"Batting second for the Bobcats, Brian Sweeney."
As the announcer called up Brian to the batters box, Ken spoke to Ayden who was on his way back to the dugout. "That was a nasty slider, haven't seen one that breaks that hard before."
"Yeah, I thought I was going to hit it but I swung too late." Ayden admitted, letting out a small sigh. "That guy is still the same as ever. Sometimes it feels like he knows what I'm thinking."
Ken pat him on the shoulder, "Just keep trying to get on base. Every pitcher throws a bad ball every now and then." He consoled.
"Even you?" He asked with a grin.
DING
Just before Ken was about to reply, the sound of the ball being struck entered his ears. The two snapped their heads to the field, only to see Brian running towards first base with speed.
Ken couldn't see the ball at first, but he saw the right outfielder bend down to scoop up the ball before throwing back to the infield.
"Nice Brian!"
"See, just keep your head in the game." Ken said with a smile.
"Did you even warm up?" Ayden asked, pointing to his bat.
"Ah crap…"
Ken had to settle for a couple of practice swings while walking out to the batters box. This was not the first time that he'd done something like this, nor did it seem that it would be the last.
"Batting 3rd, Ken Takagi."
A few cheers rang out from the crowd, but they were sparse compared to the reception that the home team got. Ken was used to such things, so he paid it no mind and went through his usual ritual and got into position.
He gave a brief nod to Leo and turned to the pitcher waiting for the first pitch, trying to keep his mind clear and sharp.
Back in the U18 World Cup, Ken had been able to predict Leo's leads since the guy was so systematic. It had been 5 years since then, so there was no doubt that the guy had fixed his predictability issues.
Not to mention he'd probably studied Ken's tapes over and over. The guy was like a literal supercomputer. This paired with his otherworldly good looks made Ken suspicious that he might not even be human.
Gripping his bat tightly, he waited for the first pitch.
It came out like a rocket, heading for the top of the strike zone. The ball seemed to be rising.
PAH
"Strike."
'Eh? No way right?' Ken turned, giving the umpire a brief look of disbelief.
'I know I'm tall… But there's no way that's in the strike zone.' He thought, swallowing down his complaints. He turned to Leo and saw the calm expression on his face.
'This guy truly is great at framing… It feels like the strike zone is almost double the usual size.'
Ken shook his head and turned back to the pitcher. He would need to be careful with pitches just outside the strike zone, swinging at anything that looked to be close enough.
With this in mind he let out a slow breath and focused.
The next ball came, this time a curveball. His eyes lit up and he pounced on the ball.
WHOOOSH
WHACK
The ball kicked up some dirt as it was hit along the ground towards the gap between 2nd and 3rd. For a moment it seemed like it would beat the short stop, but the guy dove along the ground, securing it into his glove.
Instead of collecting it with his other hand, the guy made a scooping motion with his glove and sent it to the guy on second base. He stepped on the bag and threw the ball straight to first.
'Damn it!'
Pah
"Out."
"Double play~ Let's go Crocs!" The announcer called, hyping up the crowd.
Ken slowed his run and felt a twinge of annoyance. He had misjudged the drop of the curveball and hit a grounder because he was too hasty, putting an end to the inning before it had even really started.
"Don't mind." Brian said, patting him on the shoulder on their way back.
"My bad. I got a little impatient." Ken replied.
The two returned to the dugout to remove their helmets and don their gloves before heading back out onto the field. The coach gave him a few words of encouragement on his way past to which he smiled in response.
It was still early in the game and there was plenty of time to turn things around.
"First up for the Crocs… It's Justin Michaels!"
The home crowd cheered and the short stop who had made the athletic play earlier stepped up to the batters box. He was average height and had an angular face which was currently wearing a confident smile.
Bryton was on the mound to start things off and currently going through his warm up throws. He had been pitching well this season and Ken felt confident in his abilities against any team.
Of course he would prefer to be the one pitching, but as the captain he would do whatever he could to support the team. His eyes move to Steve behind the plate, this guy would make sure that there wouldn't be any easy hits.
Once Bryton was done warming up, the first pitch came, a slider.
DOONG
The ball was hit sky high straight towards right field. Ken only had to move a few meters forward to get under it and secure the easy catch in the outfield.
"1 out!" Ken called out, sending the ball back to the mound.
The quick first out brought the spirits up of the Bobcats and the team felt some level of confidence by the time the next batter came up.
"Batting second, Theo Vinn~"
The next guy had an interesting hairstyle which could be seen out the back of his helmet. Ken had heard someone call it a mullet, which made him wonder why someone would name a haircut after a fish.