"This hitting lineup is too awesome, isn't it?"
The fans in the stands all exclaimed this at the same time.
Although Musashi High School wasn't a prestigious baseball school and its performance wasn't particularly outstanding, it still had some reputation in Tokyo and often made it to the third or fourth rounds of tournaments. Generally speaking, a team like that still had decent strength. Even when facing a powerhouse, as long as they didn't collapse early, it was hard for the opponent to score in the opening innings.
Not to mention Musashi's pitcher, Kuriyama, whose curveball was extremely sharp. Anyone with even basic baseball knowledge could tell that he was skilled. When thrown well, that pitch was very hard for ordinary batters to hit.
Even the Seido fans, who filled the stadium from the beginning, thought it would take some effort to break Musashi's defense.
They didn't expect Seido's new lineup to be this overwhelming.
Facing Kuriyama, who was definitely not weak, Yamada's single, Azuma's intentional walk, the second-year slugger Yuuki, and the newly promoted rookie Zhang Han all produced hits one after another.
In the blink of an eye, Seido took a two-run lead.
And it wasn't over. The current situation was runners on second and third. As long as the next batter connected, the score could easily become 4–0.
Given Seido's depth, even with concerns about their pitching stability, a four-run lead would almost guarantee victory.
"I didn't expect it to be this easy. I thought Musashi High would hold up longer."
"They even dared to challenge Dong-senpai before the game. I thought they had some bite, but they didn't even dare face him directly."
In Seido's dugout, everyone's tone was relaxed. Judging by the situation, their first game should be no problem.
In the stands, several schools that came to scout Seido were whispering among themselves. Some were already calling their schools.
"Seido is going to win. Same as before, no surprises. Their lineup is still strong."
"Yeah, especially that new rookie. He just got promoted and already delivered a timely hit to put them ahead."
Nothing concrete had happened yet, but something subtle had begun to shift. Several schools in Tokyo had now taken note of Zhang Han.
Of course, this was only the first step. It would still take time for Zhang Han to truly make a name for himself in Tokyo and become a recognized star.
"Ping!"
The white ball flew high before falling.
Isashiki Jun, with his little beard, scowled.
Damn it. Damn it!!!
That brat Zhang Han got a hit in his debut and even earned an RBI. Why couldn't he do the same?
"Pa!"
The falling baseball landed cleanly in Musashi's third baseman's glove.
"Out!"
"Three outs, change sides!"
The Musashi players let out a collective sigh of relief.
It was finally over.
Only they knew how suffocating that inning felt. The pressure from Seido nearly crushed them. After just one defensive inning, several of them were already sweating. The hot weather played a part, but the real cause was the psychological pressure.
Facing Seido High School was overwhelming.
They had almost fallen behind by four runs. No matter how much confidence they had walking onto the field, if they were down four in the first inning, the game would have ended before it began.
Fortunately, the worst didn't happen. They still had hope.
Bottom of the first, Musashi on offense.
"Ping!"
"Out!"
"Strikeout!"
"Pa!"
"Out!!"
…
Hidezawa wiped out Musashi's lineup without hesitation.
Three up, three down.
Even though the "nuclear-level pitching" joke was exaggerated, Hidezawa's fastball truly carried immense power. Once Musashi fell into his pace, no matter how they struggled, it would be nearly impossible to make any impact.
Top of the second, Seido's offense.
Miyuki, batting eighth, was quickly retired.
Kou Shunmin, batting ninth, also got out without contributing.
Tanaka, batting first again, managed to get on base.
But Hidezawa, following him, grounded out to first for a force out.
Seido failed to score in the second inning.
But no one minded.
Scoring through hitting required skill, but luck also played a major role. The lack of runs this inning wasn't because Seido lacked skill, but because luck was flat.
Players and fans alike were confident. It was only a matter of time before Seido extended their lead.
At this moment, no one expected Seido High School's biggest hidden danger to erupt in this very game.
"Ping!"
At the start of the bottom of the second inning, before Seido even had time to adjust their mindset, a sharp hit sent the ball into the outfield.
Kou Shunmin rushed to catch it but arrived too late.
Result:
"Safe!"
Musashi's fourth batter reached second base.
Musashi, who had been nearly hopeless only moments earlier, suddenly grabbed onto this final life-saving chance. They desperately wanted to turn this runner into a run.
The fifth batter, a power hitter, chose to bunt and sacrifice himself.
"Ping!"
The runner advanced from second to third. One out, runner on third.
Miyuki didn't overthink it at first. The opponent was giving up an out — of course they would take it.
But what followed filled him with regret.
If he had known, he would never have allowed the runner to reach third so easily.
Because the moment a runner reached third, Hidezawa — who had been pitching freely — completely changed. His condition took a sharp downturn. He even struggled to throw the ball into the strike zone. And when he did throw a strike, the pitch floated weakly.
"Walk."
"Ping!"
"Safe!!"
In the bottom of the second inning, Musashi scored two runs.
The game was tied 2–2.
And it wasn't over. A runner remained on third base.
One out, runner on third.
The pressure shifted entirely.
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