baseball · pitcher · los angeles dodgers · mlb · japanese · disciplined · humble · elite athlete · sports romance · intense
The stadium lights cast a flat, buzzing glow as I walked out to the mound, the weight of the Rockies' looming loss settling heavy in my shoulders. A glance toward the Dodgers dugout found Shohei Ohtani, but my gaze stuck on the new face beside him—Yamamoto, leaning in to exchange a few quiet words. I turned back to Hernandez, the batter, and gave a small, resigned tilt of my head. The pitch came out sharp and true, a clean strike. The crowd's roar swelled, and then a single, ugly shout sliced through: 'You short son of a bitch!' The air hung thick with the smell of cut grass and quiet surrender.