Ken's smile faded as he saw the successful pickoff on the field. It was clear that Adrian did not expect the second pickoff attempt and had taken too much of a lead towards 2nd base in that time.
So now, instead of having 1 out and a runner on 1st, they were back to square one.
"Sorry guys…" Adrian arrived at the dugout, saying his apologies with his head down. He received some consolation from everyone present, but there was some disappointment within the team.
"Batting 3rd, our shortstop, Jose Baez!" The announcer called over the speakers.
So with two outs, Jose Baez made his way into the batters box. Whatever momentum Detroit had been building up seemed to be cut short, bringing the game back to an even playing field.
Unfortunately for the Ligers, Ryan was in proper form today.
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout!"
"3 outs, changeover."
After being struck out in only 3 pitches, Jose retreated to the dugout, looking a little frustrated. "I can never seem to pick where his pitches are going…" he complained bitterly.
"Don't mind, the game is only getting started." Ken said, patting the guy on the shoulder on his way past. Though it was a little disheartening to miss out on the opportunity to score early, Ken wasn't rattled.
He had expected this game would be tough. Anything different would have just been a disappointment.
As he strode onto the field for the start of the 2nd inning, Ken smiled. The pressure was significant, almost suffocating. A loss here would destroy the hopes of every Detroit fan across the world, including those who were watching from Japan.
But perhaps most importantly, Ken's entire future was riding on this game.
While many might think he would have plenty of opportunities if he were to lose, that was not the case. Losing here would force him to retire prematurely after losing the system and his talent.
But instead of crumbling under the pressure, Ken was enjoying himself.
Although the stakes were the highest they could ever possibly be, fighting directly against Ryan in the final game of the World Series alongside his brother was just too exciting.
After all, wasn't this what he wanted from the very beginning?
To be playing with his brother in the Major League against the very best competition.
'I won't lose…'
As he stepped onto the mound, Ken turned his attention to his next opponent.
"Batting 4th for the Marlins, Bran De La Cruz."
The announcers voice called over the speakers and Bran made his way into the batters box. At the same time, Ken spoke a few words to Mika.
Suddenly, Ken's body filled up with strength.
He had been worried that since reaching the Legendary grade in all of his physical attributes, showdown would have no effect. However, he was pleased to find out that his body was brimming with even more power now.
Ken's eyes moved to the ball in his right hand. He squeezed it hard, feeling the ball morph in the palm of his hand. Right now, Ken felt like he could deform the ball if he used all of his strength.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
With his body overflowing with power, Ken turned to Daichi and waited for the lead. His brother called for a cutter high in the strike zone.
Ken nodded and soon got into position. He lifted his leg and strode forward with intent, his aura fluctuating wildly around him.
Dirt was kicked up as his lead leg planted on the ground, but the arm whipping past his face was so swift that it was difficult to see. With no loss of power, the ball was flung from Ken's fingertips, its course almost blinding.
PAH!
The ball flew through the air, breaking dramatically into Daichi's glove.
"S-Strike."
The cutter was so fast and sharp that both Bran and the plate umpire were shocked. One might expect this sort of speed from Ken's fastball, but to see it with a breaking ball was dumbfounding.
Their eyes moved to the jumbo screen, only to be left speechless.
102mph. This was not something that anyone could have expected, let alone prepared for. In fact, if Ken's control wasn't almost perfect, Daichi would have struggled to catch the ball, even with his lightning fast reflexes.
Ken too took a quick glance at the jumbo screen and let out a small chuckle. He knew that he would be throwing some heat with his showdown skill active, but he didn't expect it to be so exaggerated.
'How fast will I throw on the 3rd strike?' he thought with interest.
With his Striker skill, the velocity or movement of his last pitch would be increased depending on what he threw. This, with the addition of Showdown should create a pitch that would destroy the previous speed record.
Daichi called for the next pitch, a two-seam fastball low in the zone. After nodding, Ken got into position and let it loose.
WHOOOOOOSH
PAH
This time, Bran swung hard at the pitch. Unfortunately for him, his timing was still off due to the sheer speed of the ball. Of course, even if he timed it to perfection, his bat would have just sailed over the ball.
This was the problem with facing Ken. When the ball reached such speeds, just a single moment of hesitation or distraction was enough to miss it by a mile.
"Strike."
"Count is 0-2."
With the plate umpire making the call, Daichi threw the ball back to Ken and swiftly crouched down. He called for the next pitch, a curveball.
However, Ken shook his head. There was only a single pitch he wanted to throw right now before he began to feel fatigue later in the game.
His brother read him like a book, calling for the fastball right down the middle.
Ken stifled his laughter and nodded, taking a deep breath to remove all distractions. This next pitch would be both the best and fastest one of his whole career.