The rules were simple, each player had three minutes to hit as many home runs as possible. If they hit two home runs that traveled over 440 feet, they would earn an extra 30 seconds to keep swinging.
Players could also call for one 45-second timeout during their turn to catch their breath. After the clock ran out, the player with the most home runs would move on to the next round.
With 8 competitors, only the top four would proceed to the round 2. If there was a tie, the players would have a 60-second swing-off, with no timeouts allowed.
The final round was the same, but with only two minutes to make their mark. The player who hit the most home runs at the end of it all would take home the title.
The first contestant Peter Alonso from the Metro’s hit 20 home runs in the first round, which had the crowd going cheering loudly. But it was Leo Cameron who caused them to go into a frenzy.
In the 3 minutes, he managed to hit 30 home runs, smashing Peter Alonso’s score.
There were some big names in the derby, most notably Julio Soto, Jr. Ramirez, Carl Seager and Kye Schwarber. However none of these men were able to beat Leo’s first round score.
Finally it was time for Ken and Daichi to head up to the plate. With the crowd already warmed up from the previous performances, their cheers were almost deafening.
Ken picked up the ball and gripped it in his right hand, waiting for the signal from the officials.
“Go!”
Ken’s demeanor changed and he sent the first ball down the center.
WHACK
The first ball was hit a little late, and both men knew that it wasn’t going as far as the outfield.
THWACKK!
THWACKK
THWACKK
The next 3 were placed exactly in the same place, a result of Ken’s amazing control. Daichi quickly capitalized, sending them flying into the stands with gusto.
Eventually, Ken lost count of how many pitches he’d thrown. The only thing that he focused on was making sure that he placed the ball in the exact same place for Daichi to hit every time.
Daichi raised his hand, calling for a time out. Only now did Ken look over at the clock, there was still a minute left until they were done.
Judging by the cheers of the crowd, they must be doing pretty well.
Ken waited patiently as Daichi got a drink and stretched, trying to keep the blood flowing in his arms. He walked over and checked on him.
“How are you feeling?”
“Good, just a little fatigued. Keep up the pitches, that spot is perfect.” Daichi assured him.
“Yes sir!” Ken said with some sass, giving him a salute.
“10 seconds.” The official said from the side of the field, hurrying them up.
Ken quickly returned to his spot on the mound behind the pitching net and waited for Daichi to get ready. With one minute left, he wanted to send as many decent balls as he could.
THWACKK
THWACKK
WHACK
WHACK
The next minute passed by quickly and soon they got the signal that the round was over. Ken and Daichi looked towards the jumbo screen and broke out into a smile a moment later.
“32! Haha. Suck on that Leo.” Ken said in Japanese, nudging his brother with his elbow.
“That was just the first round.” Daichi replied, catching his breath.
“We’ll do the same in the 2nd round.” Ken added, “Now that you’ve warmed up and know what to expect, the second round should be even better.”
Daichi didn’t disagree with him.
There was only a single competitor left but his score was not enough to move onto the next round. Once the results were tallied, the players who made it to the second round were Leo, Daichi, Julio Soto and Jr. Ramirez.
Thankfully, Daichi went last, giving him some time to recover his fatigue. Once again, Leo hit well, getting 31 home runs, a tough score to beat.
Not far behind him was Julio Soto with 27 and Jr. Ramirez ended up with 20.
“So we just need 27 to make it to the final round.” Ken said, patting his brother on the shoulder. “Reckon you can manage?”
Daichi scoffed, “That depends on your pitches.”
Ken grinned, “You don’t need to worry about my pitches little bro, they’ll be in the same spot every single time.”
Once they got back into position, the official called a start and they began once more.
This time Daichi seemed to have more of a rhythm. He hit 8 home runs from the first 10 pitches, and it didn’t seem like he was going to slow down.
THWACKK
THWACKK
Ken could see his brother was beginning to fatigue again, but he did not stop his pitching until Daichi gave the signal. He would be devastated if the guy lost because he didn’t throw enough balls.
After another minute, Daichi raised his hand and called his 45-second timeout.
There was still a minute and 30 seconds left on the clock because Daichi had hit two home runs over 440 feet. Ken glanced at the jumbo screen and saw that he had 18 home runs, which meant they needed an additional 9 to qualify for the finals.
“You got this man, just dig deep alright?”
Daichi nodded, focusing on controlling his breathing.
The remaining minute and a half was over in a flash, but neither Ken nor Daichi looked worried. Just judging by the sound of the hits, Ken was confident that they’d reached the number required to make it to the next round.
A quick glance at the jumbo screen was all he needed.
“33! Well hit brother!” Ken exclaimed in happiness.
Daichi’s expression was still neutral and he took a large gulp of water. “It’s not over yet man, stay focused.”
Ken could only chuckle to himself. He hadn’t expected Daichi to take this so seriously, but he was not disappointed. If they could beat Ryan and Leo now, it would make Ken feel better.
“US vs Japan, who will win?” He muttered with a grin.