"Play Ball!"
The umpire made the call after receiving confirmation from Ryan that he was ready to start. At these words the crowd went into a frenzy, cheering out loudly for their home team.
Their national pride was on the line as they faced the seemingly unstoppable Japanese team who had blitzed their way through the group stages and super round.
"Batting 1st, Left outfield, Riku."
Riku seemed unaffected by the incessant cheering from the home crowd as he stepped into the batters box. The only thing on his mind was getting in base.
Leo stared him down for a few moments before giving the sign.
While the atmosphere in the crowd was filled with expectation, the field felt tense to all the other players. The grudge match for the US team would begin now.
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
A rocket-like fastball flew into the strike zone like a barrage from an artillery. Riku could have sworn he heard the cry of an eagle as the first pitch left Ryan's arm.
Uncle Sam seemed to be smiling down on the US team, giving them his blessing.
Riku's eyes widened, his gaze moving to the giant screen at the back of the stadium.
'99mph'
He paused for a moment before his arms began to shake slightly.
"Hehe, I'm starting to get excited." He mumbled.
Riku gripped his bat even tighter, determined to hit the next one.
Ryan's face was unreadable as he stood atop the mound like an General, looking down at his battlefield.
Ken felt his heart race in response as he saw the Ryan's face upon the big screen. He could remember this face clearly in his memories as the prodigious pitcher took the Major League by storm.
It was at this moment that he knew, things were going to be a lot harder than he thought.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
Riku seemingly stood no chance against the assault. Not only were the balls fast, they were elusive.
There was no longer any pattern to the leads, nor was anything telegraphed. Despite facing the battery in the last game, it was as if he was against two completely different players now.
Finally, the third ball was a wicked cutter which broke away from him. Even if his arms grew another 10cm longer, the bat still wouldn't have made contact.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout!"
Riku let out a small sigh before stepping out of the batters box. He'd struck out plenty of times before in his career, yet he would always take something away from the exchange.
Yet this time he was left confused. He was sure that they were the same type of pitches, but the courses felt as if they were unpredictable.
'Just what has changed?' He thought to himself.
Seeing the silent Riku, Masayuki didn't say a word. He knew the guy too well to worry about him. They wordlessly exchanged knuckles on the way past before it was the Captain's turn to face the assault of the US team.
Unfortunately for him, he faced a similar barrage, his bat nowhere close to the ball in all 3 pitches.
PAH
"Strikeout!"
Upon returning to the dugout, Ken waved both him and Riku over.
"What's his pitching like so far?"
Riku felt a little embarrassed, but he answered. "It's hard to explain. He's definitely pitching the same balls as last game, but the course seems slightly off."
Masayuki nodded in response, he felt the same.
"Yeah, it's almost like they're more unpredictable."
Ken was silent for a while, closing his eyes for a brief moment. On the outside it looked like he was thinking deeply, however he was using his memory recall.
He'd watched plenty of Major League games even after getting injured, usually while playing a mobile game on his phone. This was how he passed the time if he wasn't drinking after work.
He scoured his memories, drowning out all the other noises around him.
In the next moment, his eyes suddenly opened, yet his face turned grave.
'Damn it… Has my interference sped up his progress?' Ken thought.
In his previous life, it wasn't until halfway through his rookie season that Ryan had a crazy growth in effectiveness. He was almost written off as a failed prospect after a slew of bad games.
His memories told him that the guy had taken a few weeks off before returning with an unpredictable fastball. It was similar to the lively fastball skill that Ken had, yet a little different.
Ryan could manipulate the course of his fastball and breaking balls by slightly altering his grip on the ball. While it was only minute changes that he made, it could completely alter the course of the ball, stumping batters.
His dynamic use of this technique was what propelled him back into the spotlight, nabbing him the rookie of the year honors despite his poor start to the season.
While those pitches didn't seem like they were up to the standard of his Major League potential, the guy was only 17 years old right now.
At some point, Ken had completely ignored his impact on future events. Too much had changed from his previous life to be able to predict what would happen in the future.
It seemed that the utter humiliation Ryan had received in their last game worked as a catalyst to speed up his progress.
Ken massaged his temples briefly, trying to digest the conclusion he'd come to.
'I've created a monster…' he thought inwardly.
"Ken, what is it?" Masayuki's expression stiffened upon seeing Ken's reaction. He trusted his opinion tremendously, despite only being a freshman.
"This game is going to be tough, but we might have a chance. Keep an eye on his pitching throughout the game, make him pitch as many times as you can." Ken said, his mind racing.
"Alright, we'll do our best." Riku replied.
"Should we tell the coach?" Masayuki asked, showing a little concern.
Ken nodded. While he had the Academic trait to rely on, it couldn't make up for the 3 decades of pro baseball experience the coach had.