Sam sucked in a cold breath of air after experiencing the fastball firsthand. It wasn't just the intense speed, the ball felt alive as it flew through the air like a dragon riding upon the clouds.
Yet instead of being intimidated, a dumb grin appeared on his face.
"I wanna hit it…" He muttered.
There was nothing that got Sam more excited than smashing a tough ball into the stands. The harder the ball was to hit, the more he obsessed about wanting to hit it.
His imposing figure seemed to grow larger as he glared with excitement towards Ken on the mound. Sam's blue eyes seemingly shined, reflecting the afternoon sun brightly from the batters box.
Both Daichi and Ken felt a shift in the atmosphere, giving them a sense of foreboding.
If Sam wasn't intimidating before, he sure was now.
Daichi glanced at the large figure and debated which pitch to request. The US batters were still on their first at-bat, which meant the more pitches they could conceal, the better it would be in the long run.
However, there was a part of Daichi that was worried about getting hit.
Just as he was about to give his sign, he saw a wide grin on Ken's face. He wore an expression that said he wouldn't cower, even when faced with the devil himself.
'Heh, why am I stressing over nothing?' Daichi asked himself.
'Let's kick his ass with fastballs.'
Ken nodded, liking his brothers enthusiasm. They couldn't afford to be scared now, not when it was only the first inning.
He let the pitch go, aiming for an inside course.
Sam's eyes widened, yet his face still wore a dumb grin.
'I want to hit it!'
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike!"
"Hehehehe."
Both the umpire and Daichi exchanged odd glances as they heard the large figure begin to laugh. It was an odd laugh, one that you wouldn't expect from a guy the size of Sam.
"Throw it again… Please."
Sam turned to Daichi, asking for another fastball. However, since Daichi knew very little English, there was no way that he could understand him.
"Err, Hallo." He replied.
The two looked at each other blankly for a few moments, both of their faces showing confusion.
Daichi let out his pent up breath after the hulking teen shook his head and turned back around to face the mound.
'Damn, I really need to learn English…' He thought inwardly.
Ken received the ball, not knowing about the awkward dialog exchanged between the two. The count was currently 0-2 with 2 outs, 1 more strike would end the first inning.
"Throw me another fastball!" Sam yelled out.
Since the catcher could not understand him, he hoped that the pitcher would.
Ken blinked a few times in disbelief.
'Is he trying to play mind games? Or does he really want another fastball?'
"Hey, enough of that. Get back into position." The umpire called out, getting Sam's attention.
There were plenty of eyes on this game, the umpire didn't want the game to devolve into chaos, especially since this was an under 18 tournament.
"Haha, sorry sorry." Sam replied, sending a smile to the umpire.
He had gotten a little carried away with his antics. Unfortunately he had trouble controlling himself when it came to exciting pitches.
Funnily enough, Sam was completely different when he was off the baseball field. Many of his friends and family knew him as a big teddy bear who was a bit of a goofball.
Ken shook his head in amusement, taking his position back on the mound.
'If you want a fastball then I'll give you a fastball…'
In the next moment he entered his wind up, the ball flying from his fingertips shortly after, spinning wildly.
Daichi narrowed his eyes and tried to follow the course of the ball with his glove. The lively fastballs were the most difficult for him to catch, especially because of how much movement they had.
'YES!'
Sam's body jolted with excitement as he saw the ball approach. He could feel the breakneck speed of the pitch coming towards him, filling him with more and more anticipation.
He longed to feel what hitting Ken's pitch would be like.
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout!"
Unfortunately for him, he wouldn't get the chance to experience it, at least not in this inning.
Stuck in his follow through, Sam let out a small grunt of displeasure. Yet it quickly turned back into excitement as he remembered he'd get another chance soon.
"3 outs, changeover!"
"Yay! Go Ken!" Yuki cheered loudly, waving her Japanese flag that she'd brought over from home.
She had a great seat near first base, yet it wouldn't have mattered if she was in the second row, Ken still would have heard her.
With a smiling expression, Ken waved to her. He couldn't ask for more in this World Cup final. Not only was he the starting pitcher, his parents were also both in attendance.
A part of him felt like this was his peak, like he would be content if everything ended after this match.
'Wait what am I thinking?'
Ken quickly caught himself. Why was he thinking such things right now? Especially since he still had his whole career ahead of himself.
Perhaps if he was his old self, he might be content with such an ending. Yet he had his second chance, along with the Major League System to help him.
As his thoughts moved to his system, Ken suddenly felt a thread of guilt begin to weave around his heart. It was only for a moment, but he began to doubt all of his achievements so far.
Pitching a perfect game at Koshien, taking home the winners trophy as well. Getting onto the Japanese National team, and even pitching right now…
Was he in this place right now because of the system? The obvious answer was yes.
As his thoughts began to spiral, he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder, snapping him out of his reverie.