Coach Matthews was a little taken aback, so he did not respond right away.
"I don't really think it's my place to say…" But after thinking about it for a little while, he nodded. "I guess you can find this stuff online anyway."
He gazed out onto the field silently for a few moments before beginning, "Rohan was on track to debut with the Ligers a couple of years ago. He shot up from Rookie ball into our team seemingly overnight and became our best pitcher."
"He stayed for 6 months before he was called up to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. Even then, he was on track to get the call up to the big leagues. His pitches were fast and dynamic, I had never seen anything like it…"
Ken listened silently.
"The week before he was due to make his debut, he was struck by a drunk driver…"
'What?' Ken's eyes widened in shock. He had originally thought that Rohan might have injured himself while playing baseball, but it seemed that it was not the case.
"What happened?"
The coach let out a sigh, "He was pretty beat up… Many doctors said that he would struggle to walk again, let alone pitch. To see such a young guy face this hardship, it breaks my heart."
'To think that he was able to recover after such a blow and still try to achieve his dream of making the major league…' Ken suddenly felt terrible.
He had pegged the guy as just immature and jealous, but in reality, Ken was the immature one. Would he have been able to do the same? Or would he have given up?
He didn't know, nor did he want to find out.
"He is a warrior, a stubborn one at that." Coach Matthews said, turning to Ken. "Rohan might be a little standoffish at first, but give him a while, he'll warm up to you."
Ken nodded, feeling his heart stir. He turned back to the mound and watched the young man wind up once more, sending out another pitch.
Now that he knew the circumstances, Ken could understand why the man's foundation was unsteady. His injuries were likely located in his hips and legs, sapping his strength.
Even with a solid core, suffering from pain every time one pitched would take a monumental determination to continue.
WHACK
Ken watched as the ball floated in the air towards the outfield for an easy catch.
"3 outs, changeover."
Rohan pumped his fist and let out a genuine smile which lit up his face. For the first time, Ken saw just how youthful the guy was.
As they came back to the dugout, Ken's eyes never left the guy.
"What are you looking at? Did you want my autograph?" Rohan asked, sending him an arrogant grin.
Ken didn't respond to the words, merely holding out his fist, "Nice pitching."
Rohan looked a little taken aback briefly, but he still bumped Ken's fist and mumbled something before walking past. Ken smiled, feeling as if he understood the guy a little more than before.
With the end of the first inning, it was time for the SeaWolves to head up to bat. Cain was first at the plate and he wasted no time scoring a hit for an easy trip to first base.
Unfortunately for him, the second batter sent a grounder towards the pitcher which forced the double play, stopping their momentum before it even started.
"Argh damn it Nigel… How did you fall for that curveball? My grandma throws better than that guy." Cain complained once they got back to the dugout.
"Sorry… I didn't think it would dip that much at the plate." Nigel replied, looking a little downcast.
"Don't stress guys, it's still the first inning." Rick said, trying to ease the tension. "We can still recover."
His words seemed to have an effect. Despite his smaller stature, everyone seemed to listen to him. Ken felt that the guy was dependable and wondered how many years he'd been playing in the minor league for.
Judging by his age, it might have been for quite a while.
The game continued and Ken was able to see how the team operated. As he thought, Rick seemed to be the central figure, able to seamlessly move between all the players and receive positive responses.
It made sense why he was made the captain of the team.
Unfortunately in the 3rd inning, one of Rohan's pitches was picked off and sent into the outfield. The slow reaction to the hit and subsequent throw back to the infield allowed the runner to 3rd base for a triple.
Since there was only one out, it set up a perfect bunt or sacrifice fly situation for the Yard Goats. As Rohan pitched, the batter placed out his bat for a bunt, hitting it flush.
BONK
The ball floated in the air a little bit and Rohan stumbled forward to go get it. Ken saw him wince in pain, but he did not stop.
The runner from third was blitzing his way to home plate and it seemed like there was nothing that could stop him.
Rohan dived forward and scooped the ball up with his off hand, shoveling it forward to Rick at the plate. The impact caused Ken to cringe.
"Safe!"
Unfortunately, the runner managed to slide in and convert the run before Rick could turn his body and tag him, resulting in the first run of the game going to the Yard Goats.
Rohan got to his feet a little shakily before returning to the mound, his face expressionless.
"Damn it, so close…"
"Just a fraction of a second sooner and it would have been out."
The guys in the dugout seemed regrettable, but it didn't change anything. Ken's eyes were still locked onto Rohan atop the mound.
'I have to help him…' he thought inwardly. Ken still had the Recovery Elixir in his inventory, though he only had one. If he used it on Rohan, a stranger then if something happened to a loved one, he would be unable to help.
But Ken felt compelled.