Chapter 13: Between Games
The celebration after the win over San Pedro lasted longer than Rafael expected.
By the time the team finished shaking hands, packing their equipment, and leaving the field, the sun had already begun to sink behind the school buildings. The players were tired, but nobody seemed particularly interested in going home yet.
Joshua was still talking about the ninth inning.
"I still can’t believe they walked you again."
Rafael adjusted his bag over his shoulder. "They had a reason."
"And then I got the hit."
"You did."
Joshua grinned. "So technically, I saved the game."
Miguel laughed. "It was tied before that."
"Details."
Paolo shook his head while putting his catcher’s gear away. "You two are impossible."
Daniel approached the group before they could continue.
"Good game today. Get some rest. We don’t have an official practice tomorrow."
Joshua immediately raised both hands.
"Best news I’ve heard all day."
Daniel ignored him.
"Our third group-stage game is important. Don’t assume anything because we’re two-and-zero."
The players became quieter.
Daniel looked around the group.
"One more game. One more opportunity to finish the group stage properly. After that, we’ll see where we stand."
Rafael nodded.
He understood what Daniel meant.
Two wins had put Davao Central in a strong position, but the group stage wasn’t finished. There was still another opponent waiting, and the team couldn’t afford to start thinking about the semifinals before earning their place there.
Daniel looked at Rafael.
"Same thing for you."
Rafael raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Don’t spend tomorrow trying to become a better player."
Rafael smiled.
"I wasn’t planning to."
"Good. Recover. Study if you want, but don’t overdo it."
"Got it."
Daniel nodded before walking away.
Joshua looked at Rafael.
"You heard Coach."
Rafael started walking.
"Yeah."
"Rest."
"Yeah."
"Don’t watch baseball all night."
Rafael stopped and looked back at him.
"I never said I would."
Joshua stared.
"Your face says you will."
Rafael laughed.
"Go home, Joshua."
When Rafael arrived home, the house was quieter than usual.
He opened the door and immediately heard Lia from the living room.
"Finally!"
Rafael looked toward her.
She was sitting on the couch with Elena, while Manuel was at the dining table looking through something on his phone.
"What?"
Lia stood up.
"You won."
Rafael smiled.
"I noticed."
"And you hit a home run."
"Yeah."
"And a double."
Rafael looked at Elena.
"Did she memorize the box score?"
Elena laughed.
"She’s been talking about it since the game ended."
Lia crossed her arms.
"I’m just saying, you were good."
Manuel looked up from his phone.
"Not just good."
Rafael sat down.
"You sound like Coach."
Manuel smiled.
"Your coach is probably seeing the same thing I am."
Rafael leaned back.
"What?"
"You didn’t panic when they changed how they played you."
Rafael was quiet for a moment.
That was exactly what he had been thinking about since the game ended.
The first game had been easy to understand. He had seen pitches he liked and attacked them.
The second game had been different.
San Pedro had made a plan specifically for him.
They moved their outfielders. They changed pitchers. They avoided certain areas. They walked him when necessary.
And yet, none of that had forced him out of the game.
Instead, it had simply changed the way he contributed.
"I think that’s what Coach wanted to see," Rafael said.
Manuel nodded.
"You’ve always been confident."
Rafael looked at him.
"But today you looked patient."
Rafael smiled slightly.
"Baseball teaches you that."
Lia dropped back onto the couch.
"So does that mean you’re going to hit another home run next game?"
Rafael laughed.
"I don’t know."
She frowned.
"You always say that now."
"Because I don’t control every pitch."
Elena smiled.
"That’s probably the first normal answer you’ve given us."
Rafael looked at her.
"Normal?"
"You’re seventeen. You’re supposed to say you don’t know if you’ll hit a home run."
Rafael laughed quietly.
For a moment, the room felt completely ordinary.
No tournament.
No standings.
No opposing pitchers.
Just his family sitting together after a long day.
Rafael hadn’t realized how much he needed that.
Later that evening, Rafael went outside.
The air was cooler, and the neighborhood was quiet.
He sat on the steps and looked at his phone.
There were several messages from the team group chat.
Joshua had sent a photo of the scoreboard.
Miguel had sent a short message congratulating everyone.
Paolo had posted a joke about Joshua’s ninth-inning hit.
Rafael smiled as he read through them.
Then another message appeared.
Mia.
Mia: You free tomorrow?
Rafael looked at the message for a moment before replying.
Rafael: No practice tomorrow.
A few seconds passed.
Mia: So you’re free.
Rafael smiled.
Rafael: I guess.
Mia: Good.
He waited.
Another message arrived.
Mia: Coffee?
Rafael looked at the screen.
He thought about it for a second before replying.
Rafael: Sure.
The following afternoon, Rafael met Mia near a small café not far from the school.
She was already waiting outside when he arrived.
"You came."
Rafael looked at her.
"You asked."
Mia smiled.
"I wasn’t sure you’d actually be free."
"I told you we didn’t have practice."
"That doesn’t mean you weren’t going to study baseball for five hours."
Rafael laughed.
"You know me too well."
They went inside and found a table near the window.
For the first few minutes, they talked about ordinary things: school, teachers, classmates, and the tournament.
Eventually, Mia looked at him.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Are you actually enjoying this?"
Rafael paused.
"The tournament?"
"Baseball."
He looked through the window toward the street.
He thought about the field, the sound of the bat, the pressure of an at-bat, the feeling of reading a pitcher before the pitch even left his hand.
Then he smiled.
"Yeah."
Mia watched him.
"You look different when you talk about it."
Rafael raised an eyebrow.
"Different how?"
"More relaxed."
He considered that.
"Maybe because I know what I’m doing."
Mia laughed.
"You’re seventeen and you talk like you’ve been doing this forever."
Rafael smiled.
"You wouldn’t believe me if I told you."
"Try me."
He looked at her for a second.
Then he laughed.
"Maybe another time."
Mia smiled.
"Fine."
She took a sip of her drink before asking, "What happens if you make it to the semifinals?"
Rafael leaned back.
"We play whoever comes out of the other group."
"And if you win that?"
"Final."
Mia nodded slowly.
"So you’re really thinking about winning the whole thing."
Rafael didn’t answer immediately.
He wasn’t thinking about trophies.
He was thinking about the team.
Joshua.
Miguel.
Paolo.
Carlo.
Ethan.
Andre.
Nico.
For the first time in years, winning wasn’t something he wanted to accomplish alone.
"I want to see how far this team can go," he finally said.
Mia smiled.
"That’s a better answer."
Rafael looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because you’re not just talking about yourself."
He smiled.
"Maybe I’m learning."
Mia shook her head.
"Maybe."
That evening, Rafael returned home before dinner.
Lia was watching a video on her phone when he walked into the room.
"You’re back."
"Yeah."
She looked at him suspiciously.
"Where were you?"
"Out."
"With who?"
Rafael looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because you’re smiling."
Rafael laughed.
"Am I not allowed to smile?"
Lia narrowed her eyes.
"You’re hiding something."
Elena walked into the room carrying a plate.
"Leave him alone."
Lia looked at her.
"I’m just asking."
Manuel smiled from the dining table.
"Let him have his secrets."
Rafael sat down.
"Thank you."
Lia pointed at him.
"I’ll figure it out."
Rafael laughed.
"Good luck."
The conversation eventually moved back to baseball.
Manuel asked about the next game, and Rafael explained that Davao Central still had one group-stage game remaining.
"So you haven’t qualified yet?" Elena asked.
"Not officially."
"But two wins help."
"Definitely."
Manuel nodded.
"Then don’t look past the next game."
Rafael smiled.
"That’s what Coach said."
Lia leaned forward.
"Who are you playing?"
Rafael gave her the name.
She nodded as if memorizing it.
"Okay."
Rafael looked at her.
"Why?"
"So I know who to blame if they beat you."
Everyone at the table laughed.
Rafael shook his head.
"You don’t have to worry."
Lia smiled.
"I know."
Later that night, Rafael entered his room and opened the tournament schedule.
Three games.
Two completed.
One remaining.
He studied the Group A standings for a while before closing the page.
The numbers didn’t matter yet.
What mattered was finishing the group stage.
Rafael picked up his glove from the desk and turned it over in his hands.
Two games had taught him something important.
The first opponent had been surprised by him.
The second had prepared for him.
The next opponent would have the benefit of watching both.
That meant Rafael would have to show them something different again.
Not because he had become weaker.
Not because his advantage was disappearing.
Because baseball was a game of adjustments.
And every new opponent gave him another opportunity to learn.
His phone vibrated.
A message from Miguel.
Miguel: Coach says we’re back tomorrow afternoon.
Another message followed.
Miguel: He said no pressure.
Rafael smiled.
He typed a reply.
Rafael: Good.
Miguel answered almost immediately.
Miguel: That’s it?
Rafael thought for a second before typing.
Rafael: We’re not done yet.
He put his phone down.
Outside, the neighborhood was quiet.
Inside, Rafael looked once more at the baseball schedule before turning off the light.
Two wins.
One game left.
Then the real tournament would begin.
And Rafael wasn’t worried about whether he could keep dominating.
He already knew he could compete.
What interested him now was something else.
How far could this team go when everyone stopped waiting for Rafael to carry them—and started believing they could win together?
Tomorrow, they would find out.
End of Chapter 13