On his way back to the dugout, Rinichi caught sight of Yakushi's #18 already warming up in the bullpen.
No surprise there—if they didn't bring him in soon, it was hard to tell how many more runs they'd allow.
The only question was when they'd actually put him on the mound.
Rinichi took off his cap, placing it and his glove off to the side.
In the batter's box, Ryousuke kept fouling pitches until he eventually drew a walk.
Isashiki Jun stepped up next, shouting as usual even when making contact. Though it wasn't a clean hit, it was enough to move Kominato to second base.
Next up was captain Yuuki Tetsuya. As the Seidou brass band played his walk-up music, he connected on the first pitch, sending it to center field. It was a double, but Kominato was thrown out trying to take third.
Now only second base was occupied.
The cheers were loud.
"Yakushi High School will now be making a substitution. Pitcher Sanou exits, and pitcher Sanada enters," the stadium announcer declared.
So #18 was finally on the mound.
Rinichi drank some water, a towel draped around his neck.
Bringing him in now must've been a last resort.
A pitcher with ace-level skill, yet not wearing the #1 jersey? Either he'd been injured before or didn't have the stamina.
In either case, it was clear he wouldn't last many innings.
A pitcher who favored high-speed inside pitches—more of a pitch-to-contact guy than one who racks up strikeouts...
Rinichi reflected on that.
As Sanada took the mound, the Yakushi bench grew noticeably lively—not negatively, but with lifted spirits. His presence changed the mood—things felt more relaxed and upbeat.
Just one more out before sides would switch.
Yet Sanada's very first pitch hit Masuko Tooru, who was then awarded first base. Thankfully, he wasn't injured.
A bit unexpected… his control seemed rough?
"Batting sixth, catcher, Miyuki."
Rinichi stood up, grabbing his helmet and bat, heading toward the on-deck circle.
For some reason, Miyuki looked over at Rinichi before stepping into the box.
Miyuki soon turned his focus back to Sanada and gave a wide grin.
Kamishiro's pitching had been as steady as ever today, and even his batting was sharp… What was troublesome, though, was that this guy (Sanada) not only disliked Kamishiro, but seemed to look down on him a bit—not that he knew where that disdain came from.
Miyuki narrowed his eyes.
Sorry, but I'm about to blast your pitch outta here!
Even before Sanada had thrown a pitch, runners Yuuki and Masuko took extra lead-offs to pressure him.
First pitch—a high inside fastball. Miyuki instinctively dodged.
That was terrifying… Easily 140 km/h, and after hitting a batter, you still throw that close to the face?
To a right-handed batter, it would look like the ball was aimed at the chest; to a lefty, it drifted toward the outer corner.
He's probably trying to set up a strike count with inside pitches, then finish it off outside, huh?
Well, that's not gonna work.
Miyuki reset his stance, choking up slightly on the bat.
Two balls, no strikes.
Now Sanada would likely try to throw a strike—this was the worst time to go chasing an outside pitch and hit into a double play. Miyuki reminded himself not to pull the ball forcibly…
The goal: a fly over the shortstop!
Cutter or fastball, whatever—it just needs to be hittable!
For once, Miyuki's expression was completely serious.
The pitch came—it looked very hittable—but the moment the bat made contact, Miyuki's expression changed.
The ball bounced and landed straight in Sanada's glove. He threw it to second, then to first—double play.
Rinichi stood, dragging his glove as he returned to the dugout.
If he wasn't mistaken, that last pitch Sanada threw… was a cutter.
When Rinichi got back, Miyuki was also returning.
"Sorry. Missed the chance to turn that into a scoring opportunity." Miyuki removed his helmet.
Rinichi put on his cap and picked up his glove.
"What was that pitch just now?" Coach Kataoka asked.
The question immediately grabbed everyone's attention.
"I think… it was a cutter."
No wonder Sanada kept targeting the inside corner.
Rinichi turned and headed back to the mound.
Although Yakushi had forced Raichi to bat last inning, if the game continued with strikeouts piling up, then it would eventually loop back around to the 8th and 9th batters connected to the leadoff spot… and those two were clearly weaker than the 2nd and 3rd batters.
Well, then again, Raichi didn't necessarily need someone to set him up—unless he hit a home run, that is.
—Like I'd let him hit a homer that easily!
A sharp gleam flashed in Rinichi's eyes beneath the brim of his cap. His pitches still carried explosive energy.
"Strike! Batter out!"
Once again, he shut the batter down at the plate. No one got on base.
It was now the 4th inning, and Yakushi still hadn't scored a single run.
"How many pitches has Kamishiro thrown?" Coach Kataoka asked.
Chris replied, "43 pitches."
Coach Kataoka fell silent, his gaze resting on Rinichi, who had just returned from the mound—visibly sweatier than the upperclassmen.
Come to think of it, ever since the summer tournament began, Rinichi had been pitching complete games all by himself.
In the next inning, his pitch count would go past fifty. For Rinichi, that meant he was already over halfway through a typical outing.
And there were still more games to come…
"Kawakami, start warming up. You'll take over in the 6th inning. Kamishiro will move to left field," Coach Kataoka decided—surprising everyone.
Even though Rinichi was still in great shape, they were swapping him out?
But once they noticed the subtle signs of fatigue on Rinichi's face, they started to understand.
"Yes, sir!" Rinichi replied more crisply than Kawakami himself, showing no hint of resistance or displeasure—like he didn't care at all.
Kawakami was a bit taken aback.
Everyone had expected Rinichi to be at least a little upset about being pulled from the mound—but there was nothing. Not a word.
He calmly put on his helmet, slipped on his gloves, grabbed his bat, and walked to the batter's box.
The upperclassmen watched silently: "…"
They were starting to understand why.
"Kamishiro, take them down!"
"You got this, Kamishiro!"
Amidst the roaring cheers, a few clear voices rang out.
Rinichi stood in the right-handed batter's box again—this time gripping the bat with both hands.
He was sure a cutter was coming… and those weren't easy to hit.
What he didn't expect was for the first pitch to be exactly that—a cutter.
He forced the swing and made contact, but it wasn't a great hit.
He nearly made it to first base—
He returned to the dugout with bat in hand.
Taking off his helmet and placing it to the side, he also began removing his gloves.
"He's really not bothered at all about getting pulled in the 6th," Miyuki commented with a grin as he walked over.
Most pitchers, when taken off the mound, would show at least a bit of emotion. But Rinichi remained completely composed, face unreadable.
It was then that Miyuki realized—his understanding of Rinichi had been way off.
Rinichi lifted his gaze for a moment, then looked away, clearly not planning to explain anything.
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