'Tch, why'd you stop.' Rei mumbled in irritation as the runner on third stopped as his throw went right past his head to Austin at the home plate making the runner retreat on third while he got applause from the other players and of course the lovely Yuxin.
Rei walked back to the center field as he heard Kaminari call for a time-out so Rei turned to face him, and saw him waving to him to come to the mound.
While he was running to the mound he passed by Kyle but they didn't exchange any words so he continued going past him as he stepped to the mound standing in front of Kaminari.
"What's up?" Rei asked as he stood in front of him as he was wiping the sweat he had accumulated on his forehead.
"I need you to pitch," he said briefly.
"Are you sure about this?" Rei asked, trying to be nice but he was secretly relieved on the inside as it was about time for him to step on the mound.
"No, but we need to win both matches to make the team, and to do that we need to win this match," Kaminari said as Rei could hear the bitterness and anger in his voice.
"Okay," Rei said briefly because even though they were somewhat friends that happened quite recently, he still loves baseball and he loves winning too.
So he turned around and called in Starling and looked at both Kaminari and Starling seriously.
"Which one of you can catch?" Rei asked with a smile on his face as they took a few seconds to process Rei's question.
"Ugh, I can," Starling responded half confused.
"Okay, you'll be my catcher, and Kaminari you'll play shortstop because you're quite fast from what I saw at the track," Rei explained and they both agreed as Rei turned to the ump and called a player change which he allowed.
Next, he called over Austin, and Kyle both came reluctantly with their signature attitude.
"What the hell is going on here?" Austin asked not so kindly as he took off the catcher's mask.
"Take off the catcher's gear," Rei responded as he looked at him coldly while staring daggers at him.
"Why?" Austin replied but this time like a scared frightened puppy.
"So Starling can put it on. I don't trust you as my catcher so I'm replacing you and putting you at third," he said as he turned to Kyle.
"As for you, you'll play first base while Kaminari will play shortstop," he said as he looked at Austin and Kyle with a dangerous look on his face not taking no for an answer.
"But what about the outfield?" Austin asked as he took off the catcher's gear and handed it over to Starling while Kaminari helped him put it on.
"I don't need one," Rei replied curtly in confidence and not arrogance.
"So let's hurry because I can see the umpire getting a little restless."
As everybody was getting ready and into the positions that Rei assigned them, he fixed the footing on the mound to his liking.
"Are they allowed to do that?" one of the opposing players on team 2 asked the umpire.
While the umpire was about to respond Coach Miller butted in from behind the fence with a laugh startling the people around him.
"Hahaha of course they are. I said that in the beginning to position yourselves as long as you got a pitcher and a catcher. It's just that not many people choose not to do it because they don't have the guts to or they don't have confidence in their skills or the pitcher." Coach Miller answered the player's question as he continued his hearty laugh.
"There you have it kid." the umpire said as he turned to Rei.
"Are you guys done?"
"Yes thank you for waiting," Rei said as he pulled Starling aside before he went to his position.
"Ah"
"Calm down there. I need you to put your glove in the middle and don't move it." Starling yelped a bit as Rei pulled him but gave him a nod without asking any questions as he went to the catcher's position.
"Resume play." the umpire said as he blow his whistle while the second batter in the lineup came up into the same batter box as last time.
'We have 2 outs with runners on second and third.' Rei thought
The first pitch he threw was a fastball straight down the middle that had a speed of 92 mph (148.1 km/h). As the ball left his hand, it seemed to move in slow motion, the white laces of the ball spinning in a mesmerizing blur.
The batter watched the ball intently, his eyes wide with anticipation. Due to Rei's unique windup, it threw the batter's timing off.
As the ball approached the plate, the batter swung very late, his bat slicing through the air, as the ball flew past the batter, the umpire's arm shot up in the air to call a strike.
The crowd erupted in cheers, the sound of their voices echoing through the field.
Rie stood tall on the mound, his face full of coldness not showing any emotion.
Though it disappeared in the next second as a smile appeared on his face as he could hear Yuxin yelling her lungs out.
The first pitch was naturally a strike, 0-1.
'I didn't even know someone can cheer that loud.' Rei joked to himself as he could hear Yuxin as Starling threw the ball back to him, he paused for a slight second before starting his windup again as another fastball at the same speed as the first one went right down the middle again.
Just like someone video-recorded the first pitch the outcome was the exact same with no difference in a very late swing for a strike 0-2.
Then another fastball down the middle again for a very hilarious 3rd and final strikeout 0-3.
Within three pitches the batter and runners couldn't do anything, stopping their offense as they switched sides while claps and yells penetrated the field.
"Wow, nice pitching kinda scared how all of them were down the middle but good job." Both Starling and Kaminari commented as they headed for their dugout, while Austin or Kyle didn't say anything but grabbed their bats and headed for the batter's box and the deck with Kyle hitting first and Austin waiting on deck taking a few swings.
Starling was going to say something to them but Rei stopped him.
"Don't waste your words there feeling threatened and want to prove themselves so it's pointless to try and talk to them," he stated as they sat down on the bench.
"To be honest I wasn't expecting three fastballs down the middle and the batter couldn't even touch them but was late every time, but from my perspective, I know why," Kaminari commented as he grabbed a water bottle.
"Oh~ do tell." Starling chuckled, even though he also knew the reason since he saw it from the plate.
"It's weird to explain... a lot of pitchers have weird windups but Rei's isn't weird per se, but it still messes with the timing, like one second it's behind his body, and the next it's already halfway to the plate."
"It wasn't too hard." Rei chimed in as he was watching Kyle go head to head with the pitcher taking 5 pitches before he connected with a curveball for a single while Austin went to the batter's box.
"So we need to decide who's batting third between the two of you, and on a totally unrelated note, I'm making nicknames for each of you because your names are too long. Starling, I'm calling you Star because your name starts with it, and Kaminari I'm calling you Stiles." (Because Kanimari looks like Dylan O'Brien and Logan Lerman.)
"Okay a little weird, but we get to call you Rei," Starling said with a smile while Kaminari nodded in the back.
"Deal but we need to decide on the third batter," Rei said hurriedly as Austin was barely hanging on by a thread as he was on his 7th pitch already looking like he'll strike out soon.
"Okay, I'll go third," Star stated as he grabbed his metal bat and walked to the deck circle leaving me behind with Stiles.
"So you and the campus belle huh?" Stiles asked him while they saw Austin strikeout and Star walking to the batter's box.
"Yeah, is that hard to believe?" Rei answered with a smile on his face as he thought of her, and looked at her from the dugout.
"No, not really 2 beautiful people that can be called gods from their talent to their looks, kind of make a great pairing. Besides she hasn't dated anyone mostly because she's like you in a way, cold and distant with an overwhelming aura around her hence her nickname the 'ice queen'. While you were nicknamed from all the interviews you did as a kid as the 'ice king'." Stiles said as they were both watched at Stars at bat.
"Yeah, I remember that nickname from people at my middle school besides being called a fox," Rei replied with a smile on his face.
"Because you do look like one." Austin chimed in out of nowhere from the backbench.
"Shut up don't call me that you'll regret it," Rei said in repellence as he went back to being cold for a moment.
- Ding!
A bat connecting with a ball rang through the dugout drawing their attention as Star hit a fastball just in the top of the zone for a single making runners on first and second.
"Looks like you're up." Rei turned to Stiles as they both stood up and Rei went to retrieve his wooden bat from his bag while Stiles walked to the righties batters box.
Rei walked to the circle deck as he watched Stiles start his at-bat.
The first pitch is a fastball which Stiles let go for a called ball 1-0.
Another fastball towards the inside hit for a foul ball 1-1.
Then a curveball came at Stiles hitting him in the thigh in the process.
"Are you okay? Can you take first?" the umpire asked Stiles as he threw his bat to the dugout and rubbed his thigh a little.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Stiles responded as he jogged over to the first base.
'Bases are loaded.' Rei thought to himself with a smile on his face as he walked into the righties batter box as took his batting stance.
'Should I aim for a pitch or just wing it?' Rei thought as he saw the pitcher start his windup which wasn't anything special but he was hiding the ball pretty decently.
'I know he has a change-up which he only threw once so I'll make it look like I'm aiming for a fastball and see if he throws the change-up.' Rei planned in his head as he let the curveball pass by him for a called strike 0-1.
The pitcher started his motion again this time he threw a fastball that Rei connected with perfectly for a foul ball 0-2.
Foul.
Foul.
Foul.
He threw a curveball for a called ball 1-2.
A total of 6 pitches with one called strike, one called a ball, and 4 foul balls.
The pitcher was getting a little irritated as he threw a fastball clearly above the zone inside not enough to hit Rei but enough to make him back up, to which Rei didn't even flinch and stood his ground, as he let it be a called ball for a count of 2-2.
Once the pitcher saw Rei didn't even flinch and he was targeting his fastball and couldn't get him with his curveball he finally decided to throw the only other pitch he could throw which was a changeup.
As the pitcher started his motion again Rei waited patiently for it to come, as the pitcher finally released his changeup, that looked like it wanted to get screwed to the outfield coming at the bottom middle of the zone.
As the bat was over his head, he lifted his left leg off the ground and brought it towards him, leaving it hanging for a second before planting it firmly on the ground. His toes pointed at a 45-degree angle towards the corner of the batter's box, and his body was perfectly aligned with the ball.
His swing was smooth and effortless, like a baby's butt.
'CRACK'
The loud crack sound that echoed through the field was like a thunderous roar that could be heard from miles away. It was so pleasing to the ears of anybody who heard it as if it was a sign of something special about to happen. The ball soared through the air, spinning and twirling as it flew towards the gate dead center of the field.
It was a sight to behold, as the sun glinted off the ball and the wind blew through its path.
It seemed to be in slow motion as if time had stopped and the ball was the only thing that mattered. The ball kept going, going, and went a few feet over the 30 ft gate that was 400ft away from home plate.
It was a perfect shot as if it was meant to be.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
The ball had gone exactly where it was meant to go, and it was a beautiful sight to behold.
A Grand Slam.