With showdown no longer active, Ken needed to face Yoab Moncada, the 5th batter in the lineup. He was also a large guy, just a bit shorter than Elroy, but also packing a lot of power.
Ken had a lot of experience against Cuban players, so even though he hadn't faced Yoab before, he knew what to expect. Even the slightest mistake would result in the ball ending up in the stands.
'I just need to focus on throwing fast and accurately…' Ken thought, his eyes locking onto Daichi behind the plate.
After receiving the lead from Daichi, Ken nodded and entered his wind up. With no runners on base, he was able to perform the Domineering Wind up since he didn't need to worry about runners stealing bases.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
Ken nodded, holding up his glove for Daichi to throw it back.
"Nice pitch!" Daichi called out.
Meanwhile in the batters box, Yoab was wearing a confused expression. Suddenly the words that Elroy spoke started to make some sense. It felt like he couldn't swing properly at the ball.
Yoab turned to the dugout and saw Elroy staring at his bat.
'This is so weird…'
"Take your position." The umpire spoke up, getting his attention.
Yoab turned to Ken and eventually did as he was told, raising the bat and waiting for the next pitch. This time he watched the entire process like a hawk.
As Ken entered his big wind up, Yoab felt it once more.
WHOOOOSH
WHACK
Somehow, the bat he'd swung had struck the ball, but it was with less precision than he intended. It flew straight up into the air, hovering above Ken who simply stepped forward a few paces and nabbed it as it dropped in front of him.
"Out!"
A big cheer erupted in the crowd as Ken secured the out. Right now he was on fire during his debut. First it was the immaculate inning and now he'd already gotten two outs in the second inning without so much as a hit.
Yoab who had just gotten out was sent back to the dugout with the same confused expression on his face as the others. He took a seat next to Elroy and looked at him.
"You felt it right?" Elroy asked. "Please tell me you did."
Yoab nodded. "I felt it, right when he was winding up. It was like my whole body was shrinking back at that moment. It messed with my rhythm and swing."
"Exactly!" Elroy shot to his feet.
"Thank goodness. I thought I was going crazy." He added, breathing out a sigh of relief.
"Don't look relieved. We need to find a way to stop it from happening, otherwise we won't be able to score while he's on the mound." Yoab retorted.
"Well if it happens during his wind up, couldn't we just prevent him from winding up? Make sure someone gets to first base before we're up."
"How? Judging by his accuracy, I doubt he'll give up a walk."
However, Elroy smiled in response, "You're forgetting something. He's a rookie, there's no way that his gas tank will last that long. He might not even make it to the 5th inning."
"Yeah I guess you're right. Their coach's probably don't want to wear him out in the first game either."
PAH
"Strikeout!"
While the two were talking, Ken cleaned up the 6th batter on a changeup that sent the guy swinging at nothing but air.
Ken grinned, feeling his confidence skyrocket. The expressions on the batters face when he pitched looked confused, as if they weren't expecting his throws.
'I can do this… I can pitch against Major Leaguers.' Ken thought, feeling his whole body shake in excitement.
On his way back to the dugout, he looked up and happened to see 3 figures close by, waving at him. It was Ai, Tetsu and Naomi in the stands. Despite the friction of the last 24 hours, Ai was still here supporting him on his debut.
He waved back and smiled before blowing his wife a kiss. Ken was about to look away before he saw Tetsu reach out and grab something in the air, as if he was catching the kiss that had been blown.
'What the hell?' Ken frowned, but then he saw all 3 of them begin to laugh, bringing a smile to his face.
He felt a little guilty for how he treated Ai yesterday.
She had dropped the news that she was pregnant and asked him to reconsider the video he was going to post on social media. Yet he did not listen.
Not only that, Ken went out and started training with Daichi right after. He had essentially told Ai that he didn't care about her opinions, without saying so outright.
Yet she was still here, cheering him on as if nothing ever happened.
Ken's heart felt warm, but it also hurt. Would he have done the same thing if he didn't need to get famous? Absolutely not. In fact, he already said it before, nothing was more important to him than her.
Of course this now sounded like a lie since he had prioritized baseball over her.
'I need to make it up to her somehow.' Ken thought in his heart.
The last thing he wanted was for his life to end up like that one he dreamed about during his fever. Just remembering Ai's expression when he approached her was enough to scar him for life.
"Oi, rookie. It's time for you to get ready to bat this inning." Samuel Torkelson called out to him, giving him a nudge on the way past. "I'll definitely get on base, so make sure you or your brother send me home." He said with a grin.
"Of course." Ken replied with a nod.
He was batting 6th this game, right behind Daichi. It was time to show the world that he was in all aspects, a two-way player.
Ken turned to Daichi and sent him a wink, "You gonna try hit a homer on your debut?"
Daichi scoffed, "Of course."