Chapter 84: The Problem of Ball Speed

On that day, all the batters of the main force of the Seidou First String got a turn at hitting Kataoka's modified Pitching.

The result is not ideal.

There were a total of eleven batters in Seidou High School, who hit the ball. The remaining nine people didn't even touch the ball.

This is not the usual batting order. All the batters of the Seidou First String have faced Kataoka at least three times. The first players like Yuuki and Sawamura even played four times.

On this day, Kataoka threw more than 200 balls.

"He really is a monster!"

When Isashiki finally commented on Kataoka, this is what he said. Kataoka's pitching, right to the end, was very powerful.

The eleven people who hit the ball are Kuramochi, Kominato Ryosuke, Isashiki, Yuuki, Sawamura, Masuko, Chris, Miyuki, Shiratsu, Sakai, and Haruichi Kominato.

Kadota, Endou, Furuya, and the others, didn't even touch the ball in the end.

Three at-bats, three strikeouts.

Curve balls like they falling from the sky, mixed Straight balls, and a ball speed of more than 140 km/h (87 mph), make it difficult for batters to get the opportunity to swing.

Of course, hits are not completely absent. In the second round, Captain Yuuki Tetsuya got a hit.

Four at bat, two hits.

Yuuki Tetsuya also used his own skills to show the spirit as Seidou High School's fourth batter.

In addition to his two hits, there were five others who had hits.

They are Miyuki, Chris, Sawamura, Isashiki, and Kominato Ryosuke.

In the face of the luxurious lineup of the entire Seidou High School first team, Kataoka only dropped 7 hits.

"This man, until now, still maintains the terrifying state of a professional player!"

Ochiai originally watched Kataoka and only had a little admiration, but now he is completely amazed.

In high school, Ochiai also played baseball.

His best record was reaching the second round of the summer Koshien as a substitute catcher.

Although in the coaching career path, Ochiai is not young. However, in his time as a player, Ochiai is a genuine weak chicken.

From his standpoint, it is impossible to understand why Kataoka did not directly accept the invitation to the professional baseball draft but chose to become the Coach of Seidou High School.

If nothing else, the salary gap alone is not something that an ordinary person can refuse.

Even if Seidou High School treats Kataoka well, it is impossible to give him more than the salary of a professional player.

Even if Coach Kataoka is really interested in being a Coach, he can wait until he retires from the profession.

Having professional experience and fame will make Kataoka's road to being the Coach even smoother.

"What an incredible man!"

***

"Sawamura!"

After the training, Coach Kataoka took the initiative to find Sawamura.

"I know you have been working on your ball speed for a while, did you get any progress?" Kataoka asked the bit confused Sawamura.

"No Boss, there is no progress," Sawamura answered dejectedly.

"I see, currently, your pitching ability is already very perfect! If you want to go to the next level, there are two ways to choose."

'Two ways?'

Although Sawamura already had some ideas, he still wanted to hear what Coach Kataoka had to say.

"After you have mastered the new Pitching Form, your current pitching is extremely fast in the eyes of the batter. In addition, your own ball speed is not slow, and among high school pitchers, you can also be regarded as a fastball pitcher.

So if you want to improve further, you have two ways. The first is to increase the arsenal of breaking balls. When you have more and better breaking balls, your pitching will become trickier for the batter, and your overall strength as a player can naturally be improved with this."

In fact, Sawamura himself knows this suggestion without Kataoka saying it.

This is what he did, tempering the numerous Breaking balls he has, and then using the ever-changing Breaking ball paths to solve his opponents.

However, this approach is flawed.

"Of course, there are some limitations to this approach. After all, the most terrifying thing for really powerful Batters is their terrifying intuition. As long as the ball comes over, no matter what breaks it has, they will hit the ball out. Faced with such a batter, no matter how sharp the break of the ball is, it's not enough."

Hearing Kataoka's words, Sawamura's eyes lit up.

Although he already knows this, hearing Kataoka say it directly gave Sawamura some hope.

He knew that the path he chose at the beginning was flawed, so he wanted to increase his ball speed to compensate.

"What should I do if faced with such a Batter?"

Because of Kataoka's frankness, Sawamura was also direct, and he asked immediately.

"Don't you have a powerful weapon in your own hands?"

'What?'

Sawamura looked at Kataoka in confusion.

His appearance gave Kataoka a rare sense of satisfaction.

However, this is something he and Ochiai came up with to help Sawamura take the next step. But being able to finally guide Sawamura really made this strict Coach very pleased.

Having a pitcher like Sawamura who is refined to this level can be also troubling to the Coaches. They are here to teach, guide, and help the students, and having such an excellent student and not being able to guide him further makes them feel lacking and frustrated.

Not to mention the feeling they get when they feel like they are wasting the player's potential. So for Kataoka, to be able to guide Sawamura now gave him a special experience.

"You are afraid that it will be difficult for you to reach the speed of Furuya's ball all your life. But it has nothing to do with personal efforts.

In my most prosperous state, I have never honed the ball speed to more than 145 km/h. This is the body we are born with. Even if you feel like you are lacking in some area, know that you have a very big advantage in another

So, don't underestimate your original Moving ball. Although the break of this ball is small, as long as it is well tempered, it is enough to allow you to deal with any batter."

Sawamura never imagined that Kataoka would suggest him to sharpen the Moving ball!

"But Boss! The Moving ball also has the same problems as other breaking balls, it is not even among my best courses."

The Moving ball also has the same limitations. If the opponent's swing is too strong, it is very likely that the Moving ball will be swept away.

And If the opponent swings at the ball before the break it is just a normal Straight ball.

Of all the balls Sawamura has, the Moving ball is a good one, but it's definitely not a high-level product.

"Each pitcher has its own unique individualities, and abandoning their own individualities is equivalent to abandoning the fundamentals and your very self. First, let's hone the Moving ball to the ultimate level that you can hone it. As for its weakness, it is not that there is no way to solve them."

The weakness of the Moving ball can be solved!

"Eh?"

This was too shocking for Sawamura. He stared at Kataoka with eyes waiting for his answer.

"Speed, power, and good pitching rhythm," Kataoka said solemnly.

Sawamura was confused again.

Ball speed, ball power, pitching rhythm!

Isn't that the most basic thing for a pitcher? He has never relaxed in this regard and always trained them. In fact, the ball speed is the thing he has been pursuing for a while now.

"Have you thought about using the Moving ball as a Winning Shot?"

Without waiting for Sawamura to ask, Kataoka said directly as if he saw through Sawamura's heart.

These words, like a dull bell, roared in Sawamura's mind.

Yes, he never thought about using the Moving ball as a Winning Shot!

Because he has other and more effective Winning Shots.

Who would use a low-level ball as the deciding ball?

Even if Furuya's Straight ball is sharp to that extent, his future Winning Shot will not be a Straight ball.

"Try to use the Moving ball as the Winning Shot, and try your best on every ball. After that, maybe your speed will have a windfall."

…