"Graham Soto is struck by a blistering line drive and goes down! Oh no, things don't look good for the Ligers."
There was pandemonium on the large screen within the bar as the camera zoomed out, showing the field. Bran was running towards first base and Gary was just about to cross home plate to score the tying run.
"NO!"
Cries of disappointment echoed out within the bar as the Blue Marlin's crossed home plate to tie up the game.
"Gary Cooper reaches home before the ball is even collected by the Ligers. It looks like Jose Baez is coming to collect the ball from the mound, but it might be too little too late at this point."
"What's this? Graham is getting to his feet slowly."
"Huh? He threw it to 3rd base?"
"He must have been hit in the head. If he'd thrown it to second, he could have got Bran out with some time to spare. Truly a shame."
As the commentators discussed the play, the professional players at Hiroki's table were visibly confused. This was even more the case when they saw Graham's reaction after making the throw to 3rd.
"Why is he celebrating? They just lost a run…" Riku stated.
"Maybe he got hit by the ball…"
However, Hiroki was frowning, seemingly deep in thought.
"What if he caught the ball? That would be the only reason why it would make sense to throw it back to 3rd." He said, breaking through the atmosphere.
"There's no way he caught that. That fired back at him like a bullet." Masayuki shook his head in reply.
However, the commentators tone changed in the next moment. Since it was a Japanese broadcast, they were obviously biased towards the Ligers.
"What's this? We're being told that the play is under review at the request of the Ligers Coach. What could they possibly be reviewing?"
But as soon as the replay was shown, the confusion was completely dispelled.
"Oh my goodness! Graham Soto has somehow caught the ball under enormous pressure! How did he manage to hold onto that ball?"
"NO WAY!"
The entire bar went into a frenzy, cheers ringing out from everyone within.
"NEXT ROUND IS ON ME!" The owner of the establishment jumped up on the bar and shouted loudly for what was now the 3rd time this game. It was clear just how ecstatic he was with the result.
"Wait… If the ball was caught, doesn't that mean the runner on 3rd should have tagged up before running home?" Shiro asked, his tone uncertain.
As someone who played catcher for numerous years, Shiro had a decent understanding of the game. But perhaps because he had quite a few drinks that morning, his thoughts were slow.
"Mmm, that's exactly what should have happened. If the runner on 3rd didn't tag up after the catch was made, then throwing to 3rd was the right move. This play could essentially be the end of the game." Hiroki replied, almost not believing his own words.
The pressure had been mounting all game, especially after the Ligers gave up the 3-run home run to Miami. In the final inning, it looked like Miami were going to tie it up, coming back at the last moment to try and steal the game away.
But in a crazy turn of events, it looked like the game might have abruptly ended in a way no one thought possible.
"Graham Soto has done a wonderful job to keep control of the ball, even after being hit in the head. What's even more amazing is that he had the intelligence to throw it to 3rd."
"As we continue to watch the replay, I really don't see how the review committee could argue with the facts. The camera angle clearly shows the ball being controlled by Graham, even when he falls to the ground."
If the biased Japanese commentators thought so, it had to be true right?
At least this was what the patrons of the bar in Tokyo thought.
Makoto returned to the table, dutifully carrying 6 more beers. Hiroki, Yusuke, Masayuki and Riku shot him a look, this was all it took for him to hand over the drinks.
It was clear that he didn't wish to be beaten again.
While the review was being finalized, the bar was forced to wait patiently. This meant that the owner was suddenly inundated with patrons coming up to collect the drinks he'd offered.
Even after 10 minutes, the place was still waiting for a decision. The same replay played over and over, showing the moment the ball entered the glove.
Anyone who had eyes could see that Gary Cooper was indeed not on the base at the time of the catch, nor did he return to 3rd and tag up before crossing home plate. Thus, if the call on the field was overturned, it would mean that the Ligers secured 2 outs in the play.
With 1 out already in the top of the 9th, these two outs would end the innings. And since the Ligers were batting last and were ahead on the scoreboard, they would not need to bat again.
"How come it's taking so long to make a decision? You can clearly see that the ball is caught on the replay." Riku complained, shifting uncomfortably.
"What's wrong with you? Do you need to piss or something?" Makoto slurred, looking the guy up and down.
"Shut up…"
Makoto laughed, almost spilling his beer for the 50th time today. "Just go to the toilet, they'll take at least another 5 minutes to make the decision." The bald headed guy assured Riku.
Riku seemed caught in indecision for a while before he finally nodded his head. He took one last look before running to the bathroom, leaving the others at the table.
"Heh, once you break the seal, the leaks never stop." He murmured with a smile.
As soon as Riku was gone, the commentators spoke up.
"It looks like we have a decision."