From this moment on, Tom's eyes never left Ken as he pitched the remainder of the inning. With each pitch that Ken threw, Tom got even more excited.
However, it was when Ken switched to southpaw that Tom just about shot up in his chair, causing his knee to smash against the seat in front of him.
"T—This can't be right…" He muttered, briefly massaging his knee.
He had never seen someone who could switch arms and still throw about 95mph. It was as if someone had blessed this young man with all of the raw talent in the world.
Tom's shock only continued when Ken stepped up to bat in the bottom of the first.
THWACKK!
"HOMEEE RUN!"
As the horn played over the speakers, Tom placed a hand on his heart that seemed to be threatening to burst out of his chest.
'This guy is the ultimate baseball player…' He mused inwardly, still in disbelief.
The Ligers quickly went up on the scoreboard. The score was 4-0 in favor of the Ligers by the time the 1st inning ended.
Unfortunately for Tom, his string of surprises was not over yet. When the 4th batter for the Indians stepped up to the plate, Ken's whole demeanor changed.
Even from his position in the stands, Tom could feel a suffocating pressure emanating from the guy, as if he was facing a wild tiger poised to strike. It was something that he had not experienced in a long long time.
"It reminds me of Randy…" He muttered.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
WHOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
104mph
105mph
When Ken wound up for the last pitch of the at-bat, Tom glimpsed at something marvelous. From the moment he strode forward, a shock wave ran up Tom's spine.
There were no wasted movements in the pitch and every muscle worked in tandem to shift the power to his arm. It was like poetry in motion.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout!"
"Oh my god!"
The whole stadium erupted in shock and cheers, confusing Tom momentarily. It wasn't until the announcer spoke over the stadium speakers that he suddenly understood what was happening.
"It's a new record! Ken Takagi has just thrown a 106.3mph pitch!"
Once again, everyone cheered loudly, applauding the historical moment.
"UNI-CORN"
"UNI-CORN"
Tom sat down in his chair, not knowing what to think anymore. The previous throw had been the most beautiful pitching motion he'd seen in all of his life, yet Ken wanted him to teach him?
What could he possibly teach Ken who could pitch like that?
But when the next batter came out, Tom was shocked to see that his form had deteriorated. Now that he'd seen the almost perfect pitching form, watching him pitch now seemed almost blasphemous.
Such a shift didn't make sense to Tom who had been a pitching coach for many years.
'Maybe its something mental?' He mused inwardly.
He spent the remainder of the game keeping a close eye on Ken. Apart from his pitching form, Tom was very impressed with Ken's performance.
Even after giving up a few hits in the 6th inning and having a run scored against him, Ken was unflappable. His pitching stayed consistent right until he was taken off the field.
By the end of the game, Tom already knew what he needed to do.
Later that night, Ken's face was plastered all of the media once more. He was brought into the press conference alongside his Grandfather after the game, but every question was essentially the same.
"Ken, how does it feel to break the record for the fastest pitch in history?"
Ken shrugged his shoulders, "I told you guys at the beginning of the season that I would do it. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before I passed Chapman's 105.8.
"Does that mean you're still intending on sticking to your promise? If you don't get a perfect game or the Ligers don't qualify for the World Series, you'll leave baseball?" The reporter asked.
"I'm a man of my word." Ken replied simply.
The microphone was moved and the next reporter asked a question. "Hi Ken, Maddie Waters from ESPN+, first of all, congratulations on the game. You only gave up 3 hits and a single run in 6 innings. You're currently sitting on top of the league with both ERA and strikeouts per 9 innings. It is remarkable that you can achieve so much as a rookie."
Ken raised his eyebrow, "Thank you. Was there a question you had?"
"Yes, sorry. With the record for the most strikeouts in a game and now the fastest pitch, what is next for you? Aside from the perfect game of course." Maddie asked.
"Well, my number 1 goal is to win. All these other stats are just a product of me doing my best to lead the team to winning the ball game at the end of the day. Whether that's done through pitching or batting, I'll always be trying to play my best."
Cheryl who was on the other side of the room watched on with surprise. She had not expected Ken to break the record tonight, but she certainly hadn't expected him to be so humble after the fact.
She had run over here as soon as the match finished to make sure things went smoothly, but it seemed she had been worried over nothing.
"One more question please Ken. The Ligers have one of the youngest teams in the league, what do you think are your chances of winning the World Series this year?" Maddie asked.
At this, Ken smiled. "I don't think age matters when it comes to the World Series. What matters is that we have a great coaching staff and talented players that put in the hard work. Every day we're striving to get better, no matter what."
"That's great, thank you Ken."
With that, Ken made his way off the stage and headed to the locker room. He needed to meet up with his new pitching coach.
That's when he saw an older gentleman with a gray mustache waiting for him.
"You did pretty well out there."