"ORYAHHHHHH! GET HIM DAICHI!"
Makoto wasn't the only one who yelled at the TV within the bar after watching the altercation. Upon seeing their beloved Japanese player get pushed in the back, the crowd was turning violent.
"Oh crap, here comes Ken!" Shiro shouted, biting his nails nervously.
"No! Don't throw any punches Ken or you'll be ejected." The owner of the bar watched on nervously as the situation unfolded. He was worried that their two players would be ejected this early in the game.
However, the atmosphere turned bemused as Ken was lifted up by Daichi like he was a child. A few laughs were heard around the bar and the tension was quickly eased.
"That was close…" Shiro said, patting his chest.
However, there were 3 people at the table who did not even look worried.
"It's clear you've never played with or against Daichi." Hiroki said, letting out a small chuckle.
Masayuki and Riku nodded in agreement.
"What do you mean? What's that got to do with this?" Shiro frowned.
"Well, if you had, you'd know that there's no way that guy would get into a fight. He will annoy you all game, picking apart all of your weaknesses until you start to question if you're actually a good player…" Hiroki said, his voice trailing off.
"And all the while, he just smiles that annoying smile. You know that there's nothing you can do to him, making it even more frustrating." Riku added, wearing a pained smile.
Shiro blinked a few times in bewilderment. He didn't know that Ken's brother was like this, the guy always seemed so nice after all.
"As an opponent, Daichi is one of the worst to face as a batter. But as a teammate, he's one of the best. He's far too smart to get himself sent off due to an altercation…" Hiroki continued, shaking his head.
"I thought that he might be trying to get back at the guy because of his mistake the previous at-bat." Shiro stated, feeling as if it made sense in his head.
Hiroki shook his head, "You've caught Ken's throws before, it was clearly a powerful throw that just added to the impact."
"I see, it makes sense…"
"Speaking of Ken, do you think he'll participate in the World Baseball Classic next year? It's been so long since we played together." Masayuki asked those at the table.
Hiroki shrugged, "He only ever played once in the U18 National Team, maybe he doesn't want to play representative anymore?"
"Surely not, right?"
"Why don't you ask Coach Takashi? I heard he's going back up to the men's team next year." Hiroki added.
"Really!? Maybe I have a shot to get in the team next year then." Riku replied with excitement.
"We're still young. There are plenty of other top players both in the NPB and Majors that are ahead of us." Hiroki said, bringing him back down to reality.
***
Back on the field, the game had resumed after the brief altercation. The Ligers were in a much better position than earlier, now with 1 out and a runner on first.
Ken was rolling the rosin bag around in his hand, waiting for the next batter to approach the plate.
"Batting 6th, 3rd base. Charlie Leblanc." The bored voice of the announcer called over the speakers.
Daichi called for a curveball this time, towards the center of the strike zone. It was quite odd to call this as a first pitch, but Ken trusted his brother, no matter what.
He nodded and got into position, tossing the rosin bag aside. As he raised his left leg and strode forward, his arm whipped past.
WHOOOOOSH
WHACK
The ball fired back with speed, right towards Ken. It bounced along the ground a few times, looking to go directly past him.
In the middle of his follow through, Ken contorted his body slightly, bringing down his back leg prematurely to go into the path of the ball. He had done so out of instinct, not wanting to let the ball get past.
As it struck Ken's cleats, the ball shot into the air in front of him. All he needed to do was reach out, and the ball would be in his grasp once more.
Ken grabbed the ball and turned his body, sending a throw straight to Jaime Schoop who was heading back to second base.
They made eye contact, and the ball was collected in stride by Jaime who stepped on the bag. But the play wasn't over. Using the bag as a spring, Jaime launched himself into the air and twisted his body, sending a leaping throw towards first base.
The sound of footsteps thundering on the dirt entered Ken's ears as he watched the play unfold. Charlie Leblanc had his head down, pumping his arms and legs wildly as he tried to beat the throw.
PAH
"Out!"
"Out."
"3 outs, changeover."
The crowd cheered triumphantly as the quick double play put an end to the 2nd inning. What was more impressive was that the Ligers managed to keep the Blue Marlin's scoreless, despite being in a pinch early.
"Nice recovery Ken." Jaime appeared, draping his arm around Ken's shoulders.
"That was a good throw to first." Ken complimented the guy.
"Hehe, well if I couldn't finish a double play, I wouldn't be a 2nd baseman, let alone be playing in the league would I?" He said with a crooked grin.
Ken chuckled, realizing that the guy was probably right.
He walked past Daichi and held out his fist, completing the fist bump.
"Pretty bold to call for a curveball on the first pitch." Ken said with a small grin, realizing that the double play was his brothers intention from the beginning.
Daichi didn't deny it, but his smile was enough to know it had been intentional.
"There's still a long game left big bro, don't get complacent." Daichi said, patting him on the shoulder, "If they start walking me, I need you to send me home, alright?"
"Of course. Just stand on the base and look pretty, I'll send the ball into the crowd." Ken said with confidence.