Chapter 342: Strategy Meetings on Both Sides
"When I found out we'd be facing Kiryu in the quarterfinals, I couldn't help but think—what you said back then really came true, Tate-san," Sendo sent in a LINE message to Tate Hiromi.
"Ah, perfect. No regrets this time. Let's go all out. In that practice game, you hit two home runs off me, remember? I'm getting my revenge!"
Though introverted by nature, Tate chatted quite a bit with Sendo. It showed just how quickly their relationship had grown over the past few months.
"By the way, our captain and you don't exactly have great luck, huh? After Kiryu, we might face Seiho… and then Komadai in the final," Sendo continued, half complaining.
"Komadai? The team with four pitchers like you guys?
Yeah… their lineup isn't overwhelming, but their pitching depth is troublesome—just like Seidou's. Especially in the final, if they're well-rested."
After exchanging a few more casual messages, they both logged off.
"…Guess it's about time we forget that practice game," Sendo sighed.
Back then, Seidou had scored 13 runs off Tate—but that had more to do with Kiryu not being familiar with Seidou's lineup, while Seidou had thoroughly studied Kiryu.
Kiryu, after all, was the Osaka representative. Their players had already been analyzed by powerhouse schools nationwide during Spring Koshien.
That practice game could only serve as limited reference.
.....
After returning from the vending machine fiasco and taking a short break, it was time for the strategy meeting.
It was already late, but the reason was simple.
The field they used was borrowed, and summer daylight lasted long. Naturally, they maximized practice time while it was still bright.
The meeting had to wait until after returning from the field, eating dinner, and resting.
Thus the vending machine chaos had occurred.
At 9 PM, Seidou's players gathered in the hotel's conference hall.
The video footage was ready.
Chris-senpai opened his notebook and began organizing his thoughts.
"Tomorrow's opponent is last summer's runner-up.
They underperformed in Spring Koshien, but every player's ability was fully displayed—especially their powerful lineup. Their overall batting strength surpasses Inashiro's. The average back muscle strength of their members exceeds 180 kilograms. It's a balanced lineup filled with heavyweight hitters.
If they connect, it's almost always extra-base hits.
Unlike Inashiro, they don't have weak long-ball hitters scattered through the order. Even their lower lineup—while not as flashy—has a batting average comparable to ours. Their 3rd to 5th batters are elite. On par with Inashiro. That practice game didn't fully reveal their offensive power. Do not underestimate them. Be prepared to give up runs tomorrow.
Pitchers—memorize each batter's data carefully."
Chris tapped his pen lightly against the table.
The pitchers nodded simultaneously.
Tanba and Kawakami looked especially serious.
The two first-year pitchers sat obediently.
For reference:
Seidou's lower lineup included hitters like Shirasu and Miyuki.
For Kiryu's lower lineup to match that? Terrifying.
And unlike Yokohama's "balanced" lineup, Kiryu's was balanced in true powerhouse fashion.
"Now, about their pitcher. As expected—it's this man.
Tate Hiromi. Kiryu's absolute core on both offense and defense. Ace and cleanup. Average velocity above 140 km/h, topping out at 145 km/h. Heavy fastball. High-precision four-corner control. Do not expect hittable pitches in short stretches. He also has a slider that can break from high inside to low outside against right-handers, and a curveball that disrupts timing. Most importantly—His velocity doesn't drop with fatigue.If anything, his pitches gain power as the game goes on. We observed that in the practice match. Because of his powerful fastball, hitters are more prone to swinging at his breaking balls. Be especially careful. Honestly, it was fortunate we had that practice game. Yes, we scored heavily—but that was because they weren't familiar with us and had no targeted strategy. And Sendo's two home runs played a major role. Even those came from sitting on relatively hittable pitches and capitalizing on their complacency. Tomorrow will be different. They will prepare specifically for each of our batters.
So I believe tomorrow's game won't just test our pitchers—Our lineup's performance will be equally critical. If we give up runs, we must win them back.
If we don't score, we cannot win. Playing our style of baseball will be key. This will be a brutal battle of both offense and defense."
The room fell into heavy silence.
Everyone understood the weight of it.
"Tomorrow will be a brutal fight!" Coach Kataoka declared.
He didn't give them much time to overthink.
They had prepared everything possible.
Now it came down to execution.
"But— You are the ones who defeated Narumiya Mei and Inashiro. Kiryu is strong. But because Narumiya exists, their overall strength is still below Inashiro's.
We have done all the preparation necessary. No matter what happens—Never forget offense. Relentless, aggressive pressure is Seidou baseball.
Believe in your baseball. And stand tall as you face tomorrow!"
"Yes, sir!!!"
The seniors exchanged confident smiles before shouting in unison.
"Tomorrow's starter is Tanba. As the ace, lead the team."
"Yes, sir!!!"
Against their strongest Koshien opponent yet, Seidou would send their ace.
"Furuya, you won't play the outfield tomorrow. Focus entirely on pitching. Kawakami. Sawamura. Stay ready in the bullpen at all times."
"Yes, sir!!!"
"It's a battle for everyone. Rest early tonight. If you truly want to conquer the nation—Win."
"OOOHHHH!!!"
The Seidou side roared, fired up by Kataoka's words.
The quarterfinal war against Kiryu was about to begin.
....
"This was the West Tokyo Qualifier Final! After just a few months apart, Seidou has evolved tremendously on both pitching and batting. I don't know why Tanba made such elementary mistakes back then—but once they reached Koshien, he adjusted completely. And after that game, they evolved a second time."
Kiryu's Coach Matsumoto gathered his team and replayed Seidou vs. Inashiro almost from beginning to end.
Though many sections were fast-forwarded, key moments were analyzed in detail.
This method would leave a deep impression of the opponent in the players' minds.
.....
"Pay special attention to these first-years: Furuya Satoru. Sawamura Eijun. And Sendo Akira. Without their performances, Seidou might have been stopped before the final. Inashiro would be the ones standing at Koshien right now. Furuya's high-velocity fastball needs no explanation. During our practice match, they were in training camp. His speed had dropped due to fatigue, and because he didn't want to get hit hard by us, his control suffered. That's why we scored so many runs. As for Sawamura Eijun—his rate of evolution surpasses even Furuya's. You could say his explosion of growth ended Inashiro's final charge.
Compared to the practice game where he threw almost everything down the middle, his control now is like a completely different person. He can command the high inside corner and even added a nasty cutter.
The low outside pitch he threw at the end? Probably something he managed because he was in peak form. But he only pitched three innings at Koshien.
Stay alert."
"Yes, sir!!!"
"And the real problem… is this man."
The projector froze on a still image of Sendo rounding the bases after his final home run.
Coach Matsumoto's expression grew solemn.
He truly hadn't expected such drastic growth from those first-years.
More surprising was that Coach Kataoka had given those two rookie pitchers so many opportunities.
Of course, Matsumoto couldn't have foreseen Tanba's cracked bone injury shortly after their practice match—an accident that accelerated the growth of those young pitchers.
Sendo's development, on the other hand, had been within expectations—just not to this extent.
During the practice game, Sendo wasn't quite ready to be the centerpiece of a lineup yet.
But as the defensive anchor in center field? Already national top-tier.
And with that much playing time, rapid growth was inevitable.
He'd seen it before.
Last year, didn't Seiho and Inashiro each have a monster rookie?
Kiryu had such talents too.
....
"Based on that home run performance, Baseball Kingdom's evaluation was absolutely correct. He is the number one batter in Japan. There is no second candidate. Even Sano Shuzou isn't fit to carry his shoes."
The room stirred slightly.
"That level he showed… was probably a peak-state performance. The first two at-bats that day were closer to his actual level at the time. But judging from Seidou's first two Koshien games—compared to his early at-bats against Inashiro—Sendo has made another leap. Now he's not just Japan's best without debate— He's one of the absolute top-tier hitters.
And with Yuki placed behind him, his breakthrough power and destructive capability have become terrifying. We haven't seen his baserunning speed at Koshien yet. But you all know exactly how fast he is.
For him, 28 meters between bases is absolutely under three seconds. Even Shirasu or Hakuryu's fastest runner needs over three seconds. And they take large leads. Sendo doesn't even take big leads.
That's what makes it outrageous."
The Kiryu players vividly remembered that practice game.
Sendo's completely amateur-level bunt had still become an infield hit purely through speed.
And then the consecutive steals.
That day, their mentality regarding his speed had nearly collapsed.
He was the kind of runner who made you want to shout "That's illegal!" just by standing on base.
And compared to that day, his bunt against Inashiro—even if rough—was noticeably improved.
Other fast players like Kuramochi?
You just don't let them get on base.
But stopping Sendō from reaching base entirely?
They didn't dare dream of it.
And with Yuki behind him?
The sheer destructive potential was scalp-numbing.
"Under no circumstances allow traffic to build before Sendo. With the bases empty—or only a runner on first—you may attempt to challenge him. But absolutely do not allow a home run. Power hitters who pursue extra-base hits are terrifying—But compared to hitters of similar caliber who focus on batting average, they're slightly easier to deal with.
If runners are on base? Avoid Yuki. Settle it with the batters behind him. Tate—you can do it, right?"
Coach Matsumoto smiled at Tate Hiromi.
Just as everyone knew—
He was gentle only during games.
Hearing those words, that skull-like grin—the one that hooked Sendo and terrified Miyuki—returned to Tate's face.
The answer needed no words.
Even in his previous life, Tate had been a high draft pick.
His pitching talent had attracted professional teams.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been mentioned alongside Sano Shuzou and Harada.
One was a monster batter.
The other, a premium catcher every team coveted.
(Professional catchers are sometimes replaced more frequently than pitchers. Even slight mishandling can injure the fragile nerves of the fingers. The human hand—especially the fingers—is incredibly sensitive. "Ten fingers connected to the heart," as the saying goes.)
.....
"Have you all memorized the rest of their data?" Matsumoto asked.
"Yes, sir!!!"
"Our luck isn't great. The bracket is brutal. But if we win the championship under these conditions—
The gold content of that title will be unmatched.
It will be something you carry proudly for life.
Furuya. Sawamura. Sendo. They will become extraordinary players. Beating them—even at their rookie stage— Will be something to brag about forever. Especially this man—Sendo Akira. If he doesn't suffer a major injury, He will become someone who shakes the world. Imagine looking back years from now and saying: 'I beat that man.'
Feels good, doesn't it? So…Win."
"OOOHHH!!!"
And just like Seidou—
Kiryu's players were fired up, roaring under Coach Matsumoto's guidance.
The quarterfinal clash was inevitable.
Two powerhouses.
Two evolutions.
Only one would advance.
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