"Hit and Run?"
Aoki batted left-handed, so if the pitcher wanted to change the ball's trajectory toward the outside corner, it would mean moving in the direction of his own elbow. That was simply impossible, so he could only throw it a little off.
Smack!
"Ball." Aoki merely held up his bat, his eyes constantly tracking the ball trajectory, so he did not swing at the obvious ball.
"Damn, he blocked me! There's no time!"
Aoki batted left-handed, placing him directly to the catcher's right. A right-handed catcher had to dodge aside before he could throw the ball, which showed just how troublesome a left-handed second batter was for a right-handed battery. This catcher was not a genius like Miyuki.
Smack!
"Safe!"
"They've only been training formally for less than a month. How could they have mastered such a high-level tactic as Hit and Run?"
Yes, the steal succeeded! And we got a ball out of it too! The count is now two balls and no strikes! Sendou thought, lightly clenching his fist.
If Sendou had known what Coach Takei was thinking, he definitely would have said: We can do Hit and Run my ass! We were just trying to scare you.
That was right. Hit and Run was a tactic where the runner started early and the batter swung, requiring a high degree of tactical awareness and coordination.
Aoki could indeed perform the first half of a Hit and Run, but after pulling his bat back, if he swung, he would basically miss.
Since he batted left-handed, even a missed swing would heavily interfere with the catcher. His throw could easily hit the batter's unretracted bat and be deflected away.
Only catchers highly proficient in all kinds of throwing techniques could dodge and complete the throw without losing much