Ken saw Daichi call for the changeup and felt incredulous. Of course Daichi wouldn't know that he didn't have the ability to throw that ball unless showdown was active.
He could try, but he wasn't prepared to take such a risk at this moment. Not after they'd worked so hard to finally break the deadlock of the pitchers duel.
Therefore he shook his head in response to the lead.
Daichi frowned. He wasn't prepared to call for another fastball, so he made the sign for a curveball instead. Yet he received another no as response.
At this point Daichi was getting a little annoyed. Usually Ken would leave him to make the decisions and only occasionally reject his leads, but not this time apparently.
Forkball, no.
Fastball, no.
'What the hell do you want to throw then? Do you know any other pitches?' Daichi screamed internally, becoming rather annoyed.
"Ah…"
He suddenly remembered his conversation with Ken before the game. He'd been so shocked at the mention of a changeup that he had forgotten Ken had another pitch he'd yet to throw.
Daichi mumbled something about Ken being reckless before finally calling for the ball Ken wanted to throw.
Thankfully, Ken nodded before sending him an apologetic glance. He knew that he had annoyed his brother, but they needed to be sure of striking out Santiago.
Ken lifted his left leg up high, placing his hands together near his chest. With a powerful step forward, his arm whipped out, sending the ball towards the strike zone.
Santiago's eyes lit up, he saw the ball spinning wildly and deduced that it was another fastball.
'I'm hitting this one!'
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout!"
The bat fell short of the ball which seemed to slither away from the plate.
Santiago stood in place with shock for a few moments as he tried to understand what pitch he'd just faced.
"Was that a cutter? No it was too low…"
While Santiago was trying to figure it out, Mark, Chris and Coach Takashi had their jaws almost dislocate as they dropped simultaneously.
"SLIDER!? How many pitches does your son know? And why didn't you tell me!?"
The Head Coach's eyes shined in wonder as he grabbed Chris by the collar and began to swing him around. Due to their height and age difference it looked rather comical, but Chris was too stunned to speak.
Mark could only let out a small chuckle after coming to terms with what had just happened.
"Just what kind of monster have you been hiding…" Mark said, his gaze turning to his son in the other dugout.
Santiago made his way back to the dugout, still trying to figure out what pitch he was thrown out on. It was then that Mark placed his hand on the teen's shoulder and smiled.
"It was a slider, and a wicked one at that." He said simply.
A look of realization surfaced on Santiago's face. Since Ken's pitch was still so fast, the slider almost felt like a cutter in a way, confusing him a little.
"He's strong…"
"Mmm, and he's only gonna get better." Mark remarked with a hint of pride.
"I really wish we could see him more often. You know, before…" His words trailed off before he could finish his sentence.
Mark wasn't expecting those words from Santiago and was slightly taken aback. Throughout the World Cup he'd been too focused on work and his miraculous recovery to fully think things through.
No matter the result tonight, all of the World Cup teams would be returning to their home countries. This of course meant that Ken, Daichi, Chris and Yuki would be returning to Japan.
He felt a sense of loneliness that he had been repressing ever since becoming sick threaten to overwhelm him.
Mark also saw the look of sadness on his sons face and felt a mixture of emotions. He had not told Santiago of his cured status as of yet, wanting to surprise the whole family after the match today.
Yet he couldn't keep the news any longer knowing of his sons sorrow.
"Santiago… I have some news."
A few moments later, Santiago burst into tears, burying his face into his father's chest. His helmet was still on so the old man must have felt a little pain from the impact, but he took it in his stride.
It was punishment for withholding the information from his son.
On the field, Ken happened to look over and see the embrace. While many might think Santiago was hugging the coach since he was upset about getting out, Ken thought different.
'Does that mean he's healed?' Ken felt a seed of hope beginning to bloom inside of his heart, but he did not want to nurture it just yet.
It was a beautiful sight no matter who saw the scene. The perceived act of the coach consoling his player after being struck out on the biggest stage for Youth Baseball, it was truly touching.
Only now did the crowd remember that these were teenagers playing on the field right now. While they may be the next generation of professional players, they were still boys making the transition to adulthood.
Suddenly, the reactions to Ryan Smith's conduct were a little easier to forgive.
"Batting 2nd, Short stop, Ayden."
Everyone's attention was brought back to the field as Ayden's name was called over the speakers. He stepped into the batters box much like he did the last time, with very little faith in hitting the ball.
Ken's fastballs were just too tricky and too fast to hit.
WHOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
PAH
"Strike."
PAH
"Strikeout!"
Only a couple minutes after stepping into the batters box was Ayden sent back to the dugout with a self-deprecating smile on his face.
"Sorry Sammy, I still can't hit them." He said, feeling a little dejected.
"Don't worry Ayden, we'll get those runs back." Sam's deep voice rang out as he walked past his friend and onto the field.
"Batting 3rd, 3rd base, Sam."
As the big guy stepped into the batters box, he was wearing a big grin.