Standing on the pitcher’s mound, Kantou Number One’s main pitcher Shirai Keiichi felt he was a bit out of breath:
At the third base on his right side, Waseda Jitsugyo’s Ishikawa Shoujin kept distracting him like a fly, constantly darting back and forth between bases, making him feel quite annoyed. The key factor was he was a left-handed pitcher, so trying to pick off a runner at third base required turning his whole body, which was nearly impossible to execute successfully.
In the stands, many neutral spectators who enjoyed the excitement were cheering for the Waseda Jitsugyo batter — most didn’t care who the winner was, as long as the game was thrilling.
At home plate, Waseda Jitsugyo’s seventh batter, Fukasawa Kouta, had already stepped into the batter’s box — he immediately took a bunt stance, clearly intending to score by any means.
Under this intense pressure, Shirai Keiichi released the pitch — but the ball was wildly off-target. If catcher Honma Ryosuke hadn’t been focused and jumped to catch the ball, it might have been a wild pitch — Fukasawa Kouta naturally let the ball pass.
"Phew—" Shirai Keiichi took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm his nerves; inevitably, his body was still somewhat tense.
Throwing again, this pitch still couldn’t find the strike zone: what was supposed to skim the outside corner missed entirely, making it almost impossible for the catcher to catch it.
After catching the ball, Honma Ryosuke stood up, called a timeout, and walked up to the mound to try and soothe his pitcher’s emotions — Kantou Number One relied heavily on Shirai Keiichi as a pitcher with suppressive power. If he couldn’t throw strikes consistently, the team’s defense would likely collapse.
Returning to the catcher’s position, squatting behind home plate, Honma Ryosuke’s pitch selection became simpler and more effective — if Waseda Jitsugyo wanted to bunt, let them. Sacrificing one run in exchange for the pitcher regaining his form was an acceptable outcome for Kantou Number One.
"Whoosh—" Shirai Keiichi threw the baseball towards home plate, aiming it near the upper-middle area of the strike zone.
At that moment, Fukasawa Kouta moved: with a swift change in his grip, he swung the bat with force as he raised it upright.
The ball, forcibly hit by Fukasawa Kouta, bounced once on the ground, then darted towards the area between first and second base — the ball wasn’t fast, but because of the runner on third, Kantou Number One had shifted its defense towards the left; the second baseman in that area couldn’t react in time to catch the ball, and it rolled into right field.
A fake bunt, real hit!
This maneuver by Fukasawa Kouta completely fooled Kantou Number One’s fielders. The unexpected fake bunt tactic was beyond their anticipation — with it, Ishikawa Shoujin successfully ran back home from third base, and Fukasawa Kouta reached first base.
In the top of the ninth, the score became 3:6; there was a runner on first, with no outs.
Shirai Keiichi felt even more pressure now, momentarily losing his pitching rhythm.
Though he used his advantage as a left-handed pitcher to keep Fukasawa Kouta, itching to steal, stuck on the base, he then issued another walk to the batter at home plate.
There were runners on first and second, with no outs.
On Kantou Number One’s side, the young team manager, 34-year-old Mizawa Takamitsu, signaled to the umpire for a pitching change.
No more hesitation could be allowed — the recent memory of Chukyo University’s downfall due to untimely pitching change against Waseda Jitsugyo loomed large, and the next batter was Lin Guanglai, who hit two homers in the last game — Mizawa Takamitsu didn’t wish his team to suffer the same fate, thus he decisively opted for a pitching change.
Number 1 Shirai Keiichi stepped down, and Number 11 Inoichi stepped up.
"Sa—Top of the ninth, no outs, runners on first and second, the batter is Lin Guanglai, who hit two home runs in the last game—can this freshman ace live up to his teammates’ expectations?"
After the substitute pitcher finished warming up, Tanaka Shuji saw Lin Guanglai slowly make his way into the batter’s box and couldn’t help but raise his voice.
As soon as the umpire signaled to allow the pitch, Kantou Number One’s second pitcher Inoichi immediately threw the ball.
The angle was tricky, almost grazing Lin Guanglai’s arm as it entered the strike zone, so he let it pass.
Lin Guanglai, unperturbed by the strike, showed no change in expression — with no outs and runners on first and second, he was in no hurry; it was the opposing pitcher who should be feeling anxious.
In the following pitch, Inoichi shifted away from the inside corner and threw to the outside — facing such an obvious tempting pitch, Lin Guanglai kept his calm, refraining from swinging impulsively.
Honma Ryosuke extended his left hand to catch the ball in his mitt — an outside low ball.
Watching the ball miss the strike zone, all the Waseda Jitsugyo players standing outside the dugout sighed with relief; Tsuchiya Ryota excitedly clapped his hands and shouted to Lin Guanglai:
"That’s the way, Guanglai, no rush! Carefully choose your pitch!"
For Kantou Number One, it was imperative to secure an out; otherwise, they’d soon face the dire scenario of bases loaded with no outs.
The supporters in the Waseda Jitsugyo’s Alps Stand drummed and cheered rhythmically, the waves of sound pressure constantly on Kantou Number One’s pitcher — although Inoichi was full of energy, the current situation forced him to square off against every batter, no doubt draining him greatly.
Taking several deep breaths, Inoichi fixed his gaze on Lin Guanglai at home plate, channeling all his strength to throw the ball.
The released baseball traced a perfect curve straight through the strike zone—though its trajectory was straight, the timing of entering the zone was slightly off, causing Lin Guanglai’s late swing to send the ball foul.
Upon hearing a loud "clang," Inoichi was so startled his heart nearly jumped out; only after confirming the ball went foul did he relax.
The count was now 1 ball and 2 strikes, a disadvantageous situation for Lin Guanglai.
Facing this, Lin Guanglai chose to temporarily step out of the batter’s box; standing outside it, he cradled the bat between his legs, vigorously slapping his cheeks with his hands.
"Ha—!!" Picking up the bat again, Lin Guanglai shouted towards the pitcher’s direction, both encouraging himself and applying pressure on the pitcher.
Behind home plate, Honma Ryosuke hesitated—logically, he could now exploit the pitch count to slowly tangle with the batter, but prolonged engagement with a powerful hitter posed the risk of unexpected dangers.
After some silence, Honma Ryosuke placed his right hand between his legs, signaling the pitch to Inoichi; Inoichi nodded, indicating his understanding.
As Inoichi’s arm swung to release the ball from the mound, Lin Guanglai simultaneously launched into motion at home plate.
His front foot gently lifted and then stepped forward, his hips rotating his body, hands clenched tight on the bat sweeping sideways — the moment the baseball and bat collided, Lin Guanglai’s hands continued applying force, pressing the ball further forward.
The baseball soared backward like a cannonball, swiftly traversing the infield and plunging deep into the outfield.
"Is this ball going to fly out of the park?!!!"