In the top of the 7th, Ken gave up his first big hit of the game, allowing Michael Rojas to safely step onto 2nd base. With a single out so far in the inning, the Blue Marlins were in the best position they had been in thus far.
'I knew this inning would be dangerous…' Ken mused in his heart.
Even with all the skills and upgrades he'd experienced recently, Ken's pitching wasn't invincible. Going up against world class batters, there were bound to be players who could strike his pitches, even by accident.
"Batting 3rd, 1st baseman, Gary Cooper." The announcer lazily called up the next batter to step up to the plate.
Ken took a deep breath and calmed himself, there was no point in getting upset for giving up a hit. It wasn't like he was going for a perfect game tonight anyway, all he needed to do was get the win.
Daichi called for the first ball, a cutter inside. Seeing the way Gary crowded the plate, Ken could understand why his brother would call for such a pitch.
He nodded and gripped the ball tightly in his hand before raising his left leg. He kicked off the pitchers plate and strode forward, sending a blitzing ball down the lane towards the catchers' outstretched glove.
Ken's eyes never left the pitch as it screamed through the air. His cutters were all around the 100mph range, something that no one but him was capable of in the world.
But as it came closer, Ken realized something. Gary didn't seem to have any intention of moving out of the way of the pitch.
'What the hell!?' Ken exclaimed with shock.
WHOOOOOOSH
Gary swung, planting his feet and creating a solid base beneath him. Yet as his bat reached the plate, he jerked his body to the side, as if only now realizing his body was in the direct line of the ball.
THUD
"Argh!"
Gary was struck in the forearm despite making a large movement to try and dodge the ball. He dropped his bat and bent down, cradling his arm after being struck by the over 100mph cutter.
"Hit by pitch, take your base." The umpire called, waving Gary down the line.
"Hold on! That should be a strike." Ken called out from the mound, his brow furrowed.
It wasn't just him, Daichi had also approached the umpire to dispute the call. Despite being hit by the ball, the cutter was indeed poised to be a strike, not a ball.
If the ball is deemed within the strike zone but the batter is hit by the pitch, it is counted as a strike instead of a free walk. From the two brother's perspective, the count should be 0-1.
However, the umpire swiftly ignored them. It seemed that he truly believed his own call.
Ken let out a sigh, realizing that unless they challenged the play, the umpire wouldn't even consider changing his mind. This was when he saw Gary's expression on his way to first base.
The guy was wearing a wide grin, his pearly white teeth exposed in a smile.
'That bastard…' Ken cursed, gritting his teeth.
Indeed, Gary's intention had been to get hit by a pitch and secure his position on base. Ken felt a rising anger at the shameless actions of the veteran.
However, it took balls to take a 100mph pitch willingly in such a situation. Especially since it hit the forearm where there was next to no protection.
Suddenly, Ken regretted not throwing the ball even harder.
"Batting 4th for Miami… Bran De La Cruz."
[Limit Break Skill activated]
As Bran walked up to the batters box, a notification appeared in front of Ken, shocking him into a stupor. This was a skill that he hadn't seen activate in over 3 months.
However, instead of being happy, Ken's expression stiffened. Suddenly, his body was overwhelmed with power, to the point where his muscles twitched uncomfortably beneath his skin.
Ken squeezed the ball in his hand, feeling it bend to his will. He could feel a droning pain in his body, likely because it was not used to his current level of power.
'Damn it… Why now?' Ken cursed in his heart.
While the Limit Break skill was good, it had a drawback. Once the skill expired, Ken would feel a tremendous fatigue for up to 5 minutes, losing a single grade of all his stats in that time.
If it were just the latter, it might only be a negligible drawback, but it was the fatigue that made it so precarious.
Ken grit his teeth and endured the uncomfortable feeling in his body. He made a gesture towards Daichi, causing the latter to widen his eyes in shock.
Thankfully, Daichi nodded a moment later and made the first lead.
Ken had just told him to increase the pace, knowing that he only had a limited window before the aftereffects of his Limit Break Skill kicked in.
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
The first pitch was a fastball, slamming into Daichi's outstretched glove at 108mph. If Ken hadn't already pitched a 111mph fastball earlier, this would have been his fastest pitch ever recorded.
Daichi threw the ball back quickly, waiting for the batter to get back in the batters box before calling for the next pitch.
PAH
"Strike."
"Count is 0-2."
Bran stepped out of the batters box once again, making his adjustments. This time however, he seemed to take much longer than before.
Meanwhile, Ken was on the mound doing his best to keep his composure. The pressure his body was enduring right now was crushing, yet all he could do was persist.
When Bran finally got into position, Ken didn't even wait for the lead from his brother.
He raised his leg and stepped forward, throwing the pitch with all of his might, as if hoping it would help ease the pressure on his body.
WHOOOOOOOOSH
PAHH!
The sound echoed within the arena.
"Strikeout!"