Chapter 55: Leg of the Snake

Snap!

"STRIKE!!"

'Jun-san, unusually, did not swing at the first pitch.'

From his position as catcher, Miyuki looked at Isashiki, who was waiting at the Box in disbelief.

In that brief moment, Miyuki understood a lot of things. He had originally thought that Isashiki would swing at either the first or second pitch.

Based on Isashiki's earlier comment, Miyuki was almost certain he would swing at the first pitch.

The reason Isashiki made those comments was to disrupt Miyuki's focus. By speaking those words, he aimed to unsettle Miyuki, making him more likely to swing at the first pitch.

'If Jun-san didn't swing at the first pitch, those words would become meaningless.'

Now, to deal with Isashiki Jun, Miyuki only needed to focus on one pitch, not two.

'Moreover, abruptly changing his hitting habits was a significant test of the batter's intuition. Hitting the first pitch accurately didn't guarantee hitting the second pitch just as well.'

To Miyuki, Isashiki Jun now seemed full of weaknesses.

In the third-year team's dugout, Chris clutched his forehead in frustration, his eyes filled with reluctance.

'It is ruined!'

His perfectly crafted plan had been ruined by Isashiki's unexpected behavior.

Chris had been happy when Jun and Miyuki had exchanged words earlier.

With Chris's strategy and Jun's performance, Chris had thought there was at least a 30% chance of getting a hit off Sawamura.

He had considered every possible angle. After all the preparation, it was frustrating to see Jun's unnecessary move completely ruin the plan.

"It is like drawing extra legs on a snake!"

Ochiai, who also saw the issue, was pinching his goatee.

Ota, who was next to Ochiai, clearly didn't know this term and looked at him puzzled.

Ochiai chuckled and said, "It's a fable. There was a competition to draw snakes as quickly as possible. One contestant, the most skilled, quickly drew a group of snakes and was sure to win first place. But seeing that others hadn't started or were just beginning, he thought he had plenty of time and added extra legs to his snakes. Guess what happened?"

Though Coach Ochiai's fable seemed a bit out of place, Ota quickly understood the point.

"So, he lost?"

"Yes. Even though he was the first to finish, adding extra legs made his drawing less like a snake. The third-year tactics and coordination were good, but it was unfortunate that he did an extra, unnecessary work."

The smarter a person is, the more likely they are to get stuck in such traps.

Of course, if Isashiki hadn't spoken, and didn't swing at the first pitch, Miyuki might have suspected he was waiting for a specific pitch.

Smart people are often paranoid, and good catchers think more deeply.

Any one of these tactics could shake Miyuki's judgment to some extent.

The exact effect was hard to measure, but the balance would inevitably lean towards the third-year seniors.

But a mistake happened and all of this fell apart.

'Bring it on then!'

Miyuki felt like he was being served a feast for free! and signaled confidently to Sawamura on the mound.

Sawamura, seeing the signal, smiled slightly.

While not as fast as Miyuki, Sawamura understood the situation.

Not only that, but he also devised a counter-strategy in his mind.

He aimed to secure a double play here and now!

'If Jun-san was going to swing at the second pitch, let's see how it goes.'

Sawamura readied himself and threw the ball.

Whoosh!

The white ball soared forward, reaching the top of the strike zone.

'It is a middle inside pitch!'

With such a perfect pitch, Isashiki couldn't resist swinging.

"Oraaaa!"

He roared and decisively swung his bat.

As the white ball neared, it seemed like it would be hit cleanly. But just before it reached the plate, the ball suddenly dropped!

'A Forkball!!'

Though Sawamura might throw a breaking ball, the actual forkball took Isashiki by surprise.

The break was too smooth, too abrupt!

'Did you think I can't handle this?'

"Dream on!"

Facing the suddenly dropping ball, Isashiki gritted his teeth and tried to adjust.

Ping!

He barely made contact.

After hitting the ball, Sawamura showed no signs of shock or surprise. Instead, he wore a happy smile.

'It went as planned.'

He was actually relieved because plans tend to not work with Jun-san as the bearded guy was full of surprises.

The bat hit the top of the ball, turning it into a grounder right in front of the pitcher.

Sawamura caught it effortlessly with his mitt and then turned to throw to second base.

"Hyaa-ha-haa!"

The shortstop, already in position, caught the ball smoothly and threw it to first base.

"OUT!"

"OUT!!"

Not only was Isashiki out, but Ryosuke, who was forced to advance a base after the ball hit the ground, was also Out.

With three Outs, offense and defense are to be exchanged.

The game had reached the bottom of the fifth inning, and the New team of Seidou High School was up to bat.

In the dugout, Miyuki and Sawamura had a minor disagreement. Miyuki suggested replacing Higasa with Kanemaru, but Sawamura did not agree.

Miyuki's philosophy was straightforward: it doesn't matter if the cat is big or small, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat. In baseball, the aim is simple—play the players who benefit the team the most and help achieve the best results will get the chance. No further discussion is needed.

Sawamura, deep down, shared Miyuki's mindset. It might seem a bit cold-hearted, but when you think about it, isn't that the recent approach?

Keeping strong players on the bench while letting weaker ones play—what kind of logic is that?

Even though Sawamura understood this logic, he was reluctant to act on it. As a coach, he felt a certain soft-heartedness toward the seniors.

For instance, with Higasa, Sawamura felt he hadn't fully showcased his abilities yet. Replacing him too soon might ruin his entire high school career.

In professional baseball, Sawamura would never be so indecisive. If he were in the pros, he would have to follow the coach's decisions.

But since this was high school baseball, Sawamura was willing to give others more opportunities.

This approach was greatly influenced by Coach Kataoka's teachings. Although Kataoka seemed harsh—quick to replace players after mistakes—his underlying method was about giving everyone a fair chance. True cruelty lies not in strict training or decisive substitutions but in not giving some players any chance at all.

"Let him finish this last inning, then switch to Kanemaru. This way, everyone gets a fair chance."

Faced with Miyuki's confused look, Sawamura had no choice but to compromise.

"You really enjoy playing the nice guy, don't you?"

"There's no helping it. I'm just a good guy, not everyone has black hearts."

After a few teasing words, they settled the matter. Higasa glanced gratefully at Sawamura, determined to prove himself and not let his Ace down.

Seeing Higasa's renewed determination, Miyuki gave a subtle nod. When it came to motivation, Sawamura really had a knack for it.

The game continued.

This time, the freshmen from Seidou High School had a different lineup, with Kawakami replaced by Asou.

But neither Asou, Higasa, nor Toujou managed to get a hit.

Three up, three down!

Despite their high spirits, especially Higasa, who wanted to repay Sawamura's faith with a stellar performance, it was destined to remain a hopeful fantasy. In the end, he couldn't hit Tanpa's pitching and was struck out by a forkball.

"OUT!"

"OUT!"

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE BATTER OUT!!!"

With three quick outs, the freshmen Seidou High School baseball team faced a significant blow.

Even though they had scored two runs earlier, those runs were largely due to Sawamura's efforts alone. Apart from Miyuki, the contributions of the other players were almost negligible.

The gap of 4:2 seemed like an insurmountable chasm, looming large before them.

In the sixth inning, it was the third-year's turn to bat. At this point, their lineup had reached the fourth batter in the third round. The former captain, Tetsu, was about to step up to the plate for a crucial confrontation with Sawamura.

"To be honest, I really don't want to face Tetsu-san as the first batter," Miyuki said to Sawamura with a wry smile.

If Yuuki Tetsuya, the former captain, could hit a double, it would significantly increase the chances of the third-year scoring. With the freshmen already trailing, if even Sawamura Eijun couldn't stop their offense, it could spell disaster for the freshmen.

"Then let's deal with him in the strike zone!" Sawamura replied stubbornly.

Miyuki was taken aback. "You mean?"

"Why not?"

"But that kind of pitch isn't ready for real games yet."

"It's enough as a bluff!" Sawamura said nonchalantly. "Of course, you handle the specifics. If you think it's necessary, we'll use it."

Miyuki nodded with a wry smile. His partner trusted him so much—how could he let him down?

The game resumed in the top of the sixth inning.

…