In the position of the catcher, Hirahara Rei, Seihou's catcher, took a long time to calm down his thumping heart.
When he saw Akutsu's sign, Hirahara Rei's heart almost jumped Out of his throat.
'O-oi! Akutsu-kun, this is too scary dude!'
Akutsu's first Pitch was a weak Straight ball in the middle.
He knows that the opponent they are facing now is the Maou, Sawamura Eijun. Although the opponent is only a freshman in the first year, who would dare to treat Sawamura Eijun as a freshman in the first year?
The opponent is so strong, but he has to pitch ordinary Straight balls or hit the center.
However according to the unwritten rules of baseball, after the first two batters are solved with one ball, the third batter cannot swing on the first ball.
Nevertheless, Sawamura is famous for playing cards unconventionally. Who knows if he will swing the bat on the first ball?
Fortunately, they won the bet.
Taking a long breath, Hirahara finally recovered.
Although the stakes are a bit high, the effect is undeniably very good!
The Pitch just now absolutely succeeded in disrupting Sawamura's rhythm.
Next ball: A Slider to the outside corner!
Sawamura is a left Batter. For him, the slider is in the outside corner, and the direction of the ball break is also in the outside corner.
Even if Sawamura Eijun could hit the ball with his bat, it would be a Foul.
On the strike zone, Sawamura let out an irritated breath.
'What a monster!'
He didn't plan to swing the bat for the first Pitch, which was clearly seen by Akutsu.
This is the first in a long time that Eijun has met an opponent who is leading him by the nose like this.
'How did he know that I would follow the unwritten rules of baseball?'
What puzzled Sawamura was how could Akutsu be sure that he would follow the unwritten rules of baseball.
Sawamura had the same doubts as Hirahara.
He also wanted to know how Akutsu was sure that Sawamura was not swinging at the first ball.
'Sawamura's pitching seems to be unpredictable, but it is actually very mature. Especially in the face of opponents who need to be treated with caution, he will respect all the unspoken rules of baseball.' Akutsu thought on the mound.
Owada Akiko in the Press Box was very surprised.
"I feel like Sawamura-kun has been seen through by the opponent when didn't plan to swing the bat for the first Pitch."
Fujio nodded: "On the baseball field, there are some unwritten rules. There is such a rule. When the two previous batters were both resolved with one ball, the third batter should not swing on the first pitch. It's mostly to disrupt the pitcher's rhythm…"
"But Sawamura-kun isn't that rigid, isn't he?"
"This kind of thing is not so much rigid, it is more appropriate to say that it comes from valuable experience.
Some unwritten rules can last for decades, and naturally, there is reason. Sawamura-kun chooses to respect these rules, and he has his reasons.
The only surprising thing is that his thoughts were obviously guessed by the pitcher Akutsu of Seihou.
This is why he deliberately pitched a sweet ball. At the same time, it was also to disturb the Sawamura's swing…"
Akiko looked at Fujio in confusion.
'It's such an ordinary sweet ball, how can it make Senpai become this thrilled when they say it?'
The thrilling duel continues.
Of course, Sawamura will not be shaken by a provocative ball from Akutsu.
The bat in his hand kept swaying, and he looked sharply at Akutsu on the pitcher's mound.
Whoosh!
Just then, Akutsu's second ball came.
The speed is really fast, 140 km/h!
On the strike zone, the bat in Sawamura's hand also swung and hit hard.
Ping!
The white ball was hit and flew Out.
SNAP!
"FOUL!"
The flying ball landed outside the third base's sideline.
One Strike, one Foul.
In the blink of an eye, Sawamura was chased by two Strikes.
On the strike zone, Sawamura's face became very ugly.
'The ball is a Slider in the outside corner!'
The ball went directly outside the strike zone, and Sawamura barely hit it.
'You are digging your grave yourself!' Sawamura's eyes sank.
Although he is not as smart as Akutsu, but that does not mean that he is stupid. Before, Sawamura's swinging has always been positive. He rarely gets chased by two Strikes. Before being chased by two Strikes, he hit the ball forward.
'No matter how smart you are, your pitching to solve your opponents always requires data. You shouldn't have collected much of the data on me after two Strikes. Even if there were, it would be difficult to make an analysis.'
I'd like to see, how do you solve me?
Sawamura's batting stance opened even wider. And the bat in his hand was raised high, and the bat was still shaking slightly.
Facing Akutsu, there was only a fighting spirit in his eyes, and there was no confusion.
In the position of the catcher, Hirahara subconsciously hesitated.
After seeing Akutsu's two balls, Sawamura was still unmoved. Such opponents, they have rarely encountered before.
In the past, when batters faced Akutsu, they would have a feeling of being led by the nose.
They'll be uncomfortable, they'll be frizzy…
On the other hand, there was no such expression on Sawamura's face. Facing the spider web that Akutsu opened, he dexterously shuttled through it as if he were playing a stunt.
The same goes for Akutsu on the mound, the rhythm of pitching has not changed.
Whoosh!
The small white ball was thrown lightly.
'This is the Change-up!'
Although Sawamura's dynamic vision is not as good as that of Ryo-san. But Change-ups and normal balls can still be barely separated.
For Akutsu's Change-up, Sawamura can wait until the ball is at hand before swinging.
This waiting is a short and dangerous process.
The Timing of the swing cannot be earlier or later, it must be just right.
Sawamura is very patient. This is what he has gained from his life in MLB and countless competition experiences in this life.
A person's capability, in addition to his skills and talent, his personal experience is also part of his strength.
In today's high school, you can't find anyone with more experience than Sawamura.
'Now!'
The bat in Sawamura's hand was dexterously swung out like a weapon.
Ping!
The small white ball was hit and flew out like a launched rocket.
After the ball was hit, Sawamura's face also brought a smile.
'Even you can't guess that!'
In the catcher's position, Hirahara watched Sawamura hit the ball as if he saw Sawamura's swing sweep away the spider's web of Akutsu.
'How can that be?' His eyes were full of wonder.
'Akutsu actually threw three balls, and the Batter wasn't solved.'
Who is the Maou Sawamura Eijun?
The white ball was hit and landed in the gap in the outfield.
Seihou's center fielder and right fielder were both a few steps behind, unable to catch the baseball and watched as the baseball flew out in front of them.
Sawamura took this opportunity to get to second base in one go.
Akutsu hit a double before, and now Sawamura hits the same.
The fight between the two is now equal.
Two Outs, runner at second base.
"Demon King!!!!"
In the stands, Miyamoto's voice was already abnormal.
Behind him, more than 2,000 members of the Demon King's Guards stood up and cheered in unison.
"Demon King!"
"Demon King!!!"
At first, it was themselves, and later the members from the Brotherhood of Red Heart came to help. In the end, the fans who supported Seidou High School all started to boil together.
The scene was unprecedentedly intense.
"Fourth Batter, first baseman, Yuuki-kun."
Sawamura hit a double, and then Tetsuya stepped into the strike zone.
With this, the whole stadium was boiling.
The Players in the rest area of Seidou High School couldn't sit still either. They stood up one by one and roared to their heart's content.
"Captain!"
"Tetsu!"
"Take the hit."
In this game, the pitchers on both sides are very difficult to deal with.
It is conceivable that the outcome of the game is likely to be a contest between two pitchers.
The side that gets the score first will have the initiative.
Now, it is a good opportunity for Seidou High School to get the score.
Seihou High School dugout.
The Coach of Seihou hesitated for a while and finally did not give a sign to the pitchers on the field.
He believes that Akutsu will be able to survive this crisis.
…