked incredulously before letting out a chuckle himself. He hadn't expected to be called out so soon.
"The series is tied at 2-2 which means the next game will begin with a clean slate. All we need to do is take things a step at a time, remember your training and trust your teammates."
His words were met with some affirmative responses from the locker room.
Ken smiled, realizing the mood had improved considerably within the team. His grandfather truly was a man who had a way with words.
"Tomorrow night, Daichi will be rejoining the lineup."
"YEEEEW!"
Some whistles and cheers rang out in response and everyone turned to Daichi. The guy looked eager, his whole body exuding fighting spirit.
"Everyone give some props to Jason who stepped up on short notice to fill in for Daichi. Without him, we probably would have fallen apart these last few games." Mark added, pointing out Jason Rogers.
Those surrounding the mustachioed man pat him on the shoulder or ruffled his hair, showing their affection. He was one of the old guard who had been in Detroit longer than most.
Many would call him a veteran presence.
"Thanks coach."
Ken was sure that it was an adjustment for the man who had started majority of his career, but Jason seemed to be taking it well. Ken wondered if he would experience this situation when he got older.
Would he see someone surpass him in this lifetime? If so, would he be able to be as graceful as Jason?
Ken hoped that that was the case, although it wouldn't happen for a long time.
"You guys get out of here and get some rest, I'll deal with the wolves." Mark said, giving his team a smile.
"Yes coach!" the players replied in unison.