"When is the game going to finish?" Kaori leaned in and asked Shiro who was still seated at a table in the sports bar.
Shiro was too engrossed in the match to reply, prompting Kaori to pinch him.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"I asked when the game is going to finish… It's already late and I still have to study tomorrow." She complained.
"Kaori, honey… The love of my life." Shiro said patiently, grabbing both her hands. "Ken is on the cusp of making history, even if I can't be there to support him, I will do it from far away. You can go home if you need to, but I'll be watching this until the end."
It wasn't just him, Hiroki and Makoto had put aside their differences and were both watching the TV fervently. Apart from Rie who was taking a nap on a nearby sofa, everyone was locked onto the match.
"What do you mean history?" Kaori asked with confusion.
"He's about to be the first rookie in history to throw a perfect game, and only the second to do it in the post season. He just needs to not give up a hit in these next two inn—"
THWACK!
Just as Shiro was explaining Ken's shocking feat, a sound that made him freeze came from the TV. His bulging eyes snapped to the screen, his anxiety evident.
"Raleigh hits it into deep right field with Carpenter hot on its trail. Will he make it!?"
Shiro, Hiroki and Makoto held their breath as the camera panned, showing the fielder running with all his might to track down the ball. At the last moment, he dove forward, fully extending his glove to try and reach it.
His body landed hard on the ground, but it was unclear what happened to the ball. Kris Carpenter gingerly got up and showed the ball in his glove to the nearby umpire who made the call.
"Out!"
"Oh thank goodness…" Shiro exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Man, my heart is beating too fast." Hiroki said, placing a hand on his chest.
"What happened there? Did he almost lose the perfect game?" Kaori questioned. Despite having been a manager on the baseball team in High School, Kaori didn't know all the terms.
"Yes, no one can be allowed on base for a perfect game, that's why they call it a perfect game." Shiro explained. "It's so rare that only 21 players have ever done it in the almost 150 years of the Majors."
Kaori's expression changed slightly. Now that she realized what kind of game Ken was having, she couldn't blame Shiro for wanting to watch the whole thing.
She sat beside Shiro and turned to the TV.
"Ganbatte Ken…" she whispered.
Back on the field, Ken was busy wiping the sweat from his forehead after the last at-bat. Even with showdown, the number 4 batter for Seattle had given him a really tough time.
With every foul ball, Ken felt like the guy was adjusting to his pitches ever so slightly. Perhaps if he had been given a few more pitches, it might have been sent over the fence for a home run.
He bent down and grabbed the rosin bag, rolling it around in his hand a few times while he recovered. The backlash from Showdown was dependent on how long he stayed in it.
It ranged from fatigue to weakness. As long as he maintained his condition, Ken believed that he would be able to hold on.
But now that he was suffering from the backlash, these next two batters he was facing were the most crucial.
Ken received the ball from Daichi and took a deep breath, waiting for the next batter.
"Batting 5th for Seattle. Right fielder, Matt Haniger." The announcer spoke in a bored tone.
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
The first pitch was a two-seam fastball that broke towards the batter. It was not as pronounced as the cutter, but it provided a different break altogether.
The more similar pitches Ken had, the tougher it was for a batter to pick one.
Daichi called for a slider next on the outside, receiving a nod from Ken. He wiped the sweat from his brow once more before adjusting his hat.
WHOOOOOSH
CLICK
"Foul."
"Count is 0-2."
With two strikes, Ken felt his body relax slightly. His next pitch would be intense thanks to his Striker signature skill. The best move would be to send a high speed fastball since it would also make use of his other signature skills.
Sure enough, Daichi called for a fastball at the top of the strike zone. It seemed that they were both in sync with one another.
Ken grit his teeth and entered his wind up, ignoring the fatigue in his arm.
WHOOOOOOSH
PAH!
"Strikeout!"
A 106mph fastball rocketed into Daichi's glove, the sound of the leather colliding echoing through the ballpark. The crowd went crazy, cheering for the 16th strikeout of the game.
Now, Ken only needed to get 4 more people out to accomplish the perfect game he'd set out to do this season.
"Substitution for Seattle. Lincoln Torrens will be replacing Aaron Frazier at 2nd base." The plate umpire called, followed quickly by the announcement over the speakers.
Hearing that Seattle had opted for a pinch hitter, Ken smiled wryly. He wasn't expecting to be given an easy ride to a perfect game, so seeing a fresh batter in the box wasn't too shocking.
In fact, Daichi had already taken this into account before the game. He had studied Lincoln Torrens thoroughly and knew his game inside out.
The first pitch he called for was high and inside.
WHOOOOOSH
WHACK
Lincoln threw his all into the very first pitch, but he got jammed thanks to the course of the ball.
The ball flew high into the air, yet the distance was negligible.
Nate Maton at 3rd base took his time and sat under the ball, waiting for it to descend.
"Mine."
Pah