Ken walked up to the batters box, wielding his new bat. His nose was stuffed with wads of gauze, making it difficult to breathe, but at least blood wasn't pouring down anymore.
Thankfully his eyesight was fine, meaning he had no excuse not to smash this next pitch out of the park.
He stepped into the box and completed his pre-hit ritual, tapping home plate and the toes of his cleats. The feedback felt slightly different, lacking the bounce that came from a metal bat.
Ken got into his stance, standing square to the pitcher. After mentally ensuring that his stance was correct, he turned his head and stared down the guy on the mound.
He waited patiently, adjusting his grip on the bat.
A moment later, the pitcher entered his wind up and sent a ball to the inside with some speed. Ken's eyes widened and he was forced to lunge backwards, falling on his backside as he dodged the ball.
"Oi, that's a warning! Try that again and you'll be gone." The plate umpire roared, pointing directly at the pitcher.
These umpires were specifically selected for the WWBA tournament and were professionals. Their job was to ensure that the game was fair, but also safe since those competing were all top prospects.
There was a lot of pressure on their shoulders, making them even more sensitive to such plays.
Ken was flabbergasted for a moment. 'Did he just intentionally try and hit me?'
He had to almost leap backwards to avoid the ball, otherwise it would have landed right in his rib cage, doing some serious damage. A surge of irritation crept up from inside, causing his expression to stiffen.
Without a word, Ken got to his feet and took up his position once more. Yet this time, there was a dangerous light in his eyes.
Accident or not, that last pitch was dangerous. Not to mention that the pitcher didn't even look to be apologetic on the mound. The guy simply rolled his shoulders and got back into position, a small grin pulling up the corner of his lips.
'I see how it is…'
Now filled with even more motivation, Ken patiently waited for the next ball.
The pitcher entered his wind up, sending the next ball rocketing towards the outside. Based on the spin and trajectory, it was the same cutter that got past Latrell earlier.
Ken's eyes tracked the ball, already knowing where it would go.
His body sprung into action. Ken felt the weight of the bat accelerate as he planted his foot and twisted his body, generating tremendous torque as he swung hard and fast.
WHOOOOOOSH
WHACK!
"Tch."
Ken's hands stung after hitting the ball. Since he hadn't hit the sweet spot in the middle, the feedback felt jarring, something that he was not used to.
He watched the ball sail into the air and over the fence, but no one celebrated.
"Foul."
The crowd broke into mixed reactions as the ball landed foul.
"W—What power…"
"Man that was so close."
Both Latrell and Nico on base felt that it was regretful, especially after the pitcher had thrown a bean ball in the previous pitch. It would have been sweet poetic justice to send the next ball over for a home run.
However, they quickly got over it. Ken had the capability to send almost any ball over the fence, there would be another opportunity.
'Steve was right, the contact point is less forgiving.' Ken mused, looking at his bat briefly.
The pitcher on the other hand let out a sigh of relief. He had been shocked the moment he saw Ken easily make contact with one of his best pitches. Besides Ken's tall stature, the guy didn't look like he had such power.
However, he was far more wary now. In fact, if first base was free, he would have probably walked Ken. Unfortunately, his team was in a pinch right now and desperately needed an out.
The pitcher nodded, accepting the lead from the catcher and quickly entered his wind up. The ball whipped out from his fingertips, on course for the top of the strike zone.
If Ken wasn't so good at reading pitches, he might have swung low, hitting an easy fly ball to the infield. Unfortunately for them, his enhanced mental capacity allowed for quick calculations in both velocity and spin.
"Hup!"
Ken dug his foot in, twisting his body. His muscles condensed, squeezing out every bit of strength they could muster in that moment. With the added weight of the bat, his swinging speed was terrifying.
WHOOOOOOSH
THWAAACK!
He followed through, feeling a sense of satisfaction run through his whole body. It was clear that he'd hit the ball in the sweet spot of the barrel since everything had felt so clean and crisp.
Ken felt like he didn't even have to watch the ball which was flying into center-right field, but he still did. His eyes lingered on it for a few moments before a big grin crept on his face.
He turned to the pitcher and mumbled something in Japanese before casually throwing his bat to the side so he could begin his victory lap.
The ball easily cleared the fence, to the point where even if the center outfielder was on a 15 foot ladder, he wouldn't have been able to touch it. This was probably the biggest home run that Ken had ever hit, and his first with a wooden bat.
Ken casually jogged around the bases, his heart filled with happiness. By the time he arrived back at home plate, Nico and Latrell were waiting for him, wearing beaming smiles.
"Nice homer."
Once he stepped on home plate, they celebrated, dishing out high fives left, right and center. This played out again when they returned to the bench, with the rest of the team joining in on the festivities.
"You should have hit a line drive back to the pitcher…" Steve said, his face showing his usual mischievous smile.
"Next time." Ken replied with a grin.