Chapter 237: Furuya Returns to the Mound!
Thud!
The baseball struck Shirakawa's arm with a solid impact.
Sawamura, the pitcher, froze in place. This was the first time he had hit a batter with a pitch since joining Seido.
For any pitcher without malicious intent, throwing a hit-by-pitch is a moment of deep self-reproach.
If that had been the end of it, the usually carefree Sawamura might have shaken it off without much trouble.
But what happened next left a profound impression on him.
Shirakawa, who had been hit, didn't cry out in pain or show any signs of distress. Instead, he let out a wild, animalistic howl toward the sky.
"Aaaah!!!!"
The piercing cry deeply shook Sawamura. For the first time, the young pitcher realized just how far the players from Inashiro Industrial High School were willing to go to get on base.
"They…"
Sawamura's confidence wavered, and when he looked at the Inashiro players again, his gaze couldn't help but carry a hint of complexity.
Two outs, runner on first.
"Don't worry about them. Just focus on maintaining your own rhythm."
Miyuki, the team's star catcher, immediately noticed that Sawamura's mental state was off. He quickly signaled to him. For a pitcher, the most dangerous thing isn't giving up hits—it's overthinking. That's almost always a precursor to a collapse.
Once a pitcher starts overthinking, their performance inevitably suffers. Miyuki knew this all too well from painful experience. Seido's former ace, Tanba, had struggled with this issue severely. Miyuki had seen it happen more than once, so he knew exactly how to handle it.
Seeing Miyuki's signal, Sawamura nodded.
"I understand!"
Their opponent was Inashiro, their biggest rival. Winning this game would secure their spot in the national tournament.
All of this was something Sawamura had known intellectually, but it wasn't until this moment that he truly understood what it meant to face their greatest competitor.
They were strong!!
It wasn't just about their skill—their determination, their fighting spirit, were the strongest Sawamura had ever encountered.
Before this, because their team's ace, Furuya, had always been at the forefront, Sawamura and the others hadn't fully felt the pressure that Inashiro could bring.
"I can't lose! I didn't come to Seido just to marvel at how strong our opponents are. I didn't come here to hide behind someone else…"
Even though Furuya seemed like an unshakable pillar of strength, the young pitcher named Sawamura clearly had no intention of staying in anyone's shadow. He had come to Seido to stand on his own.
With a high leg lift, his body shielding the ball, and his arm whipping forward like a lash, Sawamura poured every ounce of strength he had into this pitch against Inashiro's third batter.
"Whoosh!"
The baseball shot forward, appearing even faster than his previous pitches. However, this very pitch, brimming with intensity, made Miyuki's heart sink.
"This is bad—the location's too sweet!"
He had called for an inside pitch, but perhaps the earlier hit-by-pitch had left a psychological scar on Sawamura.
This pitch was drifting toward the center of the strike zone. Even if everything else about the pitch was good, that alone could be fatal.
As Miyuki's worry grew, the white baseball was already speeding toward him.
The third batter from Inashiro Industrial High School was no slouch. The moment he saw the pitch, he immediately swung his bat with full force. As the bat cut through the air, Miyuki could almost feel the wind pressure it generated.
If the bat made contact with the ball, given the speed and power of the swing, even if it didn't result in a home run, it would at least be a massive extra-base hit.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Miyuki was astonished to notice that as the ball approached the strike zone, it suddenly shifted—more dramatically than it ever had before.
The weird pitch!
Because of the ball's sudden movement, the bat whiffed completely. The two passed each other by, and the ball landed squarely in Miyuki's glove.
"*Snap!*"
"Strike!!"
The players in Seido High School's dugout erupted in excitement, some even jumping up and down.
"That was so cool!!"
"You might actually be a genius…"
It was just one strike, but the players in Seido's dugout were celebrating as if they'd won the game.
This drew sneers from the players and supporters of Inashiro Industrial High School.
Even many neutral fans felt that the demeanor displayed by Seido High School's team didn't quite match that of the reigning champions of the Kanto Tournament.
"How on earth did they become the Kanto champions?"
Hearing such comments from the crowd, the beautiful reporter, Akiko, couldn't help but furrow her brow.
"Is that really the case?"
Just as she was pondering this, her senior colleague, Fujio, standing beside her, shook his head with certainty.
"Of course not!"
"Senior?"
Hearing Fujio's rebuttal, Akiko immediately turned her attention to him.
"The reason Seido's players are so excited isn't just because of that one strike. At the very least, it's not only about that one strike."
"Huh?"
"What they're really celebrating is that Sawamura has shaken off the impact of the earlier hit-by-pitch."
Fujio explained with admiration, "From an outsider's perspective, it might not seem like a big deal. But from an objective standpoint, the growth rate of this first-year player from Seido is truly astonishing. If it weren't for the fact that he shares the same year as a monster like Furuya, his fame wouldn't be as limited as it is now…"
It had to be said, Fujio was a seasoned veteran. He had hit the nail on the head regarding the thoughts of Seido's players. The reason for their excitement was indeed Sawamura's exceptional performance.
"That kid is just amazing!!"
When Sawamura was first sent to the mound, everyone in Seido High School's team had been holding their breath.
Even though Sawamura had performed impressively in previous games and had even gained his own fans and supporters, today's opponent was Inashiro Industrial High School.
This was the most crucial game for Seido before advancing to the national tournament. How could they not be nervous?
What if Sawamura couldn't handle the pressure?
This thought had lingered in the minds of Seido's players for a long time.
It wasn't until now that everyone finally felt the weight lift from their hearts.
No matter how worried they had been before, the truth was that Sawamura's performance on the mound had exceeded everyone's expectations.
The kid was really something!
In fact, calling him exceptional wouldn't be an exaggeration. It was under these circumstances that Seido's players felt their confidence solidify.
First, let Sawamura secure this out. According to the agreement between Sawamura and the coach, once he successfully got this out, his first-round task would be complete.
After that, whether he would continue pitching would depend on the situation.
But regardless of whether he continued pitching or not, and regardless of how he performed afterward, as long as he secured this one out, he would be a hero for Seido High School.
If there was anyone who still harbored a sliver of doubt at this point, it was probably Miyuki.
Sawamura's weird pitch was indeed tricky, but under normal circumstances, the movement of the pitch wasn't supposed to be that dramatic. Otherwise, from an observer's perspective, it wouldn't have been so hard to detect…
But that last pitch was different. Its movement was far more pronounced than usual, almost resembling a standard breaking ball.
"Was it because he put too much power into it?"
At this moment, Miyuki couldn't help but entertain this thought.
He had his reservations about letting Sawamura continue pitching, but everyone else seemed confident, and the kid on the mound was fired up.
Miyuki couldn't let his own minor doubts undermine the momentum they had worked so hard to build.
"Never mind, let's focus on getting the out first!"
Now, they were just two strikes away.
Miyuki pushed those thoughts aside and focused entirely on dealing with the batter. With one strike already in their favor, they now held the absolute initiative.
"Keep it up!!"
Following Miyuki's signal, Sawamura didn't hesitate. He wound up and fired the ball with all his might.
"Whoosh!"
The white baseball shot forward, reaching the batter in the blink of an eye.
The third batter from Inashiro Industrial High School, despite having missed the ball entirely in his last swing, still swung with full determination.
"Crack!"
This time, the bat made contact with the ball, but the ball was fouled off to the side.
"Foul!"
One strike, one foul. Sawamura was now ahead with two strikes, putting the batter in a tight spot. The die-hard Seido supporters in the stands waved their arms wildly, cheering him on.
Even Miyuki, who had been feeling uneasy, couldn't help but let his guard down at this point.
On the mound, Sawamura delivered his third pitch.
"Whoosh!"
This pitch looked similar to the previous two, with a slightly sweet location.
But by now, Miyuki had been toughened up by Sawamura's performance and could accept it calmly.
In the batter's box, the third batter from Inashiro, who had been struggling, didn't hesitate. He picked his spot and swung decisively.
"Ping"
Unlike the previous two attempts, this time he made solid contact. The white baseball was sent flying.
"It's hit!!"
The moment the ball flew into the air, almost everyone in the stadium had the same thought.
But then they shook their heads.
Based on Sawamura's previous performance, even if the ball was hit, the result might not be what they expected.
Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of spectators, the white baseball soared over a hundred meters, landing deep in the outfield.
Seido's outfielders, trusting in Sawamura's *weird pitch*, had positioned themselves relatively close to the infield.
They had assumed that even if the ball was hit, it wouldn't travel too far…
But the result was far beyond their expectations.
The ball flew all the way to the back of the field.
Although the mustachioed senior sprinted to retrieve it and made a quick throw back, the delay was too long.
Not only had the batter safely reached second base, but Shirakawa, who had been on first, had already rounded second and third, sliding into home.
"Safe!!"
Against all odds, Inashiro Industrial High School had managed to score a run with two outs, all starting from that hit-by-pitch.
Not only that, but they had also managed to score a run. The player who had hit the ball so far was Inashiro's third batter, who hadn't made much of an impression earlier in the game.
"This is Inashiro Industrial High School for you!"
"Their main players all have the strength of cleanup hitters, especially their third batter, who's in a key position."
The score was now tied at 2-2. The situation on the field was two outs with a runner on second base. Seido, which had held a significant advantage earlier, now found themselves in a precarious position.
It wasn't just that the score had been tied. The current situation was extremely unfavorable. Two outs, runner on second, and stepping up to the plate was Inashiro's fourth batter—Harada.
The stands erupted in celebratory cheers. Clearly, Inashiro's fans believed they were about to take the lead. Even the beautiful reporter, Ooda Akiko, seemed to agree.
"That's not going to happen!"
Just as Akiko was nodding in agreement, Fujio, wearing his trademark cap and looking solemn, shook his head firmly.
"Not again…"
By now, Akiko was no longer a novice when it came to baseball. She could usually analyze games with confidence. But today, several of her predictions had been off the mark.
"Could it be that the level of today's game has completely surpassed my understanding?"
As Akiko began to doubt herself, she heard her senior's voice.
"That run was a fluke. Seido High School will never let such a fluke happen again!"
"Huh?"
A fluke… not happening again…
Akiko felt like she understood every word her senior was saying, but when those words formed a sentence, she couldn't quite grasp the meaning. She couldn't figure out what Fujio was trying to convey.
"Just keep watching, and you'll see."
Fujio didn't elaborate further. Soon enough, Akiko understood what he meant.
On the field, Seido High School suddenly called for a timeout.
"Seido High School requests a player substitution!"
Sawamura was taken off the mound, and the handsome player was sent to the outfield. At the same time, Furuya, who had been playing in the outfield, returned to the pitcher's mound.
The stands erupted in a wave of murmurs and gasps. Seido's substitution was incredibly decisive!
Seeing this, Fujio nodded in approval.
"That's how it's done! When it comes to a life-or-death showdown for the team, you send in the true ace…"
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