Chapter 35: The World Above

Isashiki Jun's words were truly heartfelt.

Being selected for professional baseball is certainly a stroke of luck for Isashiki Jun, and he's not the kind of player who gets picked even in the seventh or eighth round. He was chosen in the fifth round by the Lions, making him the fifth rookie of the year for their team.

Such an achievement, especially for a high school graduate, is definitely considered a success.

Ordinary players can only envy him.

After all, there are 12 professional baseball teams in Japan. The so-called 'Draft' is the process in which these 12 teams select players.

Most of the players in the draft are high school and university graduates from the current year, though occasionally, public players (those who are not fresh graduates) may also be selected.

Of course, the number of public players is very small; the vast majority are fresh high school and university graduates.

Each year, hundreds of players participate in the draft. The draft itself usually takes several rounds, sometimes as many as a dozen.

Don't think that because there are so many picks, the spots in the draft aren't competitive.

If you think that, you're very wrong.

There are tens of thousands of universities and high schools combined. How many students in these schools want to play professional baseball?

Looking at the ratio, it's easy to see how precious it is to actually be selected for the draft.

Anyone who is chosen is a rare elite—a one-in-a-hundred talent.

Getting drafted by a professional baseball team is also incredibly lucky.

However, it's not just about getting drafted. That's not the end of the journey.

The career of a baseball player lasts much longer than that of athletes in other direct-contact sports.

Generally speaking, many baseball players don't retire until they are 35 years old, or even older.

This means their careers can last over ten, or even twenty years.

Every year, so many players enter the draft, and after 20 years of accumulated talent, just how many top talents does a single team have?

It's truly an overwhelming number.

And that's just considering the "genius" talent. Veteran players who have spent years in professional baseball are not comparable to the average high school or university graduate.

There's a huge gap in talent and experience.

The difference between a freshly graduated rookie and a seasoned veteran is extremely vast.

People often see some rookies perform well in the news, but such players are really rare—so rare that it's not an exaggeration to call them one in a thousand.

How many can you see in one year?

But you have to understand, how many players join professional baseball teams each year.

There are 12 professional baseball teams in Japan. Each team maintains about 30 top-level (first-squad) players.

Altogether, that's about 300 to 400 players.

These are the men who stand at the top of the country's baseball world.

Among them, fewer than 1 in 10 will become star players.

And those who become superstars can be counted on one hand.

From all this, it's clear just how difficult it is for a baseball player to rise to the top.

Take Yuuki Tetsuya, who has just entered the team. In only two months, he became one of the team's key players and was even promoted to the seventh spot in the batting order.

This kind of experience is enough to make others dreamy.

At first glance, it seems that succeeding in professional baseball isn't that difficult.

But you must know, that out of all the players who entered the draft this year, only Yuuki Tetsuya has managed to become a starting player.

Not only has he developed his own unique baseball style, but his style is also very well suited to professional play.

He has already become a crucial scoring power for his team.

This is what has earned him the favor of the professional baseball Coaches.

Meanwhile, the other terrifyingly talented players from high school and university are still stuck on the bench to make it warmer or even in the second team.

There's no sign of them breaking through anytime soon.

Of course, over time, the situation will certainly improve.

In every wave, there are always a few who stand out.

But those who succeed are definitely in the minority.

At that time, Isashiki Jun was able to burst into professional baseball with the help of Seidou High School's rising fame.

It's not that his ability was already among the best in the country.

The main reason was that his fame was much greater than the average player.

For example, if one person does a hundred good deeds, only a hundred people will know about it.

But if another person does only ten good deeds, but 100,000 people know about it, then there's no doubt that the latter's fame is much greater than the former's.

Isashiki Jun's fame is directly related to the environment of Seidou High School.

However, the push of Seidou has its limits. It can only help Isashiki get into professional baseball; it cannot help him establish a solid foothold in the professional league.

The key to success lies in the players themselves.

This is the cruelest rule in the world.

Survival of the fittest!

In the world of professional baseball, if you can't survive, you'll be eliminated.

In this process, the help that the big teams can provide is very limited.

But even so, every year there's a crowd of players desperately trying to join the big teams.

Because only by joining the giants can they have a greater chance to succeed.

As for what happens after joining professional baseball, that's something to think about once you've made it into the league.

If you can't even get into professional baseball, what's the use of worrying about what happens afterward?

Isashiki chatted for a long time with Miyuki and Sawamura.

Before entering professional baseball, he never realized just how many talented players there are.

After 20 years of accumulation, every team has a huge stock of talent.

Trying to rise above all these players is definitely not as easy as people think.

So, when choosing a team to join, you must be extremely cautious.

It's important to contact the team in advance and see which team has a better position for making progress.

Only this way will you have a better chance of success.

"We understand what you're saying, but it seems Miyuki-senpai's and my situation is different. We'll probably be in the Bidding Lottery. Even if we contact them in advance, it won't matter!" Sawamura shrugged helplessly.

Those 'innocent' words struck Isashiki's heart like a ballista spear.

He felt a surge of frustration rise up, nearly choking him, but he held it in.

'It's so unfair.'

How could he forget that the situations of the two in front of him were completely different from his own?

Put them on any team, and it would be hard for them to be overlooked.

'Not just them, but also that troublesome kid, Furuya.'

Any team that gets them will find it impossible to keep them on the bench.

Especially pitchers like Sawamura and Furuya. Once they enter professional baseball, they're bound to make a quick impact.

Which team isn't stocking up on at least a dozen pitchers? These pitchers are the easiest to make a breakthrough in professional baseball.

By the time they join the pro teams, they might even have a chance to win Rookie of the Year.

Saying all this to them feels like playing the piano to a horse.

Isashiki came to cheer for his Kohai, and by the way, he also wanted to 'Return home in glory' as well.

Being able to become a professional player, although he's not exactly doing well on the team at the moment, Isashiki still has his pride.

This kind of pride cannot be demonstrated in his current environment.

Everyone's situation is similar there, and no one is particularly stronger than the others.

So, he took the time to watch a game of his Kohais.

On one hand, he was there to cheer them on, and on the other hand, he also wanted to show off a little to his former teammates.

But, the result was that Sawamura and Miyuki have 'Awoke Him To The Reality'.

Although Isashiki Jun didn't achieve his original goal of returning home in glory, his Kohais were still very enthusiastic, making him feel the same as when he was in high school.

The smile on his face became sincere.

"When did you arrive?"

Kataoka approached, not knowing exactly when, and took the initiative to ask.

"By the end of the match!"

Isashiki answered honestly.

No matter when he sees Coach Kataoka, he still feels a little tense.

Even though he's now a professional player and no longer under Kataoka's supervision, that feeling has never faded.

"I heard you're not doing too well with the Lions?"

Isashiki's face became slightly embarrassed.

'Coach Kataoka, as expected, always straight to the point.'

Why does he always bring up the one thing Isashiki wants to avoid?

Of course, he's not doing particularly well. If he hadn't even been selected for the game roster, how could he have had time to watch Seidou's Kanto match?

"Anyone who can enter professional baseball is a genius! To stand out among these geniuses, you either need talent far beyond others or the will to persevere. The next period of time will definitely be a serious test for you. I hope you can persevere and not let us down. Wherever you go, don't forget where you came from — you're from Seidou High School. You Were The One Who Sweated The Most And Trained The Hardest Back In High School!"

Coach Kataoka's words brought tears to Isashiki's eyes.

This is the most confusing time for him. According to his own predictions, he'll probably stay confused for the next two or three years.

It's very difficult for him to be promoted in a short period of time.

This really tests a player's sheer will.

'But as the Coach said, if I want to achieve something, I must persevere, even if it's difficult.'

Those players who make it in professional baseball either have exceptional talent or have a will as strong as steel.

As long as you can endure and stay until the end, one day, you will eventually stand out.

"I understand, thank you, Coach!"

Isashiki, with his beard, gave a serious bow to Coach Kataoka.

Kataoka nodded, saying nothing further.

Under his guidance, many players have entered professional baseball. Some have already become famous, some were eliminated by the cruel competition after entering, and some are still holding on...

He hoped Isashiki could endure and eventually become successful.

It wasn't because he thought Isashiki had some hidden talent that others hadn't noticed, but simply because:

'This guy, apart from playing baseball, would have no better options in life.'

He can't go to university — he's not good at studying! He can't go into business — he doesn't have the brains for it.

From Isashiki's academic record, you can get a pretty good idea of the kind of person he is.

As a player who has to retake exams every year to pass, expecting much from his academic performance is almost criminal.

Poor grades, poor brains.

Coupled with a typical family background, and not being from a wealthy family, Isashiki Jun has no chance of being a rich second generation.

If Isashiki didn't play baseball, he'd likely end up with an ordinary job.

Thinking about it, it's easy to guess how harsh his future would be.

In this case, Coach Kataoka certainly hoped Isashiki would shine in baseball.

Only then would his life have hope.

Of course, Isashiki understood all this.

That's why he was especially grateful for Coach Kataoka's guidance.

He came in a hurry, and he left just as quickly.

Isashiki was in and out fast. He didn't even have time to grab a meal with the team before rushing back to his own.

The entire chat lasted just half an hour.

For half an hour, he traveled all the way to Gunma Prefecture.

One must say, that Isashiki Jun really is a strange person.

After bidding farewell to Isashiki, the Seidou High Baseball Club members prepared to leave by bus.

At this moment, another group of people lined up, ready to enter the stadium.

These people were very familiar with Seidou High School.

It was Inashiro, from the same region as them.

In theory, only the top two teams from the Tokyo Tournament are eligible to participate in the Kanto Tournament. But, as with everything, there are exceptions, just like Inashiro in front of them.

Inashiro had been the runner-up in the previous Spring Koshien.

According to the rules of the Kanto Tournament, any team that reaches the top four in the Spring Koshien is directly eligible for the Kanto Tournament.

Because of this rule, even though Inashiro didn't make it to the finals of the Tokyo Tournament, they were still qualified for the Kanto Tournament.

"You're not going to give up again this time, right?"

When the two teams met, a tense atmosphere immediately formed.

Sawamura coldly looked at Narumiya Mei.

Inashiro's previous game was very strange. They had actually lost to Sankou High School.

Though Watanabe analyzed that Inashiro had just been unlucky in that game, Sawamura found it hard to believe.

He felt that Inashiro's true strength was definitely much greater than what they had shown.

That's why he was here, waiting for Inashiro's team.

"Rather than worrying about us, you should worry about yourselves."

Narumiya didn't back down: "The game schedule is tight, can you keep up with just one lineup?"

The two locked eyes, neither willing to yield, and the tension between them crackled.

…

T/N: Bidding Lottery: During the first round of the Draft, teams submit the names of the players they want. The named player can only join the team that nominated them. If multiple teams nominate the same player, a Bidding Lottery is held between the teams and the winner will win the exclusive right to contract that player in that year.

Of course, the nominated player can also refuse to join the team, but if they do, they won't be able to participate in the draft that year. Starting from the second round, the draft proceeds based on the previous year's results.