Chapter 236: Coming to the Rescue
Hearing everything Sawamura said, Onii-san walked around the pitcher's mound as if figuring out the best way to punch him.
"You've reallysohuh!" Even Rei-chan, with her usual good temper, was so annoyed that a vein almost popped on her forehead.
Although she didn't hear exactly what Sawamura said, that loud "Wait for me!" was clear enough.
While the entire stadium was worried about Sawamura's behavior, the only ones who seemed relieved were Chris, Coach Kataoka, Miyuki, and Sendo.
With no outs and runners on first and third, and with Sawamura back to normal, the real battle was just beginning.
The situation wasn't ideal, but Seidou had a big enough lead to let Sawamura mess around a little.
"For now, don't mind the runners. Focus on the batter!" Since Sawamura had refused the timeout, Miyuki could only guide him through signals and eye contact.
Meanwhile, Sensen's signaling method was even more exaggerated—Coach Ugai rubbing his chin to decide on tactics...
As the saying goes, the wilder the imagination, the more cryptic the signs…
"Go for it, Ei-chan!"
"No problem, I'll definitely shut them down!"
"Come at me! …A forced run play?"
Just before Sawamura pitched, the batter took a bunting stance!
The runners started moving!
Pop!
"Ball!"
After Sawamura threw, the batter pulled back his bat, and the runners returned to their bases.
"Huh? The runner didn't advance?" Sawamura quickly glanced at the third-base runner after his pitch and saw him back on the bag.
A textbook small-ball strategy.
Sawamura immediately realized how familiar this felt.
There was no way he wouldn't recognize it—Akagi played small-ball tactics for over a year.
But Sendo only taught them how to use it, never how to counter it.
And Sawamura himself wasn't included in those plays. During his three years in middle school, he was always running, only watching his teammates execute these tactics in actual games.
Besides, there really isn't a perfect counter to small-ball strategies in specific situations. With no outs and runners in scoring position, expecting a flawless counterplay was just wishful thinking.
"They're trying to shake us at this moment! For a pitcher who just stepped on the mound, the thing they want the most is that first out!"
"Rather than pushing for an easy run, they're prioritizing breaking the pitcher's rhythm, huh?"
Pop!
"Ball!"
"What the hell is he doing?! That idiot! Normally, he'd settle this in one pitch, right?"
With one ball, the opponent wouldn't rush to decide the game immediately, nor would they expect us to go for the kill here! Sendo cursed Miyuki in his mind.
It could only be said that Miyuki was smart, but compared to Sendo, a true schemer, he was still too green.
Miyuki was still stuck in the conventional tactical battle, while Sendo—and even Chris on the bench—focused more on analyzing the opponent's psychology and predicting their next move.
Anticipating the enemy's actions first is the key to victory!
Miyuki was still too inexperienced!
At that moment, Sendo shifted his defensive position forward!
"That idiot! What the hell is he doing?"
"Coach, get Sendo to move back!" Ota shouted in panic.
"That idiot!" In the stands, even Rei-chan muttered under her breath.
Hearing Ota's plea, Coach Kataoka frowned but ultimately took no action.
"Coach!!!" Ota was getting desperate.
"He has his own considerations. He's not someone who acts without thinking," Kataoka simply responded.
"Even if it's a misjudgment, this is a valuable learning opportunity."
"With his speed, unless the ball gets blasted near the outfield fence, even if he miscalculates, he won't give up two runs."
"He made his decision after considering all that." Kataoka only said this to himself, not out loud.
A team that thinks for itself is strong, but this kind of play requires tuition fees—how much it costs depends on how deep the player's thoughts go.
...
"So it really is like this? In this kind of situation, it's better to be prepared to give up a run! Ignore the runners and focus on the batter!"
Of course, Miyuki wouldn't hear Sendo cursing him in his mind, nor would he know what was happening on the bench. He didn't even notice Sendo moving forward—he simply continued calling pitches according to his own plan.
"They're about ready for a good pitch, aren't they?" Coach Ugai judged in his mind.
And just as Sendo had predicted, Miyuki and Coach Ugai's battle of wits ended in a complete victory for Ugai. But in reality, it was Sendo who had outplayed both of them.
"Whoosh!"
"Right down the middle?"
"Ping!"
"What…? He was late on that swing! And it was so fast!"
"Onii-san!"
What Sendo didn't know was that his hunch had come true—Onii-san was already drenched in sweat.
"You idiot! Why did you hit it so high?!" Coach Ugai had gripped his chin so hard that his lips were pouted in frustration.
"Pop!"
"Throwing to second base! …???"
At that moment, Miyuki realized something was off—Sendo's movement was too fast.
No matter how quick he was, there was no way he should have reached the infield at that moment. Miyuki immediately figured it out—Sendo had moved forward in advance.
"Pop!"
The ball bounced directly into Sendo's glove after hitting the ground. Technically, it was an infield fly, but it had landed slightly deeper.
Because of that, the baserunners didn't dare to move before the ball hit the ground. If it had been caught on the fly, they would have needed to retreat to their original bases before advancing—or they'd be tagged out immediately.
For example, under baseball rules, if a third-base runner gets caught out on a fly ball, they must touch third base before advancing to home. If they run straight to home and the throw reaches third before they tag up, their run is invalid, and they are out.
On the other hand, if their foot is already on the base at the moment of the catch, they can decide based on the situation whether to run or not.
Because of this rule, the third-base runner only started sprinting once the ball touched the ground.
But by then, it was already too late—the ball had bounced straight into Sendo's glove, a few meters away from the landing spot.
Before the ball even reached his glove, Sendo was already preparing for the throw—a textbook crow-hop, a technique frequently used by MLB outfielders for strong and accurate throws.
The third-base coach tried to stop the runner, but it was already too late.
"Whoosh!"
"Thud!"
"???"
Just as the runner was about to reach home plate, a white streak flashed before his eyes—the ball had already arrived at home.
His face was full of confusion.
"OUT!!!"
The umpire's fist went up—the third-base runner was out!
"YOSSHAAAA!!!" ×N
The first ones to react were the cheering squad, who had witnessed Sendo's incredible play from a perfect vantage point.
"YOSSHAAA!!" Even Ota, who had just been arguing with Coach Kataoka about moving Sendo back to his position, had completely forgotten his earlier complaints.
After securing the out, Miyuki instinctively locked eyes with the runner who had just reached second base, keeping him in check and preventing him from making any reckless moves.
Miyuki would never make such a basic mistake—this was already second nature to him.
"You okay, Ryou-san? You're sweating like crazy. Did you get hurt in that collision?" Sendo wasn't in the mood to joke around.
"I'm fine!"
"Even if I told you to stop now, you wouldn't listen, would you?"
"I trust your body, Ryou-san. You know it best yourself."
"I won't stop you, but Ryou-san, people need to make their own judgments and take responsibility for their actions. Don't let yourself regret it."
Sendo gave Ryousuke a deep look but didn't say anything more. He took off his cap, tidied his hair, and returned to his normal defensive position.
"What a reliable junior… To judge for yourself, take responsibility, and not have regrets, huh?"
Ryousuke discreetly wiped the sweat from his face, acting as if nothing had happened.
With Sendo's play, the situation changed from no outs with runners on first and third to one out with runners on first and second!
"At least look a little happy, damn it!" The substitutes in the stands were dissatisfied with Sendo's calm and collected expression, as if everything was under his control.
"Nice play, bastard! Take them down one by one!" Jun-san from left field cursed loudly.
"One out!"
"One out!"
"One out! ×N!"
With the crisis at third base defused, the crowd's excitement was at its peak.
"Looking at the result, Sendo's judgment was correct." Chris maintained his usual gentle tone.
Chris had really become much softer after letting go of his past burdens.
"That guy has his own way of thinking." Even Coach Kataoka, who rarely changed his stern expression, showed a smile.
Both of them looked at the number eight jersey's back, sharing a moment of satisfaction.
The problem child who had no interest in baseball when he first joined had finally grown.
Of course, he was still a problem child, but if Kataoka could have a full team of this kind of problem child, he was confident he could crush any opponent.
"Why was the center fielder positioned there? Did he predict we would go for it? And did he anticipate that we wouldn't be able to hit a long ball?"
Coach Ugai stared deeply at the field, analyzing the possibilities he could think of.
"Even though they didn't give up a run, after that walk put them in a tough spot, the batter still managed to send one past the infield. Sawamura's weaknesses have all been exposed."
Back in the game, Chris calmly analyzed Sawamura's issues.
More than that, the fact that the ball passed through the infield without being stopped had also shaken Sawamura.
The tension hadn't disappeared despite Sendou's defensive play.
"That coach is a master of small-ball tactics. He's definitely going to keep pressuring him. And with only one out, there are still plenty of annoying plays they can use."
Sendo glanced at the infield battery and then at Maki in the on-deck circle, analyzing the situation.
"That guy Maki is up this inning too. With his build, even if he doesn't make perfect contact, stopping him will be difficult."
Coach Ugai wasn't giving up either. "Even if we didn't score just now, it's not like we don't have a chance. Keep disrupting the pitcher."
"A bunt? Or…?"
Miyuki saw the batter take a bunting stance and quickly checked the runners on first and second.
It was a hit-and-run play last time that put them in trouble.
"Yeah, we've only got one option from the start—throw it with everything we've got!"
Miyuki opened his glove.
"Clang!"
"Sawamura, throw to first!"
In the end, Sensen still advanced their runners.
At the very least, this prevented an easy force-out.
They were executing their strategy perfectly, gradually increasing the pressure on the pitcher.
Now with two outs and runners on second and third, the pressure on Sawamura was immense.
Just looking at Maki's physique was intimidating. A tall, powerful hitter with a wide strike zone.
That also meant they couldn't keep the ball too low, and on top of that, he was the natural counter to Sawamura's quirky pitches—he was a power hitter using a metal bat.
"Clack!" The sharp sound of cleats hitting the hard ground echoed.
Furuya stepped out of the bullpen.
Sawamura's cat-like eyes immediately locked onto him.
"Hey, you're supposed to be resting today! Get back to the bench and sit down!"
Furuya ignored him completely.
With that single shout, the tense atmosphere lightened significantly.
Coach Kataoka noticed this as well, his eyes subtly shifting toward third base—specifically, at Pudding-senpai's head.
Then, he sent Haruichi to relay a message.
"Maki! Swing at the first pitch!"
"Crush that pitcher in one go!"
The moment Haruichi stepped onto the field, Sendo lost his composure. Wait… isn't this the legendary comedy theater moment?
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Sendo bolted toward the infield at an absurd speed.
Even Coach Kataoka felt like commenting—If only you put this kind of energy into practice instead of gossip… Have you ever heard of Matsuzaka Daisuke's insane work ethic that led to back-to-back Spring and Summer Koshien victories?
His talent far surpassed Matsuzaka's, but his laziness was just as extraordinary. Not exactly lazy, but way too carefree.
"Yahaha! What the heck is that?!"
Just as Sendo arrived at the infield, the real show began.
"Uga?" Pudding-senpai's face was full of disbelief.
"Wait… what's with this instruction? Why isn't it for me but for Masuko-senpai?" Sawamura still hadn't grasped the situation.
"Basically, as long as Masuko-senpai takes off his cap, all the tension disappears. That's what Coach said." Haruichi explained.
"Ugh! Hm!"
Masuko-senpai's face turned bright red, his hand gripping his cap as if he was ready to remove it at any second—a true act of self-sacrifice for the team.
"It is pretty distracting, huh?" Kuramochi said, stroking his chin seriously.
"How about just drawing a cap on his head?"
Right after Kuramochi's comment, Onii-san, who was watching with an oddly gentle smile, also chimed in—though his suggestion was… questionable.
"You two are way too cruel!" Kuramochi laughed so hard that tears came out.
Sendo, keeping a low profile, wore a mild (but barely contained) smile, pretending to be just a curious spectator.
In reality, he was fully prepared to intervene at any moment.
"Well, if Coach isn't saying anything, that means this isn't a major crisis, right?" Kuramochi said, wiping away his laughter.
"It's still only the middle innings."
"If we give up a run, we'll just take it back!"
Sawamura was finally back to normal, though he still looked somewhat confused about the whole situation.
"So, are you planning to get crushed and subbed out, or will you fight through this and keep pitching next inning?"
Miyuki, instead of easing the tension, chose to put even more pressure on Sawamura.
Kuramochi muttered a small complaint under his breath.
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