PAH
"Ball."
For the 3rd time in a row, Devonte didn't swing, allowing it into the catchers glove. Yet every time, he had been watching carefully, biding his time.
With the count 1-2, they were still in a good position. This time Steve called for a fastball on the top of the strike zone, holding his glove ready.
Ken felt a bad premonition in that moment, so he quickly shook his head. However, instead of calling for another ball, Steve kept his glove in the same spot, stubbornly refusing to yield.
Ken frowned. This wasn't like Steve, not at all.
Annoyed, Ken was inclined to call a timeout and get to the bottom of it, but he soon calmed down, letting out a sigh. It was clear that he would get nowhere right now.
'I guess I can use this as a test to see what happens if I go against my intuition skill.' He thought, nodding his head. At worst case, he would be thumped over the fence.
Ken sent his fastball directly for the glove, his eyes watching its course carefully. It flew through the air, moving as if it was alive.
Devonte's powerful figure sprung into action at last, pouncing upon the high ball.
WHOOOOSH
THWACKK!
The sound of the baseball being struck couldn't have sounded more clean. It was a perfect hit and left the bat at a great angle. Ken's gaze followed the ball in the air as it flew over the fence with ease.
'That had to be almost 400 feet…' Ken thought glumly. 'I guess that's what happens when I ignore my intuition.'
Throughout this life, he had not conceded many home runs, even less while he had his system. To be struck for a homer in his first game pitching in College stung a little, but it seemed like a necessary evil.
Ken turned his gaze back to Steve whose mouth was agape. Even from his position on the mound, he could see that the guy was remorseful.
What made things worse was that Devonte had flipped the bat, beating his chest in triumph as if to provoke Ken on the mound.
"This is my house rookie!" He shouted, his eyes locked onto Ken as he rounded the bases.
Ken let out a hollow chuckle, shaking his head. Even though the guy had hit a home run, his team was still down on the scoreboard. If the guys team still lost after this, Devonte would only look like an idiot.
A few of his teammates didn't take kindly to the excessive celebration. Kaden spoke a few colorful words to the guy on his way past, but things didn't escalate from there.
By the time he'd returned back to home plate, things settled down, at least on the field. The crowd was still cheering loudly, lauding the massive hit from the clean-up batter.
Ken was about to call timeout and have a chat to Steve, but he saw the coach walking onto the field to address the umpire and paled.
'No way… Is he taking me off after that?'
"Timeout please."
The coach walked over to the mound, beckoning Steve to come up with him. Ken was a little perplexed, but he waited until the two arrived.
"I thought you guys had been a battery before?" Coach Brown asked, though it was obviously rhetorical.
Steve lowered his gaze, obviously feeling guilty.
"Sorry coach, that ball wasn't my best." Ken said, "I won't let it happen again."
At this, Steve's eyes widened, not expecting Ken to take the blame. He looked at his friend and only felt shame.
Coach Brown looked between Ken and Steve, knowing there was something that he wasn't being told. However, he shook his head in the next moment before replying, "Just make sure you two are on the same page."
With that, he left the mound and returned towards the dugout. The coach seemed to have a 6th sense which allowed him a lot of insight in matters such as these.
Steve lingered for a moment, "I—I'm sorry man, you didn't have to—"
"Don't worry about it. If you want to win then we need to work together alright? Keep your head in the game, we can chat about this later."
Ken made a shooing motion to Steve, telling him to get back to his mark. Steve let out a small chuckle and did as he was told. He knew that Ken had taken the blame for him, likely because the coach would be more lenient on him.
This made him feel warm inside, allowing him to see his earlier mistake. He had been rather selfish after feeling that Ken no longer needed him. This paired with the guy waving off his leads had led to him making a stupid decision.
They both needed to trust each other, especially if Steve wanted to become the starting catcher at some point.
With his head now screwed on, Steve was ready to rumble.
"Batting 5th, numberrrr 7, Jose Chavez!"
With the earlier home run, the crowd was much more animated as Jose came up to bat. Unlike yesterday when they were behind by a large margin for most of the game, there was only a 1 run differential right now.
The guy stood in the batters box and got into position. His shoulders weren't as wide as Devonte's, but it was clear at a glance that the guy was a power hitter.
Instead of being skittish, Steve called for a fastball on the inside for the very first ball. Ken nodded and took up his stance.
WHOOOOSH
CLICK
The ball popped into the air above home plate, spinning crazily in the air. Steve flipped off his mask and followed the ball, his eyes never leaving it. Even with the barrier approaching, Steve committed and was able to get under it.
Pah
"Out!"
"Nice catch!"
"Hehe~" Steve's mischievous smile returned as he sent a glance to Ken on the mound. It seemed like the two had returned to normal.