THWACK!
The ball sailed into the outfield, flying through the air as if it had wings. The roar of the crowd accompanied it, growing even louder as it cleared the back fence.
A teen wearing a Mud Hens cap reached up and plucked the ball out of the air before letting out a shout of joy. He jumped up and down, showing off his new prize possession.
Ken tossed his bat aside and broke into a jog around the bases. Once he crossed home plate, he sent a wink to Jeremy who was warming up for the next at-bat.
"That makes 30. Looks like you're now 2 behind me." Ken said, enjoying himself.
Jeremy grumbled some choice words under his breath, but he soon ignored Ken and walked up to the batters box as if he had something to prove. To an outsider, it looked a little odd to see the Mud Hens so fired up since they were 10 runs ahead in the 8th inning.
It had been 2 months since Ken had joined the team and he'd fit in quite well with the others. The bet he had made with Jeremy on the very first day had become well known among the team, with many egging it on.
It was apparent right away that Ken had made the jump to Triple-A from his own merits. Even Jeremy and Head Coach Dean could see that. The problem was, Jeremy's pride did not allow him to accept the fact lying down.
So even after 2 months, the gap continued to grow between the two.
While they were close in terms of home runs, Ken had far surpassed him in RBI's.
Even now as he stepped up to the batters box, Jeremy felt a little regretful for his actions on that day. He had thought that Ken had been called up thanks to nepotism. This caused him to lash out and say some disrespectful things.
He had been on the Toledo Mud Hens for 3 years now, never getting the chance to make it into the big league. Seeing someone such as Ken arrive at the tender age of 21 had stirred his jealousy.
His pride did not allow him to believe that a 21 year old was better than him. It had to be nepotism.
So here he was in the final game of the regular season in the 8th inning. There was no way he could get the 2 home runs needed to win the bet, and there were no runners on base to record any more RBI's.
Jeremy sighed, realizing his mistake. He would apologize to Ken after this and complete whatever the hell the dogeza thing was, as part of the bet.
Sure enough, the game ended in the following inning and the Mud Hens secured their victory. With this, they had successfully finished with the best record in the Triple-A International league.
After the game, the team gathered in the locker room with an air of expectation. No one was saying anything, but everyone knew that the end of the bet had come and it was time to pay up.
Jeremy moved across the room and stood behind Ken, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention. Ken turned, and as he expected, the guy had arrived.
"I am sorry for being disrespectful Ken." Jeremy said sincerely. "I assumed that you were only brought to Triple-A because of your connections, it is clear now that I was gravely mistaken."
Ken nodded, "I accept your apology."
By now, he had already realized the kind of person Jeremy was. He had already long forgiven the man after seeing just how hard he worked. It was also true that the additional motivation he received from the bet had allowed him to perform much better.
Therefore, in Ken's eyes, things were square.
Jeremy nodded and without warning got onto his knees. Ken panicked for a moment, he had forgotten about the terms of the bet and had been meaning to call it off.
"H—Hey, you don't have to do that." He called, reaching out to stop the guy.
"No, a bet is a bet. If you're a man, you go through with it to the end." He smacked Ken's hand away and placed his hands on the ground before lowering his head until it touched the locker room floor.
"Please forgive me for my disrespect." He said, prostrated on the ground.
It truly was a proper Dogeza.
It was to the point where Ken believed the man had likely done some research in preparation for this day. He felt a laugh forming in the back of his throat, but he managed to keep it from escaping.
Only after around 20 seconds did Jeremy rise from the ground. He held out his hand for a handshake, his eyes never leaving Ken's. "I look forward to playing alongside you in the future."
Ken nodded, grasping the outstretched hand, "Likewise."
As soon as they shook hands, the other players in the locker room began to cheer and flooded the two. Not only had they won and secured their ticket to the post season, but these two had buried their differences.
At that moment, the coach opened the door and saw the commotion. His expression was unreadable.
Everyone turned, and could feel as if something was off. If anything, the coach should have been happy they had secured their place in the post season, yet this did not seem the case.
"Can I get everyone's attention please." Coach Dean called out, walking into the locker room.
"Firstly, congratulations on the win tonight. As you know we will be competing in the post season series against the Durham Bulls in a weeks time… But before that, we have a new player that will be coming into the team." He said.
The atmosphere shifted slightly.
"But Coach, isn't it a little late for that? The season is basically over… We should play with our current players." Jeremy said.