Ryan took a seat on his brown leather lounge chair, letting out a sigh of contentment as he could finally relax. With the extra work he'd been putting in ahead of his call up to the Miami Blue Marlin's, he was a little sore.
He stretched a little before grabbing the TV remote and switching it on, flicking through the channels absentmindedly. He didn't often watch television, but he wanted some background noise to fill the empty house.
After renewing his contract, he could finally afford his own place. While it was still some distance from the Blue Marlins home field, it was certainly better than room sharing.
It had been a hard road ever since that fateful day where he escaped his father's clutches. The backlash was swift and the consequences dire. With his college eligibility compromised due to reneging on his alleged commitment to Kansas State University, he had little options remaining.
If it wasn't for Leo who had not only housed him, but also given him the advice he needed, there was no doubt that he would have been forced onto the streets.
He was also the one who supplied Ryan with the invitation to the closed tryouts for the Miami Blue Marlins. As a man with nothing to lose, he managed to impress the coaching staff enough to secure a minor league contract.
Starting from their Single-A team the Jupiter Hammerheads, Ryan worked his way through the trenches, living from paycheck to paycheck. The contract would only last a year, meaning their was no time to relax.
He was swiftly promoted to the Double-A team and performed well, giving the organization enough confidence to send him into their Triple-A side.
This was where things became complicated.
Not only did the team have an experienced ex-Major League pitcher, he was also quite harsh on the young Ryan. Instead of being a good veteran, the guy held the younger teammates in contempt.
For a while, the two clashed and Ryan's performance dipped as a result. There was a time where he almost got sent back down to the Double-A team, scaring him dearly.
After this, Ryan yielded. If he wanted a chance at making it to the Blue Marlins, he needed to focus on getting better himself, not worrying about what other people thought.
But no matter how much he tried, he didn't receive the call up that he had been desperately waiting for. In fact, his contract had all but expired, meaning he would either have to negotiate for another minor league contract, or be released from the organization.
Just when all seemed lost and the expiration date approached, he received a call. The general manager of the Blue Marlins called him personally, asking if he was ready to be called up to the Major League.
Ryan almost burst into tears on the spot, feeling all of the hardships overwhelm him. He had finally done it, secured a place on the main roster of a Major League club.
He hired an agent at once and met with the Blue Marlins team before signing a substantial contract.
Although he had yet to play a match, the season was still young. The staff wanted to refine some things before finally introducing him into the pitching rotation very soon.
In fact, his first game would be this coming Saturday. As long as he was in shape, Ryan was ready for his debut.
BUZZ BUZZ
Ryan placed the remote down and picked up his phone and began typing a message back.
"In sports news, Columbia defeat University of Pennsylvania in devastating fashion. Freshman Ken Takagi threw a perfect game, the first in the school's history. ESPN+ Journalist Patricia Matthews was on the scene for an interview."
Ryan's eyes widened as he heard the familiar name. His gaze snapped to the TV, only to see a female reporter standing next to the tall figure of Ken, garbed in his Columbia uniform.
The guy looked bigger and more mature than he remembered, unsurprising since it was almost 4 years ago since they competed against each other.
"Yes that's right Phil. I'm here with Ken Takagi who has just come off a stellar performance in the Bobcats first win of the conference. Tell me Ken, how are you feeling after throwing a perfect game"
"Eh? Perfect game?"
Ryan scowled. The look of confusion on Ken's face pissed him off for some reason. "As if you didn't know that you threw a perfect game." He scoffed. But despite his complaints, he had to admit that the feat was impressive.
"Honestly, I was just focused on trying to get each batter out. Whether I have a perfect game or not, I'm just happy to get the win at the end of the day, after all, personal accolades mean nothing if we can't win as a team."
Ryan shot to his feet, feeling a rising anger within him.
"Foolish! If you throw a perfect game, of course your team is going to win you idiot." He said scathingly.
With annoyance, he turned the TV off, tossing the remote aside. He had sat down to relax after putting in some extra training, but it had only resulted in him getting worked up.
Ryan opened his sliding door and walked onto the balcony, overlooking the street. He felt the cool breeze across his skin, yet it did little to quell the fire burning inside of him.
A small grin crept onto the corner of his lips.
"So you're coming for me then? Finally." He murmured.
He tapped on the railing, his thoughts preoccupied. Things seemed to shift in his mind, slowly falling into place.
"I won't let you catch up… I'll become the best pitcher in the Majors before you graduate college." The words were said with complete confidence, as if the result was already a forgone conclusion.
Despite not yet playing a single professional game, Ryan Smith made his declaration.
"Don't fall behind too far Ken… My true rival."