[107] Sharp Edge in the Battle with Yakushi

Chapter 107: Sharp Edge in the Battle with Yakushi

"Whoosh"

The first pitch came as an uncompromising inside ball.

The sharp gleam sliced through the air, and on the batter's box, Watanabe's expression became serious.

In an instant, without catching the trajectory of the ball, he swung based on instinct, the inevitable result being less than ideal.

"Crack!"

Missing the timing, the contact was off-center.

"Whoosh"

"Thud"

The ball ricocheted off the ground and dramatically veered foul outside the third base line.

"Foul ball!!!!"

"Damn, is this guy's pitch as quirky as they say, with that unusual delivery too!? Really troublesome."

Watanabe gritted his teeth with a special look, thinking to himself.

Yakushi High School's principle was to gather as much data as possible, especially when facing Seido's pitchers, and Coach Todoroki had done significant preparation.

He analyzed the abilities, traits, and advantages of all four pitchers comprehensively.

In theory, Furuya could neutralize Yakushi's lineup.

However, Coach Todoroki recognized that with Furuya's current lack of control, he posed the least threat.

Among the other three pitchers, through gathering information and reviewing footage, Coach Todoroki meticulously analyzed the skills and traits of Eijun, Tanba, and Kawakami, crafting detailed strategies.

Despite his rough appearance, Coach Todoroki is a detailed-oriented professional in baseball.

Their plan against Tanba's fastball was under his guidance, and certainly, Todoroki had also developed intricate plans for facing Eijun.

"Grip the bat shorter, stand at the front of the box, and use your strength to overpower the pitch's force and tail," Watanabe recalled Coach Todoroki's pre-game instructions regarding Eijun.

Taking a deep breath, Watanabe resumed his batting stance, eyes fixated on Eijun at the mound.

Watanabe's movements didn't escape Miyuki's notice. Smiling, Miyuki signaled another sign.

Eijun nodded gently.

"Whew..." Eijun exhaled slowly, body tense, arms rotating, stepping forward.

"Whoosh"

The ball blazed towards the plate, carrying a fierce intensity.

It was time.

Relying purely on sensation, there was no time to use dynamic vision to capture Eijun's arm motion.

"Swish"

In less than 0.5 seconds, Watanabe's feet stepped wide, his bat dipped forward, aiming for a smooth angle.

"Pop"

However, he was surprised. The pitch was an inside high fastball, skimming the strike zone's edge and narrowly grazing past Watanabe's bat, nestling into Miyuki's mitt with a clear snap.

"Strike!!!!"

Two pitch gaps, was it this extreme!?

Watanabe stood there in disbelief.

Miyuki and Eijun, this pitcher-catcher duo, were already set.

Without giving Watanabe time to marvel, they swiftly nodded in sync, with Miyuki shifting the mitt to the outside corner. A straightforward attack pattern.

"Whoosh"

The light streaked again, leaving Watanabe with no time to react.

The ball securely nestled in Miyuki's glove.

"Pop"

"Strike, batter out!!!!"

With precise inside-outside pitching, Eijun successfully retired the first batter!

"Nice pitch, Sawamura!"

"Great job, Eijun-kun!"

"Yeah, first one down."

"One at a time, no rush, Sawamura."

With sharp inside and deep outside pitches, this pitcher was even tougher than expected—and on top of that, he had a cutter as his decisive pitch!?

In the dugout, Coach Todoroki had dropped his casual demeanor, adopting a serious expression instead. Conquering this pitcher might not be as simple as expected.

"Eighth batter, shortstop, Kobayashi."

After taking down the first batter, Watanabe, Miyuki had no intention of giving Yakushi High School a breather.

Since they were dealing with the lower batting order, Miyuki hoped to maintain a fast and steady pace, leaving Yakushi's batters with little time to react.

With three pitches, he induced Kobayashi to hit a ground ball to third base, resulting in an out at first.

The ninth batter was taken care of with just one pitch—an inside four-seam fastball—causing the batter to line it straight back to the pitcher.

Eijun, with a smooth move, caught the ball reliably, earning the third out.

In the top of the fourth inning, Eijun suppressed Yakushi's offense in a straightforward, aggressive manner.

The impressive sharpness of his pitches made it clear to Yakushi just how challenging Eijun was to face.

"How was it?" Coach Todoroki asked nonchalantly, crossing his legs.

"His pitches are peculiar."

"You can't see the release point clearly."

"The difference between inside and outside edges is distinct; his control is quite good."

All three batters offered their insights, agreeing on the difficulty of dealing with this pitcher.

"Indeed, this kid is the trickiest," Coach Todoroki muttered with a glint of determination in his eyes. "Sanada."

"Yes, Coach, I understand. I won't lose to a freshman pitcher," Sanada replied with a confident smile on his handsome face.

"The game is only at the midpoint. Let those kids realize what real baseball is!!!!"

"Yes, sir!!!!"

"Bottom of the fourth inning, Seido High School at bat, eighth batter, pitcher, Sawamura."

"Go on, Sawamura!"

"Get us a hit!"

"Sawamura, Sawamura, Sawamura!"

"Sawamura-kun!!!!"

Unlike the original timeline, in this world, Eijun had shown his batting prowess in several games, raising expectations from the Seido dugout and the audience.

The support from the band and cheerleaders indicated his growing presence in the Seido team.

Sanada Shunpei.

Eijun Sawamura.

As Eijun stepped into the batter's box, their eyes met, and the fiery sparks that burst forth created an intense atmosphere of a showdown between the two.

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