Now isn't the time to be stubborn, Tanba. Miyuki furrowed his brow, his expression behind the mask gradually darkening.
"Time!" It wasn't the catcher who called the timeout, but the pitcher.
"Tanba, do you really not want to walk him?" Miyuki got straight to the point. The infielders all froze. Was he really asking such a pointed question at a time like this?
"Miyuki, I know what you're thinking. You're worried that if he hits a Home Run, it'll affect my mentality." Tanba conveyed his resolve through his eyes. "It may be selfish of me to say this, but as the ace, if I can only win by walking their cleanup hitter... even if we make it to the end, I won't be able to truly believe in myself."
We still have a four-run lead. Even if he gets hit, there's room for it... More importantly, if Senior Tanba can't recover afterward... Miyuki was still weighing the pros and cons when he looked toward the Dugout. Kataoka showed no sign of sending instructions.
"Miyuki," Yuki Captain spoke first. As a third-year who had grown up alongside Tanba, he understood just how difficult it had been for Tanba to gather the courage to change. "Let all of us third-years take on this batter together!"
"Yahaha, me too, Yuki!"
"Alright, then throw your strongest pitch, Tanba!"
After Miyuki returned to home plate, the hardest problem was thrown back at him: how to lure in and strike out this batter.
Another low inside fastball!
"Foul Ball!" Raichi had completely grasped the timing of this kind of swing and could make contact easily.
Then follow it with a Forkball in a similar location! He hasn't seen a Forkball yet!
For the first time, Tanba and Miyuki felt completely united as pitcher and catcher in