Ten minutes later.
Kanzaki Ryou, who had finished his warm-up, walked to the pitching mound while stretching his shoulders.
"Ryou, you throw a few pitches with Ono first to get used to it," Yuki Tetsuya said.
Yuki Tetsuya was concerned that Ono Hiroshi might not be able to catch Kanzaki Ryou's fast pitches.
Ono Hiroshi squatted in position, his face already covered with protective gear. "Ryou, come on!"
Whoosh!
Kanzaki Ryou raised his hand and threw the baseball.
Thwack!
The sound of the baseball entering the glove.
Ono Hiroshi's pupils flickered. The force of the baseball after it entered the glove surprised him. Especially after catching it, he could still clearly feel the ball squirming around. One careless mistake and he could miss it.
"Niceball!"
Ono Hiroshi threw the ball back. "Ryou, a little faster."
Although this pitch was the fastest Ono Hiroshi had ever caught, it was clear that Kanzaki Ryou had been holding back.
"Okay!"
Kanzaki Ryou then threw three more pitches, each faster than the last. Finally, when the pitch speed reached 150, Ono Hiroshi missed the catch.
"Haha, Ono, not easy to catch, is it?"
Miyuki, who had been secretly observing, immediately spoke up when he saw this.
Ono Hiroshi glared at Miyuki. This scoundrel, he couldn't have been waiting for him to miss, could he?
"One more time!" Ono Hiroshi was not convinced. He had only caught such a fast ball for the first time, so missing it was normal. He believed he would never miss it a second time!
Kanzaki Ryou naturally indulged him. Sure enough, Ono Hiroshi was able to catch it the second time.
"Alright, come on, Yuki-senpai." Kanzaki Ryou turned his head and said to Yuki Tetsuya, who had been waiting for a long time.
Yuki walked to the plate with his bat and immediately took up his batting stance.
Seeing this, Kanzaki Ryou didn't dare to be careless. He nodded towards Ono Hiroshi, who immediately realized that he was being asked to call the pitches.
Since it was a limited practice with known pitch types, it was undoubtedly advantageous for the batter, but for the catcher, pitch calling was crucial.
Four-seam fastball and Changeup. Under normal circumstances, one should never throw a Changeup directly. The power of a Changeup lies in its huge speed difference from a Straight ball, which is used to disrupt the batter's timing. If you throw a Changeup at the beginning, you are asking for trouble.
Ono Hiroshi understood this. The first pitch could only be a Straight ball. There wasn't much he could do but pray that Kanzaki Ryou could perfectly throw the ball into his glove.
Outside corner low! Fastball!
Ono Hiroshi made his decision. Kanzaki Ryou received the signal and nodded slightly.
Soon, the first pitch was thrown, a Straight ball flying at nearly 150 kilometers per hour. Yuki Tetsuya's bat swept past Ono Hiroshi's eyes.
With a thwack, the baseball drilled into the glove, and Yuki Tetsuya swung and missed.
"A little late," Yuki Tetsuya whispered.
Ono Hiroshi let out a long sigh and said, "Yuki, watching you swing so close up is terrifying."
"Heh." Yuki Tetsuya smiled, but inwardly he was secretly pleased.
Taking the baseball returned by Ono Hiroshi, Kanzaki Ryou said nothing, just quietly waited, wanting to see when Ono Hiroshi would call a Changeup.
Then he saw the signal for a Changeup.
No, that fast?
Kanzaki Ryou was surprised for a second, then understood. With only a Straight ball and a Changeup, only an unexpected pitch could make Yuki Tetsuya swing and miss.
This was a psychological battle between catcher and batter. If Yuki Tetsuya was thinking the same thing, then it would play right into his hands.
Kanzaki Ryou didn't say much. He would pitch whatever Ono Hiroshi called. That was agreed upon from the start.
Gripping the baseball with a Changeup grip, Kanzaki Ryou looked at Ono Hiroshi's glove, gently lifted his left leg, and then threw the ball.
Changeup!
As soon as the baseball flew from his fingertips, Yuki Tetsuya's pupils slightly widened. He forcefully suppressed his instinct to swing, only releasing his swing after the ball had traveled a certain distance.
Whoosh!
The bat and baseball crossed paths.
Swung too early!
Yuki Tetsuya looked back at the baseball that had already been caught in the glove, his heart filled with shock. Even though he was prepared and intentionally delayed his swing, it was still a little too early. How slow was this pitch?
Ono Hiroshi was also stunned at this moment. He had no idea that Kanzaki Ryou's Changeup would be so slow. When Yuki Tetsuya swung, he thought it would be hit.
So amazing! Excitement appeared in Ono Hiroshi's eyes. If such a Changeup were used in a game, it would surely torment opponents to death, leaving them in a sorry state.
If I were also a first-string catcher, Ono Hiroshi couldn't help but fantasize.
"Ono, what are you laughing about?" Kanzaki Ryou found it strange that Ono Hiroshi was squatting there, holding the ball and laughing.
"No, nothing."
Ono Hiroshi's face reddened, and he threw the ball back.
The Changeup practice lasted less than 20 minutes and then ended. Yuki Tetsuya left, satisfied, carrying his bat. With some preparation, Yuki Tetsuya hit the ball several times towards the end.
In contrast, Ono Hiroshi was in low spirits. How could so many pitches be hit?
"Don't think too much about it. This is a limited pitch type practice. Getting hit is normal. If Yuuki couldn't hit a single ball, then we'd be the ones who should be worried," Kanzaki Ryou said, patting Ono Hiroshi's shoulder.
"Hmm, I understand, but I'm a catcher. No matter the situation, when the ball gets hit, it's always hard to take," Ono Hiroshi said.
Kanzaki Ryou paused for a moment, then laughed, "You say that, but I'm a pitcher, and I'm not like you."
"That's because you're strong to begin with." Ono Hiroshi rolled his eyes at him.
"Alright, alright." Kanzaki Ryou shrugged helplessly.
After practice, Kanzaki Ryou looked back at Miyuki and Tanba. The two had been pitching for who knows how long, with little interaction in between. Miyuki had been continuously guiding the conversation, while Tanba's most frequent response was just a grunt.
These two, Kanzaki Ryou didn't know how to describe them. This feeling was like a domineering CEO and his tsundere...
Cough, getting off topic.
Just finished washing up back in the dorm, there was a knock on the door.
Opening the door, Yuki Tetsuya stood there with a smile, holding shogi pieces.
Uh...
"I accompanied you for practice; now it's your turn to accompany me for shogi," Yuki Tetsuya said lightly.
Sigh~
"Okay, five games at most, no more." Kanzaki Ryou was helpless. If he could win, it would be fine, but as a complete novice, even if Yuki Tetsuya himself was a terrible shogi player, he couldn't deal with him.
Well, he lost because he was a novice, definitely not because he himself was also a terrible shogi player.
Time quickly arrived at the game day.
Jingu Second Stadium, 1/8 finals.
Seido High School vs. Takasaki High School.