"Let's go Adrian!" the Ligers cheered from the dugout as Adrian got a clean hit into right field, securely getting onto 2nd base.
This was a good start to the bottom of the 4th, especially with Daichi and Ken coming up in the batting lineup. However, it was not yet enough to cow Miami into not intentionally walking Ken and Daichi.
"Come on Jose, just get on base…" Ken crossed his fingers watching Jose Baez walk out to the batters box. If the guy were to get out, there was a good chance both Ken and Daichi would be walked since Miami seemed to think that only they were a threat.
Jose squared up, facing Ryan on the mound. His wide shoulders seemed unmovable, like the walls of a fortress. Even from the dugout Ken could feel his teammates' resolve loud and clear.
The first pitch came, a two seam fastball that broke weirdly.
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
Jose stepped out of the batters box after missing in spectacular fashion. He wore an impassive expression, but there was a fierce determination within his eyes. The guy knew how important it was to succeed in this situation.
If he didn't get a hit now, there was a good chance that their offense would amount to nothing this inning. He glanced at Coach Williams who gave him a swift nod before returning the gesture.
Even though they shared no words, Jose could feel his coach's support from behind him.
"Smack it out of the park Jose!"
Hearing the shouts of his teammates, Jose couldn't help but grin, feeling a renewed sense of determination. Even if the ball was tough to track down, he would hit it, no matter what.
That was his resolve. The resolve of a man who had been in the league for almost a decade. Although only joining the Ligers the year before, this was now the place that he called home.
He slowly stepped back into the batters box and gripped his bat, squaring up against Ryan once more.
The next pitch came, a slider outside. For a moment he considered chasing it, but pulled back at the last moment before the bat crossed the plate, performing a check swing.
PAH
"Strike."
"Count is 0-2."
Hearing the umpire call, both the crowd and the Ligers dugout began to jeer.
"What the hell!? That wasn't a swing!"
"I demand an optometrist appointment for this umpire."
The only person who didn't seem red hot from the call was Jose who just shook his head with some disappointment. He was now behind in the count, making his life even more difficult.
But there was no point in complaining now. While they could challenge the call, Jose didn't believe that it was worth potentially risking their only challenge on this situation.
So he collected himself and stepped back into the batters box once more, this time in a more precarious position. His eyes moved to the end of the dugout and saw Daichi with his helmet on and bat in hand, ready to step up.
'I need to get on base…' he said in his heart, 'as long as I can get Daichi up here, we have a chance to score.'
His thoughts were a testament to how much he trusted this young budding star. Despite being in the league for 8 years, the talent that Ken and Daichi had shown in their debut season was humbling.
While he might not say it outright, Jose respected these two talents.
Backed into a corner, Jose turned to Ryan again, his eyes burning quietly.
Ryan entered his wind up, striding forward and sending a quick pitch down the lane.
Jose's eyes lit up and he planted his lead leg, squeezing out all his power as he swung for the fences.
WHOOOOOOSH
WHACK
The ball was struck by the outside of the bat, almost missing the barrel. Yet somehow, it was sent in between 1st and 2nd base, right towards the right outfielder.
"GO GO!"
The crowd cheered as Jose hit the ball and sprinted towards first base. In the meantime, Adrian was already running towards 3rd like a madman.
Daichi pumped his fist in triumph after seeing that both runners advanced safely.
Meanwhile, Ken grinned widely.
"No way, Jose! Nice job." Jake called out, generating a few chuckles in response.
Ken tracked down his helmet, gloves and elbow guard before ascending the stairs and collecting his bat. While they were in a good position right now, he wasn't exactly sure if Miami would face Daichi, or choose to walk him.
With 2 runners on base already, walking Daichi would load the bases. The only reason they would do such a thing was if they thought Ken's batting was significantly worse than his brother.
While this might be true if they were to compare statistics over the regular season, Ken did not think that he was objectively worse than Daichi at all. This was especially the case after he received his new skills and the L-Grade Physicality Elixir recently.
"Batting 4th, our Baby faced Assassin… Number 22, Daichi Takagi!"
The announcers voice boomed over the speakers, getting the crowd excited. This was the biggest opportunity of the game. Just a hit would guarantee a run, so who better to have at the plate than their home run derby king?
As Daichi stepped into the batters box, the crowd continued to cheer for a while.
That was until the first pitch came.
"Ball."
"What the hell man!?"
"They're walking him again and loading the bases?"
Ken could hear the discourse within the crowd which aligned with his own thoughts. By walking Daichi, they were essentially telling Ken that he was much less dangerous than his own brother.
His eyes shined dangerously.
"I will make you regret underestimating me…" He muttered, gripping his bat tightly.
PAH
"Ball."
"Ball four, take your base."
Daichi tossed his bat aside and sent a glance to Ken. Just a single look was enough to know how motivated his brother was.
'You guys messed up…'