"112mph! It's a new record once again!"
"How does this guy keep doing it? We're in the 7th inning for goodness sake, doesn't Ken ever get tired?"
"Now that you mention it, I can see him breathing heavily on the mound right now. Do you think that last pitch drained his stamina?
"I'm not sure, but it doesn't seem like he is willing to take a step off the mound, nor does it look like Coach Williams wants to relieve him. This young man is putting Detroit on his back tonight."
"If they do end up winning the World Series today, the Ligers owe this man two championship rings after his performance tonight."
While the commentators were busy discussing Ken's condition, the man himself was suddenly assaulted by a draining fatigue the moment Bran was struck out.
It was already bad enough recovering from the effects of the Showdown skill, but now that the Limit Break penalty was added, Ken felt like he'd been run over by a truck.
He wobbled slightly as he bent down to collect the rosin bag, but managed to catch himself before he lost balance. Ken glanced up, trying to ensure that nobody saw him falter.
Unfortunately for him, his grandfather's eyes were locked onto his position. Even from so far away, Ken could see the worried expression of his coach.
Ken quickly raised a hand, gesturing to the man that he was okay.
"What is his pitch count?" Mark asked one of his assistant coach's nearby.
"That was his 82nd pitch, Coach."
Mark's fingers had made their way to his mouth and he began chewing on his nails, likely due to stress. His expression was torn, as if he was faced with a decision that he didn't want to make.
After a few moments, the announcer called for the next batter to come to the plate. That's when Mark stepped forward, getting the attention of the plate umpire.
Ken on the other hand was doing his best to stay upright on the mound. His vision blurred briefly, before returning to normal.
'This is worse than I expected. Since when was the penalty this bad?' Ken asked in his heart.
If he just had 5 minutes, Ken believed that he could get back to his top form. The problem was, they had 2 runners on base with 2 outs. There was no way he would be able to delay long enough until he could recover.
'Do I need to take myself off?' Ken thought.
The question left a bad taste in his mouth. He had gotten them into this pinch, so he most certainly wanted to get them out of it. But it might seem impossible right now.
'I'll take myself off.' Ken concluded, smiling wryly.
If he were to give up runs in this situation, Ken wouldn't be able to forgive himself. Knowing that he was not in the best condition, the best thing for him to do would be to step down.
Ken tossed the rosin bag aside and walked off the mound. Only now did he see that his grandfather was speaking to the plate umpire.
'Looks like Grandpa had the same idea as me.' Ken thought chuckling dryly.
"Substitution for the Detroit Ligers. Jake Foley will be replacing Ken Takagi as pitcher." The announcer called over the speakers a few moments later.
Without prompting, the entire arena got to their feet and applauded as Ken walked off the field. The applause was like rain as it fell from the top of the stands, covering him completely.
Ken raised his hand, acknowledging the crowd despite his disappointment. Part of being a professional athlete was knowing one's body and acting accordingly.
Ken could not guarantee his pitching with his body in its current state, this was why he decided to take himself off the mound. Such an act showed just how far Ken had come as both a teammate and a person.
Perhaps if this was just a few years ago, Ken might have decided to play through his fatigue, potentially putting the team in an even worse position because of it.
He shared a look with Daichi before walking past his grandfather. The man pat him on the shoulder silently, choosing not to say anything.
But Ken didn't need to hear anything, he could feel the care and concern from Mark, his coach and grandfather. The soft-hearted man would always place the health and wellbeing of his players above winning.
This was one of the reasons why he was respected by the players more than anyone in the organization. A true players' coach.
"Nice pitching out there man." Rohan said, patting him on the back, "I still can't believe you threw 112mph…"
"I did?" Ken blinked a few times, clearly not expecting this number.
"You didn't know? Surely you would have felt something in your last pitch?" Rohan asked with confusion.
Ken chuckled, "I've sort of been on autopilot this inning, that's why I took myself off after facing Bran. I didn't think I'd be able to keep it up." He said, taking a seat on the bench.
Rohan sat down beside him, nodding along to Ken's words. "Well you've probably secured the MVP for this game after your pitching performance and the grand slam you hit earlier. Congratulations." He said sincerely.
Ken shook his head, frowning. "The game isn't over yet, Rohan. Don't get complacent."
WHOOOOOOSH
THWACKK!
As he said this, an almighty sound caught their attention from the field, echoing within the dugout. The two snapped their gazes to the field, only to see the ball flying deep into center field.
Ryan Greene was chasing it hard, his back turned to the ball as he sprinted towards the back wall. Only when he was close enough did the guy turn to try and find the position of the ball.
Then with a leap, he jumped and kicked off the wall, launching himself straight up into the air.
Ryan thrust out his glove, placing it right in the path of the ball.
TAP
It struck the tip of his glove before bouncing over it, clearing the fence.