Game 5 brought with it a huge amount of hype and excitement from the baseball world. Daichi who had been injured in game 1 was now returning to the lineup, something that Ligers fans were patiently waiting for.
Daichi had been one of the most effective players for Detroit in both the regular season and post season. He was described as invaluable on both offense and defense.
But when it was time for the game, things didn’t go as expected.
PAH
“Ball four, take your base.”
“They’re walking him again? Is this really how they’re going to shut him down?”
Murmurs sounded out all of the arena as the fans watched what was happening. There was a sense of unease as Daichi received his 4th walk of the game, it was almost too shocking to be true.
At the top of the 9th, the score was 5-2 in Miami’s favor. Ken’s expression was in a deep frown as he watched his brother get intentionally walked once again.
He had been stifled all game. Aside from a two-run home run he hit in the 2nd inning to send himself and Daichi across home plate, his team had been suffocated.
While it was completely part of the rules to intentionally walk a player, many considered it jarring to do it so blatantly. One or two intentional walks were fine when it made sense tactically, but Miami had been targeting only Daichi this game.
What’s worse is that it was extremely effective. Samson Torkelson and Jose Baez were both 0 for 4, showing what kind of struggle they were having against the Miami defense.
“Batting 6th, Ken Takagi.” The announcer called in a bored tone.
Hearing his name called, Ken walked into the batters box and went through his ritual, his mind occupied. Even if he were to hit a home run here, they would still be behind on the scoreboard.
With two outs, the game could be considered to be over.
However, Ken didn’t give up. All he needed to do was create the opportunity for the batter after him. While Jaime Schoop was only the 7th batter, he believed that the guy could do it.
If one didn’t have faith in their own teammates, they were playing the wrong sport.
‘If I get a home run, Jaime will put us back in front…’ Ken thought, gripping his bat tighter.
Having furiously trained his batting in the Image Training lately, Ken felt much more comfortable holding his bat. In fact, Ken felt the most confident he’d ever been in the batters box.
He waited patiently for the pitcher to enter his throwing motion.
WHOOOOOOSH
CLICK
“Foul.”
He swung at the first pitch, clipping the slider with the top of his bat and sending it into the crowd. Ken stepped out of the batters box and adjusted himself, tapping home plate once more.
He raised his bat, waiting for the next pitch.
WHOOOOOOSH
PAH
“Strike.”
“Count is 0-2.”
Ken smiled bitterly.
‘A slider then a changeup? These guys are trying to keep me guessing.’
PAH
“Ball.”
PAH
“Ball.”
“2-2.”
The next two pitches were considerably outside of the strike zone, it was clear that they were trying to bait him into swinging. However, his plate discipline had only continued to get better the more he faced these major league pitchers.
‘Come on, give me something in the zone…’ Ken said in his heart.
WHOOOOOOOSH
CLICK
“Foul.”
The pitch came, a two-seam fastball that broke inside. Ken had intended on shifting his body and sending it into the stands past left field, but he mistimed it, causing it to shoot into foul territory.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance before throwing it to the back of his mind. It wasn’t good to dwell on missed opportunities, not when it could become a distraction.
Ken took a deep breath and calmed himself before stepping back into the batters box. All he needed to do was hit this home run and they would be much closer to winning the game.
With this burning will, Ken faced the next decisive ball.
WHOOOOOSH
CRACKKK!
Ken felt his bat disintegrate in his hands, the force he’d created dispersing. He cursed inwardly and tossed what little remained of the wood in his hands aside before sprinting towards first base.
He didn’t even know where the ball went.
But it didn’t matter.
“Out.”
“Game set, Miami.”
The ball had somehow ended up in the hands of the center outfielder. Despite the bat being broken, the fielder had needed to run all the way to the back wall in order to catch it, showing just how much power Ken had in his swing.
Ken decelerated, feeling the strength leave his body. They had been so confident coming into the game, but a change of tactics from Miami had left them clambering from the beginning.
He turned and walked off the field towards the dugout and was soon joined by Daichi.
“Unlucky big bro… If your bat didn’t break it would have easily been a home run.” Daichi said, consoling him.
Ken simply nodded in response, there was no point lamenting over it. Even if he hit the home run, there was no guarantee that they would have been able to close the gap in the scoreboard afterwards.
As if sensing his brothers mood, Daichi kept quiet. In reality, he was probably the most stifled. After sitting out 3 important games and finally returning, he did not even get to swing at a ball during this game.
Daichi removed his hat and scratched his head in frustration.
With their words left unsaid, the two brothers returned to the dugout and received some consoling from their teammates. With the conclusion of game 5, Detroit would return to Comerica Park for the next game.
With the series now 3-2 in Miami’s favor, if they lost the game at home, it would be the end of their World Series run. Next game was crucial in order to force a game 7.
