Chapter 746 - 746: Knuckle Ball

"Oh my god..."

"What was that just now?"

"A one-man steal! Even in professional games, you'd never see a play like that."

"Who exactly is that kid?"

"Seido High School Baseball Team, First Batter, the man nicknamed Leopard, Kuramochi Yoichi."

Kuramochi was on fire.

As soon as Kuramochi returned to the dugout, everyone immediately gathered around him.

"This is too amazing!"

"Super awesome!"

Even Zhang Han voluntarily gave a thumbs up.

"You, you're practically superhuman!"

This wasn't just polite talk; Zhang Han truly felt that way.

From first base to second base, third base, and finally back to home plate.

At first, Kuramochi was indeed very smooth.

But then reaching third base, especially returning to home plate.

Kominato Ryosuke had not even swung yet.

This required not only speed, but also courage and luck.

Most importantly, it required a keen sense of timing.

Kuramochi, once on base, was truly different; he seemed to glow.

"Hee-haw!"

Kuramochi's expression was also very excited.

Although stealing bases was commonplace for him, running all the way back in one go like this was a first.

It's likely that such an example is rare in the history of high school baseball. In fact, he might even be the only one.

Under these circumstances, Kuramochi was naturally very excited, his eyes narrowed into a slit.

When Zhang Han saw it, he sat up from the bench and gave a thumbs up.

"Amazing!"

"What a shame..."

Miyuki, who was changing his equipment and preparing to go to bat, shook his head.

Immediately, everyone's gaze turned to Miyuki.

When everyone was happy, this guy always managed to suddenly appear and spoil the fun.

Kuramochi's eyes were practically spitting fire.

He was usually polite to Miyuki, but he didn't expect this guy to be so tactless at such a crucial moment.

"What's there to regret?"

Kuramochi couldn't even maintain his composure and proactively brought up the question himself.

Not only was he curious, but the other members of the Seido High School Baseball Team also turned their heads in unison.

Zhang Han vaguely guessed what Miyuki wanted to say.

But he still didn't understand why he would say these things when everyone was most excited.

Isn't that obviously a buzzkill?

Miyuki, in his impression, had always been a very sensible person. When did his emotional intelligence become so low?

Or was it that this guy only showed his well-mannered side when he was with him?

"Today's game is our first game. It would have been great if this had happened during a game against Inashiro Industrial or Ichidaisan Third High School."

Isn't that nonsense...

No matter how famous the Seido High School Baseball Team was, and no matter how much they were favored by the media, their first opponent was the previously unknown Sakurazawa High School, so everyone naturally assumed that the Seido High School Baseball Team would definitely win today's game.

There was nothing to pay attention to at all.

So the attention on today's game was actually not very high.

If it were a clash between two powerhouses in West Tokyo, the level of attention would be completely different.

It might even be broadcast live on television.

If Kuramochi could truly complete such a one-man steal on such an occasion, then even if he didn't have any particularly dazzling performances afterward, this one play alone would be enough to make him famous.

This kind of memorable moment is even more useful than solid achievements.

If Kuramochi had chosen not to go to university but to enter the professional baseball draft, his stealing performance alone would be enough to put him in the first two rounds.

The only drawback was performing a one-man steal in a game with little influence.

Although it felt amazing, considering the opponent's strength, especially Sakurazawa High School's need to bounce the ball during a long throw, everyone couldn't help but put a significant question mark on Kuramochi's performance.

Kuramochi, who was originally very happy, immediately felt his spirits drop by eight-tenths.

Miyuki felt sorry for him, let alone him, the person involved.

He felt his heart aching and twitching.

"You're really bad at conversation."

Zhang Han said helplessly.

"I'm motivating him, so he doesn't get carried away by temporary glory."

"You say that, are they supposed to thank you?"

Zhang Han was almost speechless.

"We're teammates, so there's no need to thank me."

Miyuki said shamelessly.

Zhang Han was truly speechless. After rolling his eyes, he sat back down on the bench.

Even Sakurazawa High School's own members were greatly shaken internally.

So much so that they had to call a timeout, gather all their members, and discuss countermeasures.

Sakurazawa had previously envisioned their confrontation with the Seido High School Baseball Team. For them, the most important thing was not to concede runs.

But now, they were already trailing by one run, and looking at the current situation, their chances of catching up were very slim.

"Is it really hopeless now?"

The game had only just begun. Wasn't it too early to draw conclusions?

They hadn't had their fill of this Summer Tournament yet.

But looking at the current situation, it seemed they had no hope left.

What to do?

Should they give up?

Almost every player from Sakurazawa High School had this thought simultaneously.

And then, very quickly, they extinguished that thought.

Before this Summer Tournament, Sakurazawa High School's players had put in a lot of effort.

Even though Seido High School Baseball Team's strength was so overwhelming it made them feel despair, asking them to simply give up and surrender was something they clearly couldn't accept.

It was at this moment that Professor Kikukawa, who had been inactive in the dugout, took advantage of the timeout to call a player forward to deliver a message.

"What did the Professor say?"

The players deeply respected Professor Kikukawa, who had always silently supported them.

When they encountered difficulties, they were very willing to hear Professor Kikukawa's thoughts.

"Professor said, the situation is already like this, and no amount of regret can change it. Let what's past be past. First, focus on what's in front of us. Don't forget what our strengths are!"

After the young player finished speaking, he nervously looked at his seniors.

Yoshimi thought for a moment, then a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"We knew before that this could very likely be our last game. No matter what the final result is, let's give it our all!"

The players nodded in unison.

Clearly, they also agreed with this statement.

"Then what should we do, captain on the field?"

The shortstop, Inamoto, pointed at his teammate, asking.

"Do what we used to do, and do it the same way."

Nagao Akira had recovered; he had completely figured it out.

The reason Sakurazawa High School was able to make it this far safely, the reason they had the right to challenge Seido High School Baseball Team, was all because of his diligently practiced pitch.

His pitch emphasized a certain state of mind.

No matter what kind of situation he faced, he couldn't panic; he had to steadily confront his opponent.

But before, because the opponent was Seido High School Baseball Team, he almost naturally became agitated.

So much so that when pitching, he failed to maintain his state of mind.

How could he compete with Seido High School Baseball Team's players like that?

The game resumed.

No outs, no one on base.

The score on the field was 1:0, with Seido High School Baseball Team leading by one run.

The count was two balls, one strike.

Standing at home plate now was Kominato Ryosuke, known as the Demon Batter of Seido High School Baseball Team.

Earlier, he had acted as bait, cooperating with Kuramochi to overcome obstacles and return to home plate.

Now, the run they wanted had already been secured.

Kominato Ryosuke's attitude suddenly did a complete 180-degree turn.

But when Nagao Akira pitched, many people felt he wasn't serious.

The guy just lightly stepped out, and then, as if just tossing a ball, he casually threw the ball out.

The baseball flew very slowly.

"What the heck is this?"

Although Nagao Akira's pitches weren't fast before, at that time he still had the skill level of a fifth or sixth grader, and generally speaking, his pitching was fine.

But now?

It was just the pitching speed of a third grader.

So much so that many people on site were very worried. Could this guy even throw the ball into their catcher's mitt?

If not...

They dared not imagine how Sakurazawa High School would play next.

Were they going to intentionally walk all of Seido High School Baseball Team's batters?

This thought appeared in everyone's mind at the scene.

Including the players in Seido High School Baseball Team's dugout, who were now mostly bewildered.

They really couldn't understand what Nagao Akira was trying to do.

Even for a quirk ball, the reliance on ball speed wasn't that strong.

But the ball you throw can't be too slow.

Once the ball speed drops to a certain extent, the opponent can easily hit the ball out.

Kominato Ryosuke originally intended to prolong the at-bat and completely break down the opposing pitcher, but after seeing the incoming pitch down the middle, he changed his mind.

Although the opposing pitcher's expression looked serious, as if nothing was wrong, his pitch was already in disarray.

It must have been Kuramochi's steal that successfully affected the opposing pitcher.

Thinking this, Kominato Ryosuke no longer intended to drag it out; he cleanly swung his bat.

"Ping!"

As he expected, the baseball was hit by him.

However, the sensation of the recoil in his hand felt a bit off.

The hit baseball flew high, traveling about seventeen or eighteen meters forward, then began to fall.

Kominato Ryosuke, who was running forward after releasing the bat, suddenly looked displeased.

He had initially thought it was his imagination, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

He indeed hadn't hit the sweet spot; the baseball not only flew slowly but also didn't go far.

"Everything is within expectations!"

Inamoto jogged all the way to beneath the baseball, then leaped up.

"Snap!"

He steadily caught the baseball in his mitt.

After landing, he rolled on the ground and stood up again.

He excitedly held up his mitt, signaling that he had caught the ball.

"Out!"

The umpire waited for this clown to finish his antics before announcing the result.

There was no suspense in the result; Kominato Ryosuke was out.

One out, no one on base.

In Seido High School Baseball Team's dugout, the players burst into a series of sighs of regret.

"What a pity!"

"These guys from Sakurazawa High School are too lucky..."

"It just happened to fall within the shortstop's fielding range."

"What is that arrogant guy doing? Does he think showing off will make him famous?"

Everyone felt sorry for Kominato Ryosuke.

Zhang Han's eyes, however, narrowed slightly.

Chris turned to look at Zhang Han, just catching his subtle movement.

"You've noticed, huh? As expected of Zhang Han."

Not only Zhang Han, but four or five other people in Seido High School Baseball Team also sensed the danger and abnormality.

Previously, they had guessed that although Nagao Akira's pitching style was somewhat different from Sawamura's, in terms of results, they should be similar types of pitchers.

That is to say, Nagao Akira should also be a quirk ball pitcher.

Just a quirk ball pitcher different from Sawamura.

But now, including Chris and Zhang Han, four or five people had realized that their previous idea was wrong.

This was not an ordinary quirk ball.

"The luck is too bad!"

Next to step up to the plate was Miyuki Kazuya, Seido High School Baseball Team's Third Batter for this game.

As soon as he stepped into the batter's box, he acted very decisively; he swung at Nagao Akira's first pitch.

As a result, the bat and the baseball crossed paths, neither able to make contact with the other.

"Snap!"

"Strike!"

Miyuki had only guessed before, but after one at-bat, he completely confirmed his previous thought.

This was not some quirk ball at all, but a knuckleball, one of the so-called Demon Pitches.

He truly hadn't expected to encounter such a pitcher in a high school baseball game.

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