Chapter 747 - 747: Strongest Substitute

"This is a big problem!"

In the dugout of the Seido High School Baseball Team, all the teammates fell silent.

At first, the teammates didn't realize how difficult Sakurazawa High School's Ace Pitcher Nagao Akira was to deal with.

Although Nagao Akira had performed exceptionally well in the previous two games, in the eyes of the Seido High School Baseball Team's teammates, that was mainly because their opponents were too weak. But it seemed like Nagao had some surprise gifts in him.

Sakurazawa High School's Ace wasn't throwing an ordinary quirk ball.

Instead, it was a bizarre pitch they had never seen before, and some players hadn't even heard of it.

"Pop!"

"Strike!"

One pitch might be a coincidence, but when Miyuki swung for the second time and still didn't make contact with the ball, the dugout of Seido High School Baseball Team was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

They had all realized that this game was much more complicated than they had imagined.

Although Miyuki Kazuya was a bit foul-mouthed and not very popular, no one in the Seido High School Baseball Team questioned his baseball skills.

His hitting was very stable.

When there was no one on base, his concentration wasn't as good as when there were runners on base, but his hitting could still maintain a certain level.

"How could he miss it?"

"It could also be Miyuki's strategy; after all, that guy is very cunning."

The teammates in the dugout whispered.

However, very quickly, the teammates who held this thought were slapped hard in the face.

Miyuki Kazuya's third pitch still didn't make contact with the ball.

He walked out of the batter's box, sweating profusely and looking disheveled.

Striking out three times in a row without making contact was undoubtedly a heavy blow for the Seido High School Baseball Team.

So much so that all the teammates in the dugout fell silent, not knowing what to say.

Next up was Isashiki Jun.

Although Jun was very dissatisfied with Miyuki's performance, he clearly knew that this game was extraordinary.

It could even be said to be very extraordinary.

That guy named Nagao Akira was much more troublesome than the Seido High School Baseball Team's teammates had previously thought.

"I want to see what you've got!"

Isashiki Jun stared at Nagao Akira, watching the baseball flying towards him.

In the dugout, Zhang Han had already stood up from his chair and come over to Miyuki with Chris.

Yuuki lifted an eyebrow.

Clearly, he was also focusing his attention on these three people.

"How was it?"

Kominato Ryosuke had already said something before, but Zhang Han and Chris both believed that his observation was not thorough enough and could not be used as a reference.

In this situation, they could only place their hopes on Miyuki.

Even though Miyuki had looked incredibly disheveled during his at-bat just now, precisely because of this, Zhang Han and Chris firmly believed that he must have discovered something.

"Completely outmatched!"

Miyuki had a bitter smile on his face.

"Missing the ball three times in a row, even if you don't say it, we know it perfectly well."

Kuramochi immediately replied.

Miyuki ignored Kuramochi.

Although he had never been outsmarted by Kuramochi verbally in the past, at that time he was performing well, so he could naturally be arrogant.

Now, even though Miyuki had already thought of how to retort, with his performance, he couldn't shamelessly say those words.

Miyuki could only honestly swallow those words.

He acted as if he hadn't seen Kuramochi, facing Chris and Zhang Han directly.

"The ball flying over had no spin at all, and it changed significantly as it approached my hand. It looks like even the pitcher himself doesn't know how the baseball will change?"

Chris and Zhang Han exchanged glances.

Actually, they had a premonition earlier.

But without witnessing it themselves, they couldn't be sure.

Now, the situation was different.

They could now be 100% sure that the pitch was indeed a knuckleball.

A breaking ball known as one of the 'magic pitches'.

Even in professional games, this type of pitch is rarely seen.

Those who can use it well are even rarer.

They found it truly hard to believe that in such an obscure game in West Tokyo, they would encounter such an opponent.

Zhang Han nodded and asked, "What's the level?"

Almost in unison, Chris also asked, "What's the completion?"

Knuckleballs are not all the same.

It should be said that any type of breaking ball will have different variations in the hands of different pitchers.

For example, a high breaking ball.

This is actually not a very powerful breaking ball; there are several pitchers in West Tokyo alone who use this breaking ball.

But very few can do it like Koichiro Tanba.

In other words, in Tanba's hands, this pitch can unleash unimaginable power.

"Super!"

Miyuki's answer startled both Zhang Han and Chris.

You know, even Tanba's high-breaking curveball is only top-tier.

In the Seido High School Baseball Team, only Zhang Han possesses a super pitch.

That is his Fastball, which approaches 160 kilometers per hour.

This doesn't mean that Nagao Akira can contend with Zhang Han on the pitcher's mound. After all, having a top-tier pitch doesn't necessarily make one a top-tier pitcher.

But even if Nagao Akira doesn't become a super pitcher, merely possessing this weapon is enough to make him formidable.

"Are you saying that if we can't completely break down the opponent, then it will be difficult for us to score in today's game, right?"

Chris pressed on.

Miyuki hesitated slightly, then finally nodded.

Just then, Isashiki Jun, who was tasked with the heavy responsibility of being Seido's Fourth Batter in today's game, stepped up.

He barely managed to make contact with the ball.

The baseball landed, bounced, and went to the Shortstop.

Inamoto rushed over, picked up the ball, and threw it to first base.

"Pop!"

"Out!"

Three outs, side retired.

In the dugout of Seido High School Baseball Team, the teammates' expressions grew heavier one by one.

It's that guy again?

On the surface, it seemed even Nagao Akira himself didn't know where the baseball he pitched would break.

But twice in a row, the hit balls all landed within the Shortstop's fielding range.

Isn't that too much of a coincidence?

"Was it intentional?"

Chris raised a question.

Zhang Han shook his head.

"Probably not. If his knuckleball had a pattern, it wouldn't be this difficult to deal with."

It was precisely because even the pitcher himself didn't know how the baseball would change that the Seido High School Baseball Team teammates kept making hitting errors.

If Nagao Akira and his team knew where the baseball would fly, then Seido High School Baseball Team could completely use this to guess the opponent's pitching pattern.

Chris nodded in agreement.

In the top of the second inning, Sakurazawa High School was on offense.

The Fourth Batter was Inamoto, the Shortstop who had performed so brilliantly earlier.

To suppress the arrogance he exuded, Tanba started with full power, seemingly determined to strike him out.

But this kid acted very smartly.

As soon as he stepped into the batter's box, he consciously backed away, not giving Tanba a chance to intimidate him.

Facing the high-breaking curveball, though he didn't get a hit, he successfully made contact with the ball.

"Ping!"

The white baseball flew high, traveled about twenty to thirty meters, then fell vertically.

Kominato Ryosuke, who was already prepared, had been waiting directly below where the baseball would land and steadily caught it.

"Pop!"

"Out!"

In the dugout of Seido High School Baseball Team, the teammates were discussing animatedly.

"Unlike those other guys, this Fourth Batter Shortstop has some skill!"

To be able to make contact with Tanba's high breaking ball on his first at-bat, even within Seido High School Baseball Team, such a performance was considered excellent.

"He's the Fourth Batter after all, it's normal for him to have this level of skill."

"But he only made contact with the ball; he's still far from getting a hit..."

From the outcome of the confrontation, this was definitely Tanba's victory.

An infield pop-up is not much different from giving up an out.

In the eyes of the Seido High School Baseball Team teammates, while such a result wasn't as good as a strikeout, it wasn't far off.

Yet it was this one at-bat that completely transformed the mood in Sakurazawa High School's dugout.

"He really hit it..."

"Turns out, that kind of pitch isn't invincible."

"If he could make contact this time, he'll definitely be able to hit it next time. It's all up to you, hitting King Inamoto."

Facing his teammates' praise, Inamoto awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, it's nothing, I still need to work harder."

Though he spoke humbly, the expression on his face was already beaming with pride.

It was as if he was certain he would hit the ball next time he stepped up to bat.

Sakurazawa High School's reaction completely baffled the Seido High School Baseball Team teammates.

They exchanged glances for a long time before someone finally asked.

"Are they crazy?"

They hit an infield pop-up, practically handing over an out.

Is there really a need to be so excited?

Chris narrowed his eyes slightly.

Whether the opponent needed to be that excited, he wasn't sure.

However, the effect of their excitement was very clear.

Tanba, filled with anger, pitched the baseball with almost all his might.

He pitched perfectly.

In his current excellent form, the ball he threw startled Nagao Akira in the batter's box.

And then he successfully got a strikeout.

Is it necessary to use every ounce of strength against batters other than Sakurazawa's three core players?

While it wasn't absolutely forbidden to do so, Chris still felt it was somewhat inappropriate.

"Don't worry, Coach probably didn't intend for Tanba to pitch until the end of the game from the start."

Zhang Han noticed Chris's concern and spoke up proactively.

While the two of them were talking, Tanba had already successfully secured three outs, helping Seido High School Baseball Team maintain their lead.

One flyout, two strikeouts.

Although Nagao Akira's pitching was impressive, in terms of momentum right now, Koichiro Tanba undoubtedly had the upper hand.

But facing such a Tanba, the Sakurazawa High School players seemed to pay little attention.

It was as if they hadn't seen Tanba's pitch; they only celebrated Inamoto's successful contact with the ball.

"They weren't affected at all."

The opponent's seemingly foolish behavior truly unnerved the Seido High School Baseball Team teammates.

They didn't know if the opponent was truly foolish or just knew how to be content.

In the bottom of the second inning, Seido High School Baseball Team was on offense.

It was still that slow pitch, but the powerful hitters of Seido High School Baseball Team were lining up one after another to give up outs.

Three outs, side retired.

Including Masuko, who was the 5th Batter, everyone could at most barely make contact with the ball, and some were even struck out directly.

Without even a single player reaching base, they easily lost three outs just like that.

After two innings, the score remained 1:0.

If Kuramochi Yoichi hadn't unexpectedly stolen a base at the beginning, helping Seido score a run, then the two teams would be tied right now.

This was something the Seido High School Baseball Team teammates could not accept no matter what.

Kataoka, who had been calmly observing, finally couldn't sit still anymore.

After Tanba struck out Sakurazawa High School's 9th Batter, in the bottom of the third inning, Seido High School Baseball Team was on offense.

Kataoka stepped forward and requested a pinch-hitter.

"8th batter, pinch-hitter, Zhang Han."

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