<51> The Favored Man!
Chapter 51: The Favored Man!
In the Seidou High School baseball team's dugout.
While the teammates were still discussing the difficulties Furuya faced against Noma, the unexpected happened.
Despite having missed the first two pitches, Furuya managed to connect with the ball on his third attempt.
The white baseball soared high into the sky after being struck.
The previously chatting Seidou teammates fell silent, their eyes wide in disbelief.
They tracked the flight of the baseball, which traveled a considerable distance—over a hundred meters—before clearing the fence and landing in the stands beyond the outfield.
"It's gone, it's out of here!!!"
The entire stadium erupted in excitement.
A lucky young girl caught the ball as it descended from the sky, her face flushed with exhilaration. The joy of catching a ball at a baseball game was even greater than winning a small lottery prize!
"Wow!!"
At this moment, the Seidou teammates who had been discussing Furuya's difficulties awkwardly fell silent.
They avoided each other's gaze, clearly embarrassed by the unexpected turn of events.
The speed of their humiliation was truly unexpected.
"Our little junior really has a knack for proving us wrong, doesn't he, Youichi?"
Ryousuke, with a grin, asked his friend.
Kuramochi, the one being questioned, wished he could find a hole in the ground to hide.
How could he respond to that?
He had previously insisted to his teammates that Furuya's batting would struggle.
Though Furuya's performance was impressive, he was still a first-year rookie and not all challenges could be overcome.
But now, the situation was as it was.
Embarrassing.
The scene was truly awkward…
And the most awkward part was having someone directly question him about it.
When Miyuki and Furuya returned to the team, they happened to witness the scene.
"What were you discussing, Kuramochi? Did you find a worm in your rice ball or something?"
Miyuki's cutting remark left no room for escape.
It was clear that no one could answer Miyuki's question.
After all, it wasn't just Kuramochi who had doubted Furuya's ability to hit.
"Is this your first home run? A fantastic performance for a rookie just starting out!"
Furuya's earlier game against Yokohama Kohouku had already shown exceptional talent.
The ace pitcher of Yokohama Kohouku was even stronger.
Yet, despite that, Furuya managed to secure a hit.
Adding to his impressive record were the nine consecutive strikeouts!
Although Furuya was substituted midway and didn't play the entire game, his performance was enough to make everyone give him a thumbs up.
It was a monster-level performance.
Given this context, theoretically, Furuya's future performances should not surpass his first game. After all, his first game was explosive!
Moreover, several factors made his first game legendary.
However, despite these expectations, Furuya's performance today still dazzled everyone.
The outside world might not understand.
But the Seidou High School players, who had been practicing together, had a rough idea of Furuya's strength.
There was no doubt about his monstrous talent.
But was his batting really that spectacular?
That seemed a bit exaggerated.
In just these two games, his performance even surpassed Yuuki's.
Two at-bats: one hit, one home run.
A batting success rate of 100%!
His scoring was equally terrifying...
This was clearly abnormal.
There were two main reasons for this outcome, as speculated by everyone.
One reason could be luck and coincidence.
Fate is truly unpredictable. Perhaps Furuya's life script was destined to be extraordinary.
This is quite normal!
The other reason might be that Furuya is simply a game-time player.
Some people perform average in training but shine brightly on the field.
His performance on the field left even those most familiar with him in awe.
Furuya likely exhibited both of these traits.
This was the rational judgment of the Seidou High School teammates.
And they firmly believed that this judgment was absolutely correct.
Because of this confidence in their judgment, the Seidou teammates were even more speechless about Furuya's performance on the field.
"It's as if he was born to be the main character!"
Not only the Seidou High School players but also the Nada High School players, their supporters, and the spectators in the stands were all focused on Furuya.
Furuya's performance was simply explosive. No one could ignore it, even if they wanted to.
At this moment, it seemed everyone had forgotten that the game was still ongoing. With Furuya's home run, Seidou High School had scored a total of 7 runs.
The score was 7-0.
Even if Seidou's performance didn't remain as spectacular, as long as they didn't make any major mistakes, the outcome of the game was essentially decided.
Was there any chance of a comeback with such a large deficit?
In theory, it was possible.
However, with Seidou High School leading and their opponents being Nada High School, it was hard for the fans in the stands to believe Nada could turn the game around.
"This game is essentially over…"
"Even though Seidou High School had already established a dominant advantage, they were still short of a complete victory."
"Now, it seems that even that small margin no longer exists."
"It's not entirely decided yet. Nada High School still has strong potential. The key will be Furuya's performance in the second inning!"
Although most people present thought the game was over, a few believed it was still a bit early to call it.
The Nada High School players, though appearing dazed, had not given up. They were still fighting on the field.
In this situation, it all came down to whether they could manage to get a hit off Furuya.
If they could score runs, they might rekindle their hopes.
"Is that possible? Didn't you see the Yokohama Kohouku game?"
"That first-year called Furuya might not pitch through the entire game, but he can definitely handle three or five innings."
"Can Nada High School even last until the fifth inning?"
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