Another few days passed and after missing out on the final game against Kansas City due to rain, the team returned to Detroit to face the New York Yanks.
Ken had been waiting for this game ever since the 2022 schedule had been released. This was a chance for him to get some redemption against Leo, after losing against him miserably during their college post season run.
It had been almost 2 years since then and Ken had no doubt that Leo Cameron had improved. With his ridiculous physical grades and now a year in the Major League, Ken expected the guy to be even more dangerous.
Apparently it was not only him who felt this way.
“I’m going to study some film, did you want to join me?” Daichi asked.
“Who are you studying? The Yanks?”
Daichi nodded solemnly. “They’ve only given up five runs in the first 10 games of the season… If we want a chance of hitting their pitches, we need to put in the work.”
It didn’t take much convincing from Daichi for Ken to agree. He had been wanting to get revenge for what happened back in College for the past 2 years.
Even with showdown, Leo had managed to hit his fastest pitch. If the bat had not broken, he would have easily hit it into the stands for a home run. Ken would not allow that to happen again.
“Okay let’s do it.” Ken replied readily.
He gave Ai a quick kiss and followed Daichi to the media room located on the 1st floor of his apartment.
Now that they were all in the Majors, acquiring game film was significantly easier. As long as they had Internet, any televised game would be available at their fingertips.
They arrived in the media room which had a projector hooked up and a few comfy leather chairs which reclined. This was a great spot to watch movies or even games, yet these two baseball maniacs were going to watch and study film on it.
This was not uncommon for Daichi who liked to research before every game, but for Ken it was rare. The fact he was here and not training showed just how seriously he took Leo as an opponent.
Daichi was aware of this fact, so he chose not to tease his brother.
As someone who also competed in the U18 World Cup back then, Daichi knew just how much of a freak Leo was. In fact, Leo was the only person who Daichi truly felt threatened by.
“Let’s begin.” Daichi said, grabbing a thick and well-used notepad. He flipped through the pages until he found the right spot.
Ken looked over and could see there was already some information on a few other Yanks players like Alex Cole and Ma-kun. It was clear that his brother was thorough.
Soon enough, the most recent game the Yanks played was projected onto the screen. Since it was a home game, the Yanks started the inning on the field.
Seeing Leo squatting behind the plate gave Ken goosebumps. Even though he was only a pitcher, he could recognize the stability, yet flexibility within the man’s pose.
In a single moment, he could spring up and send a wicked fast throw to any of the bases if he so chose. This paired with his almost computer-like calculations and expert framing made him a pain to play against.
As time went on, Ken was already way past impressed.
Even against the Major League hitters, Leo was making them look like fools. If it wasn’t for an errant pitch, there wouldn’t have been any runners on base for the first inning.
With 2 outs and a runner on first, Leo called for a slider outside. His body language had not changed, but Ken thought he could see the guy’s eyes locked onto the runner, evaluating him.
WHOOOSH
PAH
“What the hell!?” Ken stood up in awe as Leo fired a rocket-like throw towards first base, catching the runner off guard. The guy had taken a decent lead and was too slow getting back.
What followed was a quick chase down for a tag out and the final out of the first inning.
“Damn he’s quick…” Ken muttered in appreciation.
Daichi was silent as he began writing in his notebook, though Ken could see his solemn expression.
Unfortunately for them, it wasn’t just Leo’s catching that was outstanding. The guys batting could be said to be even better.
This was the part where Daichi paid close attention. However, he quickly frowned when he saw that the guy was being intentionally walked.
With 1 out and 1st base free, it made sense to send Leo to first base for free since he would likely do much more damage otherwise.
The two fast forwarded the match so they could focus on Leo particularly.
Out of 4 at-bats, he was walked once and hit 2 doubles and a home run. The odd thing was, it didn’t even seem like he was trying his best in the batters box.
Due to his cold and almost bored expression, it seemed like he was just going through the motions.
Ken sat back in the chair and let out a sigh. “If I had have known I’d become depressed like this, I would have never come.” He said, turning to his brother.
“Well that’s just the first game. I want to see a few more.” Daichi said matter-of-factly.
Ken rolled his eyes. “Do you mind going solo? I want to get a workout in.”
Daichi shooed him away, much like he would a fly.
Ken poked out his tongue before leaving, but he wasn’t angry. Each player approached the game differently. Ken was more of a game day player, whereas Daichi was a preparation type player.
‘He’s the one calling the leads anyway.’ Ken reasoned with himself. As long as he could throw accurately, then he would leave all of the grunt work to Daichi.
He stretched as he made his way out of the media room.