One Out, runner on third!
The runner on third, Raichi, was acting like a predator, staring vigilantly. It was as if it had temporarily hidden, ready to strike and capture its prey at any moment.
Last year, Raichi's performance, apart from its hitting, was still quite immature in other aspects.
After a year of high school, under his father's careful training, Raichi now, even stealing bases, was able to do it in style.
Even though Sawamura might try to shut him down, it wouldn't be so easy.
The kid was very alert; as soon as he sensed something was off, he immediately retreated back to third base.
Sawamura, being a left-handed pitcher, was facing away from third base. To try and control him, he would have to make a big move.
But once Sawamura made a big move, he wouldn't be able to maintain a smooth pitch...
Clearly, Raichi had noticed this and was acting very cautiously.
Perhaps an average pitcher wouldn't sense the threat he posed right now. After all, overall, he wasn't far from third base.
By most pitchers' standards, this was within a safe range.
But Sawamura was different. His instincts were too sharp. Having Raichi on third base was like a spotlight shining on Sawamura's back, making him feel uncomfortable.
Through previous experiences, Sawamura no longer doubted his instincts. Even though his current strength is leagues better than his rookie years, when something didn't feel right, bad things could still happen.
This didn't change, even with his rapid rise in skill.
Especially when Mishima began to take up a short bunt stance, Sawamura felt that uncomfortable sensation growing stronger.
It was like a thorn in his back, a feeling so sharp it was almost unbearable.
Behind the plate, Miyuki also seemed to be deep in thought. He had likely sensed something and was urgently trying to figure out how to deal with the opponent.
Here it comes!
After some thought, Miyuki opened his mitt, ready to catch the ball.
On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura raised his leg high and then slammed it down.
As his body weight shifted, Sawamura's left hand whipped out like a whip.
At the same time, as Sawamura pitched, Raichi burst forward like a predator attacking its prey.
He's moving!
Seeing this, Miyuki narrowed his eyes.
The opponent's intentions were clear: either a hit-and-run or a forced scoring play.
Either tactic's purpose was simply to make contact with the ball. Whether the batter reached base or not didn't matter—what mattered was getting Raichi home and scoring a run for the Yakushi High School baseball team.
'But didn't they underestimate the pitcher on the mound?'
Just as Miyuki was about to catch the ball, he suddenly stood up and stepped outside the strike zone!
This way, whether Mishima intended to bunt or pull the bat back to swing, it was impossible to make contact with the ball!
As Sawamura was mid-throw, Miyuki's movement caused him to forcefully add extra power to his pitch.
In that split second, Sawamura's fingers dug into the baseball.
Whrroosh!
The ball flew straight to Miyuki's mitt, the pitch completely missing the strike zone.
SNAP!
Miyuki caught the ball and quickly looked toward the stealing runner, Raichi.
That kid, it seemed, had already quietly returned to third base.
Clearly, the players from Yakushi High weren't slouches. They knew that the mighty Sawamura had the ability of Last Moment Adjustment.
'So they were prepared for this.'
Whenever a pitch veered clearly off the strike zone, they immediately retreated.
It was easy enough to tell the difference.
If a pitcher didn't want the batter to hit the ball, he had to miss the strike zone by a large margin.
This would cause Miyuki to move significantly when receiving the ball.
The player attempting to steal would spot the movement, and immediately retreat back.
If you were quick enough, you could go back and forth like this with the pitcher and catcher.
But Sawamura and Miyuki couldn't keep throwing Balls forever, could they?
'It seems like they've prepared thoroughly!'
Miyuki said, narrowing his eyes, deep in thought, as he stared at the opponent.
It was clear that the Yakushi High players had done a lot of preparation before the game.
Of course, the Seidou High players had done the same.
They had gone through rehearsals for all kinds of situations, including crises like this.
What should be done when facing a fast runner on third with one out, or even no Outs?
Could they still throw pitches into the strike zone, or at least near it, in a way that the batter couldn't touch the ball?
For most pitchers, this might be nearly impossible. But for Sawamura, it didn't seem completely out of reach.
To pull this off, first, the pitch had to be fast, so the batter didn't have much time to react.
The second requirement was a sharp break!
If the pitch didn't move much, even a fast pitch would give the batter time to adjust.
Only with both speed and sharp movement combined could you prevent the batter from making contact.
Sawamura, known as the "Prince of Breaking Balls," could throw many off-speed pitches with a velocity close to a fastball.
This was Sawamura's specialty, something no one else could match.
But all of his breaking balls had a relatively small breaking margin.
This was in line with scientific principles: the greater the movement on a pitch, the slower its speed would have to be.
And the greater the movement, the more noticeable the decrease in speed.
The challenge was to find a breaking ball with enough movement but without sacrificing too much speed.
This became the task that Sawamura and Miyuki had to solve.
If they could develop this pitch, it would at least be a Level 4 breaking ball.
It might even allow Sawamura to peer into the world of Level 5.
After much research and drawing on Sawamura's unique skills, they managed to discover a pitch that resembled what they were looking for.
However, it wasn't fully developed yet and was still a bit immature.
It would be hard to use in a standard duel.
But in a situation like this, it might actually work.
The two of them were in sync and quickly understood each other's intentions.
Alright, it might sound a little strange, but that was exactly what they meant.
Without even signaling, Sawamura on the mound took action.
He raised his leg high and threw the pitch like an axe coming down.
With his body weight shifting, the baseball flew out with a loud whistle.
Roaar!
The small baseball sped like a laser, instantly covering the distance and arriving right in front of the batter.
'So fast!'
Mishima, in the Batter's Box, assumed a bunt stance, locking in on the pitch.
A fastball, or perhaps a quick forkball.
Mishima quickly made his judgment.
He didn't need to pull the bat back—he would first aim for the fastball, then adjust his bat for the sinking ball once he saw it drop.
A forkball would usually drop about 2 to 3 balls' worth.
He could make contact!
Mishima's confidence grew as he locked in on the ball, ready to make contact.
Just as his bat was about to meet the ball, the small baseball dropped sharply.
It was a quick forkball!
Mishima made his adjustment, lowering his bat to match the pitch's drop.
In such a short amount of time, thinking was almost impossible. Mishima was only able to do this because of his daily training.
Yakushi High's players were always swinging hard, no matter their opponent.
While they didn't usually bunt in games, they certainly practiced it regularly.
From Mishima's quick reaction, it was clear that Yakushi had invested plenty of time practicing bunts.
This is why their performance now was so impressive.
Success!
As the bat followed the ball's movement, Mishima was relieved.
But then he realized that the ball didn't behave as expected. The pitch didn't stop its movement; it dropped faster.
The ball, which had originally been slightly above the center of the strike zone, had dropped well below the zone.
It wasn't just a few inches. The ball had dropped close to the ground, especially as it neared the strike zone.
This was a movement far beyond what a quick forkball could do.
Even a normal forkball wouldn't drop that much!
Before Mishima could think any further, the baseball flew past him.
Mishima, who had been set up to bunt, stood there frozen, like a clown, bat still in hand.
SNAP!
"STRIKE!!"
The crowd erupted in surprise.
They just couldn't understand what had happened. Why did the ball drop so much?
"Did anyone clock the speed of that pitch?"
"What was the speed?"
The question echoed around the stands.
And sure enough, someone had recorded the pitch speed.
148 km/h!!
For Sawamura, this pitch speed was only average.
It wasn't particularly fast, but it wasn't slow either.
But considering the breaking movement, no one was calm anymore.
Sawamura had thrown a forkball with such terrifying speed.
If it were anyone else, even the top-speed thrower from Seidou, Furuya, they wouldn't have been able to do it.
A forkball thrown at 145 km/h, close to 150, would have been acceptable.
But this was beyond the normal forkball's limits.
"How could Sawamura throw it so fast?"
"It didn't make sense!"
"It was unreasonable!"
The entire stadium was in awe.
Behind the plate, Miyuki wore a serene smile.
He glanced at Mishima, and his smile became even brighter.
Luckily, Raichi was quicker than they had expected.
The moment he sensed something was wrong, he immediately backed off and returned to third base.
If he hadn't, Miyuki would have been able to get him out on that pitch.
No wonder the crowd was so amazed. Sawamura's forkball had an extraordinary break.
No one else could do that.
On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura ignored the astonished crowd and threw his fourth pitch without hesitation.
Mishima, standing in the Batter's Box, had completely frozen.
He stood there, even forgetting to swing.
He could only watch as the baseball flew past him.
SNAP!
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"
Not only Mishima but also his teammate Hirahata.
Both were struck out.
Meanwhile, Raichi on third base, though restless, didn't move a step and remained in place.
…