As long as at least one person got a hit, he'd have another chance to bat in the 9th inning.
So he watched the first ball, scrutinizing it intently. It was the deadly slider right away, which seemed almost impossible to hit.
"Strike."
Ken's face never changed and he got back into position. There was no need to rush anything.
PAH
"Ball."
PAH
"Strike"
Now that the count was 1-2, he was in a tough position. However, seeing the last few balls gave him enough confidence to try and hit the next one.
Antonio entered his wind up and sent another sinker Ken's way, this time on the inside.
Ken's eyes locked onto the ball and knew that the angle was tricky. Even if he got a hit, it was likely going to be difficult to get any real distance from it.
He twisted his body and tracked down the trajectory while swinging through, intending to foul the ball and buy himself some more time.
DING
Unfortunately, he hadn't got enough of the ball and instead of going foul, it went straight back to the pitcher. Ken let out a small groan of annoyance before throwing the bat down and running to first base.
"Out."
However, he was easily beaten by the throw.
Ken shook his head, yet he decided to be satisfied with just making contact with the ball.
'I'll definitely get it next time.' He thought.
Once he returned, both Aki and Kuro didn't fair much better than him in their attempts. While Kuro had managed to foul the ball once, Aki hit nothing but air.
"3 outs, changeover!"
And thus, Japan returned to the field to start the 8th inning with the score still at 6-5 in favor of Cuba. They would be facing the 2nd batter Ricardo, which meant that the Lopez twins were not far behind.
Yet unsurprisingly, the Japanese players were filled with confidence with Ken now at the helm. Suddenly, keeping the two sluggers at bay didn't sound that hard to accomplish anymore.
Of course this was likely a result of Ken's charisma, paired with his Dauntless trait. But that was only part of the reason.
Ken was a player who held supreme confidence, or at least that's what it looked like to those who watched him. He never let his fear or anxiety show when on the mound, looking like a fierce warrior before battle.
"Batting 2nd, Left Outfield, Ricardo"
Daichi wasted no time, hitting the lead off batter with a nasty fastball which made his eyes spin.
"Strike!"
The guy wasn't even able to track the ball, let alone swing in time.
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!"
He was forced to retreat after only 3 balls. Not a single pitch was wasted since Ken appeared on the mound, showing just how aggressive and accurate the Japan battery was.
"Batting 3rd, 3rd base, Manuel."
Manuel approached the batters box, his expression serious.
Ken could already spot the weakness in the big guy's form, seeing that he was intimidated. To him, facing an opponent like this wasn't a challenge at all.
Daichi who was still wary from Manuel's big hits in the previous inning, called for a safer pitch, not wanting to push the envelope from the beginning. However, Ken shook his head, now was the time to go in for the kill.
Instead of getting annoyed, he could tell that his brother had something in mind.
'Eh? You want a fastball down the middle?' Daichi was stunned, not expecting such a decision from his usually calm and composed brother.
However, he trusted Ken and therefore got into position.
Ken felt his body heat up in excitement before sending a devastating fastball right down the lane. It was one of his fastest pitches yet, spinning wildly before entering the glove.
PAH
"Strike."
Despite a rather easy course, Manuel didn't even swing. For some reason he was full of hesitation.
"Manuel! What are you doing!?"
Jorge shouted from the side of the field, his tone filled with annoyance. From his vantage point, his brother should have at least swung at the obvious strike.
"Ah."
Only after hearing his brothers voice did Manuel seemingly snap out of his mood. It seemed that the pressure exerted from Ken had caused him to lose a big chunk of his confidence.
Although he was still rather wary, he managed to straighten up and correct his form. He gripped onto the bat tightly as his eyes focused back on Ken.
'Oh so you're awake now?' Ken thought with a chuckle.
"Just as well… I need to pay you back for earlier." He muttered.
Ken's eyes flashed with determination as he accepted Daichi's lead. This time it was a forkball, aiming for the middle of the strike zone once again.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
Manuel's impressive strength sent his bat flying towards the spot where the ball had been thrown last pitch. If it had been a fastball at 90mph instead of a forkball, he would have definitely made contact and sent the ball into the stands.
"Strike."
"Nice pitch!"
Daichi returned the ball to Ken who felt a smirk creep onto his lips. The next ball would send Manuel back to the dugout.
Ken nodded before raising his leg and stepping forward with dangerous intent.
The ball propelled itself from his fingertips on a straight course, yet it broke away from the batter at the last moment.
WHOOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout!"
Manuel held his follow through, feeling a wave of disappointment overcome him. It wasn't often that he was unable to make contact with a pitch when he was at bat, especially in high school.
Not once did it feel like he could hit those pitches thrown at him. If this wasn't the World Cup, he might feel even more depressed.
As he left the batters box, he sent a final glance to Ken as if to burn his features into his mind.
'I guess the world is a big place." He said, giving Ken the respect he deserved.