Chapter 344: The Aces of Both Teams
Seeing Miyuki's signal, Tanba-senpai smiled.
"My feelings right now are the same as before I got injured… I want to play baseball for as long as possible… I want to savor the joy of victory as much as I can… All the days we spent burying ourselves in practice for baseball—none of that effort can be wasted! I won't force them to acknowledge me… Only someone who earns the recognition of these guys… can be the ace! Yuuki! Ryousuke! Masuko! Isashiki! Kuramochi! Shirasu! And Sendo! These guys are the best teammates! With them behind me… I feel completely at ease! I… I will become the ACE of this team!!!"
Tanba completed this entire train of thought just before the moment he swung his arm.
.....
"Fushi!"
"Whoosh!"
"Right down the middle! A hittable pitch!"
"Whoosh!"
The ball sharply dodged the bat.
"Smack!"
"Strike!!!"
"YOSHA!!!"
"We… we're going to win! We… are the strongest!" Tanba roared in his heart.
....
"The ace roars! In just two pitches he has already cornered Amazawa! From near the inside-middle to a low outside breaking ball with massive drop—a perfect curveball that lands cleanly in the catcher's mitt! What a perfect pitch!!!"
"Nice ball, Tanba-san!" Miyuki shouted, his excitement obvious.
From Miyuki's voice alone, Sendo could tell he was completely fired up by Tanba's pitching.
"Is it really that good today… Tanba-san's pitch?" Sendo wondered silently.
Outfielders had one major drawback—they couldn't clearly see what was happening near home plate.
So Sendo always wanted to sneak closer during defensive breaks.
Even the powerful hitter Amazawa couldn't help glancing toward the bench.
....
"Still aim for the fastball. Don't wait for an easy pitch anymore. But absolutely do not swing at balls!"
Coach Matsumoto signaled this adjustment.
The first two pitches—and Tanba's roar—made him realize that Tanba's condition today was excellent.
They couldn't expect the occasional mistake pitch like in the regional qualifiers.
Whether Tanba simply improved or was just in great form didn't matter.
The result was clear:
They couldn't rely on mistakes anymore.
They had to fight head-on.
Every strike would have to be contested.
And Amazawa was a batter worthy of that level of respect.
This was the style of a great coach—
Quick reaction. Decisive action.
.....
"Pah!"
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
"Strike! Batter out!"
"The final pitch—a splitter! Even though Amazawa waited until the very last moment to swing, he was still deceived!"
Coach Matsumoto had once said:
If Amazawa's speed weren't so valuable, he would absolutely be placed in the cleanup lineup.
He was Kiryu's second-best hitter after Tate Hiromi.
Yet in his first encounter with Seidou's ace, he didn't even make contact once.
Still, the fact that he could delay his swing against Tanba's fastball proved the praise he received was well deserved.
.....
Second Batter — Second Baseman Hirata
Before stepping up, Hirata had already confirmed his approach:
Aim for the curveball.
Even though Tanba's fastball was difficult to hit due to his control, compared to the curveball and splitter, it was still the best option.
Now that Tanba's control had fully recovered—and his weak mentality was gone—
combined with the new splitter, he had truly become a national-level ace.
Opponents could only search among his pitches for the least difficult one to target.
If they didn't get the pitch they wanted—
even getting out would still give them information.
Of course, Kiryu's hitters weren't rigid.
The stronger the batter, the fewer pitch types they would abandon.
For example, Tate Hiromi was even allowed to swing at difficult pitches, giving him more freedom.
.....
"Fushi!"
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
"Strike!"
"Another curveball!"
Hirata didn't swing.
"Hm? He's not lifting his leg after just one strike? Is he trying to observe the pitch better? But even without the leg lift, if he hits it, that ball will fly far!"
.....
"Fushi!"
"Whoosh!"
"Fastball!"
"Ping!"
Foul!
"The timing is off! That curveball earlier disrupted his rhythm—and the pitch was sharp!" Hirata gritted his teeth.
"Two pitches and he's already cornered again!"
.....
"Fushi!"
"Smack!"
"Strike! Batter out!"
Another curveball ended the at-bat.
Hirata couldn't even touch the ball—let alone foul it.
When fastballs and breaking balls were mixed with this precision, even if a batter guessed one type correctly, the speed and trajectory differences still caused confusion.
Once cornered, the batter lost the luxury of waiting.
.....
Two Outs!
Now it was time for Kiryu's cleanup lineup.
Third Batter — First Baseman Ishizaki
Ishizaki was a slightly heavy-set hitter.
His swing speed, accuracy, and power were all top class.
Aside from running speed, he was only slightly worse than Amazawa as a batter.
....
"Fushi!"
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
Strike!
"Another curveball!"
Even Coach Matsumoto hesitated slightly seeing so many curveballs.
But since their hitters hadn't revealed their targeting strategy yet—
they would continue waiting.
.....
"Fushi!"
Inside pitch!
Finally, the fastball came.
It was extremely tricky but clearly inside the strike zone.
"BOOM!"
"Ping!"
With incredible swing speed, the batter managed to make contact.
"Smack!"
"Out!"
But the timing wasn't perfect.
The ball flew deep into the outfield—
yet it couldn't get past the defense.
Isashiki barely moved as he calmly caught it.
"YOSHA!!!"
After confirming the out, Tanba roared again.
"Three outs! Change sides!"
"Nice pitching, Tanba-san!" Miyuki ran up first and bumped gloves with him.
"Yeah!" Tanba replied excitedly.
"Nice pitching, Tanba!"
The rest of the team followed with encouragement.
Although it was only the first round of at-bats,
Tanba had perfectly suppressed Kiryu's powerhouse lineup.
He never expected to pitch a shutout.
But he had proven one thing:
He had the ability to face them head-on.
And he completely trusted Seidou's batting lineup.
If they gave up runs—
then they would simply score even more.
.....
Meanwhile, Tate Hiromi walked out of the dugout wearing his cap and glove after removing his protective gear.
"This team really is strong… This game is going to be fun."
As he thought that, the sinister grin Sendo had been waiting for finally appeared on his face.
That grin reassured Kiryu's players and supporters immensely.
.....
"It's here! That evil grin!" Sawamura shouted, pointing at Tate.
Sendo looked delighted.
For Sendo, Tate's grin was strangely addictive.
The satisfaction he felt was like a compulsive habit finally being fulfilled.
If you asked someone with obsessive tendencies what it felt like when their compulsion was satisfied—
that was exactly Sendo's current mood.
.....
"Let's score some runs too, so Tanba-san can pitch more comfortably," Sendo said casually.
"Exactly what I was thinking!!! Kuramochi, get on base!" Isashiki shouted.
"Huh? Yes, sir!"
Just as Kuramochi stepped out of the dugout, he didn't expect Jun-san to suddenly drag him into the conversation. He froze for a moment before immediately responding.
(Although Kuramochi is part of the so-called "delinquent trio," anyone who observes closely will notice that whenever he speaks to his seniors, he always uses polite language. His tone is respectful and gentle.)
As for why Isashiki pressured Kuramochi to get on base?
If he doesn't reach base, how can he get into scoring position? And how could Isashiki bring him home?
Before stepping into the batter's box, Isashiki often gives the impression that he doesn't quite know his own limits.
He sometimes treats himself like he's a batter on the same level as Yuuki.
.....
Bottom of the 1st Inning — Seidou High School's offense
1st batter: Shortstop, Kuramochi!
"Run with all your might! Don't stop running! Run with all your might! Don't stop running! Hit it, Kuramochi!"
"And now we move to the bottom of the first! Seidou High has just perfectly suppressed Kiryu's lineup! Now it's Kiryu's turn to respond!"
.....
I know exactly what my job is.
My job is simply to get on base.
Kuramochi stood in the left-handed batter's box with a serious expression.
The pitcher in front of him was someone even Miyuki had described as extremely capable.
Kuramochi didn't know Miyuki's exact evaluation, but he wasn't an idiot like Sawamura, nor an airhead like Furuya.
...
"Watch for the safety bunt at third!"
Kiryu's catcher shouted loudly.
Kuramochi wasn't a powerful hitter—this had already been thoroughly researched.
Once a weakness is exposed, it will be ruthlessly targeted.
This is high school baseball.
A life-or-death battle where the winner survives and the loser goes home.
Even months ago, Tate Hiromi could force Kuramochi into grounders just with pitch velocity on hittable pitches.
So there was no reason for Kiryu to worry about Kuramochi hitting for power.
Forget extra-base hits—even an infield hit would be difficult.
Therefore, the one thing they absolutely couldn't ignore was the bunt.
If it were Sendo, they wouldn't dare rush forward even with eight times the courage.
In fact, if Sendo attempted a bunt for a hit, they'd probably accept it and simply defend as best they could.
Because rushing in recklessly might create a defensive hole—and if the ball got through, that would be disastrous.
Only when you eliminate obvious weaknesses can your strengths fully shine.
Unfortunately, at this stage, neither Kuramochi nor Miyuki understood that yet.
That's why their batting was still weak.
Unlike Sendo—
whose natural physical talent already compensated for his flaws.
.....
"Heh."
Before pitching, Tate Hiromi let out a small laugh toward home plate.
Even though his face always looked like it was smiling, this time the sound of the laugh was clearly audible.
.....
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
Strike!
"A low outside pitch grazing the edge of the strike zone!"
Kuramochi saw the pitch—but didn't have the courage to swing.
He knew better than anyone how terrifying Tate's heavy fastball was.
Even if he hit such a tricky strike, the result would probably be an easy out.
Swinging at a bad pitch and getting out in one swing would definitely earn him a scolding from Jun-san.
...
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
Strike!
The second pitch was a precise inside fastball.
But for a hitter like Kuramochi—who struggled against pitch power—
an inside high pitch was even harder to handle than a low outside pitch.
A low outside pitch might produce a grounder, and with luck he could still reach base.
But if he was overpowered by an inside pitch?
That would produce a weak line drive—no speed, no height, no power.
An easy catch.
Kuramochi wasn't naive enough to think Kiryu's fielders would make such a basic mistake.
But now that he was cornered, he had no choice.
Being overpowered didn't mean he couldn't hit safely.
If he perfectly matched the timing and hit the ball with the sweet spot of the bat, he might still produce an infield hit.
But the outfield… was another story.
In the on-deck circle, Yuuki frowned.
During the practice game, Yuuki had managed to foul off many pitches against Tate because Tate wasn't familiar with him.
Back then Tate struggled to retire him and burned through many pitches.
Although Tate had been fatigued from training camp at the time—
he had clearly evolved again.
Strictly speaking, this year's Kiryu wasn't as individually star-studded as last year.
But the team was far more united.
And after being battered by Furuya and Sendo in that practice game, who knew what kind of hellish training Tate endured afterward?
In the original story, Tate was already pushed into special training just because Furuya hit a single home run off him.
And Kiryu's training had always been described as "hell."
Even tougher than Seidou's.
Adding extra training on top of that…
Just imagining it made one's scalp tingle.
....
"Ping!"
"Smack!"
Out!
The third pitch was another fastball.
Kuramochi's hit rolled straight toward the third baseman.
The third baseman had already moved forward.
The ball practically turned into a bunt, rolling right into his hands.
Kuramochi didn't even get a chance to show his speed.
.....
Second batter: Second baseman, Kominato Ryousuke!
Yuuki stepped into the batter's box with a serious expression.
.....
"This second baseman has incredible bat control. Last time he got on base multiple times. But his power is even weaker than that leadoff batter. And it's still the early innings. That makes things simple. Just play to your strengths, Tate."
...
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
Strike!
The very first pitch—
a high inside fastball.
Right-handed pitcher against a left-handed batter.
When thrown this sharply,
it was an extremely difficult pitch to swing at.
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