Chapter 275: Coach Kataoka's Decision
"I'm returning this to you! Your target is the fastball he throws to earn strikes!"
"Pff!"
On the second pitch, Narumiya stepped forward without hesitation.
"Ping!"
"Ah!"
Tanba, who was desperate to shut down this inning, widened his eyes.
"Left field!"
Furuya's lack of experience showed again—
He stared at the ball flying high into the sky while slowly backpedaling step by step.
"Furuya! Sprint full-speed backward! It won't go over the wall, but it's going to be far!"
Sendo shouted after glancing at the ball's arc.
Before Sendo even finished the words "full-speed backward,"
Furuya had already started sprinting at maximum effort.
If it were Jun-san yelling, Furuya probably wouldn't react this fast.
"YOSSHAAAA!!!"
"Ohhhh!!!"
The crowd rose in cheers—It was obvious Furuya wouldn't reach that ball.
"I understand the problem with Seidou's unstable pitchers… But sending two inexperienced first-years out on defense? That gives opponents way too many chances."
Coach Kunimoto thought.
"This one felt really good too,"
Narumiya finally showed a small smile.
"Thunk!!!"
"Off the left-field wall! A direct hit!!! The runner from first scores! It's 8–7! The lead is down to ONE! As if to prove he can reclaim every run he gave up—
Narumiya with a timely double!!!"*l
Indeed—
This time, Narumiya didn't recklessly force a run to third.
He obediently stopped at second base.
Watching Narumiya raise his left arm, giving a gaze as if looking down on all creation, Miyuki let out an almost invisible sigh.
"Nice batting, Narumiya!"
"Narumiya-kun!"
"Narumiya!!"
"That was amazing!"
Clack.
At that moment, Coach Kataoka stepped out of the dugout.
"Ah…"
Tanba looked toward the bench with pained eyes.
"A pitching change?"
"Is Seidou finally giving up on their ace?"
"Well, what choice do they have? His fastballs are being targeted, and his breaking balls are barely affecting hitters now. And the next batter is Yamaoka—the guy who hit a home run earlier! At this stage of the game, Seidou can't afford unnecessary risk."
The honor-student trio each voiced their thoughts.
"Notice of player change from Seidou High School!
Replacing Tanba-kun—Pitcher Kawakami-kun! Ninth batter, pitcher — Kawakami-kun!"
Though frustrated—
Though hating himself for his performance after giving up that earlier home run—Tanba lowered his head, adjusting his mindset as a senior should.
"Kawakami!"
When Kawakami reached him, Tanba called out to him.
"Tanba-san…" Kawakami whispered, seeing the expression on his senior's face.
"From here on, you are the ace. Pitch with everything you've got."
Tanba placed the ball into Kawakami's glove—
Pressing it firmly, almost ceremonially.
This was all he could do now as a senior and a member of the team.
"Tanba-san…"
Looking at Tanba's exhausted but reassuring smile,
Kawakami felt his throat tighten.
"Tanba-senpai!"
Furuya called out as Tanba walked away with his head down.
"We will win! And then… we'll make sure you stand on that mound again!"
Tanba no longer knew how many times he cried today.
He didn't dare turn back.
"We'll avenge you!"
Jun-san yelled from right field.
Kawakami swallowed hard.
This was the biggest difference between him and Sawamura—Kawakami felt the pressure…
But he couldn't turn that pressure into power.
This was exactly the decision Coach Kataoka reached after his talk with Sendo.
The game hadn't reached the final inning yet.
Seidou still had a one-run lead, meaning there was room for the pitcher to make mistakes and adjust.
Kawakami was not the type who could deliver stable performance in a life-or-death, one-pitch-decides-all scenario.
In such moments, a "big heart" is the only lifeline.
This was what Coach Kataoka finally realized thanks to Sendo's words.
At minimum—Based on past performances—
Sawamura, with his unbelievable mental resilience, could maintain his fighting spirit even in crisis.
And his pitching wasn't something hitters could immediately figure out.
He was the ideal closer for a do-or-die situation.
Because Sawamura was still immature, the fewer innings he pitched, the better.
From here on—They could only leave it to fate.
This was the sorrow of not having a definitive ace pitcher.
Furuya couldn't be easily removed from defense, leaving him a liability in left field.
Fortunately, due to tactical training, most hitters practiced hitting to right field—the most beneficial direction for runners.
Elite programs trained relentlessly to pull balls to right field.
Left field might be more natural to hit toward,
but because hitters didn't practice it as much, mistakes happened more often.
This was why players like Harada and Sendo—
true wide-angle hitters who could hit both ways—
were such precious, devastating threats.
Still, fewer balls going to left field didn't change the fact—A hole was still a hole. If hitters targeted it,
even a mis-hit ball would be dangerous for an inexperienced outfielder like Furuya.
Not to mention Oniisan was injured, creating another hole in the infield.
This was the chain reaction caused by a weak pitching staff.
If it were only Oniisan injured, or if the starting left-fielder were available, Sendo could've covered one and a half positions worth of ground.
But two holes at once?
Not even he could guarantee perfect coverage.
He could only react in the moment.
Right now, Seidou could only pray—that Kawakami wouldn't collapse under pressure.
Without Sendo, Coach Kataoka never would've made this judgment.
In the previous timeline, Tanba left early due to heat and improper warm-up, and Seidou never had the luxury of having two and a half pitchers available in the 8th inning.
Even if Kataoka realized the issue, he wouldn't dare bring Kawakami in early.
(Furuya counts as half, since with runners on base, he's too unstable.)
On the other hand—The reason Tanba didn't get injured this time… was because of Sendo's unintentional actions. Not foresight—more like butterfly effect.
....
"Kawakami! Pitch carefully!
The next batter's biggest threat is the long hit!
And don't forget your own specialty!"
Miyuki said to the stiff-faced Kawakami.
"Okay…"
Kawakami took a deep breath, letting the pressure temporarily fade.
"Sixth batter! First baseman — Yamaoka!"
"Go, Yamaoka!"
"Break him before he settles in!"
"Yamaoka!"
"Kawakami!"
"Kawakami-senpai!"
"One out at a time! Kawakami!"
"Let him hit it!"
Pudding-senpai said again.
"Focus on the batter!"
"Kawakami! Finish him here!"
Maezono's loud voice cut right into the moment.
"One by one—slaughter them all!"
"Bottom of the 8th inning! No outs! The tying runner stands on second base! The batter is Yamaoka, a hitter with real power! Can middle reliever Kawakami suppress this inning and carry Seidou's lead into the final inning?"
Don't be afraid of swinging and missing—Use your swing to pressure the pitcher! This pitcher has a very delicate heart!
Coach Kunimoto thought.
Of course, the pitching staff's weakness had already been communicated to the batters long before.
This was just his internal monologue now.
"Alright…! The more dangerous the situation, the calmer you must stay! Even with two empty bases—
Even if two runners reach— Just getting the third one out is enough!"
Kawakami recalled Chris-senpai's guidance, hoping he could restore some calm.
In simpler terms, Chris had taught him:
"Do your best—then trust fate."
"It's fine… I can hear everyone clearly…With such a spectacular game, it'd be a lie to say I didn't want to pitch! Every single out— I'll go all out for it!"
Kawakami stared down the batter, psyching himself up.
"First pitch! Be cautious! It's okay even if it's a ball!
As a rare side-armer, you must use the strike zone to your advantage! This is your strength, Kawakami!"
"Huuh…"
Kawakami exhaled deeply before the pitch.
"The opening pitch is everything… Kawakami's mentality is fragile. In this situation, he needs support!"
Sendo's sharp eyes watched from the field.
He understood exactly the kind of pitcher Kawakami was.
If Kawakami regained his composure, his strong control and sidearm delivery would make him extremely tricky for a short burst.
But once pressure overwhelmed him—he collapsed easily. Nothing anyone could do about it.
He was not a closer.
He was best as a middle-innings stabilizer, pitching while knowing someone else could take over if he cracked.
If he collapsed, the team still had time to react.
Otherwise, Kawakami could drag Seidou to defeat in the worst possible moment.
In the previous timeline, the risks were even higher.
If Kawakami and Sawamura had swapped roles, Kawakami would not have been under such suffocating pressure.
If the game reached the bottom of the ninth with two outs and only one more out to end the game,
Sawamura finishing the final batter would've given Seidou a very high chance of winning.
Sawamura wouldn't have time to overthink—and that was when he performed best.
But in this game, Coach Kataoka still hoped Kawakami could finish this inning.
If he entered the zone, Kawakami was extremely stable.
Sawamura, whose condition no one fully understood, was a double-edged sword.
....
"Called to the mound in an emergency—Kawakami!
All eyes on his first pitch!"
The announcer called out as the battery finished exchanging signals.
"Whoosh!"
"Ping!"
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
A cloud of dust rose where the ball struck—but it was far from the line.
As a side-armer, Kawakami's outside pitch to a right-handed batter broke at a wild angle, almost like a breaking ball.
Against left-handed batters, the angle was just as exaggerated in the opposite direction.
"Foul!"
Kawakami stared at the dust cloud—and swallowed hard.
But he knew he couldn't show weakness.
"Good!"
"Nice pitch, Kawakami!!"
"Let's go!"
"Yes yes yes!! That's the Kawakami I know!!
That energy is great! Keep it up!!"
Ota shouted nonstop.
"Haa…"
He tried to calm himself—but his heart pounded violently, and his face was stiff.
Fortunately, the break between pitches let him adjust again.
Slowly, Kawakami steadied his breathing.
"Whoosh!"
Yamaoka recognized it: an inside pitch!
This one didn't have the exaggerated angle!
"BOOM!"
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
But just as he swung, the ball seemed to dodge his bat.
Yet the gust of wind from his bat—blew toward Kawakami with terrifying force.
It made Kawakami's breath hitch.
"Slider! Swing and miss! 0–2! The batter is cornered in only two pitches!"
The commentator didn't care one bit about Kawakami's trembling.
One more pitch!
Kawakami thought stiffly.
"That's sharp pitching," Ninomiya commented.
"Did the count from the first pitch boost his fighting spirit?" Yang wondered.
But no matter what spectators guessed—
none of them could understand Kawakami's inner turbulence.
"YOSSHAAA!!!"
"Finish him, Kawakami!!"
A glance at the cheering section—
Maezono and the others' expressions showed they clearly didn't see Kawakami's tense face at all.
"Don't be afraid, Yamaoka!!"
"Hit it out!!"
Inashiro's bench fired back aggressively.
"Huff…"
Yamaoka choked up on the bat.
He was as strong as Pudding-senpai—and even choking up didn't reduce his power.
"Khh!"
Kawakami grunted and delivered everything he had.
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
A teasing pitch—Yamaoka didn't bite.
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
"Outside slider! Missed the zone again! Ball! It's now 2–2!"
"See it clearly!"
"You've got this, Yamaoka!"
"Finish him with this pitch!"
Miyuki had finished constructing his trap.
Now it was time for a straight-up duel.
....
At that moment—Narumiya took a slight lead off second base.
A subtle attempt to draw Seidou's attention.
Even a little distraction could help Yamaoka.
With no outs, Seidou didn't want to give up runs easily.
They couldn't ignore Narumiya entirely.
If they got Yamaoka out but Narumiya advanced to third, then with one out and a runner on third, slap hitter Hirai Tsubasa would absolutely attempt a manufactured run.
Give up the run to tie?
Or refuse and risk everything?
Either option was dangerous.
But Miyuki remained defiant.
"Let him run if he wants. The batter is the priority."
He trusted his arm—and his confidence was overwhelming.
If the ball got hit—nothing else mattered.
"Alright—finish him with this pitch!"
"Whoosh!!!"
"Ping!"
Yamaoka held on!!
As a backup cleanup hitter, he had no obvious weaknesses.
With a shortened swing, he became extremely troublesome.
"Ping!"
"Foul!"
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
"Full count!!!"
Every swing Yamaoka unleashed—
felt like a hammer striking Kawakami's chest.
"Whoosh!"
"BOOOM!!"
"Ping!!"
"Foul!"
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Just these few pitches—
and the pressure had already left Kawakami gasping for breath.
"Whoosh!"
"Oh no!"
"Pop!"
"Ball four!!"
Yamaoka won the endurance battle—and forced Kawakami to throw a huge number of pitches, giving the following batters even more chances to observe him.
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