Chapter 345: The Defensive Shift Broken Instantly
"Whoosh!"
"Ping!"
Foul!
After getting the first out with the opening pitch, Tate decisively went for a low outside pitch next.
"Whoosh!"
"Ping!"
"Another fastball?"
"Smack!"
Out!
Inside—outside—inside.
There was no complicated strategy at all.
Just the most basic fastballs with the simplest corner combinations, yet they forcefully suppressed Ryousuke.
....
Third batter: Left fielder, Isashiki-kun!
"Hit it, Jun-san!!"
As Isashiki walked toward the batter's box, Sendo also stood up from the bench and headed to the on-deck circle.
"Tetsu-san! What pitch today?" Sendo suddenly asked while looking back.
"Fastball, probably! First priority is getting a run. If I hit a double, I can bring you home."
"OK."
Sendo gave an OK sign and walked off.
What he didn't know was that Coach Matsumoto had been watching the two of them the whole time. Seeing Sendo's gesture, the coach frowned slightly.
.....
"Smack!"
Strike!
Batter out!
Isashiki had mistaken the slider for an inside fastball and swung right through it.
"Well… whatever."
Sendo muttered in the on-deck circle while admiring Tate's sinister grin before returning to the bench.
....
"And that concludes the offense and defense of the first inning! Thanks to the performances of both aces, neither side has scored. However, the situation could change at any moment. In the second inning, both teams will begin their batting order with their cleanup hitters!"
....
Top of the 2nd — Kiryu High's offense
Cleanup batter: Pitcher, Tate-kun!
"Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!"
Tate Hiromi walked into the batter's box, making three different nasal sounds.
"Crush him, Tanba!"
"Pitch carefully!"
"The bases are empty—don't be afraid of contact!"
"Keep your attacking mindset!"
"You can let him hit it!"
....
The enthusiastic cheers filled Tanba with energy.
I'm not the same as I was in spring…
He remembered the slugfest against Ichidai Sankou during the spring tournament.
His performance back then now felt embarrassing.
I'm not the same anymore!!!
....
"Fushi!"
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
Strike!
We… will win!
"Smack!"
Strike!
We will win!
"Smack!"
Strike! Batter out!
"The final pitch—a low outside fastball!
The batter swings and misses for the strikeout!"
.....
"Ping!"
"Ku! Ku! Ku! Ku!"
"Ahhh!"
"Ohhh!"
"Smack!"
Out!!!
"YOSHA!!!"
Three outs! Change sides!
"That final ball was hit to the outfield and should have been a hit! But Seidou's center fielder Sendo-kun made a perfect play, drawing gasps from the entire stadium! Seidou ends the inning with no runs allowed!"
.....
"Thanks, Sendo!"
As Tanba ran back, he extended his glove.
"Don't worry about it. That's my job. Just pitch with confidence, Tanba-san. I've got center field covered—so let them hit all they want!"
Sendo bumped gloves with him.
.....
"Alright!!! Now it's our turn! Go, Sendo! Hit it out there!
Make things easier for Tanba-san!" Sawamura shouted while pointing at the field.
For some reason, Sendo felt like Sawamura was treating him like a pet wolf dog, tossing a frisbee and expecting him to fetch it.
So—
"What are you doing, Sendo?! Let go! I'm going to die!"
Sendo locked him in a one-arm chokehold.
"Just stay still for once."
Now Sawamura had no choice but to behave.
.....
"Isn't that better?" Isashiki laughed as he looked at the now-silent Sawamura.
"Hahaha!"
Everyone else burst into laughter.
It almost didn't feel like they were in the middle of a game.
There was only one reason for that:
They had absolute faith in their cleanup duo.
Even Yuuki smiled slightly before stepping onto the field.
....
Bottom of the 2nd — Seidou High's offense
Cleanup batter: Center fielder, Sendo-kun!
"Cleanup hitter! Center fielder! Sendo-kun!"
"Here he comes! Seidou High's first-year cleanup hitter! Just moments ago, Seidou's ace completely shut down Kiryu's lineup led by their cleanup hitter.
Now the question is—Can Seidou's cleanup hitter answer back? And can Tachi-kun, who just struck out earlier, suppress Seidou's powerful batting lineup? We must admit—Seidou's batting lineup appears even more terrifying than Kiryu's!"
The commentator couldn't help but marvel.
"That's right. While a few hitters lack power, the explosive strength of their cleanup lineup is currently the best in the nation. And the root of it lies in the presence of Sendo, the cleanup hitter, and Yuuki batting fifth!"
....
"Huh? Kiryu's third baseman has moved slightly forward. The shortstop has shifted slightly toward third base, but the outfielders haven't moved. What's the reason for that?"
The guest commentator sounded puzzled.
Sendo narrowed his eyes and glanced toward Kiryu's bench.
....
Even though he's a powerful hitter, his technique is still rough.
He can't control his hitting direction like the second or fifth batter.
Not even broadly toward left, center, or right.
To guard against the safety bunt, this is the best positioning we can do.
Let's hope our luck isn't too bad.
Coach Matsumoto sat on the bench smiling like a Buddha, watching Sendō carefully as he thought this.
A year or two from now… we won't know what to do about him.
He added silently.
.....
What a troublesome old man.
No wonder he built Kiryu into a powerhouse.
Sendo complained inwardly.
No one would normally expect someone to notice and counter such a tiny detail.
It showed just how terrifying Coach Matsumoto was.
But no matter how much preparation they made—
if they didn't intend to walk him,
the battle would ultimately be decided head-on.
Fortunately, Tate Hiromi was worthy of being Sendo's opponent.
Even though a right-handed pitcher was slightly disadvantaged against a left-handed batter.
.....
Finally, the day has come, Sendo.
I've been remembering those two home runs you hit in the practice game.
Let's settle the score on this grand stage.
This is the best stage possible, isn't it?
Tate's grin grew even more sinister.
"That's terrifying…" Miyuki whispered.
Even Kiryu's own teammates were starting to feel uneasy about that smile.
Only Sendo found it even more addictive.
....
But then—
Sendo slightly raised his chin.
Under sharp brows, his narrowed phoenix eyes sent a chill down Kiryu's catcher's spine.
It felt as if the hair on his entire body stood on end.
In reality, Sendo had only assumed his batting stance:
Left foot touching the back line of the batter's box
Hips naturally open
Right forefoot touching the ground without applying force
This extremely relaxed stance—
which didn't even look like he was aiming for a long hit—
still made all nine Kiryu players feel like they were facing a great enemy.
Because even from that stance,
this monster could unleash 100% of his power and send the ball flying out of the stadium.
.....
"Hey, Tachi! Don't challenge him too easily! Throw one outside first and see what kind of condition he's in today!"
Seeing his partner's sign, Tate nodded calmly.
Because he wanted revenge, he respected Sendo more than anyone.
If Sendo happened to be in the same godlike condition as during the regional finals—
then he'd be unstoppable.
....
Come on.
Tate stepped forward decisively.
"Pah!"
"Whoosh!"
"Pah!"
With one stride forward, Sendo used his reaction speed.
Almost the moment Tate released the ball, he had already judged its trajectory.
Outside pitch?
After all the practice, Sendo's body reacted faster than his thoughts.
"Ping!"
"Whoosh!"
"Pah!"
The ball shot forward at incredible speed, tracing a low arc as it slipped past the slightly advanced third baseman and landed between the third baseman and the left fielder.
"Foul!"
By the time the third baseman turned his head and the left fielder had only taken two steps forward, the umpire had already made the call.
"So close! Just a few dozen centimeters and it would've been fair!"
The ball had struck about half a meter behind the base and only a few centimeters outside the foul line before bouncing off and hitting the wall.
But for outfield hits, what matters is where the ball lands first—fair or foul.
If that had landed inside the line, it would have been a long hit.
....
Not a pity at all.
That ball was never going to land fair.
The bat got suppressed slightly by the pitch's power.
Sendo muttered inwardly as he listened to Seidou's cheering section lament.
Of course, he would never say it out loud—there was no reason to give the opponent such valuable information.
If his swing hadn't been slightly overpowered, the ball he hit wouldn't have flown so low and so close.
Afterward, Sendo loosened his grip on the bat, repeatedly clenching and relaxing his hands as he warmed them up.
Combined with the relaxed expression on his face, Kiryu's players definitely didn't think the monster in front of them had been overpowered by the pitch.
His condition… seems very good?
Kiryu's catcher muttered to himself as he watched Sendo.
No… it's the same as always.
Tate Hiromi made the accurate judgment internally, almost as if he had heard his partner's thoughts.
His grin deepened.
Because if Sendō was in his usual condition, that meant they could truly settle the score.
Coach Nakanishi had once said:
The purer your heart is, the easier it is to enter the Zone.
Tate felt like he was getting close to that state.
The crowd's noise seemed to fade away.
Of course, he didn't understand exactly what was happening.
He only knew that his condition was perfect.
.....
"What should we do, Coach?"
The catcher glanced toward the bench.
The landing spot of that foul ball had been exactly one of the weak points in their defensive alignment.
"It's fine."
Coach Matsumoto signaled that there would be no change in positioning.
Even if we restored the original formation, we still couldn't react to that speed.
There are ways to deal with it, but…
Who would be stupid enough to move the outfielders forward against Sendō?
That last ball was just lucky.
Though even as he thought this, it sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
....
Sendo looked once more at Kiryu's defensive alignment.
Aside from the third baseman and shortstop shifting, everyone else remained in standard positions.
That meant the second baseman and shortstop were responsible for the gap between first and third, but they also had to cover the boundary between the infield and outfield.
Because of that, their positioning was slightly deeper than the first and third basemen.
....
Tate-san…
This game is about getting back to home plate.
So I'll just try to mess up your deployment a little.
The two sides were about to clash for the second time.
More than 50,000 spectators in the stadium stared intently at the showdown.
Baseball games could sometimes feel long and dull—
but power hitter vs. power pitcher was the exception.
....
"No need for a strike!"
The catcher emphasized through his signs.
.....
"Whoosh!"
Inside pitch.
Sendo read the pitch the moment it left Tate's hand.
Then—
"Bunt!!!"
Kiryu's side suddenly shouted in alarm.
.....
"Ping!"
"The contact was a bit strong, but the direction is—"
No one had time to finish the sentence.
The direction was perfect.
Right between the pitcher and shortstop.
The shortstop had shifted to the right, making the gap even larger.
And the distance from the pitcher was slightly farther.
Even though the bunt had been strong—
the direction was ideal.
.....
"Ku! Ku! Ku! Ku! Ku!"
The shortstop hurried left toward the ball, while Tate Hiromi also rushed forward.
But Tate still had the same flaw he showed during the practice match—
when he concentrated too much, he lost awareness of his surroundings.
And—
"Safe!"
The ball wasn't thrown until the umpire had already spread both arms.
That alone showed how late the play was.
.....
"YOSHA!"
"Nice bunt, you bastard!"
Although many in the cheering section and the dugout were confused about why Sendo chose to bunt, it didn't stop them from trusting him.
"Hmm."
Coach Kataoka, however, was very satisfied with Sendo's decision.
Now in Sendo's next at-bat, the opponent would definitely hesitate about using such an extreme defensive shift again.
They probably never imagined that although Sendo's bunting wasn't amazing—
it was much better than during the summer qualifiers.
....
"What was that?!"
"He's way too fast!"
"That speed should be illegal!!!"
"How are you supposed to defend against that?!"
The spectators didn't even complain about Sendo hitting the bunt too hard.
All they could see was the blazing speed of the boy racing down the baseline.
....
"Beautiful."
Coach Matsumoto couldn't help praising the play.
He hadn't expected Sendo to notice the weakness in that defensive arrangement so quickly.
It was difficult to control the direction of a full swing—
but bunting was much easier to aim.
Especially against a breaking ball.
The moment Sendo used a bunt against that curveball, Matsumoto knew his plan had already collapsed halfway.
Now the shortstop couldn't shift right.
But if they guarded against that, the hole near third base would become even larger.
All they could do now was pray that in Sendo's next at-bat, the ball wouldn't go there.
....
Fifth batter: First baseman, Yuuki!
Watching Sendo's baserunning from the stands, Hakuryu's coach suddenly lit up with interest.
He instinctively glanced at the stopwatch in his hand.
Earlier, he hadn't started it because he never expected the cleanup hitter to bunt.
But now he was ready.
He didn't believe someone that fast would not attempt a steal.
Especially with Yuuki at the plate—a batter who forced the defense to stay focused.
------------------
If you want to read 30 chapters advanced.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Shu_21