Chapter 239: Advancing to the Finals
"One more pitch! A fastball down the middle!"
Whoosh!
"No way I'm letting the game end like this!"
Ping!
"Yahaha!"
Pop!
Kuramochi caught the ball and dashed to second base, using the base as leverage to jump and throw!
Pop!
…
Tears streamed down Maki's face. In that moment, he couldn't hear a single sound.
All he could see was Sawamura on the pitcher's mound, raising his left fist and shouting something.
The Seidou cheering section erupted, with substitutes hugging each other. Seidou's dugout was a chorus of shouts and cries, and Tanba and the others had already stormed the field.
In their own dugout, the coach kept his head down, adjusting his cap's brim. The other players were crying just like Maki.
…
"Yossha!!!" In that instant, Sawamura only shouted those words before Miyuki and the others rushed up and surrounded him.
"Game over!"
As Tanba and the others charged onto the field, the announcer gave the final summary.
"From the third-year Tanba to the first-year Sawamura, what a flawless pitcher relay! The game ends in the seventh inning, a legitimate contest!!! After three years, Seidou High advances to the finals!!! What kind of games will Seidou's powerhouse lineup deliver next?!"
Sendo jumped onto Sawamura's back with lightning speed.
The Seidou players started celebrating wildly.
While Seidou reveled in their victory and tears of joy flowed from Sensen's players in defeat, the spectators and scouts from other teams were left utterly stunned.
From the moment Seidou's lineup took the field, they all became statues.
A team that had been a constant semifinal contender in the summer qualifiers lost the game in just seven innings…
Everyone knew Seidou's lineup was strong, but their previous opponents—aside from Yakushi—weren't particularly tough. It wasn't until today that they realized just how extraordinary this lineup truly was.
Standing next to Coach Kunitomo, the two players who had earlier informed Harada of the game's developments finally reacted and ran out of the stadium.
"Yassan!…"
"Eh? What's going on at the stadium? Why such a big cheer all of a sudden?" Narumiya Mei asked before they could even speak.
"Because the game's over!"
"Over?"
"Yeah! The game ended early in the seventh inning by mercy rule!"
"No way?"
"Yes! In the top of the seventh, starting from the second batter, Seidou's lineup exploded, scoring five runs. In the bottom half, they successfully maintained the lead, surpassing the seven-run difference by three runs and ending the game early!" Even as he recounted the result, the player couldn't help showing a look of disbelief.
Hearing the outcome, Inashiro Industrial's starting lineup was equally shocked.
"Alright! What we should focus on now is the opponent in front of us. Let's prepare well!"
Back on the field!
The Sensen players supported one another as they prepared to leave the field. Even the "giant" Maki couldn't walk on his own.
"…"
"What a formidable wall this year's semifinals turned out to be!"
"It wasn't just the third-years—both the second- and first-years showed their strength."
"Our players fought with everything they had until the very end, but I couldn't instill confidence in them—the most important thing of all!"
"I was too focused on our opponents, and I'm no different!"
"I still have a long way to go!"
"That said, this year's Seidou and Inashiro Industrial…
They're just too strong!" After exchanging bows with Coach Kataoka, Coach Ugai couldn't help but shift his gaze to Sendo.
"And that man… When Seidou steps onto the national stage, whether it's this year or in the future… He'll surely become the epicenter of Japanese baseball!"
During the lineup exchange, Sawamura continued his role as the lineup inspector.
"Straighten up! Get in line!"
"Shut up!"
"Line up properly!"
"I said shut up!"
"Kuramochi-senpai, your side is a little off!" Even after being yelled at twice, Sawamura completely ignored it.
In his eyes, the honor of the lineup inspector was above everything else!!!
"Bow!"
"Thank you for the game!"
...
"It really was an awe-inspiring offensive display!"
"In the spring, their slugfest against Ichidaisan High showed their top-tier national-level lineup.
But now in the summer, with Sendo-kun's remarkable growth, Seidou's lineup can arguably be called the best in the country."
"Exactly! You've got Tetsuya Yuuki and Akira Sendo. Among teams nationwide, there are only a few hitters on par with them—like Harada from Inashiro and that standout from Seihou. But having two hitters of this caliber on the same team? No one but Seidou can claim that!"
"Plus, Seidou's pitching staff, bolstered by first-year talent, may lack an undeniable ace, but it's nearly impossible for opponents to break through the entire rotation easily. And if Seidou's lineup finds an opening, they might just knock you out in one go!
Take today's game against Sensen, for example. They barely reached the final innings before Seidou's lineup erupted, leaving Sensen with no time to react. The game ended early."
"It's like the ultimate blade—beating a team like this requires not only shutting down their lineup as much as possible, but also scoring quickly against their pitchers. Otherwise, you risk being taken out in an instant!"
"I'm so excited for the finals!
That ultimate blade could turn the game into a unique slugfest."
"The final is going to be amazing! Unless something unexpected happens, it's going to be Inashiro Industrial versus Seidou!"
"Yeah! Even though I haven't seen Sakurazawa's matches, without scoring runs, they can't win."
"Imagine: Kanto's best left-handed pitcher going up against the nation's top two hitters! Just thinking about it is thrilling!"
"Exactly! Especially the Yuuki-Sendo four-five combination—whether they can crack the ironclad defense centered around Narumiya Mei, and how many hits or runs they'll rack up—it's all so exciting to think about!"
Reporters in the press box were caught up in a heated discussion.
This game left them with so much to process.
As seasoned professionals, they're too realistic to believe Narumiya Mei could completely shut down Seidou's lineup. They also know Seidou's lineup won't completely blow away Narumiya Mei. After all, in pitching-batting showdowns, the pitcher usually has the upper hand.
That's why even elite hitters with a .300 average against top pitchers often get walked.
For a batter, getting just one hit in a game against an ace pitcher is considered a victory.
Many experts have already shifted their attention past the semifinals and are eagerly anticipating the finals.
The odds of Sakurazawa pulling an upset are slim; whether it's Narumiya Mei or Inashiro's third-year relievers, the pitching is still solid.
It's not like the one-game-per-day schedule at Koshien—Inashiro's pitchers have been able to maintain their stamina.
Of course, maintaining the pitchers' stamina has led to Coach Kunitomo clashing with Narumiya Mei more than once.
...
"Nice game!!!"
"Coach Kataoka!"
"You guys are the best!"
"Be sure to make it to Koshien!"
"Jun-san!"
"Sendo!"
"Masuko!"
"Miyuki!"
Returning to their dugout, Seidou's players were greeted with raucous cheers.
Even though some nicknames mixed in would have upset certain individuals, it seemed they either didn't hear or were too happy to care today.
"Although it was a bit tight, Sawamura still managed a shutout," Coach Chris summarized from the coaching staff.
"And according to the plan, we gave Furuya a break this game. Kawakami didn't have a chance to play either, so he'll have more energy for the finals! I'm looking forward to his performance," Manager Ota added.
"Yeah! At last, the entire team's strength has come together!" Coach Kataoka seemed just as pleased. From his perspective, the team was now in peak condition to take on the finals.
Meanwhile, Sawamura, who had gotten a bit carried away during the lineup exchange, was now being dealt with by the middle infield duo. A karate chop and a flying kick quickly brought the excitement down a notch.
With Seidou's game ending early and the overall match progressing smoothly—no prolonged pauses, no extended slugfests—everything wrapped up in just over an hour.
This meant Seidou had plenty of downtime. Their next opponent, Inashiro, wouldn't be playing until 1:00 PM, giving them about two hours.
Even so, with Seidou needing to find seats in the stands and have a quick meal, their actual free time was relatively short.
In the past, Inashiro and Seidou's intense showdown only took about two hours.
Back then, a full nine innings against Sensen didn't leave Sawamura much time to chat with his teammates, partly due to packing up and being seen off by fans.
But this time, as Seidou exited the field, the scene was even more spectacular—almost as if the entire stadium had switched allegiances. The impact of Sendo's extraordinary summer performances was undeniable.
At the start of the summer tournament, Sendo's abilities were significantly behind Yuuki's, but their opponents were also weaker. While Yuuki's performance was steady, he didn't hit many home runs.
In contrast, Sendo hit five home runs in five games. The difference was staggering.
As soon as he stepped off the field, Sendo found himself surrounded, mostly by women.
While Japanese men typically don't pamper women the same way as in some other countries, when a group of girls surged forward, there wasn't much they could do to hold them back.
Before long, over a dozen girls were asking Sendo for photos.
Sendo agreed readily, posing without fuss.
The Japanese habit of avoiding trouble worked in everyone's favor: the girls willingly grouped together for the photos, so only a few shots were needed.
And that was it.
Even though there were more female fans, the rest of the group, seeing how much time had already passed, graciously stepped aside to let him go.
If this had been back home, he might have been mobbed for hours.
It's worth noting this game took place at Meiji Jingu Stadium, which has a capacity of 39,733 seats—twice the size of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers' arena.
For a summer qualifier semifinal, the venue was practically full. Not just the seats, but even the standing areas were packed.
Who knows how many people were actually in the stadium. If not for the considerate, understanding fans, no one would have made it out alive…
Outside the stadium, most of the team had returned to their bus to rest.
Sendo, Sawamura, Fumino, and a few others, however, stayed behind to chat.
"Hey Ei-chan! Your stance changed, didn't it?" The cheerful Ohno was the first to speak.
"Don't think I haven't improved!" Sawamura replied, his expression radiating pride.
"So, have you learned a breaking ball?" This time it was Kondou, the best hitter among them, who asked. Naturally, he was curious.
"Hmph! It's not that easy for one person to change so much!" Sawamura said with a wise tone, his eyes sparkling.
Thwap!
"What about your face?" Sendo interrupted with a swift kick.
"What the heck, Sendo? You haven't hit me in so long!…"
There was a tinge of sadness in Sawamura's voice.
However, Sendo couldn't help but find it funny—it reminded him of something from his past life: "My mom hasn't hit me in three days!"
And then he'd go and cause some trouble, just to get scolded and smacked by her, leaving him oddly refreshed afterward.
"Sen-chan! Today's game was amazing! Especially when tens of thousands of people were chanting your name. I felt so excited I almost passed out. It really felt like you're the center of attention wherever you go!" Akio said to Sendo.
"Really? Well, you guys better work hard! Maybe one day we'll face each other at Koshien."
"No way! (It's impossible!)"
"You need to bring more spirit! By the way, Akio, didn't you just lose some weight in junior high?
Now you're back to where you started. People might start calling you a chubby pig!" Sendo teased, giving the boy's belly a playful poke.
He was referring to an incident back in junior high, during their semifinal game against Tokugawa.
Akio, who had recently slimmed down, surprised their opponent with his quick movements. During a postgame chat, when the other team learned he'd lost weight, they joked that their scouting report was incomplete.
But Akio misheard the Japanese pronunciation and thought they were calling him "chubby pig."
"Haha!" Akio laughed awkwardly, trying to brush it off. Sendo didn't push him any further.
...
"His junior high friends came all this way to watch the game!" the short-haired beauty Yui Natsukawa said to her senior, Takako.
"Oh?"
"Sendo doesn't need any introduction—he's already so popular! That kid! By the way, is that the 'girlfriend' everyone's been talking about? She's so cute!" Sachiko chimed in.
"Girlfriend!" Haruno whispered to herself, looking at the group.
"She's really cute! If it weren't for Takashima-sensei, I bet Sendo and Sawamura would still be hanging out with them!" Yui continued.
"Still, it's better that they joined Seidou!" Takako joked along.
Clunk! Kuramochi, as before, froze in shock, staring at Wakana.
"What's wrong?" Jun asked curiously, noticing Kuramochi's reaction.
"Wa…Wakana?!!!" Kuramochi muttered as his eyes moved from her face to her chest, then to her feet, and back to her face again, his anger visibly rising.
"She's the one who's been texting Sawamura, right? Wakana?!!!"
(Though you're the one who answered those texts in the first place…)
"Ba…Baka!" Kuramochi shouted, consumed by jealousy.
He couldn't bring himself to be jealous of Sendo. After all, while Fumino might lack in certain areas—her chest size barely reaching an A—everything else about her was utterly perfect. She was the kind of beauty who seemed almost untouchable, like a goddess.
But Sendo himself was just as remarkable.
Even though his love life seemed stuck in perpetual bachelorhood, he had a gentle, calm, and bright personality, a perfect physique, good looks, and a commanding presence that made it hard for anyone to feel envious.
Still… what on earth did Sawamura do to deserve this?
All these "handsome" seniors who trained relentlessly every day were still single.
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