Ken walked up to the batters box with a determined gaze. He locked eyes with Hiroki upon first base who looked to be a little anxious, but who could blame him.
It was 2 outs in the 9th inning and Japan were losing by a single run. The game was literally resting on Ken's shoulders, a freshman and débutante on the U18 world stage.
All eyes in the arena and dugout were focused on him in that moment, waiting to see if he could pull off a miracle and turn the game around.
Ken would be lying if he said that he didn't feel any pressure. All of his teammates hopes were carried on his back, weighing down heavily on his psyche.
Yet amidst all of this, a smile crept onto his lips.
This was what he had dreamed of, what he'd been preparing for all this time. As a pitcher, he was used to being heavily scrutinized by everyone, this scenario was no different.
Only that he was on the opposite side this time.
'Why did we have to get this guy last.' Guillermo commented in his heart. Ken was probably only person that he was wary of left in the batting line up for Japan.
He thought for a while before letting out a small sigh.
Guillermo got to his feet and waved at the pitcher, calling for a walk.
'E-EH!?'
Ken's eyes bulged as he looked at the Cuban catcher, not believing what he was seeing. Suddenly cold sweat poured down his back as he panicked tremendously.
'W-Wait a moment! Where is this guy's pride?'
He had expected the teenagers of the Cuban National Team to have a sense of pride, or at least cajones. Even Japan had not walked either of the Lopez twins throughout the game, showing off their gigantic stones.
"What!? They're walking him?" Chris shouted in surprise, his expression almost mirroring his sons.
Coach Takashi frowned. He had been keeping an eye on the Cuban coach all this while and knew that there were no signals sent out to the field, which meant this was completely the catchers decision.
It wasn't just the two coach's who were up in arms, the Japanese bench were going crazy.
"Boo!"
"You call yourselves men? Ptooi!"
"Cuba? More like… COWARDS" Aki shouted, yet he received a few questioning looks.
The small crowd also didn't seem to appreciate the decision and called out their frustrations. The game was about to reach the most exciting part, yet it was marred by such a controversial decision.
Ken turned to Antonio, wanting to gauge his reaction. He almost breathed out an audible sigh of relief as he saw the torn expression on the guy's face.
'Yes yes! Tell him you don't want to walk me. Face me head on!' Ken screamed in his mind.
However, after hesitating for a few moments, he seemed to accept the decision and threw an overhand ball into the waiting glove of Guillermo.
"Ball."
'DAMN IT.'
Ken truly felt panicked in that moment. He turned his attention to the side of the field and saw who Aki who was next up to bat digging something out of his nose vigorously.
'No no, I can't let them walk me.' He thought. There was no way he would trust Aki with the final at-bat of the game.
He quickly tried to compose himself, trying to think of a way to stoke the competitive fire in the Cuban battery.
"Ball."
'Crap! Time is running out.'
Ken let out a deep sigh filled with disappointment, lowering his bat until the top end rested on the ground.
"So this is Cuba's answer to a real threat huh? To run away." He shook his head, doing his best to sound like he was let down.
Guillermo frowned at the words directed his way, feeling as if he was being made fun of. Yet he ignored him, or at least tried to.
"Oh man, and here I thought that the respected team who has the most U18 World Cup wins wouldn't shy away from a challenge. Guess I was wrong since you're dodging me like this."
Ken's words were harsh, almost too much. They dug at the players pride in their nation, as well as the hot blooded nature of youths.
Before Antonio could throw the next ball, Guillermo moved his glove and held his other hand up to stop him.
"What did you just say!? Are you talking crap?"
The plate umpire had heard all the words of the youth and couldn't help but side with him. Therefore he didn't interject, wanting to see what would happen.
Ken shrugged, trying to act as if he didn't care either way.
"I mean, if that's the way Cuba wants to win their games, then by all means please continue. It was my mistake for thinking that you guys were honorable."
Of course Ken was just talking out of his rear. Guillermo was well within his rights to walk him as a batter, many professional teams did this to minimize the risks, especially in such a circumstance.
Yet just because it was a viable strategy, that didn't mean that he wanted it to happen to him.
Guillermo was flustered for a moment and he tried to retort.
"I— Y-You… You bastard take that back!" He said as he grit his teeth. It was clear that he had pride in his home country, therefore hearing someone talk smack right in front of his face was enough to get his blood boiling.
'But if we face him and he hits… We might lose.' He thought, looking torn.
On one hand was his pride, and in the other was the game. Which was more important in that moment.
"Let him hit!"
The shout echoed over the field, causing everyone to turn their heads to the source of the sound.
Ken too turned his gaze, trying to locate his savior amidst the chaos.
'Jorge?'
Surprisingly it was Jorge on 2nd base who had shouted these words, single handedly reopening the door for Japan to win the ballgame.