Ken managed to strike out the next two batters in succession, leading him to believe that the first batter had likely hit the ball out of luck instead of actively aiming for his fastball.
"How are you feeling?"
"Not now Grandpa, I need the toilet…" Ken said, running past him into the dugout.
Coach Williams blinked a few times, turning to Daichi with a questioning look. At this, Daichi just shrugged and undid his chest protector, getting ready for the next inning.
While Ken was making a pit stop, it was the Ligers turn to attack. Ryan Greene, the CF for Detroit faced only 2 balls before blasting one into the outfield for an easy double.
Adrian Baddoo followed suit, striking on the first pitch this time for a single. The momentum for the Ligers was building up, ready to explode as they reached the clean up hitters.
This was halted briefly when Jose Baez fought back from 0-2 to bring it to a full count. Unfortunately, he swung at a curveball, resulting in the first out of the inning.
With a runner on 1st and 2nd and only one out, Samson Torkelson took up his spot in the batters box and prepared to face the next pitch.
THUD
Sam let out a grunt of pain as the ball hit him in the left arm.
"Dead ball, take your base."
The pitcher raised an arm, apologizing to Sam for hitting him, however this didn't stop Sam from staring daggers at him.
Just like that, the bases were now loaded but only five minutes had passed. As Daichi came up to the plate, Mark was nervously peaking into the dugout, looking for a sign of Ken.
"Oi, Rohan. Go look for Ken, he's batting next." Mark shouted.
Rohan who was now reduced to an errand boy nodded and exited the dugout, heading towards the bathrooms. As he was about to open the door to the men's bathroom, the door opened, revealing a sweating Ken.
"Daichi is already up to bat, you need to hurry." Rohan said urgently. However, his expression changed a moment later when he was hit with the smell that wafted from the toilet.
"Crap, I better hurry." Ken mumbled, running off.
Rohan shook his head and went to follow behind Ken. It was then that he locked eyes with the cleaner who had come from another hall. He watched as the guy walked over to the toilet door and opened it.
In an instant, the guy froze as the scent washed over him. His head turned, sending a worried glance at Rohan, the most likely culprit.
"A—Ah, that wasn't me…" He stammered.
But in the next moment, the whole arena erupted in a roar before music played over the audio system. Rohan quickly ignored the cleaner and ran back out to the dugout to see what had happened.
His eyes widened as he saw Daichi jogging around the bases, raising his hand in the air and receiving the cheers from the crowd. He didn't need an explanation to know what had happened.
"GRAAAAAND SLAMMMMM!"
The dugout was hooting and hollering, cheering for Daichi's huge home run to kick off the game.
Ken had already walked onto the field and was ready by the time Daichi returned to home plate. He celebrated with the others, dishing out high fives and fist bumps left, right and center.
"Nice homer."
"Your turn now." Daichi said, giving him a wink.
"Yeah, coming right up." Ken replied with a laugh.
After Daichi's home run, the home crowd were hyped up. When Ken's name was announced over the speakers, everyone began to chant.
"UNI CORN"
"UNI CORN"
"Not this again…" Ken cringed inwardly as he approached the plate. He wanted to track down the announcer and give him a piece of his mind for starting this.
Ken gripped his bat and threw everything else to the back of his mind. He had a feeling that his grandfather would take him out later in the game if he was trying for a perfect game.
Which meant he only realistically had 2 at-bats to make a mark.
Ken went through his ritual, tapping the plate and the toes of both his cleats before getting into position. He turned to the pitcher and waited patiently.
'I'll attack from the start,' he said inwardly.
The first pitch came, a slider to the outside.
PAH
"Ball."
Ken shook his head, 'Give me a fastball already.'
The next pitch was exactly what he was waiting for, but it broke inside a little late.
PAH
"Strike."
Ken frowned, a tinge of annoyance painting his features. He resisted the urge to draw a line in the dirt, choosing instead to take a deep breath and compose himself.
The next ball came, this time to the outside.
"Hup!"
WHOOOOOOSH
THWACK
Ken collected the ball, sending it soaring into the outfield with authority. He tossed the bat aside and broke into a sprint towards first base.
The right outfielder dived towards the ball, stopping it after it had bounced. Ken made his way to second base, sliding to ensure that there were no surprises.
He was a little disappointed that it didn't go over the fence, but at least he was able to get a hit in. With only 1 out in the inning, if he could steal 3rd base and get into scoring position, they could extend their lead.
And so he tried it. With his Legendary intuition skill, Ken was able to pick the perfect time to steal 3rd. He slid in, beating the catcher's throw by a country mile.
Ken received some cheers from the crowd and like that, the Ligers were threatening to score once more.
WHOOOOOSH
WHACK
The next batter Jaime Schoop got a hold of the next pitch, sending it high into the air in the outfield. Ken readied himself, waiting for the call from the 3rd base coach.
"GO."
Ken kicked off the base, running directly for home plate.