Would he swallow his pride and walk Ken despite being provoked over and over again?
A grin crept onto Ken's face as he felt it was unlikely.
Ryan's face was expressionless upon the mound, giving nothing away. After a few moments, he nodded and entered his wind up, sending a throw that caused Ken's eyes to open wide in shock.
Pah~
"Ball"
There was silence around the arena before all hell broke loose.
"BOO!~"
"Are you serious!? It's the finals of the World Cup!"
"No way!"
It was clear to everyone in attendance that the ball was an intentional walk and that Ryan had given up on challenging Ken.
'No way… He's swallowing his pride?' Ken thought, blinking his eyes a few times in astonishment.
Yes it was true that walking him was the most optimal move, but that didn't mean it was an easy decision to make. Ryan was still a teenager, and subject to the scrutiny of the American public.
While walking batters was an effective strategy even in the MLB, many fans looked at it as the cowards way out.
For him to make such a decision in favor of his team, showed just what kind of mindset he had.
But instead of freaking out or cursing him, Ken laughed out loud.
"Hahahaha! So that is your decision Ryan… Very interesting."
While this decision for him to get walked indeed wasn't good for their team, it told Ken all he needed to know about the current Ryan Smith.
The guy who took the Major's by storm had never intentionally walked a batter, regardless of circumstances. His pitching style was overbearing and full of confidence, never backing down in such situations.
Ever since the 2nd half of his rookie season, Ryan became a pitcher who was feared by the best in the world.
Yet looking upon the younger version on the mound now, Ken knew that he wasn't even close to the player he was capable of being.
'If he's that weak-willed, we still have a chance this game.' He thought, a cocky smile appearing on his face.
Hearing Ken's shout in addition to the jeering of the crowd, Ryan was under significant pressure on the mound. He grit his teeth, wanting nothing more than to shut everyone on the stadium up with his pitching.
He looked to Leo who seemed to be an emotionless statue, unperturbed by the crowd's displeasure. He hadn't even bothered to squat behind home plate, remaining standing while in the catchers box.
'You bastards…'
Ryan gripped the ball tightly in his hand before sending an overarm thrown to Leo, far from the strike zone. The ball floated in the air leisurely before being collected by the catcher.
"Ball."
Ken was still wearing his cocky smile, seemingly enjoying the process of being walked. He lifted his left wrist as if checking the time on his non-existent watch. This gesture seemed to elicit a few laughs from the crowd, which further annoyed Ryan on the mound.
Hiroki was standing on 3rd base with a confused expression.
'Why is Ken acting like that? Is he trying to goad Ryan into facing him?'
Even Daichi was perplexed at Ken's antics. While his brother was known to try and rile up the opposing teams, he was generally not this disrespectful.
It was then that Ken and Hiroki's gazes met. The instant they locked eyes, Hiroki could feel a burning sensation, causing his whole body to shiver unconsciously.
'What!? Is he planning something?'
Although Ken's face still wore the playful smile, his eyes were telling Hiroki to get ready.
Hiroki fidgeted a few times, not understanding what was going to happen, but eventually he managed to calm down. In order to not alert the gorilla Sam standing on 3rd base, he let out a sigh, as if accepting his team's fate.
Although it seemed he didn't need to be so careful since the guy was busy chatting with the 3rd base coach.
Ken stepped back into the batters box and got into position, yet before Ryan could begin his throw, Ken lowered his bat.
"Ah, there's no point even pretending to receive the ball."
Leo frowned, but he quickly brushed off these words. No matter how much complaining Ken did in the batters box, it wouldn't have an effect on his calls, not when the World Cup was at stake.
Ryan too seemed to have had enough of the guy, throwing another looping overarm throw to Leo.
Pah~
"Ball."
With that pitch the count was now 3-0, meaning one more ball would send Ken over to 1st base. The jeers of the crowd continued, yet they fell upon deaf ears.
Chris and the Head Coach weren't too pleased with the decision, but it wasn't as if they could do anything about it. They would have to depend on Atsushi to try and send at least one runner home in the next at-bat.
Ken looked around nonchalantly, as if he was bored with what was happening.
Yet his eyes were filled with something else entirely…
Fighting spirit.
"Let's just get this over with." Ken said, lifting the bat above his head and stretching his back casually.
While it could be said that Ken was being disrespectful, no one called him out on his behavior. If anything, the crowd had empathy for the Japanese star who had faced every US batter throughout the entire match so far.
Ryan could only grit his teeth once more and make the final throw to mark the intentional walk. He felt that his ego was bruised for doing such a thing, but he had already made his decision.
'It's all for the World Cup…' He said inwardly.
As soon as the throw left his fingertips, there was a sudden shift in the atmosphere. As the ball floated in the air, Ryan's eyes widened as he saw Ken position himself with his toes on the line of the batters box.
'Eh?'
Everything seemed to slow down in front of him as Ken's long limbs swung at the ball from the confines of the batters box with ill intent.
WHOOOOSH
DONG!
"W-WHAT!?"