Chapter 208: The Best Hitter of the Year? Have You Asked Me?

"Strike!"

The umpire's call echoed across Koshien.

Seiho's leadoff batter stood frozen in disbelief.

Before the game, everyone had reached the same conclusion after studying Ushijima Wakatoshi.

If his fastball exceeded 150 km/h, his control would become unstable.

As long as they refused to swing, there was a good chance the pitch would miss the strike zone.

That had been the plan.

But when he actually stood in the batter's box...

His body betrayed him.

The overwhelming pressure behind that pitch forced him to swing instinctively.

Then the speed appeared on the giant scoreboard.

158 km/h

The entire stadium erupted.

"158?!"

"Is that real?"

"He can actually throw that fast?"

"That's almost 160 km/h!"

"A 158 km/h fastball is rare even in professional baseball."

"If he can consistently control that kind of velocity, he'll become a star at the professional level."

The crowd buzzed with excitement.

Standing calmly on the mound, Ushijima turned his gaze toward Seiho's dugout.

There, Sano Shuzo was already staring back.

Neither of them looked away.

One stood atop the mound.

The other waited outside the dugout.

Even from opposite ends of the field, their fighting spirits collided invisibly.

Without another word, Miyuki fired the ball back.

Smack!

Ushijima caught it with one hand.

His eyes shifted back to the batter.

The second pitch came immediately.

Whoosh!

Another blazing fastball screamed toward the plate at over 155 km/h.

"Strike!"

The batter swung.

He missed.

Two strikes.

Moments later—

"Strike three! Batter out!"

The leadoff hitter walked back to the dugout with a blank expression.

His teammates immediately surrounded him.

"What happened?"

"Weren't we supposed to ignore anything over 150 km/h?"

"It should've been a ball."

The batter could only force a bitter smile.

"...You'll understand once you face him yourself."

"That wasn't just a baseball."

"It felt like..."

"...a starving beast charging straight at me."

"The moment it leaves his hand, your body senses danger."

"You don't even think."

"You just swing."

Even now, he rubbed his arms.

"Look..."

"I still have goosebumps."

The others looked over.

Sure enough, the hairs on his arms were standing on end.

While the dugout was still discussing Ushijima's terrifying pitches, Seiho managed to put a runner on base.

Ushijima issued a walk to the second batter.

However, he quickly regrouped.

Facing Seiho's third batter, he relentlessly attacked the inside corner.

Three pitches.

Three strikes.

Another strikeout.

Two outs.

Runner on third.

The next batter...

Sano Shuzo.

The runner had reached third after stealing second during Ushijima's duel with the previous hitter and advancing on the following play.

Ushijima hadn't even spared the baserunner a glance.

His attention had remained fixed entirely on the batter.

The commentator's voice rose with excitement.

"Seiho has an excellent scoring opportunity!"

"With two outs and a runner on third, the batter coming to the plate is none other than this year's most feared slugger—Sano Shuzo!"

"In his three years of high school baseball, Sano has blasted an astonishing 67 home runs!"

"Can he deliver with a clutch hit and drive in Seiho's first run?"

The entire stadium grew restless.

Everyone had been waiting for this matchup.

The strongest pitcher.

The strongest batter.

In the eyes of many, intentionally walking Sano would have been the safer choice.

After all, a single mistake against a hitter of his caliber could cost Seido a run in the very first inning.

But everyone also knew...

Ushijima Wakatoshi wasn't the type to back down from a challenge.

After all...

This wasn't just any batter.

Standing in the box was Seiho's cleanup hitter.

The heart of their lineup.

Watching the live broadcast, Inashiro captain Harada Masatoshi narrowed his eyes.

"That guy isn't going to pitch around him..."

Back on the field, Ushijima had no such intention.

The walk to the second batter had been deliberate.

From the very beginning, he had planned to challenge Sano Shuzo head-on.

Miyuki gave the sign.

Ushijima nodded.

The first pitch exploded from his fingertips.

Whoosh!

The baseball shot toward home plate at blistering speed.

Batting from the left-handed box, Sano locked onto the incoming pitch.

Not over 150 km/h?

It was noticeably slower than Ushijima's opening fastballs.

An inside fastball!

Without the slightest hesitation, Sano unleashed his swing.

But at the very last instant—

The baseball darted sharply toward his hands before breaking downward.

Thwack!

The ball disappeared into Miyuki's mitt.

"Strike!"

The giant scoreboard immediately displayed the pitch speed.

144 km/h

The spectators looked puzzled.

"It wasn't nearly as fast as before."

"So how did he miss?"

"That pitch broke sharply at the last second."

"A Cutter!"

Some experienced fans immediately recognized it.

"That's one of Ushijima Wakatoshi's signature pitches."

Sano slowly tightened his grip on the bat.

His expression became more serious.

That single pitch told him everything he needed to know.

Ushijima's pitches weren't terrifying simply because of their velocity.

Even when he dialed back the speed, his control became even sharper.

The late break made the ball incredibly deceptive.

In some ways...

It was even harder to hit than his blazing fastball.

The crowd couldn't help but sigh.

"He's only a first-year..."

"I almost feel lucky for the younger players."

"They'll get two more years to challenge someone like him."

Another spectator immediately shook his head.

"Lucky?"

"I feel sorry for them."

"They have to spend the next two years facing that monster."

Meanwhile, Ushijima had already begun his next delivery.

The ball followed almost the exact same trajectory.

Trying to fool me with another Cutter?

Sano reacted immediately.

His bat cut through the strike zone.

Once again—

The pitch broke late.

Thwack!

Strike two.

Sano's eyes narrowed.

Another Cutter?

Before he could fully process it, Ushijima was already in motion again.

The third pitch came.

This Cutter was thrown even harder than the previous two.

No way...

There's no way he'd throw three straight Cutters to the same spot.

Sano made his decision.

Fastball!

He committed to the swing.

The result...

Was exactly the same.

The bat sliced through empty air.

Thwack!

"..."

"Strike three! Batter out!"

The umpire's call echoed across Koshien.

Sano stood motionless.

He slowly turned his head toward the mound, staring at Ushijima in disbelief.

Three pitches.

Three swings.

Three misses.

The entire stadium exploded.

"THREE STRIKEOUTS!!"

Cheers thundered through every corner of Koshien as spectators leaped to their feet.

"Did that really just happen?"

"He struck out Sano Shuzo—the hitter with 67 career home runs—on only three pitches!"

"And every single one was an inside Cutter!"

"What unbelievable confidence!"

"He attacked the cleanup hitter head-on and completely overpowered him!"

"That's Ushijima's style!"

"Attack the inside!"

"Dominate the batter!"

"No hesitation!"

Someone in the stands burst into laughter.

"Haha! Sano must've thought Ushijima wouldn't throw the same pitch three times."

"And yet..."

"He really challenged him with three straight Cutters and struck him out anyway."

A nearby fan nodded in agreement.

"I bet plenty of batters have thought the exact same thing."

"And they've all ended up walking back to the dugout after just three pitches."