Chapter 15: Baseball Lessons

'Did the pitch go off-target?'

Only after swinging his bat did Sawamura realize the unexpected.

He wasn't sure if it was intentional on the opponent's part or if the previous hit had affected them, causing the pitch to go off-target.

What was the reason? For Sawamura, it no longer mattered.

What mattered was that it had already happened. The question now was, how should he deal with it?

At this moment, Sawamura began to long for his previous miraculous state.

Other people's dynamic vision is a natural product of evolution. Simply put, if you have it, you have it; if you don't, you don't.

Although some improvements can be made through training, the reliance is mostly on talent.

Sawamura's dynamic vision, though incredibly effective, was developed through his own effort and wasn't a skill that could be used anytime, anywhere.

He could only achieve that level of acute perception when he was fully focused.

Moreover, this skill had a property where it grew stronger in the face of greater threats.

Simply put, the greater the threat an opponent posed to Sawamura, the sharper his vision would become.

However, the opponent before him posed so little of a threat that Sawamura couldn't even enter that state.

Without entering that state, he couldn't totally distinguish between a Strike and a Balls.

Let alone one that was just slightly off-target, a ball with a slight deviation of only a ball's distance.

By the time Sawamura could see it clearly, his bat had already swung.

Changing direction now was too late!

Hitting the ball this way, not landing it in the strike zone was a minor issue; there was even a possibility that it would result in a foul ball.

If that happened, Sawamura would be in trouble, as it would likely be caught in the air.

Everyone makes mistakes, even the best players.

In this case, Sawamura had made an error in judgment.

Fortunately, with his experience, he had a solution to handle this unexpected situation.

His bat swung through the air, and Sawamura suddenly adjusted his grip. The bat, which had initially been pushed forward, was now pushed inward with his right hand and outward with his left hand.

Though the angle wasn't drastic, the swing now had a slight curve.

Paak!

The baseball hit the bat and bounced into a gap in the defense.

For a powerhouse hitter like Sawamura, this swing was far from satisfying.

But the result was highly practical.

With the hit, Sawamura earned a single, and the runner on third base, Kuramochi, immediately ran home.

This gave the team the first run of the game.

"Seidou! Seidou! Seidou!!!"

A unified cheer erupted from the stands.

Fans were cheering for the Seidou High School baseball team.

On defense, they quickly dispatched the opponent in three up, three down with three strikeouts.

On offense, they didn't slack off either, quickly scoring the first point without giving the opponent a chance to respond.

The performance was flawless.

Even the teammates of Seidou High School's baseball team in the dugout were full of admiration.

"That last pitch, Sawamura must have misjudged it, right?"

"His swing speed wasn't fast. Although the added spin made it powerful enough to match the ball's power, he couldn't wait for the ball to fully enter his zone before swinging. So he had to judge it in advance!"

Sawamura had indeed made a misjudgment just now.

Although such situations were rare for the strong hitters, rare didn't mean impossible.

In fact, Sawamura had made similar mistakes in previous at-bats.

But the amazing thing was that he always found a way to compensate.

Sometimes, he'd lower the bat and let the ball go, or stop halfway through his swing.

These were minor flaws for someone like him, the great powerhouse.

Like today, even though he had misjudged, he still managed to hit into a gap in the defense.

That ease and adaptability were something only Sawamura could achieve in the entire high school baseball world.

No one else could do it like he could.

"This guy unlocked a new skill!"

Miyuki, who was waiting behind Sawamura, couldn't help but feel emotional.

Even he, as Sawamura's teammate, was always at a loss for words when seeing his performances.

Every time he thought he understood Sawamura, he'd be shocked to find how little he actually knew about him.

It was as if Sawamura was an endless pit at times, and you could never guess his limits.

Sawamura successfully advanced to first base, and Kominato Haruichi moved to second base.

Neither of them advanced by much; clearly, they didn't let the temporary lead make them reckless.

Instead, they played conservatively.

It gave the impression that they wouldn't overstep their bounds.

This was also the baseball philosophy of Seidou High School.

Without an absolute lead, if the offense was doing well, they would never take unnecessary risks.

They would play steady and secure, never missing any opportunity to score, but also avoiding reckless gambles.

Like a snowball, they would continue to increase their chances of victory.

Once the snowball grew large enough, they would then overwhelm the opponent with a decisive blow.

That was why Haruichi didn't attempt to advance to third base.

It wasn't because he couldn't seize the chance to move to third base earlier, but because there was an unnecessary risk that wasn't worth taking.

With runners on first and second, the situation in front of Miyuki was emotionally overwhelming.

'An opportunity with runners on base.'

With Sawamura before him, it became such a rare event.

His eyes were fixed on the pitcher's mound, calculating in his mind what kind of pitch the opponent would throw.

'Seidou High School led 1-0.'

'No Outs, with runners on first and second.'

'The opponent was now walking on the edge of a cliff. One mistake, and they'd lose the game entirely.'

'In this situation, would the opponent maintain their momentum as underdogs, or choose to retreat and regroup?'

The information wasn't sufficient, and Miyuki didn't have enough to make a solid judgment.

It was like just now when Sawamura clearly aimed for a Strike, but the opponent threw a Ball.

Although Sawamura had unlocked a new technique to deal with the attack, the pitch had still been a Ball.

Miyuki hadn't anticipated this.

'Was it intentional, or just a mistake?'

The pitcher of Nanakyo High School kept a cold expression, and his face revealed nothing.

That's why having a neutral expression is useful—it makes the opponent second-guess everything.

Since there was a lack of information, Miyuki needed to gather more.

He calmed himself, waiting for the next pitch.

Whoosh!

The baseball flew toward him and smoothly entered the catcher's mitt.

Snap!

"BALL!"

"BALL!!"

On the second pitch, the ball almost hit Miyuki directly.

This made him realize that the opponent had already prepared and was trying to intentionally Walk him.

For a newcomer team like Nanakyo High School, making such a decision could result in very serious consequences.

Their team's momentum would likely plummet drastically.

Given their already inferior strength compared to Seidou, without momentum, what hope did they have to win?

Even so, it could be argued that Nanakyo High School's decision wasn't necessarily wrong.

Facing a direct confrontation, they could very well lose a lot of points in one go.

If they gave up too many points, could they ever come back?

Therefore, they chose to avoid Miyuki and face Maezono instead.

Looking at the players from Nanakyo High School, it doesn't seem like they've given up on resistance.

Although they avoided facing Miyuki, the players' actions were still active and energetic, far from being without a fighting spirit.

While Miyuki agrees with their decision, he still looks down on their actions.

This is mainly because they are dragging things out unnecessarily.

'If they're going to avoid direct confrontation, they should do it plainly.'

But they insisted on adopting an offensive stance, throwing at the corners and gambling either Strikes or a Four-Ball Walk.

By doing so, they wouldn't seem as passive in terms of momentum.

'Naive, truly naive!'

Miyuki is slightly annoyed by their approach.

By continuously throwing offensive Four-Ball, doesn't that just turn him into a background character?

What's worse, the pitches from this opponent are too childish. Even the Balles they intended to throw, Miyuki can predict where the ball will go.

'Let me teach you something,' Miyuki thought. 'Dragging things out is not a good thing in baseball.'

When they were preparing to throw the third Ball, Miyuki no longer stayed silent and decisively took action.

He took a step forward, adjusting his position and moving his body away from the strike zone.

This way, the ball, which was previously out of reach, became a good pitch that he could now hit.

The catcher from Nanakyo High School, who was positioned behind the plate, widened his eyes when he saw Miyuki's movement.

He had been seen through!

They had attempted to use the offensive Four-Ball strategy, but they had only thrown two Balls so far.

By all accounts, Miyuki should not have noticed so quickly.

But he did notice, and without hesitation, he acted decisively.

Paak!

He swung his bat and hit the ball with all his strength, sending the baseball flying.

After completing his action, Miyuki casually tossed the bat aside and started to run toward first base.

The baseball that was hit flew past the second baseman and went deep into the outfield.

The outfielder from Nanakyo High School clearly didn't react in time. He stood there stunned for a while before he began to chase the ball.

'An opportunity has arrived!'

What was originally just a routine hit, though aimed at a Ball, was no more than a regular single.

Even though the ball had been hit into the outfield, it seemed unlikely to score more than one run.

But because the ball took Nanakyo High School's players by surprise, they failed to set up a proper defense in time.

Seidou High School's opportunity to extend their lead had quietly arrived.

Haruichi, who was already in scoring position at second base, quickly made it to third and was running home.

At first, Sawamura had no intentions of rushing. He glanced at the distance between the player and the ball.

Still, there was a chance!

Without hesitation, he made a decision and dashed to third base.

When Sawamura safely reached third base, he felt content.

After all, the hit by Miyuki hadn't been spectacular.

But just then, the base coach at third base signaled for him to keep going.

As Haruichi reached home plate, he helped Seidou High School take a 2-0 lead.

The situation had quietly shifted.

The Seidou High School players no longer had to be as conservative as before.

As long as the opportunity was right, they could take some risks and increase their lead.

Clearly, this would be more beneficial to the team.

Should they take a risk?

Sawamura briefly considered it.

No, that's not right.

A two-run lead wasn't much. At this point, Coach Kataoka wouldn't have time to issue a command.

In other words, the opportunity came from Ono, the third base coach's advice at third base.

His suggestion clearly showed that this was indeed an opportunity.

An opportunity to return to home plate and extend the lead.

Sawamura still had faith in his teammates.

He didn't hesitate, stepping over third base and pushing forward.

With two bases left to cover and over fifty meters of acceleration.

Sawamura's speed had reached its peak.

At this point, he was moving so fast that even if he were to race against Kuramochi, his speed wouldn't fall short.

A streak of blue light flashed across the field like a whirlwind between the bases.

The catcher from Nanakyo High School, standing behind the plate, had his heart in his throat.

He raised his hands and shouted loudly to his teammates to hurry up and throw the ball.

It seemed as though the heavens were showing mercy!

At this moment, the ball came back to him, almost without any deviation, traveling the sixty-meter distance and landing in the catcher's Mitt.

"Good!"

The Nanakyo High School catcher finally relaxed, his heart settling.

They had intentionally walked Miyuki to avoid conceding three runs in this inning.

In non-official games, and certainly in official ones, the "Demon King" Sawamura had never conceded this many runs.

If Nanakyo High School's players had given up so many runs from the start.

It would have dealt a heavy blow to their morale.

That's why they had made the difficult decision to walk Miyuki.

But Miyuki had still managed to hit the Balles, and Sawamura had retrieved the ones out of the strike zone.

To the players from Nanakyo High School, facing Seidou High School was like facing a legendary monster.

They couldn't even think of anything that these Seidou players couldn't do.

It was almost there—just so close.

Sawamura was about to make it home.

Once he reached home plate, Nanakyo High School would be finished.

Despite all their plotting, even planning to walk Miyuki, it had all been for nothing.

The team that should have scored still scored.

Thankfully, the heavens showed mercy, and the ball was returned in time without error.

Now, with the ball safely in the catcher's Mitt, Sawamura was only five or six meters from home plate.

This was an opportunity for them!

They had to stop Sawamura here and show everyone that even the Demon King wasn't invincible.

The mighty Seidou High School baseball team wasn't unbeatable.

This was Nanakyo High School's first Out of the game.

"I'll take care of this!"

The catcher, with the ball in his Mitt, threw it toward the speeding Sawamura.

...