Chapter 236: Hit by Pitch!
The batter from Inashiro Industrial High School's baseball team, batting ninth, was experiencing a storm of emotions.
While he was in the dugout, he had heard his teammates talk about how extraordinary this young pitcher named Sawamura was.
However, the ninth batter from Inashiro had always firmly believed that this pitcher was just a bit unusual. When it came to raw skill, Sawamura was far behind—perhaps even light-years away.
After all, this ninth batter had carefully observed Sawamura's pitching from the sidelines, and his judgment wasn't without basis.
But the moment he stepped into the batter's box, his perspective underwent a dramatic shift. For the first time, he truly realized just how remarkable this young man, Eijun Sawamura, was.
"Seeing it from the batter's box, the ball speed feels so much faster!" This caught the batter completely off guard.
Miyuki, crouching behind home plate as the catcher, didn't miss this detail. "Good!" he thought. For them, this was a golden opportunity. "The batter's confidence is shaken. Keep attacking his inside corner with the same intensity."
The sudden increase in pitch speed, combined with targeting the inside corner, was more than enough to give the Inashiro batter a hard time. And that wasn't even considering Sawamura's signature "weird pitch," which added another layer of difficulty.
There were moments when even Miyuki, the team's star catcher, had to admit that their team had finally turned a corner. In the past few years, they hadn't been able to find a single reliable pitcher.
But this year, their luck had taken a dramatic turn for the better. They had not just one, but two incredibly talented pitchers.
Although Sawamura's performance on the mound still couldn't compare to that of Furuya, it was only because he was still so young and inexperienced.
Adding to that, Furuya's performance on the mound was nothing short of extraordinary, as if he had unlocked some cheat code, leaving everyone else in the dust.
If we were to set aside their team's ace and focus solely on Eijun Sawamura, it's undeniable that this first-year kid's growth rate is downright astonishing.
When Sawamura first joined Seido High School's baseball team, he had two years of prior experience playing baseball. However, compared to the level of play at Seido, his experience might as well have been nonexistent. He arrived essentially as a blank slate.
Yet, in just three short months, he was already able to deliver sharp pitches against a powerhouse like Inashiro Industrial High School.
At the very least, up to this point, this first-year kid's performance has been commendable. Even when facing Inashiro, he hasn't fallen behind.
"Keep it up just like this!"
Under Miyuki's guidance, Sawamura's pitches were razor-sharp.
"Whoosh!"
In the blink of an eye, the ball was already at the batter.
The ninth batter from Inashiro Industrial High School couldn't help but recall his earlier thought:
*It's so fast!!*
Even though Sawamura's pitch speed was only average, because the batter couldn't see his release point clearly, the ball appeared to be at least 10 km/h faster from the batter's box. This made his pitches feel like genuine fastballs.
Adding to the difficulty was the fact that Sawamura's pitches had a noticeable drop, making it even harder for the batter to make solid contact.
"How can a first-year substitute pitcher be this strong?"
The ninth batter from Inashiro Industrial High School was clearly frustrated and unwilling to accept this reality. Even as he gritted his teeth, he swung his bat with all his might.
"Fly away!!!"
His fierce determination resonated with many of Inashiro's players and supporters. Although they couldn't step onto the field themselves, they seemed to channel their energy toward the batter.
"Hit it out!!!!"
"*Ping!*"
Perhaps influenced by the collective willpower of the crowd, the bat actually made contact with the ball. The fans in the stands erupted in cheers, and the batter's eyes lit up with excitement.
"I did it!!"
He had taken a gamble, and it seemed like it had paid off. He had actually managed to hit the ball. With his formidable hitting power, even if he didn't connect perfectly, he could still send the ball flying. This gave him a decent chance of securing a hit.
Just as the ninth batter from Inashiro began to feel hopeful, a nimble figure darted into view and effortlessly caught the ball in his glove.
"*Snap!*"
"Out!!"
Kuramochi grinned as he held the ball in his hand.
Although he had never been particularly kind to his junior roommate, he had to admit that the kid had some serious skills on the field.
The batter from Inashiro Industrial High School had been completely outmaneuvered. In fact, even as he walked off the field, the ninth batter still couldn't figure out what had happened.
"Why did the ball suddenly change direction when it was supposed to fly out?"
It wasn't until he returned to the dugout that his teammates explained it to him.
"It's his weird pitch! That kid's pitches have an unpredictable movement."
Hearing this, the ninth batter's face turned pale.
"How is that possible?"
If Eijun Sawamura also possessed a weapon like the weird pitch, then his threat level to Inashiro Industrial High School's team would skyrocket to unimaginable heights. The ninth batter absolutely refused to accept this.
"But that's the reality. Not only does he have the weird pitch, but he's also using it incredibly effectively."
In the past, Sawamura could barely throw the ball into the strike zone. As for controlling where it went within the zone, he had no ability to do so. But now, this first-year substitute pitcher from Seido High School was consistently targeting the inside corner.
"If it were just one or two pitches, it could be a coincidence. But to aim for the inside corner so many times in a row…"
The players from Inashiro Industrial High School knew this couldn't possibly be a coincidence. It seemed that, aside from their monster ace, Furuya, Seido's first-year pitcher had also awakened.
"Things just got a lot more complicated!!"
The game had already reached the sixth inning, and Furuya had been taken out to rest early. This meant that Seido High School was preparing to bring him back later.
Time was running out for Inashiro Industrial High School. If they couldn't score in this inning, finding another opportunity to gain points would become increasingly difficult.
"We can't just sit back and wait. It's all up to you now!"
The batting order had cycled back to the leadoff hitter, and Carlos stepped into the batter's box. The one run Inashiro Industrial High School had managed to score so far was entirely thanks to Carlos.
His status within the team had always been special, and now, with his previous contribution, he was even more in the spotlight. At this point, many of Inashiro's players and supporters couldn't help but feel that Carlos would be the one to solve their problems.
"If it's him, there's no way he'll fail."
When Carlos stepped into the batter's box, he could clearly feel the expectations of his teammates.
"Don't look at me like that. You're putting way too much pressure on me," Carlos thought to himself.
Of course, he understood what his teammates and supporters were hoping for at this moment.
Truth be told, he wanted the same thing.
Who wouldn't want to hit the ball out of the park? To give it their all and make a clean, decisive play…
But the question was, was this first-year pitcher from Seido really that easy to deal with? Sure, Sawamura might not be on the same level as Furuya, but that didn't mean he wasn't tricky to face.
Just as Carlos was thinking this, the white baseball came hurtling toward him.
Carlos didn't opt for a bunt.
Facing Sawamura's pitch, Carlos bravely chose to confront it head-on.
"Bunting is pointless. I'm going to hit this ball out!!"
"Ping!!"
The white baseball was struck and soared high into the air, under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of spectators in the stadium. This sent a wave of excitement through some of the reporters in the stands.
"Is it going to fly out?"
Although Carlos was Inashiro Industrial High School's leadoff hitter, and although he was most famous for his speed rather than his hitting power, that didn't mean his hitting wasn't formidable!
Anyone familiar with Inashiro Industrial High School and Carlos knew that this man's hitting ability was equally terrifying. He was one of the top hitters in Tokyo, and even nationwide.
Just like now, Sawamura's pitch had been forcefully struck by him. The ball traced a huge arc in the sky, heading toward the outfield.
"Please don't mess this up!!"
Sawamura turned to look at the direction where the ball was falling, especially at the player preparing to catch it. The substitute ace of Seido High School's baseball team suddenly felt his heart sink.
Why did it have to be him?
If it had been any other senior on the team, Sawamura would have been completely at ease. He had an almost blind trust in the second and third-year players. But this ball just happened to be heading straight toward Furuya.
Although Furuya had been performing decently as an outfielder, for some reason, Sawamura couldn't shake the feeling of unease. He always felt that whenever the ball went Furuya's way, something unexpected might happen...
Just as Sawamura was having these thoughts, the white baseball was securely caught in Furuya's glove.
"*Snap!*"
"Out!!"
Two outs, no runners on base.
Sawamura Eijun had successfully secured two outs. The players in Seido High School's dugout, as well as their supporters in the stands, were all ecstatic.
This scene was simply spectacular! They didn't even know how to react to what they were witnessing.
"So cool!"
"Your performance is just as good as the ace's!"
The fans in the stands were shouting all sorts of things, but these two comments stood out to Sawamura. He grinned and waved at the crowd.
"You idiot, the game isn't over yet!"
"Now's not the time to celebrate!!!"
Kuramochi, his senior roommate, felt his fists itching. He couldn't help but want to give his junior roommate a bit of "tough love."
As everyone was chattering, the second batter from Inashiro Industrial High School stepped up to the plate.
While the fans were just there for the excitement, the players from Inashiro were feeling something entirely different.
They were sensing a growing crisis, as if the specter of defeat was looming over them.
There were many things the Inashiro players could tolerate, but losing was absolutely not one of them.
"We have to take action!!"
The second batter, Shirakawa, stepped into the batter's box and immediately squared up for a bunt. Not only that, but he also positioned himself tightly on the edge of the strike zone.
Seeing this, Miyuki looked up in surprise.
He hadn't expected Inashiro Industrial High School to react so quickly.
Originally, he had thought that securing just one more out would be enough.
They could handle the next inning more easily. But Inashiro clearly had no intention of following their script—they were already taking action.
Moreover, this guy Shirakawa had almost instantly identified Sawamura's weakness.
Up until now, Sawamura had been able to throw some decent inside pitches, which had significantly elevated the quality of his pitching.
However, this also brought some unavoidable issues to the surface.
The first and most pressing issue was that Sawamura's control wasn't as precise as everyone had imagined.
In other words, aside from inside pitches, he struggled to accurately target other areas of the strike zone.
If the opponent managed to block off the inside pitches, Sawamura would find himself in a very tough spot—unless he could deliver a high-quality inside pitch even under pressure.
Shirakawa's current strategy of positioning himself so close to the edge of the strike zone was a double-edged sword.
On the surface, it seemed like he was effectively blocking Sawamura's inside pitches. But if Sawamura could still manage to throw an inside pitch in this situation, the tables would turn.
With Shirakawa's body so close to the strike zone, he wouldn't be able to react to an inside pitch.
Miyuki hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to give it a try. After all, avoiding the issue wasn't a solution.
At this point, all they needed was one well-placed inside pitch to completely break through Shirakawa's defense.
"Come on! Don't hold back. Give it everything you've got."
Seeing Miyuki's signal, Sawamura wound up and confidently delivered the pitch.
"*Whoosh!*"
The white baseball shot forward with a sharp whistle.
However, the ball's trajectory was slightly off. Instead of entering the strike zone as intended, it veered directly toward Shirakawa.
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