Chapter 339: Holding Something in Reserve
"Even though it's the bottom of the lineup, there are only two innings left! No need to worry about stamina or saving pitches—just throw with everything you've got, Tanba!"
"Yeah! …Hah!"
Tanba clenched his teeth, replaying Coach Kataoka's words in his mind like a buff, and began his motion.
"Fushi!"
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
"Strike!"
"Seidou's ace opens with a high inside fastball! The batter watches it go by!"
"The second pitch—Tanba-san's trademark! The curveball!"
"Fushi!"
"Huh?" The sharp break of the curve startled Yokohama's seventh batter.
"Smack!"
"Strike!"
"A big-breaking curveball! The batter swings and misses!"
"Fushi!"
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
"Strike!"
"Batter out!"
"The third pitch—another curveball! Swing and a miss for the strikeout! Seidou's ace is pitching with overwhelming presence!!!"
"Eighth batter! Catcher, Shiraha!"
"No opening at all? Damn it!" Shiraha muttered, staring at Tanba's fierce expression on the mound.
This pitcher was not someone their lineup could break through in a single turn!
And he no longer showed any of the weakness he had in spring.
"Fushi!"
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
"Strike!"
"A curveball for the first pitch this time!"
"Ping!"
"Foul!"
"The second pitch—high inside fastball! The batter completely mistimed his swing!"
"Damn it! I'll foul off everything if I have to!"
"Fushi!"
"Whoosh!"
"Yah!"
"Smack!"
"Strike!"
"Batter out!"
"A low outside fastball just grazing the strike zone!Swing and a miss! That's back-to-back strikeouts!"
"Ninth batter! Pitcher, Yamada!"
"Yamada, please!" Even though they knew they shouldn't pile everything onto their second pitcher, Yokohama had no other options.
Four outs left—but they trailed by nine runs!
Still—
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
"Strike!"
"Fushi!"
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
"Strike! Two!"
"Ugh! Fushi!"
"Smack!"
"Strike!"
"Batter out!"
Two curveballs and a splitter—three breaking balls in a row to mercilessly strike out the ninth batter, repaying the earlier double play in full.
At the same time, Miyuki wanted Yokohama to focus even more on Tanba's breaking pitches. After all this time recovering and refining his control, Tanba no longer left the occasional "too-good-to-hit" mistake pitch hanging. His precise quadrant fastballs had become lethal weapons.
Compared to that, Sawamura still often left hittable pitches, even on inside throws—relying mostly on his hidden release point to compensate.
Miyuki often encouraged him out loud, while internally thinking, "Everything you throw is hittable…"
"Yoshiiiii!!!"
"Tanba, who's usually so quiet, just shouted!"
"Three straight strikeouts!"
"Is that really Tanba? He's finally grown into a true ace!" The Seidou alumni in the stands were almost in tears.
They had watched the timid Tanba of the past grow into this fierce presence. It hadn't been easy.
"Nice ball!"
"Nice ball, Tanba-san!" Miyuki shouted excitedly.
They finally had a dependable ace.
"Nice ball, Tanba! Next inning too—just wipe them out one by one! And you, Sendo, shout something too!" Isashiki barked, not forgetting to drag in the guy trying to quietly slip back to the bench.
"We've got one last offensive inning! Let's score some more runs to celebrate Tanba-san!" Sendo said with a grin as they returned to the bench.
"Devil…" Isashiki muttered.
They'd already beaten them down this badly and he still wanted more runs… but—
"You're right! Let's do it!"
Sendo blinked, wondering if he'd misheard. The first to agree was the very same Isashiki who had just called him a devil.
"But Jun-san! Make sure you get a clean hit! I'm not worried about Ryo-san, but Jun-san, your performance is too unstable! If there aren't enough runners on base, Tetsu-san and I will just get walked again!" Sendo said seriously.
Complete nonsense—Isashiki was actually very consistent, able to hit practically anything to right field.
"What did you say? Unstable?! You brat!" Jun locked Sendo in a chokehold.
"It doesn't look like they're getting careless just because they're leading by so much," Coach Kataoka thought as he watched the lively scene, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"That's right! Until the very end, never forget the mindset of attacking! Completely crush their fighting spirit!" he added aloud, fanning the flames as usual.
"Yes, sir!!!"
"Yoshiiiii!!!"
"Bottom of the eighth! Seidou High's offense! Second batter! Second baseman, Kominato Ryousuke!"
"Go, Ryousuke!"
"Onii-san!!!"
"Hit it, Ryo-san!"
"We're counting on you!"
"Let them feel Seidou's powerful lineup!"
"Keep the explosion going, Seidou batting line!!!"
"Smack!"
"Ball!"
"Crack!"
"Foul!"
"Ball!"
....
Onii-san would never swing at a bad pitch. Anything hard to hit he would simply foul off, which once again pushed Yokohama's battery into an awkward position.
They couldn't get an out, and throwing tricky pitches would only waste stamina.
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
In the end, Yamada—whose control wasn't great—issued a four-ball walk.
Against a pitcher with shaky control like him, Onii-san was a natural counter.
Sometimes even when Yamada wanted to throw a strike, he simply didn't have the ability. As long as Onii-san stayed patient—and unless there was some bizarre breaking ball that could make him swing and miss, or he mishit it himself, or got unlucky with the placement—a walk was only a matter of time.
Even without a hit, that at-bat piled tremendous pressure onto the pitcher.
"Third batter! Right fielder, Isashiki!"
"Roar, Isashiki!"
"Drive it out!"
"Seidou's—" One alumnus almost got carried away and nearly said "Shaggy Dog."
"Hit it out, Shaggy Dog-senpai!!!"
"Pfft!" Sendo, who had just stepped out of the dugout, almost burst out laughing as Sawamura shamelessly shouted what the OB had barely managed to hold back.
"Who're you calling Shaggy Dog, you brat?! Just you wait, Sawamura!"
"Damn it! Our offense isn't finished yet!" After yelling at Sawamura, Jun turned fiercely toward Yokohama's battery.
"Let's settle it with him here." Shiraha swallowed as he glanced at Sendo in the on-deck circle and Tetsu stepping out of the dugout "to bask in the sun." They had to go all in here.
"They'll probably walk Sendo and Yuuki again this inning," Chris-senpai guessed.
"Yeah. But with runners on first and second and no outs, stacking two bases like this, they'll hesitate," Coach Kataoka said, eyes angled sideways toward Chris.
The implication was clear: if Isashiki were retired—especially via double play—Yokohama would fill the bases without hesitation and take their chances against Masuko. After all, the pitcher on the mound wasn't their ace.
With one runner on and two outs, they normally wouldn't walk someone—but against a hitter like Sendo, who could change the game with one swing, they didn't want to risk it. Walking just one still left them facing Sendo and Yuuki together.
Hitters of that caliber could shatter a pitcher's confidence—especially someone like Sendo, who could launch one at any time.
But outright giving up runs just to walk them? That would destroy team morale.
"Then we can only hope Isashiki can—" Chris was cut off by the sudden turn of events on the field.
"The runner goes!"
"Crack!"
"He hit it! Seidou pulls off a hit-and-run without signs!
The ball shoots through the infield!.All runners safe! No outs, runners on first and third! And the next batter is—!"
"…!"
"Whoa!!!"
"Ahhh!!!"
"Drive it out!!!"
Before the announcer could even finish, Seidou's band struck up and tens of thousands of spectators erupted.
Everyone could see it—Yokohama would now have to face Seidou's two heavy guns head-on.
"Fourth batter!!! Center fielder, Sendo Akira!"
As the announcement echoed, the cheers intensified.
The crowd moved in rhythm with Seidou's cheering song, shouting along with their supporters.
There was no escaping it now.
Yokohama had their outfielders retreat and shifted their defense left. Though Sendo didn't have a fixed spray pattern, pitching to certain locations could influence where the ball would go.
Shifting left meant they planned to attack outside. If they pitched far enough outside, even Sendo couldn't drive it to right field from his left-handed stance. And pushing it to right wouldn't have the same power or carry as pulling it to left.
"He's a good pitcher. He'll be even stronger next year," Sendo thought calmly in the box. "Though that doesn't mean they'll make Koshien again."
He didn't even consider the possibility that Seidou might fail to get through the regional qualifiers next year. He clearly had no idea what West Tokyo would look like—assuming Inashiro's "king" recovered from his slump.
"Either way… I'll hold something back," Sendo muttered inwardly.
His expression sharpened.
On the mound—
"Don't be afraid! No hitter can guarantee a hit every time! If you pitch sharp enough, our chances improve! He's amazing, but he's still just a first-year. He'll make mistakes!" Shiraha reassured his junior during a mound visit.
"Yes!"
"Be careful! Even if you miss, never give him a hittable pitch! That's suicide!"
Seeing his junior's mindset steady, Shiraha returned behind the plate.
"First pitch—keep it well outside the zone. Let's see what he does," Shiraha licked his lips.
"I got it," Yamada answered inwardly.
"Whoosh!" He fired his first pitch with a fierce expression.
That ferocity simply meant he was throwing with everything he had—few pitchers look calm at full effort.
"Smack!"
"Ball!"
"No movement!
But the velocity's there!" Shiraha glanced at Sendo, then at the scoreboard: 142 km/h. A small comfort.
A faint smile tugged at Sendo's lips.
"First ball—exactly as expected. This catcher is cautious. His pitch selection isn't random. If it's him, the second pitch won't be easy to hit either—but…"
As Yamada stepped into his second pitch, Sendo subtly stepped forward.
Different from his usual timing—normally he shifted weight after seeing the ball. This time it was earlier.
But no one noticed.
To the eye, Sendo always kept both feet grounded. His right foot looked planted, but barely exerted force. Even if he stepped early, it was hard to see the difference.
That unnoticed detail determined everything.
"Ping!"
"Not an easy pitch—but not unhittable either! And the pitch type was already exposed!"
Sendo had reasoned it through:
The cautious catcher wouldn't choose a slider breaking into a lefty's inside. Even if it finished outside, it was too risky—Sendo had shown he could reach and drive outside pitches thanks to his long arms and bat control.
The first pitch type—too far outside—wasn't worth swinging at.
A straight fastball early? Unlikely.
That left only one logical choice: a sharp-breaking curveball with downward action and a speed differential from the fastball.
The options looked many—but once he saw through the catcher's intent, there was really only one.
"I said it before. Whether we make Koshien or not, I'll hold something back. I need this pitcher to carry a psychological scar from me."
Sendo glanced at Yamada, who had turned his back to the plate, anxiously staring upward.
"Smack!"
"Left-field stands!!! Seidou's fourth batter, Sendo Akira, with home runs in consecutive at-bats! The team's third homer of the game! His 24th career high school homer and second at Koshien! A three-run blast that makes it twelve to zero!!!"
The announcer roared as the ball dropped into a fan's glove in left field, unable to contain his excitement.
"Yoshiiiii!!!" Isashiki sprinted wildly again, just as thrilled as the first time.
The stadium had long since exploded.
Seidou's Koshien debut had stunned the crowd—and shaken powerhouses across the nation.
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