Chapter Summaries

Seidou’s defense turned a spectacular double play, but Kawakami lost control in the bottom of the inning and Yakushi scored another run. With runners on first and third, Sawamura replaced Kawakami on the mound.

• Kuramochi and Haruichi completed a flashy double play, thrilling the spectators and drawing praise from their teammates.
• Kawakami hit Moriyama with a pitch, then fell behind Akiba as his control continued to falter.
• Coach Kataoka sent Kanemaru to call Sawamura to prepare to pitch.
• Kawakami walked Akiba, putting runners on first and second with two outs.
• Masuda hit Kawakami’s pitch to bring the runner home for Yakushi’s fourth run and advance the other runner to third.
• Coach Kataoka replaced Kawakami with Sawamura on the mound.

Sawamura took over on the mound from Kawakami, who wept over being pulled from the game despite Coach Kataoka’s blunt encouragement. With Yakushi threatening runners at first and third and Mishima coming to bat, Sawamura prepared to face the crucial situation.

• Sawamura ran onto the field as Kawakami handed him the ball, then left the mound to warm applause and returned to the bench in anguish.
• Coach Kataoka told Kawakami that he had wanted him to pitch longer but that the situation required a change, and Kawakami quietly began to cry.
• Kanemaru understood why Coach Kataoka had spoken bluntly, while Furuya left the dugout to warm up and Ono took Kaneda with him.
• Sawamura completed his warm-up pitches as Raizo Todoroki urged Yakushi to attack before he settled in.
• Miyuki joined Sawamura on the mound and reassured him before Mishima stepped into the batter’s box with runners on first and third and two outs.

Sawamura entered the game with runners on first and third and struck out Mishima with a changeup to end the inning. He returned to Seidou’s bench to cheers and teasing from his teammates, while Raichi watched enviously.

• Akiba urged Sawamura to attack Mishima quickly, and Miyuki called for an outside pitch.
• Sawamura threw a low outside pitch that Mishima held back from, then an inside diagonal fastball that Mishima fouled off.
• Sawamura stared down Mishima, unsettling him, while Raizo Todoroki and Narumiya Mei noticed how much Sawamura had changed since the summer practice match.
• Sawamura used a changeup to strike out Mishima and end the inning with runners on first and third.
• Isashiki and Seidou’s substitutes cheered Sawamura, who returned expressionless as his teammates teased him and Raichi looked envious.

Seidou threatened Yakushi in the top of the fifth as Kuramochi reached second and Miyuki struck out, while Miyuki’s teammates began suspecting his waist was injured. Sendou faced Raichi with runners on first and second despite his own leg injury, and the chapter ended with Kuramochi urging him to get a hit.

• Kawakami praised Sawamura as he returned to the bench, while Raichi eagerly prepared to face Seidou’s batters.
• Kuramochi drew four balls and reached second, but Raichi struck out Miyuki, who struggled to swing because of pain in his waist.
• Miyuki apologized for failing to advance the runners, and Sawamura urged him to show resolve as captain before Raichi walked and loaded the bases’ threat with runners on first and second.
• Sawamura learned Sendou had a leg injury, while Maezono and others suspected Miyuki was also hurt.
• Sendou stepped up to the plate to loud cheers, and Raichi threw a strike as Yakushi chose to challenge him despite his injury.
• Kuramochi called from second base for Sendou to get a hit and help him score.

Sendou admitted to himself that he had come to enjoy baseball as he hit a run-scoring single despite his injured foot, bringing Seidou within one run of Yakushi. In the top of the fifth, Maezono faced Raichi with runners on first and third, and Raichi struggled to control his pitches.

• Sawamura asked Sendou whether his right foot was his only injury, and Sendou asked him to keep the injury secret.
• Sendou hit Raichi’s inside-corner pitch for a single, scoring a run and advancing the runner from first to third.
• Sawamura loudly called Sendou half-crippled, but the others assumed he meant Sendou’s sprained foot.
• Kuramochi encouraged Maezono as Seidou prepared to tie the game with runners on first and third.
• Raichi threw Maezono a ball and a foul, then sent another pitch over the catcher’s head as Miyuki urged Maezono to keep battling him.

Raichi’s fear and erratic pitching let Seidou tie the game and load the bases, prompting Raizo Todoroki to replace him with Sanada. The chapter ends with Yakushi’s ace taking the mound with two outs and the bases loaded.

• Raichi walked Shirazu after Haruichi scored on Maezono’s fly ball, tying the game for Seidou.
• Raichi also walked Tojo, leaving the bases loaded as his control continued to unravel.
• Raizo Todoroki recognized that Raichi had lost his confidence and called for a pitching change.
• Raizo sent Sanada to pitch, moved Mishima to first base, and shifted Raichi to first base.
• Sanada took the mound with two outs and the bases loaded, while Mishima and Raichi encouraged him.

Sawamura struck out on a ground ball against Sanada, while Raichi celebrated Sanada’s pitching before preparing to bat. As Seidou returned to defense, Maezono pressed Kuramochi about a concern involving Miyuki, but Sendou stopped the argument so the team could focus on the game.

• Miyuki realized Yakushi had saved Sanada to face Sawamura, who was promptly put out on a ground ball.
• Raichi praised Sanada’s pitching, and Sanada and Raizo Todoroki encouraged Raichi to repay the favor with his batting.
• Sawamura and Raichi exchanged theatrical remarks, prompting Sendou to tease them for their mutual appreciation as weaklings.
• Miyuki prepared for the next inning, while Maezono confronted him and Kuramochi about a matter Kuramochi had noticed.
• Sendou urged Maezono and Kuramochi to stop arguing and focus on the game.

Miyuki acknowledged that his performance might be suffering and told Coach Kataoka to replace him if necessary, prompting Kataoka to demand that he obey any decision to remove him. The Seidou players rallied and returned to the field as Sawamura and Sendou privately worried about keeping their own conditions hidden.

• Maezono realized Sendou also knew about Miyuki's condition, and Miyuki told Coach Kataoka to replace him if his play hurt the team.
• Coach Kataoka warned Miyuki that he would make the substitution himself if Miyuki could not continue, then urged the team to show its Seidou baseball.
• Sawamura and Sendou led the fired-up Seidou players as they left the dugout, while Raizo Todoroki and Sanada prepared Yakushi for the next inning.
• After pitching practice, Sawamura smiled at Sendou and treated the tied game as a fresh start, while Sendou worried that his own condition might be discovered.

In the bottom of the fifth, Sawamura faced Raichi Todoroki with a runner on base and challenged him with an inside fastball. Raichi hit a single, and Sawamura settled himself before continuing against Sanada.

• Raichi Todoroki stepped up to bat as Yakushi's cleanup hitter, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.
• Miyuki chose an inside fastball for Sawamura, who threw the aggressive pitch at Raichi.
• Raichi hit Sawamura's fastball for a single to left field, surprising both batter and pitcher with its power.
• Sawamura vented his frustration, then shouted to the fielders that there were still no outs.
• Sanada entered the batter's box while Raichi took a large lead from first.
• Sawamura threw a pickoff attempt, but Raichi was safe, and Sawamura calmed down afterward.

Sawamura faced Yakushi’s heart-of-the-order batters in the fifth, but Miyuki’s injury and a squeeze play let Raichi score and put Yakushi ahead. Sawamura remained on the mound with one out and a runner on second, drawing energy from his teammates as the inning continued.

• Raichi stole second after Miyuki’s waist pain caused his throw to go off target, leaving runners in scoring position for Sanada.
• Sawamura challenged Sanada, who hit a Texas-style single to center; Raichi stopped at third, leaving runners on first and third with no outs.
• Hirabata attempted a squeeze bunt on his own but fouled it off, then followed Raizo Todoroki’s signal and joined a coordinated squeeze play on the next pitch.
• Miyuki conceded Raichi’s run and chose to get Hirabata out at first, giving Yakushi the lead while leaving Sanada on second with one out.
• Sawamura vented his frustration, then refocused after Sendou, Miyuki, and the other Seidou players encouraged him and Furuya roared from the bullpen.

Sawamura recovered after Furuya left the mound, and Seidou’s defense escaped Yakushi’s fifth-inning threat with a spectacular double play. In the sixth, Asou reached base, while Sawamura remained the target of teasing in the dugout.

• Miyuki told Sawamura that his pitches were sound and suggested using Sawamura’s unpredictable pitch later to unsettle Yakushi, but they did not try it with Sanada on second.
• Sendou’s injured hand helped produce an irregular hit, then he and Kuramochi turned a difficult ground ball into a double play that ended Yakushi’s fifth inning.
• Furuya returned to rest as Seidou began the sixth inning, and Sawamura enthusiastically cheered for Asou from the dugout.
• Asou hit a ground ball and slid safely into first, then celebrated while Kuramochi prepared to bat.
• Kanemaru kicked Sawamura as he started the team chant, and Sendou joked that everyone was showing off while Sawamura was the only one getting beaten up.

Yakushi held Seidou scoreless in the top of the sixth, with Sanada breaking Haruichi’s bat to end the inning. Sawamura then struck out two Yakushi batters and unleashed a wildly breaking pitch against Masuda, leaving its result unresolved.

• Sanada retired Kuramochi, Miyuki, and Haruichi in succession, ending Seidou’s scoring threat with a Razor Shootball that broke Haruichi’s bat.
• Sawamura opened the bottom of the sixth by getting Moriyama out on a ground ball.
• Sawamura struck out Akiba after putting him in a two-strike count.
• Miyuki called for Sawamura to try an unfamiliar pitch against Masuda, and the ball dropped sharply into Miyuki’s chest protector after appearing to enter the hitting zone.

Sawamura retired Yakushi in order in the sixth, while Miyuki’s suspected oblique injury was revealed and he chose to keep playing. In the top of the seventh, Sendou faced Sanada and Yakushi worked him into a two-strike count as the at-bat continued.

• Sawamura struck out the final Yakushi batter with an inside fastball, completing another three-up, three-down inning.
• The doctor examined Miyuki and suspected an oblique injury that could be a muscle strain, but Miyuki said he would keep playing and leave the decision to Coach Kataoka.
• Rei-chan confronted Miyuki for hiding the injury, while Kuramochi and the other second-years defended his choice to prioritize the game.
• Sendou reassured Rei-chan that the team would focus on winning, then headed out as Seidou’s leadoff batter in the seventh.
• Sanada and Akiba attacked Sendou with a series of pitches, and Sendou fouled off several as Yakushi continued to press him.

Sendou hit Sanada’s Two-Seam Fastball and stole second, lifting Seidou’s morale, but Maezono struck out. Shirazu then singled, and Tojo’s at-bat became a scoring chance that ended with a ground ball as Sendou sprinted for home.

• Sendou hit Sanada’s Two-Seam Fastball for an infield single, and Seidou’s dugout regained its morale.
• Maezono ignored Coach Kataoka’s attack signal at first, then struck out against Sanada’s outside cutter despite Sendou’s warning.
• Sendou stole second base with a headfirst slide, prompting concern from Coach Kataoka and Rei-chan about his injury.
• Shirazu hit a first-pitch single, putting runners on first and third with one out.
• Tojo fouled off a squeeze bunt attempt and then hit Sanada’s Two-Seam Fastball toward second base.
• Masuda fielded Tojo’s ground ball and threw home as Sendou raced toward the plate.

Seidou tied the game against Yakushi with Sawamura’s perfect squeeze bunt, then failed to score again before Sawamura began pitching in the bottom of the seventh. The chapter left Mishima struggling against Sawamura’s fastball and changeup as the at-bat continued.

• With the bases loaded, Coach Kataoka instructed Sawamura to bunt, and Sawamura laid down a perfect squeeze that let Sendou score before Akiba threw out the runner at third.
• Asou reached first, but Sanada got Kuramochi to ground out and ended Seidou’s scoring chance.
• Sawamura opened the bottom of the seventh against Mishima with a low outside fastball, then followed with a changeup that Mishima fouled off.
• Mishima recognized Sawamura’s pitches as a serious challenge and complained that they were not what he had expected.

Mishima hit a home run off Sawamura to put Yakushi back ahead in the bottom of the seventh, bringing Raichi to the plate with the game on the line. Sawamura and Miyuki answered with two unexpected Changeups that disrupted Raichi, and Sawamura prepared to throw the decisive pitch.

• Mishima fouled off Sawamura's pitches before driving a cutter to left field for a home run, putting Yakushi back in the lead.
• Raizo Todoroki praised Mishima's swing, while Mishima celebrated scoring without Raichi batting and added Sawamura to the opponents he planned to defeat.
• Miyuki checked on Sawamura after the home run and, seeing his fighting spirit, decided to attack Raichi rather than change pitchers.
• Miyuki called for a Changeup on the first pitch to Raichi, and Sawamura threw it inside for a foul.
• Miyuki called for a second Changeup, catching Raichi off guard and leaving him increasingly confused at the plate.
• Sawamura raised his arm for the next pitch as Miyuki and the Seidou fielders urged him to finish the at-bat.

Sawamura and Miyuki struck out Yakushi’s fourth, fifth, and sixth batters in succession to preserve Seidou’s one-run lead entering the eighth inning. Miyuki then opened Seidou’s offense by reaching first safely on a ground ball.

• Sawamura struck out Raichi with a low outside fastball after Miyuki used a Changeup to set up the pitch.
• Sawamura struck out Sanada with a Changeup, then retired Hirabata with a Two-Seam Fastball to end the inning.
• Sawamura returned to the dugout, where his teammates celebrated his pitching before Coach Kataoka gave Seidou its batting instructions.
• Miyuki battled Sanada through four pitches and reached first safely after hitting an inside cutter toward third base.

In the top of the eighth, Seidou loaded the bases against Sanada, but Yakushi’s ace escaped the inning with two outs and kept his team ahead. Yakushi finished the inning one frame away from reaching Koshien.

• Haru stood close to home plate and hit an inside pitch, putting runners on first and second with no outs.
• Sanada struck out Sendou on one pitch, prompting Sendou to advise Maezono as they passed each other.
• Maezono followed Sendou’s advice, hit an outside pitch for an infield single, and loaded the bases.
• Sanada got Shirazu to hit into a fielder’s choice, recording an out at third while the bases remained loaded.
• Sanada retired Tojo to end the inning, leaving Yakushi one inning away from its first appearance at Koshien.

Seidou held Yakushi scoreless in the bottom of the eighth, keeping the score at 5–6 before its final chance to attack. Sawamura opened the ninth with two wild swings, then surprised Sanada with a perfectly placed safety bunt as Seidou’s dugout urged him to run.

• Sawamura allowed Abe to reach base, then helped end Yakushi’s eighth-inning threat with a double play after Sendou caught a difficult ball with his injured left hand.
• Raizo Todoroki admitted how nervous he was before Yakushi took the field, and his honesty helped his players loosen up and rally around their Koshien goal.
• Seidou began the ninth inning with Sawamura batting eighth, prompting concern from Narumiya Mei and disbelief from Seidou’s dugout and the crowd.
• Sawamura loudly promised a home run, swung and missed Sanada’s first two pitches, and spun around after the second swing.
• Sawamura changed his third swing into a safety bunt, and the ball rolled along the third-base line while Raichi froze, prompting Seidou’s players to shout for Sawamura to run.

In the top of the ninth, Sawamura and Asou helped Seidou keep its rally alive against Sanada and Yakushi, but Yakushi’s defense recorded an out and held the runners. Kuramochi came up with Sawamura on second and hit a hard ball past the second baseman, leaving the rally’s outcome unresolved.

• Sawamura reached first on a safety bunt, then stole second while Sanada pitched to Asou.
• Asou hit Sanada’s inside pitch between first and second, but Masuda stopped the ball and the defense retired Asou as Sawamura stayed safely at second.
• Seidou’s teammates and supporters encouraged Asou after his out, and Kuramochi stepped in as the next batter.
• Yakushi shifted its fielders forward to guard against bunts and infield hits, while Coach Kataoka gave Kuramochi no tactical signal.
• Kuramochi hit Sanada’s pitch past the second baseman, but the chapter ended before the play’s result was shown.