The Old Baseball Player System
Chapter 78: Home Run Derby (4)

"Ahhh, that was incredible!" - Shun said as he threw himself onto his bed. The boy was tired but clearly excited by everything he had seen today.

Shun then began to recall the epic Home Run Derby final he had just witnessed. Both Masato Murakami and José Martínez were amazing, turning that final into one of the most thrilling moments Shun had ever seen in baseball.

José Martínez started off batting, and the legend managed to surpass his semifinal numbers, hitting 19 home runs in his turn. Not just Shun, but everyone in the stadium thought Murakami didn't stand a chance. But Japan's future superstar showed why he was the best slugger in the country.

Murakami hit 12 home runs but missed 4 pitches. With only one pitch left, Murakami made an unbelievable effort, hitting 7 consecutive home runs to tie with José and push the duel into a second tiebreaker round.

In this second round, the rules changed, reducing the pitch count to 3, allowing less room for errors. Since José started the first round, Murakami began the second.

The 23-year-old Tokyo Yakult Swallows star didn't slow down, and even with only 3 pitches, he managed to hit an impressive 11 home runs. With that, José stepped into the batter's box with the tough task of surpassing Murakami's 11 home runs.

As expected, after so many rounds of giving it his all, the 39-year-old legend was feeling the fatigue. After missing the first pitch, things weren't looking good for José, but that wasn't enough to stop the experience and skills of the legend.

José hit 11 home runs and had one final pitch to win it all. But unfortunately for him, the fatigue caught up when his perfect swing ended with the ball hitting the wall. Thus, the two finalists were still tied and would need a third round to finally determine the winner.

The rules changed again for the third round, with the pitch count reduced once more. Now the batters had only one pitch, meaning a single miss would end their turn.

Following the order, José, who had finished the second round, started the third. This was clearly a disadvantage for the legend, as he had less time to rest compared to his opponent.

But even tired, José showed why he was called a legend. The 39-year-old veteran hit 5 home runs in a row before missing and ending his turn. That was an impressive number, considering it was his fifth turn batting that night.

Murakami then stepped into the batter's box, needing to hit 6 home runs without a single miss to claim the title. Whether due to fatigue, pressure, or a combination of both, Murakami finished his turn with only 2 home runs before hitting a ball into foul territory.

Thus, the NPB Home Run Derby ended with the Dominican living legend, José Martínez, as the champion.

[Hey kid! You still have a lot to do, so hurry up and enter the Arena!] - Shun heard the old man's voice in his head.

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" - Shun responded irritably. The boy then remembered something else, a conversation he had with his father after the Home Run Derby.

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"Haha! Hey Shun, I didn't know you liked José Martínez so much! I can only imagine how you're going to react when you meet him tomorrow!" - Kenshin said excitedly, seeing his son celebrate José Martínez's victory.

"Huh? Meet him? What are you talking about, Dad?" - Shun asked, confused. The boy had no idea what his father was talking about.

"Haha, didn't I tell you? I spoke with some people from the Yomiuri Giants, and tomorrow at the All-Star Game, we'll get to go into the team locker rooms before the game! All the players will be there, so you'll be able to see José Martínez in person!" - Kenshin smiled at his son as he shared the good news. Continue the journey on m|vl-em,py-r

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"Hehe, tomorrow's going to be even better! Rest mode!" - Shun said excitedly, quickly entering the Arena. The old man wasn't lying when he said there was a lot to do, but after watching the professionals today, Shun felt much more motivated to improve.

Without wasting any time, Shun quickly entered the Arena match. After losing the second round of the Bronze Tournament again, he started a new tournament and swiftly secured his daily victory, heading straight to the Training Center afterward.

Shun then began his long journey of swinging. The boy still needed to complete 1 million swings in the Training Center in a month, so he couldn't afford to take it easy. After watching José Martínez's swing form, Shun seemed to understand the old man's instructions better, and although it wasn't enough to shut him up, the criticisms did decrease a little.

Shun woke up the next morning. His mind was still tired, but he quickly used his reward from yesterday's daily mission.

[DING]

[Basic Recovery Potion used.]

"Ahh, so good!" - Shun enjoyed the pleasurable sensation of the potion. He couldn't help but think that the old man had really helped him with this. He couldn't even imagine how hard it would be to endure a day with a tired mind from training in the Training Center without the potion. But of course, he would never admit that out loud.

Now fully recovered, Shun left his room. He quickly put on his running shoes, and began his morning 20-kilometer run. As difficult as it was, Shun was feeling extremely motivated. He wanted to improve quickly.

After almost 2 hours, the boy returned home, drenched in sweat. He quickly went upstairs and into the bathroom to clean up. When he got out of the shower, already dressed in his school uniform, he could smell the delicious aroma of his mother's cooking.

The boy excitedly went downstairs to eat breakfast. He entered the kitchen and saw his entire family already seated at the table eating.

"Good morning!" - Shun said with a smile and quickly sat down at the table as well. His stomach was growling loudly, so Shun didn't hold back and started eating his mother's delicious food.