Chapter 23: Well...Kinda

"Itsuki, you're performing brilliantly out there!"

In the heat of the game, Narumiya Mei exuded calm confidence, even taking a moment to offer encouragement to his Kohai. Yet, inside, Tadano Itsuki wrestled with frustration.

What did Mei-san mean by "performing brilliantly"? All he had been doing was catching, something any net could do, right?

'Does Mei-san see me as just a catching net?' Tadano thought, his fists clenched in quiet frustration.

Narumiya, oblivious to the turmoil brewing in Kohai's mind, was solely focused on the opponents. Truthfully, relying only on straight balls against Yakushi's batting lineup was becoming increasingly difficult.

'It was time for breaking balls. If I don't mix things up, it was only a matter of time before one of my fastballs got crushed.'

"Itsuki."

"What's the matter, Mei-san?"

"I might switch to a breaking ball next. Be ready. It doesn't need to be much, just the Change-up for now."

Tadano shot Narumiya a puzzled look. Hadn't Mei-san just insisted on using straight balls? Why the sudden shift?

Despite his confusion, Tadano simply nodded in acknowledgment.

Narumiya Mei noticed his Kohai's odd reaction. Shouldn't he be more excited? Instead, Tadano Itsuki stood there with a stern expression, saying nothing. Narumiya Mei frowned, contemplating the situation.

If necessary, he would throw Sliders and Forkballs. He had initially planned to mention this, but given Tadano's current demeanor, he decided to keep it for himself.

In the first half of the fifth inning, Inajitsu attacked.

"Out!"

"Out!"

"Out!!"

It's really hard to grasp the timing of the swing when the ball breaks suddenly when it arrives at the hand. Even stars like Carlos and Shirakawa were thrown off by Sanada's unorthodox pitching. They made contact, but couldn't get the hits they needed, thanks to Yakushi's defense.

"The ball speed is 140+ km/h, and it breaks suddenly. This pitcher is just like Eijun!" Narumiya observed, furrowing his brow.

"Though their styles are similar, Sawamura Eijun likely has the edge in skill,"

"Besides his Moving ball, Sawamura also excels with various breaking balls, and his straight ball is getting more speed lately."

"But Moving ball pitchers can be formidable when they're in their peak performance. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Sanada is on par with Sawamura,"

Indeed, when a Moving ball pitcher is at their best, they can seem invincible.

In the Yakushi High dugout, Todoroki Raizou smirked. He anticipated that Inajitsu's players might underestimate Sanada.

"If you really think that way, you will underestimate Sanada too much. Unlike Sawamura Eijun's Moving ball, Sawamura Eijun's Moving ball is completely uncontrollable.

And Sanada's pitching can be controlled to some extent. Regardless of mentality, experience, ball control, other than Straight balls, Breaking balls. Putting aside all these factors, just talking about Moving balls, Sanada Shunpei's Moving ball is better than Sawamura."

At the bottom of the fifth inning, Narumiya took a more conservative approach. Rather than chasing strikeouts, he relied on his defense to secure Outs.

Yakushi's batters swung aggressively. Despite only securing two hits (Raichi's home run and Mishima's single base hit), their determination was unshaken. Narumiya's strategy of fishing for grounders worked well, and he secured three outs.

As the game entered the sixth inning, Inajitsu's middle batters stepped up.

Yamaoka hit a fly high ball caught easily by the outfield. Narumiya managed a hit, but the following batters couldn't make use of it, leaving him on base.

Fujio, observing from the stands, offered a critical analysis.

"The real danger of a Moving ball pitcher isn't just their ability to prevent hits, but their potential to stop successive hits from turning into runs."

Moving balls are notoriously unpredictable. Though challenging, they're not impossible to hit, and it's not just about raw strength, it's about probability. For instance, a batter might have a 1/3 chance of connecting with a Moving ball, while the batter following might have a 1/4 chance, and the weakest batter a 1/7 chance.

Though the chances might seem high, hitting consecutively is another story. And even if a batter reaches base, it doesn't guarantee safety. A poorly hit Moving ball can easily result in an infield grounder, making it easy for the defense to execute a double play.

Of course, Moving balls aren't invincible. Baseball's long history shows that no pitcher or batter is unbeatable. Moving balls have weaknesses too. For example, Sawamura, who has nearly mastered the top Moving ball, still has noticeable flaws. Sanada, while able to control his Moving pitches to an extent, also has his vulnerabilities. A Moving ball that can be somewhat controlled isn't a true Moving ball, and discovering its pattern can make it manageable to crack.

The current problem was that Inajitsu's players hadn't cracked it yet.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Yakushi High School launched their attack.

"Strike!"

"Strike!"

"Strike!"

"Strike Batter Out!!!"

After dispatching Yakushi High's ninth batter, Narumiya Mei faced Raichi for the third time.

'This is an exhilarating duel to have,' Narumiya Mei thought, excitement building as the game intensified.

Ping!

The white ball struck perfectly and arced gracefully through the air.

"Keha-ha-haa, Keha-ha-haa!!"

With a strange, triumphant laugh, Raichi sprinted towards second base. He executed a dramatic slide, flinging his whole body onto the base meters from the bag in a move that could only be described as chaotically brilliant.

The crowd was a mix of shock and disbelief.

"Idiot! The ball hasn't even come back yet! What base did you aim for?"

"Go on, you could make it to third base! The ball's still in play!"

"That's so embarrassing!"

"Can you even run probably Raichi? If not, let me take over!"

From the dugout, players vented their frustration.

Meanwhile, Inajitsu's players wore expressions of disbelief. They were actually struggling against such an opponent?

On the pitcher's mound, Narumiya Mei frowned. He wasn't surprised by Raichi's latest hit.

Straight balls just weren't cutting it for a while now!

Despite being mostly first-year players, Yakushi's lineup was fearsome and relentless. They had proven their might before, overcoming even the formidable Sankou High School to win in the West Tokyo competition.

In contrast to the weakened giants—Seidou High School's drop in overall strength being the most severe—Yakushi's core strength remained intact even after their third-year players retired. Their fielding had improved through countless practice games, and their confidence had soared.

Narumiya knew he couldn't rely solely on straight balls against such a potent opponent. He had to adapt.

After Raichi's impressive hit, Narumiya changed his strategy to include more Change-ups.

His opponent, Akiba, was now at bat. Faced with Narumiya's sudden Change-up, Akiba faltered and was Struck Out decisively.

With two Outs and a runner on second base, Mishima, the third batter, stepped up.

Narumiya wasn't about to underestimate Mishima. Despite Tadano's struggles, Narumiya opted for a mix of Straight and Change-up.

Mishima was no pushover. He had tangled with Sawamura Eijun before and held his own. Now, he was ready to take on Narumiya with equal determination.

After a few tense pitches, Mishima connected with a Straight ball and sent it flying.

"Haha, hahaha!"

'Watch closely, Sawamura, Narumiya-senpai! This Mishima is about to take you all down one by one!'

Mishima roared inwardly, and rightfully so. Few batters in West Tokyo, let alone the whole country, could boast of being able to hit both Sawamura and Narumiya Mei. Mishima was one of the elites...…well...kinda.

With two Outs and runners on first and third base, Narumiya faced Sanada. He couldn't afford to be careless and opened with a Change-up.

Ping!

…