"I was hoping he'd be able to make it today…" Tatsuya admitted, looking downcast.
Kenji paused, not knowing what to say. He had also been in a bit of a mood after not seeing his father in the crowd, so it would be hypocritical to admonish his cousin for the same thing.
"I think Grandma is filming, so make sure you hit it big so you can brag to your dad after alright?" He said eventually, patting the teen on the shoulder.
Tatsuya nodded eventually, though his reaction didn't seem all that enthusiastic.
With no time to spare, Kenji grabbed his wooden bat and ascended the stairs onto the field. He weighed the bat in his hand and entered his stance, taking a few practice swings.
Unlike his father and uncle who were power hitters, Kenji was a lead-off batter or someone who would be referred to as a table setter. His ability to make contact with any pitch and his running speed were a big reason why he was sought after by so many scouts.
Of course a big part of his allure was that his father was a future hall of famer, but that would only get him so far. Kenji had all the foundations to be a stellar player when he grew up.
PAH
"Strikeout!"
Very quickly, the first batter from Detroit Elite was struck out in only 3 pitches. He turned back to the dugout with his head lowered, clearly disappointed that he couldn't at least get a hit.
On the way past, Kenji wordlessly pat him on the shoulder before heading towards the batters box himself. As soon as he stepped up to the plate, the entire crowd went silent.
Many of the scouts leaned forward in their chairs subconsciously, not wanting to miss anything.
The first pitch came, a slider to the outside.
PAH
"Ball."
Kenji watched it go into the glove before taking a step back from the batters box and adjusting himself. When he returned, he glanced at the spot where his father was standing against the fence and grinned.
He then tapped the bat on home plate and the tip of his cleats before squaring up once more.
This was his father's batting ritual at the plate. While Kenji's normal ritual was different, by reenacting his father's ritual, his intentions were clear at this moment.
"This kid…" Ken muttered letting out a dry chuckle.
WHOOOOOOSH
WHACKK!
The ball was struck cleanly, the sound of the collision echoing in the arena. Without even watching the ball, Kenji tossed the bat aside in one smooth motion and began his sprint towards first base.
By the time the ball had touched the ground in the outfield, the teen was just about to round first base. If BPA wasn't swift, he had the potential to get a triple from a simple outfield hit.
As Kenji was sprinting towards 2nd, the fielder finally collected the ball and threw it towards the infield. Unfortunately for BPA, the throw was short, forcing the 2nd baseman off the bag to collect it.
"GO GO GO!" Ken shouted, feeling his heart rate surge.
Not missing a beat, Kenji shot towards 3rd base with speed. His long legs and surprising agility made it seem like he was the only adult on a field full of children.
With a deft slide, he made it safely onto 3rd base a few moments before the the ball.
"ORYAHHHH!" Kenji pumped his fist, letting out a yell.
Ken who was just as hyped as his son, suddenly froze. It seemed that his son had also stolen Makoto's catchphrase at some point.
Kenji turned to his father and grinned, flashing him a thumbs up from 3rd base. All he could do was shake his head and laugh, realizing that his son indeed took after him.
The kid had managed to squeeze out a triple when the ball had not even gone that deep into the outfield. Both his speed and field awareness were top notch, something that one wouldn't expect from a 15 year old.
But it would be all for nothing if they couldn't get on base.
"What did I miss?" A familiar voice called from behind Ken.
"The whole game… What took you so long? Did you get lost?" Ken replied to Steve who had only now arrived after parking the car.
Steve groaned, "You try finding a car park on this damn field. Even when we played here back then, there was plenty of parking spaces…"
"Well, as you can see it's tied and Kenji is now on base." Ken said, pointing to his son not far away on 3rd.
"KENJI!" Steve called out loudly, raising his hand in the air and waving.
Kenji turned and saw Steve, shooting him a smile and waving back before turning his attention to home plate.
"Dude what are you doing? They're in the middle of a game…" Ken said, nudging his friend in the ribs with his elbow.
Steve shrugged off the pain of the elbow and shook his head, "Don't worry, your son won't get distracted this easily." He said proudly.
"My daughter on the other hand…" Steve added bitterly.
Ken raised his eyebrow, not understanding what his friend was implying. But before he could ask, his eyes widened in shock as the next batter stepped onto the field.
"Tatsu!? What's he doing in this game?" He said in disbelief.
"Eh? My other precious nephew is playing? Why does he look so small compared to the other guys…" Steve added in surprise.
"He's 13… Why is he playing in the 15U tournament?" Ken asked.
"Because he's too good to play in 13U." A voice cut through the atmosphere, surprising both Ken and Steve.
The two snapped their heads towards the new arrival, seeing Daichi grinning at them.
"Bro… Aren't you meant to be playing tonight? What are you doing here in Georgia?" Ken asked, almost not believing his eyes.
"You think I'll miss my son's walk off home run? Not a chance." Daichi replied with a chuckle.
"It sure doesn't look like he's about to hit a walk off home run…" Steve added, pointing to the guy who looked extremely nervous. His eyes moved through the crowd, as if searching for a figure that he knew would not be there.
"He's just nervous, he'll be fine." Daichi said, waving it off.
WHOOOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
All three men shared a gaze as Tatsuya missed a meatball down the middle.
"Are you sure bro?"