Chapter 735 - 735: Back and Forth

The Seido High School Baseball Team came to bat in the second inning, and the players were eager to take the lead.

Yuuki, who was the first to step into the batter's box, used a powerful swing to get a hit, giving the second inning's offense a good start.

However, Miyuki, who batted next, was outmaneuvered by You Shunshin and hit an infield grounder.

Ultimately, both were out in a double play.

The third inning was almost an exact replica of the second inning. Even when Akikawa Academy's top batters came up, they still had no way to deal with Furuya Satoru.

Although there was a crisis in the middle, due to a walk and You Shunshin's hit, Akikawa Academy was just one step away from taking the lead again.

But unfortunately, their offensive progress was stopped by Miyuki's pick-off.

The Seido High School Baseball Team's situation was not much better.

You Shunshin used an offensive walk to put Zhang Han on base. He then focused on retiring Kuramochi, successfully getting three outs.

So far, the Seido High School Baseball Team's only truly effective on-base plays had been Zhang Han and one walk.

Yuuki Tetsuya, although he got a beautiful hit, was unable to stay on base.

In the fourth inning, Furuya Satoru cleanly got two strikeouts, bringing his strikeout count for today's game to eight.

On average, he got two in each inning.

The title of a violent monster pitcher was now firmly established.

However, at the same time, he had also thrown a full sixty-seven pitches.

Although Akikawa Academy was unable to stop his pitch, they tried every means to exhaust his stamina.

Furuya Satoru, who grew up in Hokkaido and had never experienced the intense heat of Tokyo, was now like a dried fish, with almost all the water in his body evaporated.

After returning to the dugout, he gasped for air, looking disheveled.

The Seido High School Baseball Team, of course, could not just stand by and watch their pitcher be bullied by the opponent like this.

So in the fourth inning, led by two third-year senpai, Seido launched a fierce offensive.

The first to get a hit was Isashiki Jun.

With his unconventional swing, he forcefully hit a ball from the corner position, sending it flying out and successfully reaching first base.

One out, runner on first base.

Immediately after, Yuuki Tetsuya cleanly swept the ball out.

However, the location where he swept it was slightly off the sideline, turning it into a foul ball.

But this pitch dealt an incredibly heavy blow to Akikawa Academy.

You Shunshin was gasping for air; even his breathing rhythm had changed.

During this process, no player from Akikawa Academy had time to react.

They just watched the baseball fly past their eyes. Only after the baseball bounced and flew away did they subconsciously turn around.

Fortunately, this ball did not land in the field; otherwise, it would have probably turned into a super long hit. It was even possible that the runner on first base could have run back to home plate.

You Shunshin, who had originally decided to confront Yuuki head-on, changed his previous strategy and used a walk.

One out, runners on first base and second base.

It seemed that the Seido High School Baseball Team had a very good chance to score this time.

Especially since the next person to step into the batter's box was the Seido High School Baseball Team's number two catcher, Miyuki Kazuya.

This guy's hands were trembling with excitement when he came up to bat.

"This kid is too lucky!"

"He's practically invincible!"

In the Seido High School Baseball Team dugout, even their own teammates were incredibly envious of Miyuki's upcoming encounter.

With runners on base, this guy's formidable level was even comparable to Yuuki and Zhang Han.

You Shunshin wanted to pick on an easy target, but unfortunately, the target he chose was probably not soft at all.

The teammates of the Seido High School Baseball Team were all looking forward to this upcoming duel.

Miyuki did not disappoint their expectations.

This guy accurately predicted the location of You Shunshin's pitch. Although there were a few struggles in between, he ultimately chose the ball he wanted and hit it out beautifully.

"Exactly what I thought."

The pitch from You Shunshin, regardless of its location, angle, or speed, even the spin on the baseball, was exactly as Miyuki Kazuya had guessed.

Miyuki's eyes were definitely shining brightly at this moment.

It was truly a pity that he wasn't on the same team as You Shunshin.

Otherwise, Miyuki believed they would be a very harmonious pair. Without prior communication, they chose the exact same pitch to battle with.

"Ping!"

The hit ball flew high into the air.

Miyuki's heart was undoubtedly very excited, even with a hint of exhilaration.

But his opponent, You Shunshin, felt completely different.

His painstakingly crafted pitch was actually guessed correctly by his opponent.

Is there anything more infuriating than this?

Miyuki went to first base, and Yuuki went to second base.

Isashiki Jun, who was originally on second base, did not want to stop at all. He ran smoothly past third base, preparing to run to home plate.

According to their original plan, it should have been enough.

But they didn't expect that You Shunshin would intercept the ball in the middle and also dash towards home plate.

Just as Isashiki Jun was about to reach the base, You Shunshin, who was sprinting over, touched his shoulder with his gloved hand holding the ball.

"Slam!"

"Out!"

The pitcher actually ran to home plate to cover and successfully tagged out the runner.

The fans in the stands, including the teammates in the Seido High School Baseball Team dugout, were all stunned.

Akikawa Academy got two outs.

Everyone was shocked by You Shunshin's performance, but he acted as if he had done something insignificant. After tagging out Isashiki Jun, he didn't forget to turn back and stare at third base.

If Yuuki dared to take half a step forward, he would not hesitate.

Such actions, such movements...

Even the players in the Seido High School Baseball Team dugout were amazed.

Among all the pitchers they had encountered, You Shunshin was definitely one of the most difficult to deal with.

If one does not consider the characteristics of his pitches and simply talks about the pitcher's performance in defense, You Shunshin can basically be considered the most formidable opponent in terms of overall strength that the Seido High School Baseball Team has encountered until now.

This person's understanding of baseball and the changes in the game situation has reached an astonishing level.

In the Seido High School Baseball Team, the only ones who could be compared to him were probably Chris and Miyuki Kazuya.

After four innings, the score remained 1:1.

You Shunshin.

After today's game, this name will surely resound throughout Tokyo.

Of the dozen or so cameras currently in the stands, more than half are from all over the country, besides media reporters.

You Shunshin's performance will be presented to people across the country through the cameras.

He is destined to make a name for himself.

To be able to suppress the Seido High School Baseball Team, to this extent.

Even if he avoided confrontations with Zhang Han and Yuuki in between, such a performance is already very impressive.

After all, intentional walks are one of the common tactics in baseball games.

No matter how many people You Shunshin walked, as long as he ultimately got three outs and didn't allow anyone to score, he is the hero of Akikawa Academy.

"Today's game is more exciting than people imagined."

In this atmosphere, the game entered the top of the fifth inning, with Akikawa Academy batting.

The Seido High School Baseball Team was ready to replace Furuya Satoru with another pitcher after he finished this inning.

According to Coach Ochiai's idea, there was actually no need to persist in this inning, as Furuya Satoru was already at the end of his rope, and continuing would be meaningless.

But Coach Kataoka was very stubborn.

"Do we really need to cultivate this rookie?"

At this point, even the spectators in the stands understood Coach Kataoka's intention.

He wanted to give Furuya Satoru a chance, allowing Furuya Satoru to gain experience and grow as quickly as possible.

Actually, this is understandable; after all, facing a pitcher with such talent as Furuya Satoru, any Manager would probably look at him differently.

He has the potential to become an Ace, and a super Ace at that.

And such a game is undoubtedly very beneficial for a player's growth.

But Furuya Satoru's physical strength was depleting much faster than Coach Kataoka had imagined.

Although Furuya Satoru successfully retired the Ninth Batter of Akikawa Academy, when facing the First Batter, Ninomiya, Furuya Satoru was clearly out of stamina.

He threw a four-ball walk, which was his fourth four-ball walk in today's game.

Immediately after, facing the Second Batter of Akikawa Academy, Furuya Satoru threw a wild pitch.

The white baseball lost its previous speed and flew slowly.

Akikawa Academy's Second Batter was stunned.

They had never dreamed that such a windfall would happen.

Facing the huge windfall, Akikawa Academy's Second Batter didn't hesitate and grabbed it straight away.

"Ping!"

The white baseball was hit.

Although the Seido Third Baseman tried his best to stop the ball, the ball flew too high.

Masuko Toru could only watch helplessly as the baseball flew over his head and landed behind him.

Ninomiya, who was originally on first base, certainly couldn't miss such a good opportunity.

He ran out first, successfully rounded second base, and reached third base.

As soon as he reached third base, he saw the Akikawa third base coach give him an emergency stop signal.

Hmm?

It turned out that Zhang Han had already run to the landing spot of the baseball and successfully picked up the ball.

If he still wanted to continue advancing, it would probably be akin to seeking death.

One out, runners on first base and third base.

The Seido High School Baseball Team faced a major crisis of potentially giving up a run for the third time.

The first time, they couldn't hold them, and gave up a run.

The second time, they held them.

Now it's the third time...

Coach Kataoka had remained silent, wanting to give Furuya a chance to grow quickly, but now he finally broke his silence.

He stood up and signaled the umpire for a substitution.

"Seido High School Baseball Team, player change. Sawamura Eijun enters, replacing the pitcher, Furuya Satoru exits."

In a crisis, Coach Kataoka did not replace the team's Ace, Zhang Han, nor did he replace the third-year pitcher, Koichiro Tanba.

He didn't even put in the reliable second-year pitcher, Kawakami.

Instead, he put in Sawamura Eijun, who had only played once before when he was slacking off.

Not to mention the players of Akikawa Academy, who looked at each other at this moment, wondering what the Seido High School Baseball Team was planning.

Even the Seido High School Baseball Team's own teammates, those second team players in the stands, were also stunned.

Is the Manager crazy?

If he wasn't crazy, how could he make such an unexpected substitution at this moment?

Putting in Sawamura Eijun.

Even Furuya Satoru couldn't hold on; could Sawamura, who hadn't really played for the Seido High School Baseball Team before, really be reliable?

If there were no other options, then so be it, but currently, the Seido High School Baseball Team's pitching staff is full of talent.

Anyone would be better than Sawamura, right?

The teammates were very confused.

Miyuki Kazuya was also initially puzzled, but he quickly relaxed his brows.

Recalling the pitch Sawamura Eijun threw to Coach Kataoka yesterday...

That was probably the consequence of that pitch.

I wonder what kind of magic Chris used on this little guy to make him undergo such a drastic transformation in just a few months.

You have to know that Coach Kataoka's requirements are very strict.

If Sawamura Eijun's performance on that pitch wasn't truly excellent and impeccable, Coach Kataoka would never have allowed him to play.

I just hope this guy doesn't disappoint his Manager's expectations once he's on the field.

Top of the fifth inning, one out, runners on first base and third base.

The game entered a new era.

Sawamura Eijun made his grand entrance.

For the first time, he played for the Seido High School Baseball Team in a critical situation. What will he provide in his debut?

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