In the Seido dugout, Nanjo Taishi was warming up his shoulders, preparing to enter the game. Azuma Kiyokuni, who had just returned, looked back at Inajitsu's dugout, then said to Nanjo Taishi, "Nanjo, be careful."
"Mm." Nanjo Taishi nodded. In the top of the 4th inning, he would immediately face Inajitsu's 2nd, 3rd, and 4th batters, and it was at a time when the opposing team, being down by one run, would surely counterattack fiercely. The pressure would be immense.
Not only Azuma Kiyokuni, but Coach Kataoka also spoke up, "If someone gets on first base, you can consider an intentional walk."
Nanjo Taishi was startled for a moment, then understood Coach Kataoka's meaning. If someone got on base before the 4th batter, he would have to face the slugger Shinkawa Kenichi. In such a situation, an intentional walk was clearly the safer approach when facing Shinkawa Kenichi.
However, the Coach said 'consider,' and the situation on the field changes rapidly. How to proceed specifically would ultimately be decided by Tanaka Wataru and Nanjo Taishi. Coach Kataoka only offered a suggestion, or rather, permission.
The Seido players took their respective defensive positions, and Inajitsu's second batter had already stepped into the batter's box.
From the grip on the bat, Tanaka Wataru could feel the batter's determination to get on base. It made sense; if the second batter could get on base, the next two batters were Inajitsu's captain and cleanup hitter, making a scoring opportunity quite high.
Since that's the case, I definitely can't let you have your way.
The pitcher and catcher exchanged glances and quickly began pitching.
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
"Bang!"
On only the second pitch, Inajitsu's second batter hit Nanjo Taishi's pitch. The baseball bounced off the ground and directly towards first base. Inajitsu's batter's luck wasn't great either; he was unluckily out.
"Heh, it seems Lady Luck is also favoring Seido," Tanaka Wataru chuckled.
After that, Inajitsu's third batter, Hada Kazuki, was retired with just one pitch. His aggressive swing sent the ball very far, but also very high. Isashiki Jun in center field watched the flying baseball while retreating, finally catching the ball steadily and completing the catch.
With two outs smoothly secured, the spectators cheered. The performance of Seido's pitcher-catcher duo made their supporters extremely satisfied. This was Inajitsu, after all; their batting strength was second to none in the country, yet they still hadn't scored a run or even gotten on base easily against Nanjo Taishi and Tanaka Wataru.
Seido's supporters were overjoyed, but this cheerful atmosphere didn't last long, as Inajitsu's cleanup hitter Shinkawa Kenichi's swing brought a complete silence.
Bang!
The bat squarely connected with a high-speed slider thrown by Nanjo Taishi. The white ball soared into the sky, flying very high and very far.
"It's out!!"
"A home run to left field!"
"Inajitsu's 4th batter, Shinkawa Kenichi, stepped up at a crucial moment and hit today's first home run!"
With a magnificent home run, Inajitsu tied the score shortly after Seido took the lead. The meritorious Shinkawa Kenichi jogged back to home plate, raising his fist to their fans.
As he left the field, he high-fived Harada Masatoshi, who was coming up to bat, in celebration.
"Shinkawa-senpai, you're so cool!"
As soon as he returned to the dugout, Narumiya Mei shouted with his hands raised high.
Pop!
Shinkawa Kenichi also affectionately high-fived Narumiya Mei.
"Haha, the Seido guys must be really annoyed now, looking at how smug they were when they scored just now."
"They must be so depressed."
"Look at their expressions."
The Inajitsu team chattered away. Shinkawa Kenichi then looked at Azuma Kiyokuni. As two powerful cleanup hitters from the West Tokyo region, they naturally competed against each other in secret. With that home run just now, his home run count also reached 40.
Regrettably, due to Inajitsu's strong team, he had played many more innings than Azuma Kiyokuni. Even so, Azuma Kiyokuni's home run count was still higher than his, which made Shinkawa Kenichi feel a bit uncomfortable.
On the pitcher's mound, Nanjo Taishi looked uneasily at Coach Kataoka. He regretted not intentionally walking him; now that the score was tied with a single home run, Nanjo Taishi was filled with regret.
Coach Kataoka shook his head at Nanjo Taishi. Intentionally walking Shinkawa Kenichi was an arrangement for when someone was already on base, to prevent Inajitsu from scoring more runs. But with two outs, choosing to face the batter was not a mistake. Shinkawa Kenichi hitting a home run at that moment was not Tanaka Wataru and Nanjo Taishi's fault.
Seeing that Coach Kataoka had no intention of blaming him, Nanjo Taishi breathed a sigh of relief. Logically, just one home run wouldn't cause such psychological fluctuations in a seasoned pitcher like him. The issue was that he had just been told to consider an intentional walk, and a home run occurring at that moment made it a bit delicate.
Giving Tanaka Wataru a reassuring look, Nanjo Taishi was ready to face the next batter.
5th batter, Harada Masatoshi.
With Shinkawa-senpai's home run preceding him, Harada Masatoshi naturally carried that momentum. Each swing made Tanaka Wataru, at the catcher's position, feel a pang of trepidation. Fortunately, with a cutter, Harada Masatoshi's hit was of low quality, and he was successfully retired thanks to his teammates' defense.
After three outs, the top of the fourth inning ended. As Nanjo Taishi returned to the dugout, he still looked at Coach Kataoka with some uneasiness.
"Don't overthink it, this is baseball. Hold the last inning!" Coach Kataoka said. His words were few and concise, but Nanjo Taishi felt the Director's trust and nodded heavily, saying "Yes."
At this moment, in the bullpen, Kanzaki Ryou, who was warming up with Miyuki, smiled and said, "How come I feel like the Coach temper has gotten much better recently?"
Miyuki turned his head in confusion and said, "It's not that his temper has gotten better; it's that the pressure isn't as great."
Current Seido, both in its pitching staff and batting lineup, is several levels stronger than before. Just one home run wouldn't make Coach Kataoka anxious. Having pitched 4 innings, and still facing Inajitsu, only giving up one run so far, such a performance wouldn't warrant any blame from even the most demanding Coach.
As a former Ace, Nanjo Taishi still held a very important place in Coach Kataoka's heart. He believed that Nanjo Taishi would not be affected by one home run.
"Hehe, you understand a lot, could it be that you're a worm in the Coach stomach?" Kanzaki Ryou said.
"Isn't that obvious? As for you, the next few innings are all yours, don't be careless," Miyuki said.
Kanzaki Ryou looked towards the pitcher's mound, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes: "I've been waiting for this day for a long time."
At the meeting the night before the semi-finals, Kanzaki Ryou had already received permission to use his new pitch, which Chris jokingly called a cutter slider, in the game. It was the first time this new pitch would appear in a game, and Kanzaki Ryou felt an itching in his hands.