Chapter 640 - 640: A Gift

The total score was 6:1, and the game had reached the bottom of the ninth inning.

It was two outs, with no one on base.

Standing at the plate now was Hakuryu's Fourth Batter.

In the stands, many fans supporting Hakuryu High School were already in tears.

They knew that in this situation, it was somewhat unrealistic to expect their baseball team to turn the tide, catch up, and complete a comeback.

But they still held their banners high, cheering for their supported baseball team in their own way.

"Hehe! No matter how much you struggle, it's useless; your failure is inevitable."

Narumiya Mei barely had any sweat on his face, as if pitching these few innings hadn't caused much drain on his stamina.

Compared to the opponent he was currently facing, he had already placed more attention on the next game.

The Seido High School Baseball Team players had been sitting there watching the game since it began.

Originally, their baseball team's atmosphere was very good, and the players often chatted cheerfully.

That was a display of confidence; the Seido High School Baseball Team players seemed to be using that posture to tell everyone that they didn't care who would win the final victory in this game.

Because they believed that no matter who they met in the finals, Seido High School would be the one to win in the end.

But now, the relaxed expressions on the faces of the Seido High School Baseball Team players were almost gone.

Now, only indifference and seriousness remained on their faces.

"So satisfying! There's nothing more satisfying than seeing those annoying guys from Seido with long faces."

"As a reward for amusing me, I'll give you a big gift too. But how much you can see is up to your own fortune."

"Whoosh!"

Narumiya Mei casually threw his first pitch.

In the Seido High School Baseball Team, several players with binoculars almost simultaneously frowned.

How could it be a Fastball right down the middle?

Narumiya Mei didn't look tired at all; his stamina should be fine.

Why would he throw a Fastball right down the middle at a time like this?

One must know that his opponent was Hakuryu High School's Fourth Batter, a powerful hitter with very refined hitting ability.

They were about to win the game, so why would Narumiya Mei choose to give his opponent such a big gift at this moment?

The few teammates from the Seido High School Baseball Team were puzzled.

What happened next made them even more confused.

"Ping!"

Facing a pitch that was almost right down the middle, the batter swung his bat without hesitation.

The bat hit the white baseball, and the baseball bounced away.

The trajectory of this bounce was completely different from what the Seido High School Baseball Team players had imagined earlier.

The baseball flew high into the air, then landed directly above the Third Baseman.

"Third Base!"

Narumiya Mei said with a smile.

The Third Baseman of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team raised his glove high and steadily caught the falling baseball in his glove.

"Pop!"

"Out!"

"Three outs, game over."

"In the Kanto Tournament, the second semi-final match between Hakuryu High School and the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team. The final victory goes to the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team from West Tokyo. This baseball team, which just dominated the nation at Koshien, truly lives up to its reputation as the top contender for this Kanto Tournament championship. They have overcome all obstacles and successfully advanced to the finals. Next, they only need to defeat their district rival, the Seido High School Baseball Team. Then they can dominate the Kanto region's baseball field..."

The Commentator spared no effort in introducing the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team's situation.

At this moment, he was almost praising Inashiro to the heavens.

After the game ended, the media swarmed to interview the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team players.

The Hakuryu High School players, on the other hand, left the field dejectedly.

After watching the game, it was easy to imagine how complex the feelings of the Seido High School Baseball Team players were.

They didn't say much to each other, stood up together, and left the field in single file.

As they left, the teammates also discussed Narumiya Mei's final pitch.

"A Fastball right down the middle, did Hakuryu High School's Fourth Batter make a hitting error?"

Although this possibility was extremely small in the eyes of the Seido High School Baseball Team's teammates, the ball hit by the batter on that last Fastball right down the middle was, from what they saw with their own eyes, indeed not very good.

Chris shook his head, denying everyone's judgment.

"Hitting a Fastball right down the middle is almost an instinctive reaction; the probability of making an error is not high. Not to mention a batter like Hakuryu High School's Fourth Batter, the possibility of him making an error is even lower."

"Then why? Could it be that the last pitch Narumiya Mei threw wasn't a Fastball?"

"It was a Fastball, but not an ordinary Fastball. If I'm not mistaken, that last pitch should have been a no-seam Fastball."

Fastballs are not the same depending on grip position.

Generally speaking, they can be roughly divided into three types.

They are no-seam, two-seam, and four-seam.

Among them, the four-seam is theoretically the straightest and fastest Fastball.

Although the other two are not much slower, due to the seams, they inevitably produce some minor changes during flight.

"Hmph, that's truly impressive!"

Zhang Han genuinely sighed in admiration.

He had good talent for pitching, and had also tried to master multi-seam Fastballs.

If he could truly control them at will, it would have been equivalent to having three different types of Fastballs. The room for maneuver there definitely had great potential.

But this was only theoretically feasible; once one got used to the four-seam, trying the other two seams would more or less feel awkward.

It was hard to exert one's full strength.

Instead of wasting time on this, it was better to learn a new breaking ball.

Unexpectedly, Narumiya Mei might have already mastered Fastballs with different seams!

"Could it be a fluke?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out either, deliberately throwing such a pitch at this time to confuse us. But even if we know it's the opponent's strategy, what can we do?"

Miyuki said helplessly.

When Narumiya Mei brought out that kind of pitch, the Seido High School Baseball Team players no longer had a choice.

They had to include this possibility in tomorrow's final.

This is an open strategy; you have to fall for it fair and square.

The stadium's restroom.

Zhang Han, Miyuki, and Kuramochi hadn't had the chance to relieve themselves after their own game, having stayed to watch the Inashiro and Hakuryu game.

Now they all had a fair amount of "stock" accumulated, and before taking the bus back to Seido, they inevitably had to go to the restroom to take care of it.

Just as they had finished and washed their hands, preparing to leave, several second-year players from Inashiro Industrial High School walked in.

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