But he quickly shook his head. There was no way that a pitcher this good could be the person who he'd seen earlier. If that was the case, then he should just retire from baseball altogether since it would be too unfair.
Despite coming to this conclusion, he was still rather wary of the pitcher on the mound.
Unaware of the opposing bench's crisis, Ken rolled his shoulders, catching the ball the Steve threw back.
'Mmm, I'm feeling sharp today.' He mused inwardly, heading back to his mark.
The next ball was just as fast as the last, this time heading towards the inside. The batter was able to react in time, sending an errant swing that sailed over the top of the ball.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
"Damn it."
The batter cursed, feeling a sense of helplessness overcome him. But it wasn't until the next pitch that he truly understood how helpless he was.
Expecting the ridiculous speed of the previous fastball, he swung early.
WHOOOOOSH
…
PAH
There was a significant delay from when he swung and when the ball entered the catchers glove.
"Strikeout!"
"W—What the hell was that?" He exclaimed, looking at Ken as if he'd just seen a ghost. Even now he didn't understand what had happened.
"You ever heard of a changeup?" Steve replied, pulling his mask off just to give his trademark mischievous smile. To him, there was nothing more satisfying than seeing a batter swing so out of time.
Hearing this, the batter couldn't even reply.
"Okay, move along please." The plate umpire said, making a shooing gesture towards the batter.
Steve let out a chuckle, finding the situation hilarious. He would feel a little bad if this wasn't a national tournament, but they needed to advance so he could get plenty of eyes on him for college recruitment.
With his spirits broken, the lead-off batter for the Elite Squad walked back to the bench, still wearing a stupefied expression.
"Don't mind Brad." The next batter patted him on the shoulder on the way past, yet received no reply.
Unfortunately for the next batter, he too fell victim to Ken's ridiculous fastball. In only 3 pitches, he was quickly dispatched, forcing the next batter up to the plate.
"Nice pitching!" Steve said, throwing the ball back to Ken on the mound.
Ken felt great, letting out a contented sigh. 'There truly is nothing better than being on the mound.' He thought, picking up the rosin bag and flipping it around in his right hand.
His eyes moved past the next batter and locked onto Trent who was practicing his swing on deck. At just a glance, Ken could tell that the guy knew how to hit, but it was tough to understand just how well.
'Will he be able to make contact with my pitches?'
A part of Ken wished that would be the case. The main reason he was so invested in this tournament was to find better opponents, since the Texas tournament was so underwhelming.
Back in Japan he could play against his brother, and other powerhouse schools a few times a year. The level of competition back home seemed far more accessible compared to America, which surprised him.
Shaking his head, he turned his focus to the current game. In theory, the further he got through this tournament, the better his competition would be.
'So I just need to keep winning.' He thought simply.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
"Strike."
"Strikeout!"
"3 outs, changeover."
In only 9 pitches, Ken got through the first inning, striking out the first 3 batters with relative ease. Part of this was because of his domineering fastballs, but it was also in part thanks to Steve with his great leads.
If Ken were to just pitch fastballs down the middle, someone would hit them eventually, even if they were over 100mph. This was why Ken trusted his friend to make the right calls.
Of course, he trusted Daichi more. But there was no point in comparing the two since they had different play styles. Not to mention Daichi was just a freak talent from the beginning.
Steve on the other hand…
Ken looked at his friend as he made his way back to the bench, seeing him sending provoking glares towards the opposing them. He seemed to be enjoying their success much more than Ken.
Feeling a headache coming along, Ken massaged the bridge of his nose, trying to soothe it.
While there was some back and forth in Japan, the whole sport was rooted in respect. The bowing ceremony at the beginning and end of matches were just a small insight into how the country approached baseball.
Seeing that it was so different in America, Ken felt that it was a little uncouth. Not that he was in any position to speak up, especially since this was the birthplace of the sport.
However, he still believed that respecting one's opponent was paramount in baseball. So unless he was somehow provoked, Ken would continue to respect the other team, at least on a surface level.
"Hehe, did you see that first batter swing so early on your changeup?" Steve said, nudging Ken with his elbow on the way back to the bench.
"I was there man, I saw it." Ken replied, shaking his head with exasperation.
"Hmm? What's wrong with you."
"Just homesick I guess." He said dismissively.
"Well, it's Summer break. Why don't you go back for a couple of weeks after the tournament?" Steve suggested, shrugging his shoulders.
"Huh?" Ken froze, not expecting such a suggestion.
He had not thought of this at all. With the money he had from his Grandfather, he could easily afford it, and his parents would likely concede since they didn't have to pay. Technically he was an adult after all.
A grin formed on his face as he thought about seeing Ai very soon. Despite it only being just over two months, he missed her like crazy.
Ken draped an arm over Steve's shoulder and laughed, "Ya know, I was wrong about you. You're actually pretty smart when you want to be."
"O—Oi, that's rude."