Roaar!
The small baseball, thrown by Furuya, shot out like an invincible laser cannon.
The batter at the plate trembled all over.
Before he came up to bat, the American ABC High School team had already discussed a strategy. Furuya's control wasn't particularly strong, and he occasionally threw Balls. For an opponent like him, it would be a mistake to swing too eagerly. It would be better to wait until the count reaches a favorable pitch before facing him head-on.
This strategy might seem somewhat timid.
But it couldn't be helped. The key was that the American batters found it extremely difficult to make contact with Furuya's pitches.
Since it was already so difficult, it made sense to let the opponent throw more pitches, which was also a helpless measure.
The strategy had been set, but once they actually stood in the Batter's Box, the players realized that the plan was useless!
The whistling baseball seemed like it was going to devour them alive.
When humans face danger, there is an instinctive reaction.
The batter at this moment was just like that; he couldn't ignore the ball coming straight at him.
Even if it meant struggling in vain, even if it was futile, he had to swing his bat.
This wasn't even a reaction that came from his brain processing the situation; it was a reflex from his body.
Just like how you would instinctively close your eyes when someone claps in front of you.
When the baseball came at him, the batter felt that if he didn't swing, the ball would devour him alive.
'It's coming!'
Seeing the flash of white light, the batter didn't hesitate and swung his bat.
His reaction was quick, but by the time his bat reached the strike zone, the baseball had already passed through it.
Boom!
Behind the batter, the sound of the baseball entering the Mitt was deep and powerful.
Facing such a pitch, the batter could only stare at the ball's trajectory in a daze.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
The umpire's announcement felt like the pronouncement of a death sentence in a courtroom.
It was despairing.
After the batter from ABC High School left the plate, he returned to the dugout.
"Weren't you told not to swing too eagerly and to patiently wait for the Balls?" the coach of ABC High School asked angrily.
The batter shook his head, lost and without a response.
He knew that whatever he said at this point was unnecessary.
Letting two more teammates take a swing, the Coach would soon realize that their previous strategy was completely ineffective.
Just like the first batter from ABC High School had guessed.
Facing Furuya's pitches, the ABC High School players couldn't control themselves at all.
If they didn't swing, they felt like their breathing would stop.
But the result was incredibly harsh!
These guys had never been able to hit a 93 mph (150 km/h) fastball in training—how could they possibly hit a 96 mph (157~ km/h) fastball?
Even if a blind cat might catch a dead mouse, there still needs to be a chance of contact.
The two are not in the same room, and the probability of the blind cat actually catching the dead mouse is very low.
The players from ABC High School were like this; they weren't even on the same level as Furuya. Hitting his headshot pitch was just too difficult!
After being struck out three times in a row, by the fourth inning, Furuya had nearly reached double digits in strikeouts.
Facing such embarrassing statistics, the American ABC High School players could only accept their fate.
It wasn't that they didn't want to fight back; they simply couldn't.
"97.5 mph!!"
A reporter in the stands who had brought a speed gun scratched his head.
The pitch speed was so fast that it wasn't even common in professional baseball, let alone in high school.
It was known that Sawamura Eijun, the Demon King of Seidou High School, was incredibly talented, even attracting the interest of MLB teams.
The reporters, like flies drawn to a good smell, had swarmed over, sensing that there might be some interesting news related to Sawamura.
But in the end, they didn't find Sawamura; instead, they stumbled upon Furuya.
Yes, it was an unexpected discovery!
Furuya's sudden appearance had completely shattered the reporters' worldviews.
They had been sitting in their small ponds, unaware that someone under 18 could throw like this.
"This pitch speed would put him in the top fifty in the Majors?"
"No, but he is close! Moreover, he is quite young!"
"The only person in his age group who might throw faster than him is probably that pitcher on the Dream Team..."
"Can't say, can't say!!"
Although the player they were referring to was faster than Furuya, he was a year older, and also white, which gave him a racial advantage.
In contrast, Furuya, so young, maintained an average speed of 96 mph.
Now that is a real genius!
A super genius, in fact.
The media's attention naturally shifted to Furuya.
As the fastest pitcher in Japanese high school, his debut with Seidou High School had shaken the entire nation!
Now that he was in America, the situation was the same.
Despite facing a weaker opponent, Furuya hadn't fully unleashed his power.
Yet it was this overwhelming dominance that made people look at him with new respect.
So, that kid is this powerful!
With the praise came the end of Furuya's inning.
The game entered the bottom of the fourth inning when Seidou High School's team was up to bat.
The first batter up was Takatsu, who had replaced Kuramochi in today's game.
As a second-year player, Takatsu was quite strong.
He was one of the key competitors for a spot on the first-team roster.
In this game, Coach Kataoka had boldly chosen to field all the rookies, except for Lee-Hyun and Okumura, who remained in the lineup.
The other positions were filled with substitutes.
This could be seen as the weakest form of Seidou High's first team in history.
Under these conditions, competing against the opponent was a real test of skill.
Either you make it, or you don't.
It was almost painfully clear, without any twists or turns.
After all, without a strong teammate leading the way, no one was going to coast through the game.
To win and break the deadlock, the players would have to prove their worth on their own.
Takatsu wasn't bothered by this kind of competition.
This was the fairest way to compete!
And he vowed to use his strength to earn a place on the field.
When he first joined Seidou High's baseball team, Takatsu was almost on par with Toujou and Kanemaru.
They were all famous players in youth baseball, and Seidou High had paid close attention to them.
Though the degree of attention they received wasn't as high as Sawamura's, it was still significant.
A simple example: after they completed the rookie entrance tests, the coaches made a special report on their cases.
After Coach Kataoka reviewed the report and gave his comments, the team discussed it with the players.
This level of attention was almost equal.
Among their cohort of rookies, only four players received this treatment.
Takatsu was one of them.
At that time, Takatsu never imagined it would take him until his second year to get his chance to join the first team.
Sawamura and Furuya were already household names by then.
Kominato, Toujou, Kanemaru... each had made a name for themselves.
And yet, Takatsu remained in the shadows, quietly swinging his bat without much recognition.
Recalling those times when he stood in the corner, swinging his bat over and over with no one watching...
Takatsu gripped his bat tightly, his eyes coldly watching the pitcher on the mound.
The American ABC High School pitcher looked similar to a Japanese pitcher on the surface.
But in reality, they were completely different.
The opponent had his own style and characteristics.
When a pitcher has his own distinct features, hitting their ball isn't an easy task.
But remembering his past struggles, Takatsu wouldn't let himself go easy. When he was promoted to the first team, he swore with his friends.
He would make a big splash in the first team.
Now that the opportunity had come, he certainly wouldn't let it slip away.
'Let's Go!'
'Here it comes!'
Whoosh!
Seeing the opponent pitch, Takatsu remained perfectly still, patiently waiting for the ball to arrive.
'Now!'
The moment the ball came near, Takatsu stepped forward and naturally slammed the baseball away.
Paak!
The ball struck perfectly and traced a beautiful arc.
It landed in the gap of the defense.
After the first round of adjustment, Takatsu finally caught onto the pitcher's rhythm.
And with a clean hit, he got a single!
"YEAAAH!!"
"HERE WE GO!"
"NICE! TAKATSU!"
In Seidou High's dugout, his teammates erupted with excitement.
Although it was a substitute showing excellent skill, no one minded.
Coach Kataoka had predicted they would fall behind in this game, didn't he?
Well, let's see how he enjoys watching their skills now!
At that moment, all the teammates shared the same resolve.
They wanted to show Coach Kataoka what they were capable of.
Sawamura and Miyuki exchanged glances and saw mutual admiration in each other's eyes.
This year's freshmen could be called the "Platinum Generation" without exaggeration.
Excellent pitchers, catchers, fielders, and batters.
They had everything.
Masashi, Hirota!
Both were traditional power hitters. Nishiyama, Yui, and Okumura, each with their own unique batting skills.
Competing for a starting spot among these people wouldn't be easy.
But Takatsu, in some ways, had already succeeded.
"He's kind of like the Tetsu-san!" Sawamura remarked.
"Looking at the style, sure, he's a bit like him. But when it comes to actual power, there's a huge gap," Miyuki replied with a smile.
Sawamura had no rebuttal for this comment.
In fact, Miyuki was right.
Takatsu's only problem right now was that while he excelled in many aspects, none of them stood out as particularly strong.
This put him at a disadvantage in position competition.
If you're competing for a starting spot, the strongest player in all areas is the obvious choice.
But if you're competing for a backup spot, then someone with a specialized skill set will have a significant advantage.
After all, backup players don't always play; they often serve as a surprise weapon.
From this perspective, Takatsu was at a disadvantage.
While the two were chatting, the game took another turn.
Yui, the second batter, wasn't going to just sit back and watch his teammates perform.
He was determined to make his own mark.
Ping!
Seizing the moment when the American ABC High pitcher was still recovering, Yui swung his bat and sent the ball flying.
His timing and choice of swing were excellent.
As the captain of the national youth team for his age group, when it came to reading the game, no one surpassed Yui.
Add to that his upbeat personality, a stark contrast to the introverted Okumura, and almost everyone on the Seidou team liked him.
When his single landed, his teammates erupted with excitement.
"Well done!"
"Keep it up!!!"
"You're the coolest!!!"
Yui, standing on first base, bowed to his cheering teammates.
Not only did he have talent, but he was also humble.
Such a person was impossible not to like.
In the dugout...
Seeing Yui perform well, the blonde-haired, handsome Okumura tightly clenched his fist.
At that moment, Seidou's offense wasn't stopping.
"Third batter, outfielder, Nishiyama."
Now standing in the Batter's Box was Nishiyama.
In the previous game, despite allowing four runs and losing badly, Coach Kataoka still had high hopes for him.
He was given another chance in this game.
If Nishiyama performed well in both games and didn't mess up too much...
It seemed likely that he'd be one of the 20 players for the summer tournament.
Even though new stars had been rising recently, Nishiyama's ability remained top-notch among the newcomers.
It was just that his current opponents were different from before, which had affected his performance.
But Coach Kataoka and the Seidou coaches had no doubt about his abilities.
Nishiyama didn't disappoint.
Facing the situation with no Outs and runners on first and third, he didn't waste the scoring opportunity.
Seeing the ball coming in, he decisively swung his bat.
Ping!
…