While it might not seem that impressive from the outside, Ken could appreciate the feat. Home runs were obviously the best way to get runs, but no one would pitch like the pitching coach in a real game.
Practicing where to hit the pitches had merit as well.
"You're pretty good with the bat." Ken stated sincerely.
"Well, I am a lead-off hitter." Cain replied with a shrug, "I'd be a pretty lousy one if I couldn't hit in batting practice."
Ken chuckled. The guy was rather humble, at least compared to some of the people he'd played with over the years. He found himself beginning to like Cain who seemed easy going yet was determined.
*DING*
'Hmm? What was that?' Ken thought he heard the system notification bell in his mind.
"Ken, the coach is calling for you." One of the players said, grabbing his attention.
"Ah, right, thanks." Ken replied, finding the coach towards the edge of the field. He jogged over to Coach Matthews and asked him what was up.
"Just got a call from the big brass. They want you to play tonight, are you ready?" The coach asked. From his expression, it seemed like he wasn't too pleased to be overruled.
"I am ready coach. I'll play whatever you need me to." Ken replied.
Coach Matthews nodded. "I'm using you as a designated hitter and closing pitcher." He replied, "Make sure you perform well."
"Yes sir!"
Ken felt his spirits surge. He had not expected to join the line up right away, but it seemed that someone at the Ligers wanted him to play as soon as possible. This suited him just fine.
With a grin, he turned and was about to rejoin the outfielders.
"Where are you going? I want you in the bullpen. Talk to Rick and get to know him, he's our starting catcher." Coach Matthews said, stopping Ken in his tracks.
"Yes sir."
Ken turned and jogged over to the bullpen. He saw Rohan who he briefly locked gazes with before the guy ignored him. However, he was in too good of a mood to be annoyed by such a thing.
"Rick, coach told me to come over and chat to you."
"Hmm? What about?" Rick pulled off his catchers mask and approached him.
"Well, he said to get to know you because you're the starting catcher. But I assume its because he's decided that I'll be playing tonight." Ken explained.
"Eh? You're playing already?" Rick looked absolutely mystified. Ken caught the guy's gaze moved towards the other end of the bullpen. He didn't need to turn to know that Rick was looking towards Rohan.
"He wants me to close out the game tonight." Ken said simply, his eyes locked onto Rick's. "Do you have some time to go over some signs and catch my pitches?" Ken asked.
"Ah sure… Just let me finish up with Rohan first." Rick said.
However, Rohan had already left the bullpen and was walking towards the field.
"A—Alright, I've got time now…" Rick replied, letting out a small sigh.
Ken threw the situation to the back of his mind. He needed to focus on tonights game. Even though he was only a DH and potential closing pitcher, it was still his debut match in Double-A.
"What pitches do you know?" Rick asked, bringing him to the present.
So the two chatted for a while as Ken went through his pitches and they reiterated the signs.
"And with my left, I can only throw a slider and fastball." Ken finished, "We'll just use the same signs for it."
Rick looked surprised before he remembered that Ken was a switch pitcher. "Okay, show me what you've got."
With that, Ken collected a glove and made his way to the makeshift mound in the bullpen. His arms were already warm from the outfield training earlier, but he still went through a few dynamic stretches.
After getting the sign from Rick, Ken shot straight into his wind up and sent a pitch barreling down the lane.
PAH!
***
Later that night, Ken placed his bag down in the locker room and felt his nerves begin to eat away at him. It wasn't just the fact he would be making his debut in the minor league, but also the system mission that had suddenly appeared.
At first he had thought the mission would be one of the usual season-long missions, but this was not the case.
#NEW MISSION: Debut
DESCRIPTION: This is a turning point in your baseball career and will shape how those in the industry will perceive you. Should you fail to make an impression, the road ahead will be fraught with difficulty.
*Task: Make an impression.
REWARDS:
>N/A
WARNING: Result of mission will have far reaching consequences to the user.
Ken had never seen another mission like this. Not only were there no rewards, the red text below the mission was something that filled him with anxiety.
He had tried to query Mika about what the quest meant, but she refused to answer for some reason. While this had annoyed him at first, eventually he managed to calm down.
'I was planning on making an impact anyway.' Ken reasoned. As long as he were to perform well in his debut match, he could make a good case for making it as a regular into the team.
With more playing time, he could cement his case to move up to the Triple-A team. Of course Ken didn't want to get his hopes right now, he still had to get through his first game.
"You nervous?" Cain said, nudging him on the way past.
"A little." Ken admitted.
'Only because of this damn mission…' He said in his heart.
"I remember my first pro game." Cain said with reminiscence.
"How did you do?" Ken asked curiously.
"I got struck out twice and hit into a double play… Oh, I also collided into Neil in the outfield and almost got injured." He said, turning to Ken. "But you'll do great, don't worry about it."
Ken's heart sunk.