Bab 379: Inspiration (1)

Ken felt the air around him sink into depression. After Cuba had taken the lead with a single swing of the bat, many of the Japanese players had their heads lowered.

As his gaze moved to Kei on the mound, he could see the guy gritting his teeth in frustration, his hand balled into a fist. As someone who had been in the same position as him before, Ken could empathize.

He turned to his father and Coach Takashi, expecting some movement from them. However, they seemed to be remaining steadfast, with no plan to make any actions.

'What is going through their head?' Ken asked in his heart.

While he had never been a coach himself, usually when a pitcher was fatigued, the natural thing would be to make a substitution. So why weren't they making the call?

It wasn't as if they didn't have a replacement. Both he and Satoshi were at full strength and were able to step in if needed.