Chapter 39: A Polarized Team

The game between the third-year players and the new Seidou High School baseball team was proceeding with intense excitement.

The first inning was full of dramatic moments, leaving the old alumni watching the game feeling thrilled.

Score: 2-1.

It was so exhilarating!

Even the Koshien finals seemed less thrilling compared to this game.

In just one inning, the excitement was palpable.

Many people refocused their attention on Sawamura Eijun. Back at the old Seidou High School, Sawamura's presence was top-notch.

But back then, Sawamura wasn't alone. He had many great teammates around him, their combined brilliance made Seidou High School's reputation peak.

At that time, Seidou High School was a collective term, referring to the entire team, not just one person.

Even Sawamura was known as a member of this great collective, not an exceptional individual outside the team.

This situation had changed with the new team.

Now, Sawamura was the foremost presence in the new team, standing out prominently.

To think, Sawamura hadn't even taken the pitcher's mound yet. It's hard to imagine what kind of presence he would have once he did.

"This new team is indeed centered around Sawamura Eijun."

"Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? Before, there were two core players with Sawamura, but now with Yuuki gone, Sawamura is naturally the sole core."

"Seidou High School, which was once full of stars, now seeing him stand out alone. It's a bit unsettling."

"Although the departure of the third-years is quite regrettable, there's no need to be uneasy, right? The new replacements are good too. Miyuki was originally one of the star players, and Kominato Haruichi's skills are also impressive like his brother's. Not to mention Kuramochi and Shiratsu are still with the team."

"That's true, but compared to the previous team, this one still feels unsettling."

"Not really. Even if our strength has diminished, other teams might not be any better! The Fall Tournament is an opportunity for new players to showcase their skills, and who has what strength is entirely unknown. It can't be compared to the mature teams in the Summer Tournament."

Surrounding the protective net, some old Seidou alumni began discussing everything about the new team.

Although the game was thrilling, they were subconsciously worried about the New team.

There's a curse at Koshien: the more brilliant the team in the Summer Tournament, the more likely they are to stumble in the Fall Tournament.

In less competitive areas, it's not as pronounced, but in competitive regions like Tokyo, few teams manage to win consecutively after the summer tournament.

This also indirectly proves the harshness of battle zones. Even if you have strength, you may not necessarily rise above the rest.

The game continued.

With Sawamura returning to home plate, the new Seidou High School baseball team scored a run, making the score 2-1.

At this moment, Miyuki had safely reached first base.

The situation was now two Outs, with a runner on first base.

The batter was Maezono, hitting fifth in the lineup.

Coach Ochiai watched as Maezono stepped into the batter's box, instinctively frowning.

Maezono's placement was basically according to Coach Kataoka's lineup arrangement. Over time, Kataoka's preference for Maezono was evident.

Ochiai had been at Seidou High School for over three months now and was no longer the newcomer. He had some idea of why Kataoka promoted Maezono.

In terms of skill, Maezono's level was such that being promoted to the first team was reasonable, but whether he could be a mainstay still needed to be proven against other players in the same position.

The reason Kataoka selected Maezono and promoted him to the middle of the lineup had its own logic.

Currently, the new Seidou High School team showed a serious polarization in player abilities and mindsets.

Those who had participated in Koshien were now the National Champions. For them, Seidou was about maintaining their status. Naturally, their ambition wasn't as strong as it was when they were striving to win from the beginning.

So their mindset had a lack of drive.

On the other hand, players who hadn't participated in Koshien had a different mindset. They wanted to become main players and win the Championship too, but compared to the Champions of Koshien, they felt somewhat lacking in confidence.

One group lacked drive, while the other was insecure.

This polarization left the coaching staff helpless.

Maezono stood out in this situation.

Maezono was straightforward and didn't overthink things. After joining the team, his focus was on working hard and actively fighting for opportunities and positions.

He was also very ambitious. For a player, ambition is not a bad thing; it's actually a good thing.

Whether it was overconfidence or something else, Maezono never gave up on his efforts or his quest. Even though he had moments of self-doubt, he never stopped trying.

Neither the Koshien Champions nor other new players had the same pure qualities as Maezono.

This was why Coach Kataoka had a special fondness for him and promoted him.

'This boy's character is indeed admirable.' Coach Ochiai also acknowledged this.

In terms of influence on those around him, Maezono's impact was slightly less than Sawamura's. Other players like Miyuki and Furuya couldn't match him.

Ping!

The white ball flew high and eventually landed in Masuko's Mitt.

"Out!"

Three Outs, offence and defense exchange.

Ochiai smiled wryly.

'Maezono was excellent in many aspects, but his main issue was his lack of skill. His abilities didn't match up to the rock-solid levels of Sawamura and Miyuki. He wasn't even as good as Kominato Haruichi or Kuramochi.'

His only shortfall as the fifth batter was his skill level.

Although Maezono had grown considerably, he still didn't quite match up to the required level of Seidou's fifth batter.

Thinking this, Ochiai turned his attention to Shiratsu.

If he were the coach, he would promote Shiratsu. Despite Shiratsu's low presence and almost zero influence, his batting was impressive.

Simple and unadorned, very well-rounded and solid, without any significant weaknesses.

"What a pity!"

If not for his personality, Shiratsu's role could have been elevated way further.

After the first inning ended, the second inning began.

In the top of the second inning, the third-year seniors were attacking.

Sawamura approached Miyuki and directly asked,

"I was puzzled why you didn't say anything to Furuya when the third-year Senpais continuously got hits."

"Only by experiencing a crushing defeat will it leave a deeper impression, don't you think?" Miyuki laughed.

'This guy!'

Sawamura gave him a wary glance and didn't say anything further.

In reality, Sawamura didn't know that Miyuki was lying. He hadn't told Sawamura the whole truth.

Miyuki had thought about reminding Furuya but was also eager to compete with the third-year seniors.

In that situation, rather than having Furuya pitch unfamiliar pitches, it was better to let him give his all. Miyuki found it easier to manage.

Miyuki's plan wasn't wrong, but he hadn't anticipated how tough the third-year seniors would be, and Furuya was too inexperienced.

In the top of the second inning, the third-year seniors were up to bat, and it was their lower lineup's turn.

Most of the lower lineup players in the third-year team were substitutes from the old Seidou High School team. Despite being substitutes, they were still strong players.

Faced with such opponents, Miyuki and Furuya didn't dare be careless. They had learned painful lessons before!

When fully utilizing their abilities, Furuya and Miyuki's combination was impressive.

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

Against the seventh batter, Kadota, Furuya struck him Out directly.

Kadota looked incredulously at Furuya on the mound. The white ball flew past him so quickly that he had no time to react.

This is too strong!

Takashima Rei murmured while folding arms.

"Furuya's pitching is like a filter, directly filtering out those lacking talent."

A 150 km/h fastball is already too fast for many batters.

If it weren't for Seidou High School's third-year seniors being so formidable, Furuya's performance in the first inning wouldn't have been so shaky.

After getting Kadota out, Furuya seemed to have flipped a switch and performed more freely in the subsequent innings.

Ping!

"OUT!"

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

In the second inning, Furuya recovered his form, Striking Out two batters and getting one Shut Out.

The eighth batter, Sakai, hit the ball, which flew above the second baseman Kominato Haruichi's head, and was caught by Haruichi.

The ninth batter, Tanpa, was struck out directly.

Furuya allowed two Runs over two innings.

That was his performance in this game.

"Very good. He has identified the problems that need addressing." President Ota said.

"This shows how frightening the third-year players are," Ochiai remarked with emotion.

…

T/N: That's it for Today.

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