Game 2 of the World Series was held at Comerica Park the following night, and though the stadium was packed once more, their excitement had waned after learning of the lineup the Ligers had put forward.
“You’re benching me!?” Ken exclaimed in disbelief, standing across from his grandfather in the man’s office. Daichi was beside him, though he didn’t seem too affected by the call.
“You pitched for 9 innings and had 3 at-bats, what did you expect?” Mark said incredulously.
“Clearly he expected to play Grandpa. You know how selfish this guy can be.” Daichi replied, his tone too even to sound like a joke.
Mark raised his eyebrow, surprised by the words of his grandson. Usually the two brothers got on swimmingly, and Daichi was one to always mediate on behalf of Ken, or at least back him up.
Yet there seemed to be something wrong.
This was only made more evident when he saw a look of sadness flash across Ken’s face for a brief moment. The sight only made him more confused.
He let out a sigh and sat back deeply into his chair.
“I will give an update before the match on your injury, Daichi. We are going to say that you sprained your wrist and require about a week of recovery. Unfortunately this means you won’t be able to play until game 6 and 7.” Mark said, his eyes locked onto the man.
Daichi nodded, not uttering a word of complaint.
“As for whatever happened between the two of you… I expect you to resolve it before we head to Miami for game 3. If neither of you can come to a compromise, I’ll have to consider your positions in the starting lineup.”
This time, both Ken and Daichi flinched almost simultaneously. Perhaps they thought Mark wasn’t sharp enough to catch the tension between the two, or maybe it was worse than they thought.
With the threat looming over their head, the two brothers were shooed out of the coach’s office and made their way back to the locker room.
Ken and Daichi had not spoken since their conversation this morning. One was too engrossed in his thoughts to do so, while Ken was giving his brother his space.
“You think he’s serious?” Daichi asked.
“Dead serious.”
Daichi sighed, scratching his head in frustration, “I know… I bet Grandpa would even throw the World Series if it meant seeing us get along again.”
Ken didn’t refute his words. Knowing his grandfather, such a thing was not out of the question. The man was fierce when it came to such things.
Some silence stretched out between the two as they walked the tunnels.
“Have you had enough time to think about our discussion?” Ken asked in Japanese.
“Honestly? Not yet. For the first time, it feels like I don’t even really know you…” Daichi replied, his eyes still staring at the ground. It was as if he didn’t want to look Ken in the eye.
The words caused Ken’s heart to ache. Daichi was his treasured friend and brother, for him to say such things was hurtful, but he was in no position to reply. He could only suck it up and accept his brother’s true feelings.
“We should probably get changed. Even though we’re not playing, we’ll still need to be in uniform on the bench.” Daichi said, walking ahead first.
For a few moments, Ken watched his brother’s wide shoulders walk ahead of him.
He felt a lump begin to form in his throat as emotions tugged at his heartstrings. Ken had vowed he would treat Daichi better in this life, so why did it seem like the opposite was true?
‘He just needs time to trust me again…’ Ken thought, taking a deep breath.
Agonizing over this would bring him nothing but pain, so he tried to sweep it to the back of his mind. However, it was easier said than done.
He waited a few moments after Daichi entered the locker room to follow, only to be confronted by some of his teammates.
“You’re not playing tonight!? What the hell man?”
“Are you injured or something?”
Ken saw the anxious expressions of Samson and Ryan and felt his heart warm somewhat from their reactions.
“I’m just a little fatigued, don’t worry, I believe in you guys.” He said, wearing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
There was a curse from the other side of the locker room, “Damn it, no Daichi, no Ken… We’re going to struggle against them tonight.” Jake said, his tone sounding displeased.
“H—Hey guys, I’m starting the pitching tonight… I’ll do my best to keep them back.” Rohan called out, trying to fix the mood.
However, everyone ignored him, choosing to continue their moaning.
Ken smiled softly and walked over to Rohan, placing a hand upon his shoulder. “You’re gonna do great man, I’ll leave it all to you.” He said confidently.
His words caused Rohan’s face to light up, “Thanks man… I needed that confidence boost.”
Though he said so, Ken knew that tonights game was going to be tough unless everyone put in a hundred percent. Without himself and Daichi in the batting lineup, the Ligers were far less effective on offense.
This wasn’t just a guess, it was a fact backed up by in depth analytics over a long season. But as he said, Ken had faith that the team could pull through without them, especially with home field advantage.
While Ryan was Miami’s greatest pitcher, there was a significant gap between the rest of the starters. As long as the Ligers could put on runs in the earlier innings, he had some confidence the game would end in their favor.
Ken left Rohan and headed over to his locker beside Daichi. The two got changed silently, barely even acknowledging each other. It was to the point where even some of their teammates had noticed.
Thankfully, no one seemed game enough to encroach on the two brothers.