<66> The Role of Furuya!

Chapter 66: The Role of Furuya!

The players of the Kokai U Sagara High School baseball team were anxious!

With one out and no runners on base, their second batter surprisingly assumed a bunting stance.

The spectators in the stands looked around in confusion, and one of them finally voiced their thoughts.

"What are they trying to do?!"

"With no runners on base and one out, why would they use a bunt? Do they think they're as fast as Mima from Hakuryuu High?"

Hakuryuu High School was not only one of the top teams in Kanto but ranked first in the entire country for their agility and speed.

Kokai U Sagara had never been known for such attributes.

The players' choice to attempt a bunt in this situation, with no one on base, left the audience perplexed.

It was no wonder that the spectators were filled with questions; they truly couldn't understand what strategy the Kokai U Sagara High School baseball team was employing.

The players of Hakuryuu High, who were seated in the stands, were also part of Kanto's top four teams.

Even they, upon witnessing the Kokai U Sagara second batter's actions, exchanged glances of disapproval.

"The defensive skills of the Seidou High School baseball team are top-notch even on a national level. Using a bunt to leverage speed for getting on base isn't that simple," one of Hakuryuu's players noted.

This was something Hakuryuu's players understood well.

And the players of Kokai U Sagara were no fools.

The second batter from Kokai U Sagara was acutely aware of this.

Yet, despite knowing the risks, he still opted to execute the bunt.

"Smart move!"

Miyuki, crouching behind the plate, expressed his admiration with a glimmer of appreciation in his eyes.

Although most of the audience found it hard to comprehend, this did not detract from the fact that the Kokai U Sagara's second batter had made an astute decision.

The high drop curveball thrown by Tanba had an enormous drop—hitting it with a normal batting stance would be quite difficult.

Even if he managed to make contact, getting a good hit would be a challenge.

However, once Kokai U Sagara's second batter switched to a bunting stance, the situation changed.

He positioned his body tightly along the edge of the strike zone, with his upper body bent forward.

In doing so, he effectively blocked Tanba's pitching lane…

Furthermore, this strategy posed a significant psychological challenge for Tanba.

After all, there's a real risk in baseball of getting hit by the ball.

In such circumstances, would Tanba still be able to throw his specialty high drop curveball?

Yuki looked up.

Just as he expected, Tanba did not flinch.

"I got it!"

Pitchers really are a troublesome bunch.

Because of Furuya's impact, their ace pitcher Tanba had indeed changed.

Especially in terms of his mentality.

It seemed that Tanba had rediscovered his reason for fighting on the field.

Previously, although Tanba's pitching had faced skepticism within their team, the other pitcher, Kawakami, posed no real threat to him.

As a result, Tanba had felt no urgency from behind him.

When there's no pressure, people often get stuck in their own patterns…

Tanba's psychological issues had largely arisen from this.

But that was in the past.

Now, with Furuya's sudden emergence, the competition for the ace position within their team was heating up.

If Tanba continued to struggle at this point, even as a third-year ace, there was a significant chance he could be replaced.

In contrast, having Furuya serve as the ace would undoubtedly change the atmosphere within the team.

Under such circumstances, Tanba began to awaken.

"From this perspective, we really should thank you, Furuya," he reflected.

The addition of this first-year prodigy not only brought hope to the Seidou High School baseball team but also stirred the stagnant waters of their team like a catfish.

"Let's show them the power of the Seidou ace!"

Miyuki signaled.

On the pitcher's mound, Tanba decisively threw the ball.

"You can't use that kind of curveball anymore, can you?"

In the batter's box, the second batter from Kokai U Sagara had his eyes shining with excitement.

He could tell that Tanba didn't throw his high drop curveball but instead opted for a low-angle fastball.

With this change, he had achieved his goal.

At the moment Tanba released the ball, he straightened his back and pulled his bat back.

Timing his swing perfectly as the baseball approached, the batter swung his bat again.

The reason he used a bunt to disrupt Tanba was because he was confident in his batting skills, believing he could easily react in time.

"Ping!"

Indeed, the reality matched his expectations.

Even retracting the bat and re-swinging, he had enough time to make contact.

However, the moment the bat met the ball, the second batter from Kokai U Sagara's expression changed dramatically.

"It's impossible?!"

The force transferred from the ball made his palms tingle.

He almost lost grip on the bat!

This was something that the second batter of Kokai U Sagara, no matter how he considered it, couldn't comprehend.

Wasn't Seidou High School's ace famous for their breaking balls?

How could Tanba's pitching have such power?

As a result, even though the batter made contact, the baseball didn't travel very far.

Yuki at first base easily caught the ball with his glove.

"Smack!"

"Out!"

With two outs and no runners on base, the supporters of Seidou High School in the stands couldn't help but laugh.

"Playing around like that, and I thought this batter was capable of something great?"

"Who would've thought he'd be taken down in one pitch!"

The psychological battle between pitcher and batter was clearly lost on the spectators.

From their perspective, all they saw was Kokai U Sagara's players making futile attempts.

"The ace of Seidou High School is unexpectedly impressive!"

The fans in the stands looked on with confusion.

Alongside that confusion was slight disappointment.

They had specifically come to see the monstrous first-year pitcher from Seidou High School.

If the ace of Seidou was this strong, did that mean the monstrous first-year wouldn't pitch in the upcoming games?

If that were the case, they would certainly feel regret.

Meanwhile, in the Seidou High School team's dugout, Director Ota rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Tanba has fully revived! With Furuya on the team, we have a real chance of making it to Koshien this year. We definitely have hope!"

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