"Damn it! Damn it!"
"Those first-years actually scored three runs!"
In the bench area for the second and third-years, the upperclassmen all looked indignant. And really, anyone would be unable to accept it if opponents they originally looked down on managed to achieve such results.
Hearing these words, Kawakami's expression became even more dejected. No matter what, it was his pitch that was hit, and it was hit repeatedly, even ending with a Home Run. Kawakami took a deep breath, a very complicated and unresigned look on his face.
"Kawakami, your pitch was very good. It was my mistake in calling the pitches, don't worry about it too much!" Keisuke Miyauchi walked over, patting Kawakami's shoulder, and said in a deep voice.
Keisuke Miyauchi's words weren't an attempt to shift blame; he truly bore undeniable responsibility in this confrontation. A mistake in calling pitches is a responsibility that the catcher should bear!
Kawakami didn't make a wild pitch; all his pitches landed where he intended. For a Pitcher, from this perspective, Kawakami had fulfilled his duty. It's not to say Kawakami had no responsibility at all; if anything, it was that Kawakami's ability wasn't enough?
If he could throw another kind of pitch, perhaps the outcome would have been different.
But this couldn't hide Keisuke Miyauchi's own mistake in calling pitches earlier. After coming off the field and reflecting, Keisuke Miyauchi also realized his error on the second pitch. That pitch shouldn't have been a feeler. While it did get a strike, it shouldn't have been a feeler; he should have gone for a quick attack!
A quick decisive battle. Of course, the biggest mistake was on that last pitch. After all, there were already two strikes; he should have gone for the win before, but at that moment, he should have done the opposite and slowed down the rhythm, that would have been appropriate!
But now, it was too late to say anything. There was no need to dwell on those things. He needed to adjust his mindset, especially the Pitcher's mindset; this was the catcher's duty!
"Mn, it's fine, Miyauchi-senpai. I had a premonition I'd get hit, I just didn't expect it to be a Home Run." Kawakami smiled faintly, speaking somewhat forcedly, his words not containing the sense of relief he claimed.
At this point, Miyauchi had nothing more to say. Some things the Pitcher had to adjust themselves.
"Sawamura, I'm counting on you for this inning too! Show us your best pitch!" Aj patted Sawamura's shoulder with his glove, smiling as he spoke.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely face them head-on and fight for the win!" Sawamura Eijun said with a big, carefree laugh. Sawamura's words made Kariba Wataru, who had just finished putting on his catcher's gear, stumble slightly, looking at Sawamura's back with a resentful expression. "Big brother, if you do that, I'm the one who's going to be terrified!"
All Fastballs right down the middle, oh my goodness, Kariba felt his little heart was about to give out from such a blow.
"Damn first-years, I'll definitely let you know that second and third-years are not to be provoked!" The third-year upperclassman standing at Home Base looked at Sawamura Eijun on the pitcher's mound, who had a nonchalant expression, with a fierce look, grinding his teeth.
"Start!"
Kariba didn't give Sawamura any more instructions. He had completely given up on the idea of changing this guy's mind. If it's a head-on showdown, then it's a head-on showdown. The pitiful first-year catcher no longer wanted to complain about anything else.
On the pitcher's mound, after the third-year upperclassman settled into his batting stance, Sawamura quickly extended his arm, swinging it with all his might, taking a large stride forward.
"Fastball down the middle! Kid, who are you looking down on?!" A sharp glint flashed in the third-year senpai's eyes!
He quickly swung his bat, and the whooshing sound of the bat swinging made Kariba, standing beside him, jump in his heart. This bat speed was something he would never have seen in middle school!
This pitch is dangerous!
But to the surprise of both the batter and Kariba, this pitch was hit foul.
"Clang!" With a sound, the ball flew towards Left Field, but...
"Foul!"
At this moment, Masuko Toru's expression in the dugout became somewhat serious.
"Sawamura-chan condition is getting better and better. The momentum of this pitch is also getting stronger and stronger. Is it a strange pitch? No wonder Rei values him, but this pitch can be hit!" Masuko Toru thought silently to himself.
Masuko Toru simulated in his mind the scene of himself hitting the ball at Home Base. Of course, this kind of simulation could only be for reference. Baseball is a sport where if you don't actually stand at Home Base and feel it, you can never truly understand what kind of pitch the Pitcher is throwing. The same pitch type, thrown by different people, has completely different effects.
Isn't there a saying? One type of breaking ball, thrown by a thousand Pitchers, will have a thousand different variations!
So, Masuko Toru's mental simulation at the moment was only to make some slight preparations. A mature batter should make these preparations.
"Damn it! This pitch really moves, so I'll hit it before it moves!" The third-year upperclassman hadn't spent two years at Seido for nothing. Although he hadn't fully discerned the characteristics of Sawamura's pitch yet, he had grasped certain features. Immediately, he lengthened his grip on the bat and stood at the very front of Home Base!
Kariba was slightly startled. Gripping the bat longer, and moving closer to the plate?
But at this moment, the young catcher couldn't afford to think too much. It was clear Sawamura Eijun had already set up his pitch. Kariba simply steadied himself and positioned his glove right in the center.
Kariba, to be fair, wasn't a bad catcher. Of the many pitches Sawamura had thrown, almost all of them had been hit by the upperclassmen, but strangely, not a single upperclassman had hit them well. Kariba certainly wouldn't naively think it was luck; there must be some secret in Sawamura's pitch. He had to stay focused!
They had just managed to get three runs back, he couldn't make any mistakes! Kariba secretly reminded himself!
The third-year upperclassman's idea that he could hit the ball if he swung before it changed wasn't necessarily wrong. But sometimes, there's always a gap between ideals and reality.
As the ball flew over, the third-year upperclassman quickly caught the timing and swung his bat!
"Clang!" This time, he still hit Sawamura's pitch, but the third-year upperclassman didn't show a happy expression. As the ball flew out, he quickly dropped his bat and dashed towards First Base!
The ball didn't fly high. Indeed, this time he had caught the ball before it changed, but an unexpected event occurred again. He swung his bat a tiny bit too early, causing the ball not to fly upwards but to bounce on the pitcher's mound, deflecting towards Second Base. Sawamura, meanwhile, was flustered and couldn't stop the ball at all.
The third-year upperclassman, catching sight of this out of the corner of his eye, thought thankfully while sprinting, that there should be hope for an Infield Hit. These first-year rookies' defense was simply not good enough!
But a keen pink figure quickly intercepted the ball!
"Thwack!" The crisp sound of the ball hitting the glove. Out at First Base!