For the next week, Ken followed Tom's regime to the letter. Whatever knowledge that he spoke was absorbed by Ken who tried to ingrain it into his bones.
However, even after a full week, his pitching grade remained stagnant. Ken wasn't so impatient that he expected things to change in such a short amount of time, so he didn't lose hope.
But when it came time to pitch the following week, everybody was shocked.
WHOOOOSH
WHACK
"That's the 10th hit Ken's given up this game and its only the 3rd innings… Is he going through a slump?" Jake commented from the dugout, wearing a worried expression.
"I'm more concerned that he's dropping speed. I think I've seen him throw over 95mph against the cleanup batter. The rest have been the low 90's." Edward replied.
It wasn't just the other pitchers who were worried, Mark was watching on with concern as his grandson seemed to struggle on the mound. It was rather odd, because he had never seen Ken like this before.
Every time he stepped onto the mound, the guy would be filled with confidence, shining brightly like the sun. Yet tonight, it was as if something was different.
'Could it be because of his new pitching coach?' Mark thought, frowning.
But the pitching coach was someone with a strong resume, he had no doubt that Tom House knew what he was doing. But why had Ken suddenly regressed?
"Are you going to take Ken off the mound? He's already given up 2 runs." Coach Michaels asked.
However, Mark shook his head. "I won't be taking him out until 6th inning," he replied, his tone serious.
Perhaps if Tom hadn't spoken to him earlier that afternoon, he might have already sent a substitute into the game. Thinking back to that moment, Mark was even more confused about the interaction.
"I need you to promise me something, coach." Tom said seriously, adjusting his glasses.
"No matter how badly Ken performs, I need you to keep him in the game for 5 innings. Can you do that for me, regardless of the outcome?"
He should have known that something was up back then and asked more questions, but instead he'd chosen to trust the process. It wasn't uncommon for changes to a persons pitching form to have short term demerits, but this felt a little too much.
WHOOOOSH
THWACKK!
Mark let out a sigh, watching as the ball sailed into the stands for a 2-run home run. With this, they were now behind 5-2 in the top of the 3rd.
The next 2 innings were brutal for the Ligers as the Minnesota Tees took full advantage of Ken's mediocre pitching. When all was said and done, Ken gave up 15 hits and 5 runs in 5 innings, the worst performance of his rookie season by far.
The media which had been full of hype for Ken after his last game, suddenly turned on him. All the haters which had been forced to bite their tongue came back with full force, bombarding his social media.
In the press conference, Mark was forced to deal with the media questions surrounding Ken's poor performance. He was put under scrutiny right away by local news outlets, questioning why he didn't take him out.
"Is there a reason why Ken was allowed to pitch for a full 5 innings? Since it was clear that he was struggling from the beginning, would it not have been more pertinent to relieve him much earlier?" A reporter asked.
Mark locked eyes with the large man in the crowd and narrowed his eyes. "Ken is currently going through a restructure of his pitching form, there are going to be some teething problems. It is my job to support him in this transition."
There were some murmurs in the crowd of reporters, it was clear they hadn't expected that Ken was changing his pitching form.
"With all due respect, Coach. Does it make sense to make changes to a pitching form that's capable of throwing over 106mph? We only saw Ken pitch above 95 a handful of times in 5 innings tonight because of it."
Mark felt a surge of anger, "Have you ever thought of the strain one's body must experience while throwing so fast? Ken is only 21 years old, if he continued to pitch like this, he would undoubtedly get injured. Is winning a few games worth so much?"
His biting reply caused the reporter to shrink back slightly, but he soon retorted. "So you're willing to sacrifice wins to develop Ken? Is this the desire of the Ligers organization? Or are you making the decision yourself based on your relationship with your grandson?"
Mark surged to his feet, his anger evident. "You're going to sit here and call favoritism after 1 bad game? Just who the hell do you think you are?" his voice echoed within the room.
"Instead of focusing on the fact that we're on top of the Central division, you create these false narratives for clicks and views. Ken has proved himself worthy of development, even a dullard like you should be able to wrap your pea-brain around the explanation." Mark spat.
"No further questions, I'll see myself out." He said before turning and leaving the press conference.
Cheryl who was standing by the side of the room suddenly panicked. She saw the fierce expression on the Coach's face and realized that there was no way she could convince him to return to the stand.
She walked up and addressed the media reporters, "Ahem. Sorry, but that will be all for tonight. We'll see you all tomorrow night, apologies for the inconvenience."
Her eyes moved to the one who had caused all this, the large reporter with the double chin in a suit that looked like it barely fit. After recognizing the man, she made a mental note to call his superior.
Insinuating that Mark was being unprofessional and favoring Ken was a low blow. There were lines that should not be crossed, even in media.