Chapter Summaries

Seido used its game against Kawasaki Academy as a final tune-up before facing Inashiro, giving Furuya and Sawamura the mound while Kōshū prepared to pitch. The chapter ended with Narumiya Mei noticing Kōshū warming up and guessing he would be part of the next game’s plan.

• Narumiya Mei and Kōshū exchanged taunts before their teams took the field.
• Furuya started for Seido and struck out Kawasaki Academy’s batters while Seido went three up, three down.
• Kataoka kept his pitching rotation unchanged despite Furuya’s strong performance and said every pitcher would get a chance against Kawasaki Academy.
• Sawamura took over from Furuya in the fifth inning and used his unusual pitching timing to get Kawasaki Fourth Batter out.
• Kōshū warmed up at the edge of the field, and Narumiya Mei noticed him and anticipated that he would pitch against Inashiro.

Hayakawa recalled how his unassuming demeanor concealed his ambition while trying to keep Narumiya focused on the game. Kōshū took the mound in the seventh, and despite struggling to regain his pitching rhythm, he struck out a batter with a powerful inside pitch.

• Hayakawa told Narumiya to watch Kōshū pitch, but Narumiya refused to consider exploiting a possible injury.
• Hayakawa’s past actions showed how he had earned a starting catcher position through effort while maintaining a pragmatic attitude.
• Narumiya lingered in the stands to watch Kōshū, and Hayakawa went downstairs without him when the ace refused to leave.
• Kōshū took the mound in the seventh as his teammates encouraged him and Miyuki tested his pitching condition.
• Kōshū’s first pitch missed low and outside, but he followed with powerful inside pitches that induced a fly-ball out.

Kōshū closed out Seido’s win over Kawasaki Academy, while Narumiya Mei prepared for Inashiro’s game and remembered how his past defeat by Seido had haunted him. The chapter left Narumiya facing that old bitterness as he watched Seido’s players pass by.

• Seido scored two runs in the eighth, and Kōshū helped finish Kawasaki’s batters to secure the victory.
• Kōshū noticed Kawasaki’s players seemed to accept their loss without sorrow and wondered why he felt unusually sensitive to the heat around him.
• Hayakawa told Narumiya Mei that Seido had won, and the two teams exchanged quiet greetings as they passed outside the stadium.
• Seeing Seido stirred Narumiya’s memories of the summer when he surrendered a run and lost to them, a defeat that had made him doubt himself.
• Narumiya recalled how Hayakawa had helped him recover by pointing out a newspaper’s praise of his pitching, and he had invited his teammates to watch Seido’s game.

Kōshū struggled with the pressure of being Seido’s ace as the team prepared to face Inashiro. After Miyuki challenged him to confront his feelings, Kōshū admitted he could not accept losing the position he had worked to claim.

• Seido watched Inashiro’s game, and Haruichi noticed the tense silence among Kōshū, Eijun, and Furuya.
• Miyuki reflected that Kōshū needed to accept challenges from the pitchers behind him as part of being an ace.
• Inashiro won, and Seido learned they would face them in three days.
• Kōshū practiced late at night while Miyuki questioned whether he was willing to give up the mound to another pitcher.
• Kōshū admitted he did not know what an ace truly was, but he could not easily accept losing the position after it had become his.
• Miyuki told Kōshū to stay in the position longer and experience what he felt.

Seido faced Inajitsu in a heavily publicized game, with Kōshū starting in left field and Kataoka warning the team not to underestimate their opponents. The game began with Seido batting first, and Kuramochi opened the at-bat against Inajitsu pitcher Hirano by taking a strike.

• Kataoka assigned Kōshū to start in left field and warned Seido that Inajitsu was a dangerous opponent.
• Miyuki led Seido's pregame rally as the new captain.
• Seido and Inajitsu exchanged greetings at home plate, and Seido took the field to bat first.
• Kuramochi faced Hirano with no outs and let the first pitch pass for a ball.
• Kuramochi watched Hirano's next pitch cross the outside edge of the strike zone for a strike.

Hayakawa used his signals and changing pitches to help Hirano strike out Kuramochi and retire Shirazu, then Kominato grounded out to complete a three-up, three-down inning. Seido turned its attention to defense as the game continued.

• Hayakawa repeated the outside-corner signal, and Hirano struck Kuramochi out with a slider.
• Kuramochi warned Shirazu to stay alert against Hayakawa, but Shirazu grounded out for Inashiro’s second out.
• Hirano threw Kominato a high inside pitch that grazed past his hair for a ball.
• Kominato barely hit Hirano’s high-angle slider, then grounded out to end Seido’s inning without reaching base.
• Kataoka told Seido to focus on defense because the game had only just begun.

Furuya struggled with his control against Inajitsu’s Carlos but recovered after Miyuki called a conference, ending the first inning without a run. As Seido came to bat, Hayakawa weighed how to pitch to Miyuki and signaled for a bait ball.

• Furuya opened the bottom of the first with two balls to Carlos, prompting Miyuki to call time and help him settle down.
• Carlos swung at Furuya’s high-inside bait ball and was retired, and Furuya recorded the next two outs to end the inning.
• Seido took the field to bat, and Miyuki stepped up as the cleanup hitter while Eijun led the cheers.
• Hayakawa considered Miyuki’s hitting and his own pitching tendencies, then gave the signal for a bait ball.

Miyuki hit a single, but Hirano and Inajitsu turned Maezono’s failed bunt into a double play. Kōshū then worked a thirteen-pitch at-bat before driving the ball deep and reaching second, leaving Lang Zhi up with a chance to bring him home.

• Miyuki hit Hayakawa’s pitch over the shortstop for a single.
• Hirano fielded Maezono’s bunt and threw to Shirakawa, who completed a double play with the first baseman.
• Kōshū fouled off pitches until the count was full, then drove an outside-corner ball deep behind the right fielder.
• Kōshū reached second base as Shirakawa fielded the ball, and Lang Zhi came up to bat with Kōshū ready to score.

Inashiro nearly picked off Kōshū at second, but Lang Zhi read Hirano’s pitches and drove a hit between first and second before the right fielder stopped it. With two outs and Kōshū still at second, Hayakawa chose to keep Hirano in against Tōjō.

• Hirano and Hayakawa coordinated a pickoff attempt at second, but Kōshū dove back safely.
• Lang Zhi recognized three balls and then hit Hirano’s next pitch between first and second; the right fielder fielded it.
• Haruichi praised Lang Zhi’s recent batting, while Eijun jokingly asked him for a secret batting manual.
• Hayakawa considered bringing in Narumiya Mei, but Kunimoto Manager signaled him to continue with Hirano.
• Hayakawa looked at Tōjō and formed a new idea for the next pitch.

Inajitsu’s battery used changing pitches and pressure on the runners to wear down Tōjō and end Seido’s scoring threat. Tōjō struck out with runners on first and third, and the inning ended with Seido scoreless.

• Kōshū edged farther off third while Tōjō faced Hirano with two outs and runners on first and third.
• Tōjō checked his swing at Hirano’s inside pitch for a ball, then hesitated on an outside pitch and was called out on strikes.
• Hayakawa called for a pitch down the middle, and Tōjō watched it enter the strike zone as Kōshū dove back to third.
• Hirano threw an outside Slider, and Tōjō swung and missed for the third strike, ending the inning.

Seido faced Inajitsu in the bottom of the second inning, where Furuya struck out cleanup hitter Yamaoka with sharp control and a varied pitch sequence. The chapter ended with an author’s personal note about struggling with work and wanting to quit.

• Eijun and Kōshū encouraged Tōjō after he returned to the dugout, while Lang Zhi joked about catchers with good pitching strategies.
• Kataoka Manager told the team to focus on defense, helping Maezono set aside his worries about batting.
• Miyuki guided Furuya through two inside pitches against Yamaoka, and Yamaoka fouled off the second one toward first base.
• Miyuki called for an outside-corner pitch, which Yamaoka barely fouled away.
• Furuya followed with a high pitch that Yamaoka missed, striking out Inajitsu’s cleanup hitter on four pitches.

Miyuki and Furuya outmaneuvered Inashiro’s batters, retiring Narumiya Mei and Hayakawa in the second inning. Seido began the next inning against Hirano, and Furuya opened with a hit into the outfield.

• Narumiya Mei struck out after Miyuki mixed a high inside pitch, an outside fastball, and a changeup.
• Hayakawa guessed Miyuki would target the outside corner, but Miyuki’s forkball baited him into a swing and miss.
• Narumiya Mei rebuked Hayakawa, who admitted he had been thrown off by Miyuki’s pitch calling.
• Both teams remained scoreless after two innings, and Seido’s dugout planned to put Hirano under pressure with runners on base.
• Furuya swung at Hirano’s pitch and sent the ball over the first baseman into the outfield.

Kuramochi grounded into a double play, allowing Hirano and Inashiro to retire Seido in the top of the third before Narumiya Mei took the mound in the bottom of the fourth. The chapter ended with Narumiya meeting Kōshū’s gaze as he prepared to pitch.

• Hayakawa guided Hirano through a difficult at-bat against Kuramochi, who fouled the slider into a double-play grounder.
• Inashiro’s defense completed the double play and quickly retired Seido in the top of the third.
• Inashiro brought in its regular left fielder to pinch-hit for the ninth-place pitcher in the bottom of the third.
• Inashiro added another zero to the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth, and Narumiya Mei took the mound.
• Narumiya met Kōshū’s eyes, then dug his cleat into the dirt as he prepared to pitch.

Hayakawa steadied Narumiya Mei before he faced Seido's central lineup, and Narumiya struck out Haruichi with aggressive inside pitches. The chapter ended as Miyuki entered the batter's box with the count of the game turning to his at-bat.

• Hayakawa reassured Narumiya Mei that he felt more at ease catching for him, and the two agreed to work together to get Seido out.
• Narumiya opened against Haruichi with a forceful inside pitch, and Haruichi fouled it off while adjusting to the timing.
• Hayakawa called for Narumiya to keep attacking inside, and Narumiya put Haruichi at two strikes with consecutive pitches.
• Haruichi swung at Narumiya's low inside pitch, and Inajitsu's infield easily fielded the ball for an out.
• Miyuki stepped into the batter's box as Seido's teammates cheered, while Hayakawa tried to draw Narumiya's attention back to him.

Miyuki faced Hayakawa and Narumiya Mei in a tense at-bat but struck out after misreading their plan. As the sides switched, Kōshū watched Narumiya and reflected on the gap between their experience, leaving his thoughts on pitching.

• Miyuki held back against Hayakawa’s inside fastball and outside Slider, then fouled off a strike to reach a two-strike count.
• Miyuki expected Hayakawa to throw a Bait Ball, but Hayakawa called for a low inside fastball that forced him to swing and get out.
• Miyuki advised Maezono to focus on the pitch he was waiting for instead of being influenced by the catcher’s strategy.
• Kōshū headed to the on-deck circle, considered Narumiya Mei’s growth and his own pitching rivals, and Maezono returned empty-handed as the sides switched.

Kōshū questioned his confidence as Furuya continued pitching against Inashiro, whose batters tried to force Seido into changing pitchers. Furuya overcame his hesitation to throw inside, but his next pitch drifted over the plate and was hit.

• Kōshū recognized that his impatience came from comparing his progress with his teammates' and reminded himself that he had not yet tested his form in a game.
• Carlos tried to reach base against Furuya but was called out, then warned the next Inashiro batter that Seido's pitcher remained in good condition.
• Miyuki called for a low inside pitch, and Furuya threw it close to Shirakawa, earning a strike as the batter stepped back.
• Miyuki called for a high inside pitch, but Furuya lost his control and the batter struck the ball toward the catcher.

Furuya lost his feel after giving up a hit, and Inashiro scored before Kataoka replaced him with Kōshū. Kōshū took the mound with the runners still on base and told the team to trust his pitching.

• Shirakawa hit Furuya's pitch to the wall and reached second base, prompting Miyuki to calm Furuya and call for a pitch outside.
• Furuya doubted his release and gave the Inashiro batter another high pitch over the heart of the plate, which was hit to bring Shirakawa home.
• Shirazu threw the ball back from right field, but the runner scored safely, and Kataoka signaled a pitching change.
• Kōshū took over on the mound as Asou moved to left field, while Furuya handed Kōshū the ball and apologized.
• Kōshū joked that Kataoka relied on him in difficult moments, then told the infielders that the plan was to believe in the pitcher's pitches.

Kōshū returned to the mound for Seido and faced Inashiro’s cleanup hitter with a runner on second. He struck Yamaoka out with a precise first pitch, then forced him to bunt the next pitch toward the mound.

• Haruichi’s trick angered his teammates, and Miyuki ordered the infield in as Kōshū prepared to pitch.
• Inashiro’s Yamaoka followed the manager’s plan to test Kōshū and advance the runner to third.
• Kōshū reflected on his path to becoming ace and delivered a powerful pitch that caught the edge of the strike zone.
• Miyuki called for a low inside pitch, and Yamaoka attempted a sacrifice bunt.
• Yamaoka’s bunt sent the ball bouncing directly in front of Kōshū on the mound.

Kōshū and Miyuki faced Narumiya Mei with a runner on third, using Kōshū’s pitches to exploit Mei’s impatience. Kōshū struck Mei out to end the inning, and the teams switched sides.

• Kōshū’s throw to first retired the batter but allowed the runner to advance to third, leaving Narumiya Mei at the plate.
• Narumiya Mei fouled off Kōshū’s first pitch, showing he had studied and adapted to the pitcher’s rhythm.
• Kōshū challenged Mei with a high fastball, and Mei swung and missed for strike two.
• Kōshū followed with an inside pitch that Mei swung at and missed, and the first baseman caught the ball for the third out.

Narumiya Mei retired Seido's batters quickly, while Eijun's words stirred the second-year seniors to defend the honor they had won from Inajitsu. Lang Zhi was put out to end the inning, leaving Seido still searching for a hit.

• Hayakawa calmed Narumiya Mei and guided him back onto the mound, then called for fastballs against Asou.
• Narumiya struck out Asou in three pitches, and Tōjō was also put out after falling behind in the count.
• Eijun lamented that Seido was handing Inajitsu the seniors' honor, prompting the second-year players to react angrily and refocus.
• Maezono-senpai urged Kōshū to get a hit, but Lang Zhi hit the ball to Yamaoka and was put out to end the inning.