Upon seeing Miyuki's Signals, Senior Tanba smiled.
"I feel the same way I did before I got injured!"
I want to play baseball for as long as possible!
I want to savor the joy of victory as much as possible!
I practice baseball diligently every day, not wanting all my efforts to be in vain!
We can't force them to admit it!
Only those who gain the approval of these people... are the trump cards!
Tetsu! Ryosuke! Masuko! Isashiki! Kuramochi! Shirazu! And Sendou!
These guys are the best teammates!
With them behind me... I feel incredibly safe!
"I... I want to be the... ACE of this team!!!" Tanba completed this thought just before swinging his arm from his pitching stance!
"Fushi!"
"Call out!"
"Right in the middle! There will be an easy Ball Trajectory to hit!"
"Whoosh!" The ball dodged the bat with deadly precision!
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!!!"
"Yoshia!!!"
"I... we... must win!"
"We... are the strongest!" Tanba thought to himself as he roared!
"The ace has roared out! He's already closing in on Amasawa-kun with just two goals!"
A bad ball that falls low from the center inside to the outside, a curveball with a large drop, perfectly into the catcher's glove!
That was a perfect shot!!!
"Nice ball! Tanba-san!" Miyuki's shout clearly revealed his excitement, indicating that he was even a little out of control.
Sendou knew from Miyuki's voice that this guy was extremely excited because of Tanba-san's ball!
"Is he really that good? Look at Tanba-san's shots today!" Sendou could only mutter to himself.
Outfielders are all good, their only weakness is that they can't get close enough to see the situation near home plate.
Therefore, Sendou tries to sneak over every time the defense pauses.
Even Tenzawa, a power hitter, couldn't help but look towards the bench!
"Keep aiming for the straight ball!"
No need to wait for an easy Ball Trajectory anymore!
But never shoot at bad shots! Coach Matsumoto used Signals to emphasize the formation aimed at straight shots, but made some modifications to the details.
The first two pitches and Tanba's shouts made Coach Matsumoto realize that the pitcher's excellent form today was probably not something to be expected, and that the occasional easy pitches like those in the Regional Preliminaries had occurred.
Although the possibility of a favorable Ball Trajectory is just speculation, since the speculation is wrong, or rather, because Tanba's good form has made up for this deficiency, then we should react quickly.
Coach Matsumoto didn't know which was the truth, nor did he need to know. All he knew was that the outcome was that he couldn't expect the opponent to make mistakes; it would have to be a head-on match.
In this game... we must fight for every single good ball.
Moreover, Tenzawa himself is a hitter who deserves such attention.
This is the demeanor of a great general!
Swift response! Decisive action!
"Puff!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Strike! Batter out!"
"Finally, it Forkball! Even though Amasawa-kun waited until the very end to make his move, he was still fooled!"
Coach Matsumoto said that if it weren't for his quick footwork, he would definitely have been moved to the Center Batting Lineup!
He is the second Hirobi Tate!
However, in his first match against Seidou's ace, he didn't touch the ball at all during the entire at-bat.
However, this guy's swing speed was so fast that he even had time to catch the ball when facing Tanba's Fastball; no wonder Coach Matsumoto praised him!
Whether it was due to the tight-fitting clothes or to test Tanba's condition with each type of pitch, Miyuki did not let Tanba continue throwing fastballs, even though he did not know that Kiryu had targeted the Ball Trajectory so early.
"Second bat! Second baseman, Hirata-kun!"
Before going on the field, Hirata confirmed that he was still determined to aim for the curveball!
Even though they knew that controlling that Low Ball to that extent meant that straight shots weren't so easy to hit, it was still the best choice compared to curveballs and Forkball.
With his ball control fully restored and his weak mentality gone, Tanba is indeed a national-level ace, thanks to the New Pitch, the Forkball.
All his opponents can do is try to find the relatively easier Ball Trajectory to hit among all the types of balls he plays.
Even if the ball is dealt with before you get the one you want, you can still observe its Ball Trajectory more closely.
Just because it's not the intended Ball Trajectory doesn't mean it absolutely won't be shot.
Of course, Kiryu is not rigid; the stronger the batter, the fewer types of pitches he will give up.
For example, Hirobi Tate was even allowed to play some tricky Ball Trajectory, giving him a certain degree of autonomy.
"Fushi!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
"Another curveball!" Hirata didn't make a shot!
"Hmm? You chose to hit the ball without lifting your leg right after the first good shot?"
Is it for better observation of the ball?
However, the force of this blow is so great that even without lifting your leg, being hit will send you flying a long way!
"Fushi!"
"Call out!"
"Straight ball!"
"Ping!"
"Outside the boundary!"
"I couldn't keep up with the timing; I got distracted by that curveball!"
"And his Ball Trajectory are incredibly sharp!" Hirata gritted his teeth.
"They've closed the gap to just two goals in a row!"
"Fushi!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
"The attacker is out!"
In the end, it was another curveball that finished the game, and Hirata couldn't even manage to hit it out of bounds because he couldn't even touch the ball.
The accuracy is achieved by alternating between straight balls and Changeup. Even if you aim at one of them, the trajectory and speed will still leave an impression.
When being chased and unable to predict the Ball Trajectory's trajectory, the batter has no choice but to not swing!
"Two out! Next up is Kiryu High School's Center Batting Lineup!"
"Third batter! First baseman, Ishizaki-kun!"
Ishizaki is a slightly overweight hitter with top-notch swing speed, accuracy, and power. It can be said that, apart from his footwork, he is only slightly inferior to Tenzawa as a hitter.
"Fushi!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
"Another curveball!"
The continuous curveballs at the start of the game even made Coach Matsumoto a little hesitant. However, he believed that the players' previous performances had not revealed the intended Ball Trajectory, so he decided to continue waiting.
"Fushi!"
" Inside Corner Ball!"
Sure enough, the straight ball finally came, but this one was very tricky, yet it clearly went into the Strike Zone.
"Boom!"
"Ping!"
The batter used his swing speed to hit the ball even though he was behind!
"Smack!"
"Out!"
However, the timing wasn't perfect. Although it flew a long way and reached the outfield, it couldn't break through the outfield defense. Isashiki-senpai caught and killed it almost without moving.
"Yoshi!"
After confirming the batter's elimination, Tanba roared again.
"Three out! Change of field!"
"Nice pitch! Tanba-san!" Miyuki immediately stepped forward and high-fived Kōki with his gloves in celebration.
"Ah!" Tanba responded excitedly.
"Nice pitch! Tanba!"
Others also offered their encouragement in turn!
Despite being a first-round batter, Senior Tanba perfectly suppressed Kiryu's heavyweight batting lineup.
He never dared to expect to be completely shut out, meaning he wouldn't lose a single point. At least it proved that he had the ability to compete with them!
Moreover, he had absolute faith in his own team's batting lineup.
If you lose points, then you just need to get more points.
"As expected! This team is incredibly strong!"
"I'm so happy about this match!" Hirobi Tate, who had changed out of her protective gear, put on a hat, and walked out of the bench with gloves on, revealed the sly smile that Sendou had been waiting for.
This sly smile put Kiryu's players and supporters at ease.
"It's here! That smirking face!" Sawamura shouted, pointing at Hirobi Tate.
Sendou also looked very happy.
For Sendou, Hirobi Tate's smile was simply irresistible, a feeling of having his wish fulfilled...
If you were to ask a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder how they feel when their obsessions are satisfied, that would be exactly how Sendou feels.
"Let's score a few points too, so that Tanba-san can have an easier time!" Sendou said casually, satisfied.
"That's exactly what I wanted!!!"
" Kuramochi, get to base!" Isashiki-senpai shouted.
"Ah?
Hi!"
Kuramochi, who had just stepped off the bench, was taken aback when Jun-san suddenly brought up the topic of him. However, he quickly responded.
(Despite being part of the Bad Friends Duo, Kuramochi is actually quite polite when speaking to his seniors. His tone is always respectful and gentle.)
As for why Isashiki Kuramochi base?
How can he score if he doesn't go on base? How can he eat a hard-boiled egg?
Before stepping into the Batter's Box, Isashiki-senpai's outward demeanor always gave the impression that he was someone who didn't know his own limitations.
He saw himself as a fighter like Yuki.
"In the bottom of the first set, Seidou High School's attack..."
One hit! Shortstop, Kuramochi-kun!
"Run with all your might!... Don't stop..."
Run as fast as you can!... Don't stop...
"Shoot it out! Kuramochi!"
"Wow! The match has reached the bottom half of the first game. Seidou High School just perfectly suppressed Kiryu's batting lineup!"
Now it's Kiryu High School's turn to respond!
"I know it perfectly well! My job is to get to base!" Kuramochi stood in the left batting box with a serious expression.
After all, the pitcher in front of him was someone that Miyuki would consider to be quite excellent.
Although Kuramochi didn't know Miyuki's opinion, he wasn't that idiot Sawamura, nor that Furuya Natural Airhead.
"Third base, watch out for Safety Bunt!" Kiryu's catcher shouted a warning.
Kuramochi is not a good hitter; this has long been thoroughly researched.
Once a weakness is exposed, it will face relentless targeting.
This is high school baseball! Death Struggle where the winner lives and the loser dies!
Even a few months ago, Hirobi Tate had a good Ball Trajectory that could force Kuramochi a Ground Ball, so Kiryu had no reason to defend against Kuramochi's Long Hit.
Let alone the difficulty of getting Long Hit Infield Hit, there is absolutely no reason to overlook the possibility of Safety Bunt.
If it were a Sendou, they wouldn't dare to step forward rashly even if they had eight times the courage.
Even if Sendou wanted to hit a short bat to reach base, they would simply accept it and adopt the attitude of just doing their best to defend.
If we rush forward rashly and our defenses are breached, it's no joke if we get attacked!
Only when you have no obvious weaknesses can you give full play to your strengths. Unfortunately, Kuramochi and Miyuki did not understand this principle at this time, which is why their attacks were so weak!
After all, they couldn't compete with the Sendou who was born without any weaknesses, or rather, whose innate physical attributes had already made up for all his shortcomings.
"Ha!" Before pitching, Hirobi Tate smiled towards home plate. Although he was smiling the whole time, you could still hear the laughter.
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
"A low shot that just grazed the edge of the Strike Zone!" Kuramochi saw the shot, but he didn't have the courage to shoot it.
Kuramochi knew all too well just how terrifying the weight of that pitcher's ball was.
Even if he manages to hit such a tricky shot, it will simply be easily dealt with.
It was solved in one shot, and it was a difficult Ball Trajectory at that. Jun-san would definitely have easily taken it down!
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
However, the second Inside Corner Ball was still incredibly accurate. But for a Ball Trajectory like him who is easily overwhelmed by the ball's power, a high inside corner shot is actually harder to hit than a low outside corner shot.
If a ball is low on the outside corner and suppressed, it's Ground Ball; if it rolls well, it can even get you to base. If a ball is high on the inside corner and suppressed by the ball's power, it's a fielder's Line Drive. A ball with no speed, no height, and no power is impossible to land and will be easily caught by the fielder.
Kuramochi wasn't naive enough to think that Kiryu's assistant would make such a basic mistake.
However, once he was pressed, he had no choice. Although he was outmatched in strength, it didn't mean he couldn't get a hit. As long as the timing was perfect and the bat hit the sweet spot, he could still get Infield Hit. But the outfield...
Meanwhile, the oni-san in the preparation area frowned.
In the first at-bat of the Practice Match, Oni-san was able to get so many balls into a tug-of-war with Hirobi Tate because Hiromi wasn't familiar with him, so he couldn't get any outs and Hiromi was losing balls to him.
Despite the fatigue from just finishing training camp, this pitcher has evolved once again.
Strictly speaking, this year's Kiryu team isn't as star-studded as last year's, but the team is more united. (This is what Coach Matsumoto said during Practice Match in the manga.)
Moreover, after being so badly beaten by Furuya Sendou last time, who knows what Hirobi Tate went through after returning home.
In the original story, he only managed to get one Home Run from Furuya, and when Coach Matsumoto was comforting him, all he could think about was getting special training when he got back...
Furthermore, Hirobi Tate's original impression of their team's training was simply that it was hellish, far more intense than Seidou's, and then there was the special training on top of that...
Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine!
"Ping!"
"Smack!"
"Out!"
The third pitch was another fastball by Hirobi Tate, which Kuramochi hit and rolled past the third baseman.
Keep in mind that the third baseman went forward, but the result was no different from a short hit, and he ended up giving the ball to the opponent.
Kuramochi didn't even have a chance to show his speed.
"Second baseman, Kominato Ryosuke-kun!"
Oni-san walked into the Batter's Box with a solemn expression!
"Although this second baseman is a very accurate hitter, he managed to get on base twice in a row last time!"
But his strength is even weaker than that one-hit blow!
And since it's the first game, it's simple. Just make the most of your strengths!
Kan!
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
The first pitch was a high straight shot to the inside corner, a right-handed shot against a left-handed one. If this kind of shot is particularly tricky, it is very difficult to get the ball out.
My stomach hurts today, but staying up a little late should be fine, right? Amen.