<82> Strikeout! Another Strikeout!!

Chapter 82: Strikeout! Another Strikeout!!

Carlos' face, already dark-skinned, seemed to grow even darker.

He knew full well that the opponent in front of him had earned the title of "the first-year monster."

And the speed of Furuya's pitches was utterly extreme.

But knowing this in his mind, watching game footage, and actually standing in the batter's box to face Furuya's pitches head-on—those were completely different experiences.

Just like at this moment for Carlos, when he raised his head to re-assess Furuya, he could no longer see the boy in front of him as just an ordinary first-year rookie.

To put it more bluntly—

He now saw Furuya as a formidable opponent, one of the toughest he had ever faced in high school.

"When the pitch speed exceeds 150 kilometers per hour, the ball flies past you in the blink of an eye. In this process, you can't hesitate. The swing must be decisive. Once you get the timing down, you have to swing ahead of it..."

Despite facing such a strong opponent, Carlos showed no signs of backing down. On the contrary, an intense fighting spirit emerged from him.

It seemed that the stronger Furuya's abilities were, the more excited Carlos became.

His eyes were locked onto Furuya, refusing to waver for even a moment.

"The opponent is getting serious. Your previous pitches are starting to have an effect. Now..."

Miyuki didn't need to give any complex signs.

Furuya didn't have many types of pitches in his arsenal, and his control wasn't particularly great either.

In such circumstances, even if Miyuki had some pitching strategies in mind, it would be hard to execute them.

Given this, Miyuki could only opt for simple and efficient pitching combinations.

In fact, many times, he didn't even need to signal; he could just position his glove.

He trusted that Furuya would know how to work with him.

"Right here!"

Miyuki held his glove at a particular spot.

On the pitcher's mound, Furuya threw the ball without any hesitation.

"BOOMM!!"

As the white ball came speeding toward him, Carlos didn't hesitate for a moment, swinging his bat decisively.

"I've been waiting for this!"

Clearly, at this moment, Carlos had been anticipating this for a long time.

By swinging earlier, Carlos managed to make contact with the ball during his at-bat.

"Ping!"

As soon as the ball was hit, the die-hard Seido High baseball supporters in the stands felt their breath catch for a moment.

Their eyes were filled with disbelief.

A pitch from Furuya, clocking over 150 kilometers per hour, had been hit?

This was something they found hard to comprehend.

But shortly after, the expressions of those Seido High supporters returned to normal.

It turns out that the ball Carlos hit didn't fly forward at all but instead bounced off into a corner.

"Foul!"

It looked as though Carlos had made contact with the ball, but in reality, he was already being pressured.

In the dugout of Inashiro Industrial High School, the players' faces turned pale.

In terms of hitting ability, Carlos, their leadoff batter, was undoubtedly one of the top players on the team.

Combined with his natural physical advantages, Carlos' presence on the field was no less intimidating than their cleanup hitter, Harada.

And yet, Carlos couldn't manage to drive the ball forward?

This completely shattered the worldview of the Inashiro players…

"How powerful is this guy's pitching?"

Faced with this question, Inashiro's captain Harada was undoubtedly the most qualified to answer.

"For every 5 kilometers per hour increase in pitch speed, the ball's power increases by a significant margin. As much as I hate to admit it, the truth is, if we're just talking about pure pitching power, this first-year rookie from Seido is two levels above Narumiya!"

Narumiya's fastest pitch clocked in at 148 kilometers per hour, while Furuya's top speed was an astounding 155 kilometers per hour.

Even on average, Furuya's pitches were several kilometers faster than Narumiya's.

Previously, when there was no comparison, many of the Inashiro players hadn't fully realized this.

But now, after comparing Furuya to their own ace, cold sweat began to trickle down the backs of many of the Inashiro players.

"Is he really this terrifying?"

While the players of Inashiro were growing more cautious, the battle on the field continued.

Clearly, Carlos wasn't willing to accept this outcome.

Even though he was being pressured, he raised his bat high, as if ready to smash the ball as soon as it came his way.

Here it comes!

Furuya's pitching pace was far faster than anyone had imagined.

Almost the instant Miyuki returned the ball to him, Furuya lifted his leg without a moment's delay.

As his body shifted, the ball in Furuya's hand roared toward the plate.

"BOOMM!!"

This pitch was even faster than the previous ones!

In fact, the numbers on the giant electronic scoreboard confirmed it—the pitch reached 153 kilometers per hour.

Several consecutive pitches, all over 150 kilometers per hour.

Furuya's pitching prowess was astonishing.

But at this point, no one seemed to care about that anymore.

All eyes were on Carlos, the dark-skinned player standing in the batter's box.

No one knew how he would perform now.

Based on his previous displays of skill, he was still someone worth watching.

Just as these thoughts crossed the spectators' minds, the ball entered the strike zone.

In the batter's box, Carlos' pupils dilated instantly.

He could feel his heart pounding.

He had timed his swing perfectly and already started to move his bat.

But even so, Carlos still felt uneasy.

He had a premonition.

It wouldn't be so easy to send the ball flying.

Carlos' hunch was right.

Forget about hitting the ball far—just making contact again would be extremely difficult.

Just as his bat was about to connect with the ball, the white baseball suddenly rose slightly.

Carlos swung and missed.

"Pop!"

"Strike!"

"Strikeout!"

Carlos, the player Inashiro Industrial High School had placed high hopes on, was struck out just like that.

The entire process was clean and efficient, leaving Inashiro stunned.

But the fans in the stands felt completely different.

Furuya's spectacular opening performance was nothing short of breathtaking.

Watching Furuya's brilliant display, the fans in the stands felt nothing but satisfaction. Every pore on their bodies seemed to relax, as if they were at complete ease.

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