The situation was developing exactly as Aj wanted!
Sawamura Eijun's double had shaken the second and third-year students. Unsure if Kominato Haruichi could still play, Aj decisively requested a pinch-hitter, ensuring Kominato could get on base and make the situation even more favorable for the first-years!
Those non-existent signals would make the Pitcher and catcher suspicious of each other!
Sawamura, who had already gotten a hit by faking his batting stance, would now be like a thorn deeply embedded in the minds of these second and third-years! They couldn't help but pay attention!
"Against an unfamiliar opponent, and in this situation, they usually start with an outside pitch to test the waters. Is there anything easier to aim for than that?" Kominato Haruichi watched the white speck flying towards him, a slight curve forming at the corner of his lips, revealing a confident smile!
There are simply too few catchers in this world whose pitch calls cannot be guessed. Why is Miyuki Kazuya so highly praised by Baseball magazines? Why did various high schools specifically request him when he was about to graduate junior high?
Why was he called Seido's savior the moment he entered Seido?
He took on the position of the starting catcher, number 2, in his first year, and it wasn't just because of the injury to the genius catcher Chris back then. Don't assume that if someone else loses an opportunity, it will automatically fall into your lap. There's no such good thing in this world!
The only possibility is that you also possess considerable talent!
It's the kind of talent that makes people trust and anticipate you! And Miyuki Kazuya is just such a presence; his existence can undoubtedly elevate a Pitcher's skill by a notch!
His guidance can make a Pitcher perform at 100% of his ability! Perhaps even 120%!
Undoubtedly, Keisuke Miyauchi on the field is not such a catcher. Indeed, players who make it into Seido's first string are not simple, but compared to Miyuki Kazuya, the gap is quite obvious.
In this situation, if the catcher were Miyuki Kazuya, even Aj, who was familiar with the original story, wouldn't be sure that things would follow the original trajectory when the situation on the field changed, because Miyuki Kazuya is someone who doesn't play by the rules!
"Bang!"
Just as Kominato Haruichi predicted, Keisuke Miyauchi, still unsure what these first-years were up to, still gave Kawakami the signal for an outside pitch. After all, compared to an inside pitch, an outside pitch is safer and less likely to result in a long hit. However, no matter what pitch it is, once it's guessed from the start...
As long as the power isn't bad, a single hit is basically guaranteed!
Of course, Kominato Haruichi's power is a clear weakness. Junior high Baseball isn't as strict as high school Baseball, and the demands on power aren't as great. Even if Kominato Haruichi hit this ball...
It only just passed between First Base and Second Base! Not enough for Sawamura, who was on Second Base, to run all the way back to Home Base at once. And Aj had said from the beginning not to let Sawamura push himself too hard while running the bases.
That's right, in his previous life, due to his excellent physical ability and flexible joints, Sawamura, who originally couldn't run from First Base back to Home Base, scored the first run for the first-years in that Red and White Battle!
But in Aj's opinion, that was too risky. Not to mention the risk of being out, the potential harm to Sawamura himself was something Aj wouldn't allow. No matter what, the flexibility of human joints always has a limit. Yes, Sawamura's joint flexibility is not something ordinary people can compare to, so he wouldn't easily get injured.
But what if he did get injured?
This was just an internal Red and White Battle. Even though Aj was playing with a serious and competitive attitude on the field! He didn't want to see a game won at the cost of injury. If a serious injury occurs in high school Baseball, an entire player's career could be ruined!
Seido High School had a living example of this! Therefore, Aj very solemnly reminded Sawamura to be careful when running the bases. Even if Sawamura didn't quite understand why he was being told this, he could still feel Aj's concern for him in his words. After a few grumbles, he agreed.
Otherwise, according to Sawamura's own nature, that last ball, he would have definitely run towards Home Base, where would he have obediently stopped at Third Base!
But this outcome was already quite good!
No outs! Runners on First Base and Third Base! Keisuke Miyauchi's expression became somewhat ugly. Looking at Kominato Haruichi, who stood on First Base with a slightly flushed face, Miyauchi couldn't help but realize that his pitch call had definitely been seen through by this kid!
"Damn it! You bastard first-years!" Miyauchi cursed inwardly. For a catcher, having his pitch calls guessed by the batter is an unspeakable humiliation!
"Oh, oh, oh! This is getting interesting!"
"And the next batter is...!"
The first-years' performance immediately excited the people outside the field. They were saying that a one-sided crushing game was no fun at all, especially since the first-years' morale was an issue at the beginning!
After swinging the bat a few times in the on-deck circle, Aj slightly pulled down the brim of his cap, walked to the batter's box, bowed, and said, "Please guide me!"
"Damn it!" Catching a glimpse of Aj's rock-solid figure, Miyauchi's heart sank a little. In the previous at-bat, this kid had obviously also guessed Tanba's inside pitch!
He just didn't realize it was a Curveball, so he swung and missed. If Aj had guessed it was still a Curveball at that time, or if Tanba had thrown a Fastball, the first hit would have been born! It was even very likely to be a Home Run, this was no joke!
Aj didn't have Kominato Haruichi's build. His physique didn't seem particularly burly, but Miyauchi could clearly see the bulging muscles from his neck downwards from this angle. His solid frame proved that this young man possessed considerable strength!
That's right, Baseball also relies on talents like ball sense, but if the physical conditions aren't up to par, everything is useless. Aj had been consciously training his body since he was young!
Even if he still couldn't compare to those naturally strong guys, it was barely enough to handle high school Baseball!
But this was only in terms of physique. In batting, Aj could currently only rely on his eyesight and his pitch-guessing ability!
Of course, that's not to say that guessing pitches in Baseball is amazing or anything. In essence, guessing pitches can only be used as an auxiliary method!
For Baseball itself, experience, power, technique, eyesight, reaction speed, and so on are the most important things. Guessing the pitch calls between the catcher and Pitcher can only be used as a reference method, not a regular one!
The truly strong batters in the world never guess pitches! For example, Seido's current immovable fourth batter—Yuki Tetsuya!
That kind of ability to freely adjust one's stance, not only to swing powerfully but also to hit skillfully, is what makes a true batting strongman!
Aj also hoped, no, he must become such a batter! It's just that he lacked experience, and having never undergone proper Baseball training, he was missing too many things. For now, he could only rely on his excellent eyesight and pitch-guessing to make up for this gap!
He was also fortunate that the opponents he faced were not particularly difficult to deal with in high school Baseball!
"Whoosh!" Aj looked forward with determined eyes! This time! He absolutely couldn't let them down!
This time! He definitely had to send them back to Home Base! Aj gripped his bat tightly, his gaze cold as he looked at Kawakami on the pitcher's mound, thinking with determination!
The most brilliant spear of the perfect golden trident was about to shine!