The screen above the scoreboard at Meiji Jingu Stadium displays the current status of the game:
After four innings, the match between Waseda Real and East Asia Academy remains at a score of 0:0.
"The pitcher is the most crucial factor in determining the outcome of a baseball game" — this statement is by no means an exaggeration. A powerful ace pitcher can single-handedly suppress the entire opponent's lineup, which is especially true in high school games where batters are generally average in skill.
Today's game is evidently such a pitcher showdown — in these four innings, both teams have rotated through their entire lineup, yet neither has been able to break through the opponent's defense, as solid as an iron wall.
The game is happening at noon, with the midday sun hanging in the sky like a fiery ball, emitting scorching heat waves; the entire Shengong Stadium feels like a massive steamer, oppressively hot enough to be suffocating — for the players on the field, every move they make during the game feels like the strength is draining from their bodies.
At the top of the fifth inning, Waseda Industries is batting first, and the lead batter is still Shigetsugu Shinjiro.
Standing in the batter's box, Shigetsugu looked at the opposing pitcher in front of him and couldn't help but recall Tsuchiya Ryota's reminder before the game:
"Shin, when you're about to bat, try to entangle with Mihori Yuusuke more — in this heat, the pitcher is surely more exhausted than we batters are. Even if you can't reach base, it's fine; aim to tire him out by making him throw more pitches, increasing our chances when others bat later."
Carefully mulling over his teammate's advice, Shigetsugu Shinjiro understood and had a rough idea of his batting strategy for this inning.
After a bout of tussle, the game situation reached a full count with 3 balls and 2 strikes.
On the pitcher's mound, Mihori Yuusuke was panting heavily, his face drenched in sweat — he had thrown eight pitches against this lead batter; the opponent was like a madman, chasing even obvious balls, forcing continuous stalemates.
Wiping the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief, then using talc to keep his hands dry, Mihori Yuusuke confirmed signals with the catcher Takasugi Masahiro, then swung his arm to pitch.
The impact of stamina loss was evident: Mihori Yuusuke's precision in pitching inevitably declined — the slider headed low on the outer corner usually managed to squeeze into the strike zone when energy levels were full, but this time the control was off, sliding out of the strike zone's boundary along the edges.
Shigetsugu Shinjiro held back and didn't choose to swing the bat.
"Ball four, batter walks." With the umpire's call, Shigetsugu Shinjiro dropped the bat and jogged to first base.
Next up was Matsunaga Kenta, who similarly adhered to the strategy of attrition, entangling with Mihori Yuusuke over six pitches, and ultimately advancing Shigetsugu Shinjiro to second base with a sacrifice bunt.
One out, runner on second, this was Waseda Real's best offensive opportunity of the game so far.
At East Asia Academy, under the combined stress of the scorching weather and high pitching consumption, Mihori Yuusuke's breathing grew heavier, his chest heaving as he panted.
Facing the first two batters of Waseda Real's turn, Mihori Yuusuke had already thrown 14 pitches — this pitch count would have been enough to deal with three batters in previous innings, but now he had only managed to eliminate one.
What irked Mihori Yuusuke even more was that he would next face the heart of Waseda Real's lineup.
Sensing his partner's emotional and physical changes, Takasugi Masahiro responded in turn, trying to restore the game's lost control:
He called a timeout, aiming to give Mihori Yuusuke more time to recover;
Meanwhile, Takasugi Masahiro was also brainstorming quickly — given Mihori Yuusuke's current state, those corner strikes would be difficult to land; thus, as the catcher, he needed to swiftly adjust the pitching strategy based on the pitcher's condition.
When facing Kenshu Yasuda, Waseda Real's number three batter, Takasugi Masahiro offered a completely different pitching approach: he first signaled three consecutive low outside pitches, ensuring minimal damage while giving the pitcher a chance to regain his touch — the result was 1 ball and 2 strikes, hardly satisfactory.
For the fourth pitch, Takasugi Masahiro gave a somewhat bold command — he signaled for an inside pitch at a sweet spot.
Given such a great opportunity, Kenshu Yasuda naturally wouldn't let it pass. He focused on the incoming ball, adjusted his grip and stance, and swung the bat.
With a "clang" sound, the baseball flew deep into right field — because he forcibly hit the inside pitch, the swing speed didn't fully transfer to the ball, allowing East Asia Academy's right fielder to easily catch it.
Takasugi Masahiro was very pleased with the team's performance for this turn, giving a thumbs-up toward the outfield direction in praise — the only gripe being that the ball flew to the right field, indirectly making it a fly ball sacrifice advancing Waseda a base.
Gazing at Shigetsugu Shinjiro advancing to third base, Takasugi Masahiro gave only a brief glance and paid no further attention.
So what if there's a runner on third base? The opponent wouldn't have another chance to return to home — so thought Takasugi Masahiro.
Two outs, runner on third. Waseda Real's ace batter, Onoda Shunsuke, walked into the batter's box.
When facing an ace batter, hesitation leads to defeat — thus, Takasugi Masahiro began another aggressive attempt: for the first two pitches, he called for two sharp fastballs, probing the batter while checking on the pitcher's recovery, achieving a 1 ball and 1 strike result both sides could tolerate;
Feeling his partner's state warming up, for the third pitch, Takasugi Masahiro decided to seize a count advantage: he called for a challenging inside high fastball — and Mihori Yuusuke on the mound didn't betray his trust, throwing the ball firmly into the strike zone.
With the intent to end this half of the inning in one fell swoop, Takasugi Masahiro gestured to his partner on the mound; Mihori Yuusuke understood, then lifted his leg, gathered strength, twisted his body, and pitched the ball.
In the batter's box, Onoda, constantly watching the pitcher, made his judgment — the angle of this pitch was perfect, and judging by the opponent's release, this was clearly a fastball.
But as he swung, he realized something was wrong — this was no fastball but a changeup!!!