It had to be said that Kanzaki Ryou was extremely perceptive. From just a brief glance, he had already discerned the batter's intentions.
Heh… what an annoying brat.
Kanzaki sneered slightly before looking toward Chris.
Chris, naturally unaware of the batter's thoughts, set his glove on the outside corner.
Come on. This time it's a breaking pitch.
Kanzaki nodded slightly and delivered the ball.
An outside-low cutter slider flew out of his hand. Its trajectory initially resembled that of a fastball.
Mishima Yuta, truly worthy of the third batter position, reacted quickly. The moment he saw the ball, he immediately recognized the pitch and swung.
Thwack!
"Strike!"
Even after swinging and missing, Mishima showed no sign of discouragement.
As expected…
With this pitch speed and my swing speed, if I wait until I clearly see the pitch before swinging, I'll always be too late.
To hit the ball, he could only swing early.
But if he did that, he would have to guess the pitch.
If he guessed correctly, he would have a chance to hit it.
If he guessed wrong, he would miss it every single time.
Mishima stared intently at Kanzaki.
The moment Kanzaki stepped forward, Mishima prepared himself. Just as the ball was about to be released, he swung!
Thwack!
"Strike!"
It was another outside pitch.
Mishima had guessed wrong and swung at empty air.
Damn it!
He clenched his teeth.
So swinging early didn't work either.
Now he faced a difficult dilemma.
If he waited to see the pitch clearly, his swing speed couldn't keep up.
If he swung early, he couldn't accurately choose the pitch.
At that moment, Mishima realized something.
To hit Kanzaki Ryou's pitches, unless someone possessed overwhelming hitting power, the only option was to gamble on the catcher's pitch calling.
But Mishima had neither overwhelming power nor the ability to predict Chris's pitch selection.
Could he only rely on luck?
No.
Mishima shook his head vigorously.
He had already decided to defeat this opponent. How could he give up so easily?
Thinking of this, he tightened his grip on the bat.
After Kanzaki threw the second pitch, Mishima swung toward the outside corner.
But he still missed.
It was an outside-low two-seam fastball. The ball moved outward horizontally and dropped just before reaching the bat, slipping past it completely.
For the third pitch, Kanzaki threw a forkball.
Mishima swung again—
and missed.
Three strikes.
Three outs.
The batter was out.
Just like the previous at-bat where three inside pitches had struck out the batter, this time Kanzaki used three outside pitches.
However, each pitch was a different type, combined with subtle changes in speed, completely destroying Mishima's timing.
"Three up, three down!"
In just nine pitches, Seido wiped out the three first-year batters Yakushi had been so proud of.
Such a result dealt a huge blow to Yakushi's morale.
"Ya hahaha! This guy is really incredible! We couldn't even touch the ball."
Sanada Shunpei laughed bitterly and shook his head.
"But don't worry. As long as we don't give up any runs, we just need to hold on until that guy comes off the mound."
Even if Sanada himself went up to pitch, it would be impossible to guarantee zero runs.
Especially since his injured body simply couldn't endure an entire game.
After thinking for a moment, Sanada finally spoke.
"Coach… how about I go out there?"
Todoroki Raizo looked at his ace, smiled faintly, and said,
"What's the rush? The game has just started. Who said we're definitely going to lose?"
"But if Seido builds a big lead early, even if Kanzaki Ryou steps down later, it'll be difficult for us to catch up," Sanada said seriously.
"What difference does it make? You pitching now or later is the same."
Todoroki Raizo paused for a moment.
"Your body…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
But everyone understood what he meant.
"Sanada, don't worry. I won't let them score easily."
Mino Yuto, who was preparing to pitch, said as he put on his glove.
Sanada placed his hand on Mino's shoulder.
"I'm counting on you."
"Mmm!"
At that moment, the three players who had just returned from batting exchanged glances.
If only they could have gotten on base…
Scored a run…
Shared some of the pressure with their upperclassmen.
"Hey, hey. Aren't you three usually pretty cocky? Why are you all so down today? This isn't like you."
Sanada turned to Todoroki Raichi and the other two.
"Sanada-senpai, we…"
"Alright. The game is far from over. Whatever you want to say, save it for after the game."
Meanwhile, in Seido's dugout.
Kanzaki Ryou removed his glove and sat down on the bench.
"Hahaha, Kanzaki! Did you see their faces just now? Those Yakushi guys turned green."
"They were scared to death."
"161 km/h—if it were me, I'd be scared too!"
His teammates buzzed around him like flies.
Kanzaki accepted the water Fujiwara Takako handed him and took a sip. Without saying anything, he simply stared forward.
"Heh. Kanzaki is trying to act cool, and you guys are playing along with him," Kominato Ryosuke said with a smile.
Hearing this, everyone suddenly noticed something.
Kanzaki's grin had already reached his ears.
The whole group immediately fell silent.
"Ya ha! Let's go!"
Kuramochi Yoichi laughed loudly as he walked out of the dugout with his bat.
Bang!
He swung at the first pitch, sending the ball screaming through the infield defense.
A double.
Then, working together with Kominato Ryosuke's hit-and-run, Kuramochi successfully advanced to third base.
With runners on first and third, Isashiki Jun stepped up.
With a powerful swing, he sent the ball flying toward the right-field wall.
Not only did Kuramochi score—
Kominato Ryosuke also seized the opportunity to dash home.
Two RBIs. A double.
Isashiki Jun raised his fist in celebration.
"Nice hit!"
"Amazing, Foxy Senior!" Sawamura shouted excitedly.
"Huh?! Sawamura! You're dead!"
Amid the lively noise, Seido's cleanup hitter, Yuki Tetsuya, stepped into the batter's box.
Should I hit to the right?
Yuki recalled Kanzaki Ryou's earlier words.
Indeed, third base was guarded by the first-year Todoroki Raichi.
Although Raichi seemed simple-minded and his defense wasn't particularly strong, he was not someone to underestimate.
Boom!!
Like a cannon firing, Yuki's swing exploded with power.
The baseball soared high into the sky—
A home run to center field!
"Ya hahaha! Captain!"
Isashiki Jun laughed loudly as he ran the bases.
Yuki's home run came at the perfect time, instantly expanding the lead to four runs.
The spectators erupted with excitement, shouting Yuki Tetsuya's name.
The brass band began playing Yuki's personal theme song.
After the two players returned to home plate, high-fived, and headed back to the dugout, the brass band quickly switched to another tune.
It was Kanzaki Ryou's personal cheering song.
Kanzaki walked calmly toward the batter's box.
"What a shame… my three-run home run is gone."
He muttered with his head lowered as he stepped up to bat.
Catcher Watanabe heard this and immediately gritted his teeth in irritation.
This guy is way too disrespectful!
Meanwhile, the pitcher on the mound was already on the verge of collapse.
Giving up four runs in a row was pressure that few pitchers could withstand.
Summoning his courage, he threw the ball toward home plate.
Bang!
The baseball shot toward the stands like a laser.