Chapter 343: The First Pitch of the Opening
Although both teams were fired up with fighting spirit, Coach Matsumoto's method was clearly more sophisticated.
Facing a powerful opponent, he instead used the talents of players like Sendo to further strengthen his team's morale.
.....
"Kataoka-san… who would've thought that what I said back then would come true," Coach Matsumoto thought as he looked out the window after the meeting.
Kiryu and Seidou were evenly matched in overall strength.
But strictly speaking, Seidou had a slight advantage.
That advantage lay in Seidou's cleanup scoring ability.
To put it simply—the Sendo and Yuuki combination was too stable at producing runs.
Unless luck was terrible, it was almost impossible to go through an inning without giving up at least one run to them.
Kiryu, on the other hand, had no such certainty.
As a veteran coach, there was one thing Matsumoto didn't mention during the meeting.
In Seidou's opening Koshien game, Sendo's first hit was a little strange.
He had a chance to reach third base but stopped at second instead.
Then Yuuki drove the ball solidly.
Still, that was all it was.
Maybe Sendo simply didn't want to take risks early in the game.
So Matsumoto didn't burden his players with speculation.
Tomorrow he would observe more carefully.
....
"But honestly… tomorrow's match will be difficult. Yet ironically, this might be Seidou's weakest year in recent seasons. Especially when those first-years become seniors…"
Matsumoto sighed after a long silence.
Of course, he meant Sendo and the other first-years.
In his eyes, once those freshmen matured fully, Seidou would become nearly impossible to defeat next year—and the year after.
Especially when Sendo reached his third year.
Even if his teammates were mediocre, he might still keep the team at championship-contender level.
Otherwise…
All they could do was pray to fate.
But with a huge match approaching, Matsumoto only allowed himself that brief thought before pushing it aside.
....
After Seidou's strategy meeting ended, Sendo went straight to sleep.
Even Yuuki didn't drag Miyuki into a game of shogi tonight.
But that was only for today.
Recently Miyuki had been going insane.
When Sendo first found out he'd be sharing a room with Yuuki and Miyuki, his hysterical laughter perfectly foretold Miyuki's tragic fate.
Now just seeing a shogi board made Miyuki nauseous.
.....
"Something good happen, Sendo?" Sawamura leaned his head toward him as they prepared to get off the bus.
"Huh?" Sendo replied.
"Don't play dumb! Your face is still poker-faced, but your mood is definitely good. How many years have I known you?" Sawamura nudged him with his elbow confidently.
"Oh really? I'm just excited to see Tate-san's sinister grin today," Sendo said, casually placing his hand on Sawamura's head.
"Tate? You mean Tachi-senpai?! That scary expression?" Sawamura even closed his eyes in reaction—
Then suddenly opened them.
"You bastard, Sendo! You just treated me like a Shiba Inu, didn't you?!"
Realizing something, Sawamura shook off Sendo's hand and pointed accusingly.
"Not at all. You were the one enjoying it like a Shiba Inu," Sendo said calmly.
"So you DID treat me like a dog!"
"I said you acted like one. I just patted your head."
"Huh? Really, Kanemaru—"
Sawamura turned to ask someone who wasn't even on this bus.
"Get off already!"
Kuramochi, who had finally lost patience, grabbed him by the collar and kicked him off the bus.
With Sawamura around, there was never a shortage of entertainment.
.....
"Hey… you're not actually looking forward to that creepy grin, are you?" Miyuki asked.
"What's creepy about it? It's addictive. I can't get enough of it."
Sendo opened his phone.
His wallpaper was Tate's sinister grin.
"…That's terrifying," Miyuki muttered.
Scrolling through the gallery, he discovered more horrors.
Aside from Tate's grin, the rest were teammates' embarrassing photos.
Sawamura.
Azuma-senpai getting poked in the stomach before the Inashiro match.
Even Miyuki himself.
"…How are you still alive?" Miyuki asked.
"Who would kill me?" Sendo replied.
Miyuki realized something.
Aside from him and Sawamura, the others were players from other teams—or retired OB Azuma.
And he and Sawamura definitely couldn't beat Sendo.
"…Let's go."
Seeing Miyuki freeze, Sendō smiled and stepped off the bus.
....
Seidou's match was the second game of the day.
So they watched Seiho vs. Ikuei from the stands.
For the first five innings, it was a pitching duel.
0–0.
But no one watching believed the teams were evenly matched.
Like Seidou vs. Yokohama earlier—
Seiho kept getting hits even without scoring.
Ikuei simply walked the monster batter Sano every time.
Officially it was "aggressive four-ball strategy."
But in reality it was blatant avoidance.
They tried to leave the pitcher some dignity by pretending it was tactical—since the breaking balls crossed near the edge of the strike zone before dropping out.
Still…
Not throwing a single strike was painfully obvious.
Eventually Seiho's batters adapted.
Hits increased.
And with a runner on third, Sano even slapped what had been called a "ball" into a timely single.
With empty bases, a walk or single made little difference.
But with runners on base?
It mattered.
After seeing the same pitches for so long, even those "unhittable" balls became hittable—just not powerful enough to travel far.
Sano's physique was typical Asian proportions.
Compared to Sendo's "mutated" long limbs, his hitting range wasn't in the same dimension.
Sendo could also handle a longer bat.
That was pure genetic advantage.
Sano couldn't help it.
Yet Sendo secretly admired Sano and Yuuki's hitting technique.
Yes, Sendo could hit bad pitches for extra bases or home runs—
But it wasn't guaranteed.
He also hit plenty of terrifyingly long foul balls.
But foul balls were still foul balls.
Unless they barely missed the line, they didn't even scare the opponent.
Kataoka's hitting instruction was fundamentally sound—but generalized.
Compared to coaches like Nakanishi, Sakaki, or the soon-arriving Ochiai—who could tailor batting mechanics to a player's body type—
There was a noticeable difference.
And Sendo's stance had already been adjusted by Coach Nakanishi.
So there was little more Kataoka could change.
Even though Sendo hated practice and was lazy—
He still admired players with elite technique.
.....
In the 6th inning, Ikuei's defense collapsed.
Although they managed two runs in the 8th after Seihō moved their ace to the outfield to conserve stamina—
The game was effectively decided.
Final score:
Seiho 8 – Ikuei 2
Seiho advanced.
Though their pitchers had thrown consecutive games, they had still conserved plenty of stamina today.
....
Now the second game of the morning began.
The highlight of the day.
Among the four games scheduled today—
Only one matchup was considered completely even in both paper strength and overall ability.
West Tokyo's Seidou High vs. Osaka's Kiryu High.
As the players entered for warm-ups, thunderous cheers erupted.
Two powerhouse schools clashing.
Championship-level teams battling.
More than 50,000 spectators in the stadium—
And tens of millions watching on television—
All surging with adrenaline.
In Japan, roughly half of sports fans follow baseball.
And during Koshien, no other events competed for attention.
This game's hype was irresistible.
Komadai was still considered a dark horse.
So the top championship favorites remained:
Kiryu
Seiho
Seidou (the new contender)
The winner of Seidou vs. Kiryu would face Seiho the next day.
Three title favorites would slaughter each other before the final.
Just imagining it was thrilling.
No one underestimated Komadai.
But their lineup lacked explosive hitters.
They relied on small-ball tactics and connected offense.
Their strength came from their terrifying rookie ace Hongo Masamune and their four-pitcher rotation.
But the public didn't fully understand that yet.
So the media doubted Komadai could defeat the three favorites.
.....
Warm-ups finished.
The game was about to begin.
Kiryu would bat first.
Seidou players took the field for defensive practice.
The crisp, rapid, fluid ball transfers across the diamond were beautiful to watch.
This fully demonstrated how well-trained Seidou High School was.
Especially the second baseman–shortstop duo, who used bold defensive plays to shorten the time needed for throws through brilliant coordination.
Meanwhile, all three outfielders possessed the ability to fire long-distance throws directly home from the outfield, which was the most impressive sight of all.
After all, the defensive positions that attract the most fans are the pitcher, the middle infielders, and the outfielders.
A team that simultaneously has three outfielders with both long-range throwing accuracy and high mobility is terrifying.
And among them, Sendo's speed stood out above the rest.
Kiryu's three outfielders could also throw directly home, but their movement speed was clearly slower than Seidou's.
And the difference in movement speed almost directly meant a difference in defensive range.
Seidou used this warm-up to give Kiryu an immediate show of dominance.
As for the proposal to increase outfield direct-throw defensive drills, it was obvious who was behind it.
When it came to psychological warfare, Sendō was undoubtedly Seidou's number one.
.....
"Today's second game! Seidou High School vs. Kiryu High School is about to begin! First on defense is Seidou High School!
Pitcher: Tanba-kun
Catcher: Miyuki-kun
First Base: Yuuki-kun
Second Base: Kominato Ryousuke-kun
Third Base: Masuko-kun
Shortstop: Kuramochi-kun
Left Field: Isashiki-kun
Center Field: Sendo-kun
Right Field: Shirasu-kun!"
....
"Today is the first time Seidou is fielding their full starting lineup!"
All nine starting players, numbers 1 through 9, were on the field.
"This is the first time since that match this summer!"
As the announcer introduced the players one by one, Mine Fujio sighed in admiration.
"That's true. It really is rare."
Because of Tanba's injury, and also because Furuya's batting ability forced Shirasu into a substitute role, Seidou had rarely fielded their complete lineup since that game.
Clearly, they intended to rely on their full-strength defensive lineup to seize momentum right from the start.
.....
"At last, it begins! Today's second game! A showdown between two championship contenders!
Last year's Koshien runner-up, Osaka's Kiryu High School, who are determined to claim the title this year—versus Seidou High School, returning to Koshien after six years with the goal of restoring their powerhouse reputation and conquering the nation!Both are traditional baseball powerhouses! What kind of battle will unfold today?!"
.....
Top of the 1st Inning — Kiryu High's Attack
Leadoff batter: Center fielder, Amazawa-kun!
"An incredibly fast runner, a precise hitter, and despite his speed he also possesses tremendous power—Third-year Amazawa Junichiro! He's practically an upgraded version of Shirasu! We absolutely cannot underestimate him! This guy has never had three consecutive strikeouts in a game. Let's try challenging him."
Miyuki studied the batter carefully, already plotting strategies in his mind.
Meanwhile, Tanba on the mound had no idea the catcher in front of him was casually thinking about all this nonsense.
He simply nodded at Miyuki's sign and raised his arm.
Tanba trusted Miyuki's game-calling completely.
If the batter got a hit—
well, that just meant the pitch selection was Miyuki's fault.
Apparently this was the same logic Tanba had when he heard about Furuya earlier:
Follow the catcher's call. If it gets hit, blame the catcher.
Sounds reasonable on the surface.
But blaming the catcher even when you throw a mistake pitch is a bit much.
....
"Pah!"
"Mm… fushi!"
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
"Strike!"
"The first pitch—a low outside fastball grazing the edge of the strike zone! Perfect control! Strike! This is Seidou's ace—Tanba Koichiro!!!"
The crowd hadn't expected the commentator to start hyping things up from the very first pitch.
"Nice ball, Tanba-san!" Miyuki said excitedly as he threw the ball back.
"Mm."
Tanba caught the ball and let out a heavy breath through his nose.
It still wasn't as dramatic as Miyauchi's famous steam-like exhale, though.
.....
"Now that Tanba-san's control has returned, his presence on the mound is getting stronger and stronger. I'm starting to get excited myself. Next pitch—we'll check the accuracy of Tanba-san's signature pitch: the curveball. It doesn't even need to be a strike. Just start from the center and let it break to the outside, finishing outside the zone."
Miyuki quickly flashed the signs.
With the pitcher in such good condition—calling pitches became much simpler for the catcher.
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