3 Chapter 3
(Kawakami's POV)
Sawamura was a very scary pitcher to face. I could vividly recall how he struck Azuma out with his unique pitches.
He bulldozed through our batters and struck them out. None of them were even able to tap his pitches with their bats.
I somewhat anticipated it from him. But, when it came for his turn to bat, he turned out be a scarier batter.
When he was exiting his bullpen, I could see him say something that surprised many of his teammates.
The moment he stood at the plate, his entire demeanor changed. It was scarier than facing Azuma. I couldn't point out what exactly it was about him. But when he took his stance and looked at me, I could feel my back sweat.
His eyes.. it was like staring into the eyes of a mythical beast.
He tapped every pitch I threw. Foul after foul, no matter what I tried, he kept hitting the ball outside the foul line.
After ninth consecutive foul, he cracked his neck and swung hard, sending the ball flying across the ground and right into the boundry.
By the time the fielder reached the ball, Sawamura was already at first base.
The fielder saw him zooming towards second base and threw the ball hard to third base. I thought Sawamura would stop, but he didn't. He ran faster towards third base and reached it safely.
He was as fast, if not faster, than Kuramochi. Everyone was stunned silent.
Then, the cheers began. His hit had reinvigorated the bullpen of the first-years.
(Sawamura's POV)
'That felt good! I really wanted to smash the ball out of the ground.'
I waited for the batters following me to land a hit and they really did try, but, Kawakami's pitches were too much for them to hit.
With two outs and me at third base, Kominato decided to sub in as a pinch hitter.
The boy was so petite! If I didn't know better, I would have thought of him to be a freshman in middle school.
Kawakami threw the pitch to the out-low corner and just when everyone thought that it'll be a strike, Kominato swung his wooden bat hard while holding it by the end of its handle.
The ball was sent past first base along the line. I easily made it back to the home plate, finally getting a run for the team.
Everyone was impressed by the two of us.
The next batter couldn't do anything much and hit a fly ball that was caught by the fielder in left outfield.
It was my turn to pitch again and this time, I discussed signs with the catcher. The first batter was the cleanup.
The first pitch was a fastball to the out-low corner. The batter swung his bat hard but the pitch completely jammed his swing. The ball was a grounder directly to the first base fielder. When returning to his bullpen, the batter said to his teammates, "He completely jammed me. I think my hand is a bit numb. That pitch had crazy momentum. I hope Matsuko will be able to hit his pitch."
It was Matsuko's turn to bat. I was a little uneasy to pitch against him. I remembered that in canon, Matsuko hit a home run and was reinstated as the 5th hole in the first string.
I took a deep breath and looked for the sign from the catcher.
A cutter to the in-high corner. I could already guess what kind of pitches he was going to call.
None the less, I threw the cutter right into Matsuko's chest. It was a strike and he didn't swing.
The next pitch was a fastball to the out-low. Matsuko swung hard and hit the ball but it went into the cage outside fair territory.
I could see Matsuko thinking hard while soothing his wrist. The catcher then signed for me to throw a palmball and that was a mistake. Matsuko had been observing my pitches and I knew he wouldn't be caught off guard. He waited for the ball to be released before beciding to swing his bat during the first two pitches.
But I threw the palmball anyway.
The pitch was a lot slower than my usual pitches. Matsuko still swung early but he adjusted the trajectory of his bat and managed to hit the ball.
It was a grounder but due to the fielder's error, the ball went past the third baseman and Matsuko managed to reach second base.
None of the batters managed to hit after that. I struck them all out.
After throwing for three innings, I was subbed out and Kataoka selected me as the newest addition to first string. Meanwhile, Furuya and Kominato were added to the second string.
(PLAYBALL!)
Later that night, I was sitting in my room reading the mail from Wakana.
[How was it? Did you pitch well today?
Miyoshi High isn't that good in baseball, but here everyone seems to be practicing really hard! It may be too far an aim for us, but everyone is looking forward to seeing you on the mound at Koushien. We're cheering for you!
Go, Eijun-kun!!
-Wakana]
Her mail short but I could imagine her saying those words to me and it warmed my heart.
As I was about to reply, Kuramochi and Masuko entered the room.
"Ah! Matsuko-san! Did you manage to get back into the first string?!"
The big teen gave me a thumbs-up and said, "Hm! That home run in the ninth inning impressed the coach."
Kuramochi grinned and said, "Haha! You also got into the first string! Your pitches were crazy fast! The coach might even let you pitch in tomorrow's game!"
I smirked and said, "Yeah.. I'm looking forward to it."
Meanwhile, in the observers room next to ground B, Kazuyoshi Õta amd Rei found Kataoka sitting on a chair smoking a cigarette.
"Coach Kataoka, so you were here!" Õta said.
"How do you think today's game was?"
Kataoka removed the cigarette from his mouth and replied, "Even though the scores showed an overwhelming loss, it was a good result at the end. The short first year who got the RBI, Kominato Haruichi, his plays were similar to his brother. Furuya, his high fastball with the ability to rise and deceive, very few would be able to hit that."
"So, why put him in the second string?"
Rei smirked and said, "Because of Sawamura, right?"
"Hm, you are right. If not for Sawamura, I would've instantly added Furuya to the first string. That boy is battle ready and his fastballs will be tough to hit even by the pros. Plus, he can throw a variety of pitches. Not to mention the variations he is able to throw. Lastly, he's a southpaw. As of now, he is the best we can have on our team. A genius. If we didn't know any better, he could be mistaken as a veteran professional player. If we win tomorrow's game, I plan to debut him in the Kantou tournament."
(PLAYBALL!)
Just a week before the Kantou Tournament, Furuya and I were assigned our catchers. Since it was decided that I was going to be the starting pitcher in our first match, I was assigned Miyuki which Furuya got Takigawa Chris Yuu.
It seemed like Furuya and my roles were reversed. I remembered from the anime that Chris gained his baseball vigor back because of Sawamura.
Furuya was a quiet boy. There was no way he could help Chris. I knew I had to do something. So, I looked at Chris with narrowed eyes and then I suddenly exclaimed, "You are 'The Animal's' son!"
Chris looked at me and asked, "You know who I am?"
Excited, I nodded and said, "Of course! I've been following your baseball career since you are 'his' son. You are an awesome catcher! If you get tired of Furuya, will catch for me!?"
I turned to Miyuki and asked, "You wouldn't mind, would you!?"
Miyuki just smirked and looked at Chris while the boy himself kept staring at my excited face.
A few moments later, he said, "I will catch for you, but not a lot. As a first string pitcher, you need to familiarize yourself with Miyuki's game calling. I will prepare an exercise regimen for you along with Furuya."
"Yes! Thank you, senpai!!"
(PLAYBALL!)
While Chris was working on Furuya, I was discussing the kinds of pitches I could throw with Miyuki.
"Everyone is calling you 'The beast' rookie ever since the scrimmage. So, what kind of pitches can you throw?"
I smirked and said, "Beast, huh? I was not expecting to be called that."
I picked up the ball at my feet and said, "I can throw a variety of pitches. It all depends on the grip I use. How about you catch for me and I'll show them to you? I even have names for them."
Miyuki grinned and said, "Oh? Interesting. Sure, we'll do as you say."
As I walked towards the mound, Kataoka walked over to us and asked Miyuki about what we were doing from behind the net.
I shouted out from the mound, "Alright! Miyuki-senpai! Boss! Here comes my first pitch! A four-seam!"
Raising my leg high, my glove expended ahead like a wall, I threw the ball straight into Miyuki's glove with all of my strength.
*BOOM*
The ball blitzed through the air in a perfectly straight line and banged into Miyuki's mitt.
"That was my fastest pitch. You didn't hurt your hand, right?"
The coach was grinning like crazy as Miyuki silently cursed at me, but I didn't mind.
"This one, I call it Hard Fast, or H. Fast. The ball seems to speed up as it reaches the plate."
*BOOM*
"Next is Reverse Fast, or R. Fast. The ball will speed up even more than H. Fast but right when it's about to reach the plate, it will almost stop and calmly land into the catcher's mitt."
Gyro.. a pitch that flew in an arc and fell sharply either to left or right.
Revised Cutter... A cutter with a sharper change in direction closer to the plate.
Palm ball, two-seam, screw, splitter, cutter... All in all, I had an arsenal of ten kinds of pitches.
Later on, we decided to give them all numbers just like in canon.
1. Cutter
2. Two-seam
3. H. Fast
4. Four-seam
5. R. Fast
6. Gyro
7. Revised Cutter
8. Splitter
9. Screw
10. Palmball
It would be an understatement to say that they were impressed.
Needless to say, the Kantou Tournament was going to begin with a bang.
