Chapter 650 - 650: The Switch

The sudden breaking ball was undoubtedly a wake-up call for the Seido High School Baseball Team players.

Although that pitch looked very similar to a Forkball, anyone familiar with Narumiya Mei could clearly see that it wasn't Narumiya Mei's Forkball.

Narumiya's Forkball was faster, and its drop wasn't as significant.

And Yuuki's swing just now was nearly ten centimeters away from the baseball.

This difference in distance was equivalent to the amount the baseball changed its trajectory during its flight.

"Curveball?"

In the Seido High School Baseball Team's dugout, the teammates exchanged bewildered glances.

The breaking ball Narumiya Mei suddenly displayed was something they hadn't anticipated.

If Narumiya Mei had also mastered the regular Fastball, Forkball, and Curveball...

That would mean that if his pitches were thrown at a low angle, the Seido High School Baseball Team's players would likely find it very difficult to make contact.

In the previous game, Uehara's decisive pitch was a low-angle three-pitch sequence.

At that time, apart from Yuuki Tetsuya and Zhang Han, the other Seido High School Baseball Team players were basically helpless against such pitches. They managed to get very few hits.

It's worth noting that Uehara's pitch speed was only around one hundred thirty kilometers per hour.

This speed was well within the hitting range of all the Seido High School Baseball Team's batters; anyone could make contact.

Yet, even so, they were completely fooled by those pitches and had no solutions whatsoever.

Now their opponent had changed to Narumiya Mei, and if Narumiya Mei had also mastered the low-angle three-pitch sequence...

The Seido High School Baseball Team's players couldn't even imagine what the situation would become.

You must know that Narumiya Mei's maximum pitch speed was close to one hundred fifty kilometers per hour, with an average speed around one hundred forty-five kilometers per hour.

He's a standard high-speed pitcher; his speed alone could render over ninety percent of batters nationwide helpless.

If such a Narumiya Mei also mastered the low-angle three-pitch sequence...

Even Yuuki and Zhang Han would probably find it very difficult to hit his pitches, right?

Although the Seido High School Baseball Team's players had full confidence in their captain's strength, given the current situation, they still felt pessimistic.

Coach Kataoka also hesitated a bit.

At this moment, if they chose to play it safe and take a walk, there was actually a high probability of scoring a run.

But the current batter was Yuuki, one of the two faces of the Seido High School Baseball Team.

It would be one thing if he performed that way in a critical game situation where scoring was essential.

But the game had just begun, and if he were to bunt now, the impact on the entire Seido High School Baseball Team's hitting lineup would probably be very significant.

Coach Kataoka ultimately abandoned this tempting plan.

Even if he sacrificed this run, he couldn't let the team's momentum be affected.

Not to mention, if they went head-to-head, it wasn't necessarily them who would lose.

With a plan in mind, Kataoka calmed down again.

Meanwhile, the confrontation on the field was still in full swing.

Yuuki looked at the baseball that had just flown past, with no particular surprise in his eyes, even though his swing had just missed the baseball by a full ten centimeters.

But on his face, you still couldn't see any extraneous expressions.

Harada took a deep breath, focusing all his attention on Yuuki.

The pitch Narumiya Mei just threw was perfect.

Harada had originally thought they could use that pitch to completely disrupt Yuuki's swing rhythm and then eliminate this monster in one fell swoop.

As long as Yuuki was dealt with, the situation they faced would immediately become much easier.

But clearly, they had miscalculated.

Yuuki's stance hadn't changed at all, and even his grip on the bat showed no alteration.

It was as if he hadn't missed that pitch, but had deliberately let it go.

Even though they successfully forced him to swing and miss, Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team smoothly got their first out.

But the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team players still couldn't truly relax.

Their opponent hadn't changed; they still had to approach this monster-level opponent with an all-out attitude.

"I shouldn't have had such extravagant hopes in the first place."

Harada gave a bitter smile, abandoning his unrealistic thoughts and instead focusing wholeheartedly on confronting Yuuki head-on.

"That's more like it!"

Narumiya Mei was very happy with his senior's change.

When playing against the Seido High School Baseball Team, especially when facing Yuuki and Zhang Han, there was never any shortcut to take.

Only a head-on clash, only by abandoning those unrealistic ideas, could they fully engage their opponent and rely on their absolute strength to win the confrontation.

As for the outcome of a head-on clash, Narumiya Mei had an answer in his heart.

"We are stronger to begin with!"

The white baseball whizzed out, once again aiming for a low angle.

"Whoosh!"

This time, Yuuki didn't let it go; he also swung his bat.

But this time, he still couldn't make contact with the ball. The baseball showed no signs of dropping; it was just a regular Fastball.

And Yuuki was aiming two balls below the Fastball.

The result was obvious: he swung and missed again.

"Pop!"

"Strike!"

The count was two strikes, zero balls.

Yuuki Tetsuya was pushed to the brink.

In the stands, the Inashiro Industrial supporters, who had been suppressed by the Seido High School cheerleaders, now seemed to have come back to life after enduring hardships.

Their eyes were filled with vibrant expressions.

"Inashiro! Inashiro!!!"

"That's it, Prince, strike out the batter!"

The state of these fans seemed to be nearing madness.

Narumiya Mei, however, was unaffected. Even though he had his opponent down to two strikes, his attack didn't stop.

"Whoosh!"

Three consecutive pitches, all aimed at a low angle.

When Uehara did this before, the Seido High School Baseball Team's teammates already had enough headaches.

Now Narumiya Mei was doing this consecutively with a pitch speed of nearly one hundred forty kilometers per hour.

The difficulty was two levels higher than when Uehara did it.

The Seido High School Baseball Team no longer felt a headache, but a deep despair.

"Ping!"

Yuuki Tetsuya finally caught the ball on his third swing.

But he only barely made contact; the hit ball flew high and landed directly above the Second Baseman.

The Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team's Second Baseman raised his glove and effortlessly caught the baseball in his glove.

And at the moment of catching the ball, he immediately made a throwing motion, giving Kuramochi on Third Base no chance to steal at all.

Two outs, runner on Third Base.

The scoring opportunity Kuramochi had painstakingly created with his extraordinary speed was largely wasted.

Why largely, and not entirely?

That's because the Seido High School Baseball Team's offense wasn't over yet.

"Fourth Batter, Zhang Han."

The fourth player from the Seido High School Baseball Team to step into the batter's box was Zhang Han.

Originally, the batting order for the Seido High School Baseball Team's starting players had already been set, but Coach Kataoka changed his mind temporarily this morning.

He had Yuuki Tetsuya and Zhang Han switch batting positions.

Although it was just an adjustment between the Third Batter and Fourth Batter, the Seido High School Baseball Team's teammates were very surprised at the time.

Why adjust an already very mature batting lineup?

Did it mean that in Coach Kataoka's mind, the current Zhang Han was more reliable than Yuuki Tetsuya?

This was something the Seido High School Baseball Team's players, especially the third-year players, found hard to accept emotionally.

But aside from being emotionally difficult to accept, if you were to talk about performance, whether it was the number of Homeruns or batting average, Zhang Han was undoubtedly superior.

Adjusting him to the team's Fourth Batter seemed like a natural thing to do.

Captain Yuuki Tetsuya's fists clenched at the time.

Even a clay figure has some temper, let alone a third-year captain like him. He was just taciturn; he wasn't good-tempered.

Coach Kataoka didn't explain much; after giving his instructions, he had the players board the bus.

"Changing generals on the eve of battle is a major taboo in military strategy."

Ochiai stroked the little beard on his chin, very puzzled. He didn't hold back and directly voiced his confusion.

Coach Kataoka nodded, also agreeing with this point.

"This game today has extraordinary significance for the players. But precisely because there's too much significance, they feel a sense of abandoning everything. This is especially evident in the third-year players. This isn't good; I think we should give them more stimulation."

Ochiai didn't understand Kataoka's words at first; he pondered for a moment before he understood.

Then he looked at Kataoka warily, wondering in his heart, "Could this guy be a devil?"

This was too cruel.

Was it necessary to treat his own disciples like this?

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