Seido's leadoff batter got off to a rough start as soon as he stepped up, but everyone was used to it. After all, his batting average had finally begun showing signs of recovery this year.
Since he had only seen one pitch, there was hardly anything to tell the second batter.
Haruichi lightly tipped his helmet in greeting, looking like a shy little girl—but anyone who underestimated him would pay for it.
After thinking it over, Renji still crouched on the outside corner, a spot where it was generally difficult to generate power.
Just use your strength.
Hongo nodded solemnly. In his eyes, every batter was about the same. He only wanted to see their faces twist in shock or strain.
It was not arrogance on his part. Nearly every opponent he had faced at Koshien had met the same end.
Pink hair... he's the tough-on-the-inside type Kōshū mentioned before, right?
With that thought, he naturally pictured the scene of the batter being struck out.
He raised his leg and stepped forward, and the wind on the Pitcher's Mound whipped up once more.
It was an atmosphere entirely different from Kōshū's, carrying the sharp, heavy chill of the Northern Country.
"Crack—" As the stickiest hitter on Seido's roster, Haruichi managed to get hold of the pitch and calmly send it foul.
This pitch... the pressure is too intense. I can't control it!
"Crack—" Another foul ball.
Haruichi's palms tingled faintly from the impact.
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, that suffocating pitch gradually shattered his rhythm.
Rather than saying the batter kept hitting foul balls, it was more accurate to say he had been helplessly forced into a corner by the pitcher.
Another pitch came. The rhythm of the entire ballpark was under Hongo's control, and before Haruichi could