Unaware of the wager in the dugout, Ken's focus was completely on the pitcher. He watched closely as the man performed his wind up and sent the next ball flying from his fingertips.
Ken noticed the spin right away and judged that it was a curveball. There was no way he was going to let such a pitch go. As the ball made its way to the zone, it dipped, but he already expected it.
WHOOOOOOOSH
THWACK!!
Having picked the pitch, Ken had no issues timing his swing. The ball was absolutely thumped, soaring towards the center outfield like a rocket. He watched it for a few moments before gently tossing the bat aside and beginning his jog.
The crowd went absolutely nuts. If they didn't know who Ken was before, they surely did now.
In the dugout, Rick's jaw dropped.
"Haha! Easiest money of my life." Cain exclaimed, patting Rick on the shoulder. "Pay me after the game."
Coach Matthews had his eyes wide open in surprise, but he soon let out a chuckle. "I guess I was worried for nothing." He said, shaking his head.
"Home runnnnnnn!" The announcer called out.
Sweet Caroline began to play on the speakers, bringing the crowd alive even more.
"Sweet Carolineeee. DA DA DAAAA."
"Good times never seemed so good!"
Ken who was jogging around the bases felt all the cheers for him and couldn't help but smile. This was his first at-bat in a professional team and he was able to hit a home run, he couldn't have asked for more.
As he rounded 3rd base and headed towards home, he saw his two new teammates Tony and Levi waiting for him with bright expressions. Ken felt a little sad for a moment. For the past few years it had been Ayden or Brian waiting for him.
He quickly threw it to the back of his mind and stepped on home plate. The two men whooped and celebrated with him, patting the top of his helmet and roughing him up a little.
"Nice homer rookie."
Upon returning to the dugout, everyone looked at him with shining eyes, as if they'd just found a lump of gold in the dirt. There were only two that wore other expressions.
Rick looked as if he'd just swallowed a fly and Rohan seemed far more composed than the rest.
"N—Nice hit man." Rick said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Why does it look like you're about to cry?" Ken asked incredulously.
Cain popped up and let out an arrogant laugh, "This guy just lost a bet because he didn't believe in you. Don't give him your pity."
"You bet against me?" Ken asked, acting offended.
Rick didn't know how to respond, so he just grumbled before leaving, moving to the other side of the dugout. Ken found it rather funny, but he didn't continue to rub it in.
"You gonna give me a cut of that money?" Ken asked Cain, sending him a wink.
"Hell no, I saw what bonus you got from the Ligers. You can afford to lose $100."
Ken shrugged. He was in a good mood.
His gaze moved to Rohan who was looking his way. The two locked eyes briefly before Rohan nodded his head, a silent acknowledgment.
Ken returned the nod and turned his attention back to the field, only to notice that no one from their team was stepping up to the batters box.
"Cain! Hurry up and get out there!" Coach Matthews yelled from atop the stairs.
"Oh crap."
Cain quickly grabbed his helmet and bat before running up the stairs onto the field. Since he had been so late, he wouldn't get a warm up swing.
However, it seemed that he did not need it. He hit an accurate ball towards the right outfield, easily getting onto first base before the ball was thrown back to the infield.
Off the back of Ken's home run, the SeaWolves gained a lot of momentum. By the end of the 3rd innings, the score was 4-1 in their favor.
This set the tone for the game and soon, the SeaWolves seemed unstoppable.
Ken had thrown off his nerves and also hit well in his following at-bats, getting a single and a double. All he needed was a triple and he would have completed the cycle.
At the top of the 8th inning with a score of 6-1, Ken was called up to the pitchers mound, replacing the relief pitcher who had come in at the 5th inning.
While he had played well this game, it was finally time to put a stamp on his debut by closing out the pitching.
As he approached the mound, his name was announced over the speakers. This time, everyone cheered, showing how much of an impression he'd made on the fans.
Of course Ken would never be swayed by the fan's opinion of him, but he had to admit that it was a good feeling having people cheer when he was called up.
He collected the rosin bag on the ground and rolled it around in his hand a few times while waiting for Rick to get into position. Once he was ready, Ken threw his 8 warm up throws.
'My shoulder feels light… good.' He thought.
The first batter stepped up to the plate and got into position. He was 8th in the Yard Goats batting line up and had already gotten a hit this game.
This would be the first time he'd be pitching against a professional player, but Ken felt no nerves. He believed that as long as he pitched as he usually did, there would be no issues.
Rick called for a fastball low and inside, just within the strike zone. It was a difficult course, but for Ken who had the zone mastery skill, such a thing was irrelevant.
He let out a slow and controlled breath before lifting his leg. He pushed off the pitchers plate and took a large stride forward.
WHOOOOOSH