Chapter 355: Furuya's Resilience
"Don't pay attention to the runner! Just throw to my mitt, Furuya!" Miyuki shouted after the first ball.
"Even if you say don't pay attention, that's impossible, right? Isn't that right, Furuya Satoru?" Coach Matsumoto muttered quietly.
"Boom!!"
"Ball!"
"Time!" Miyuki had no choice but to call for time.
"Hey! Furuya! What's wrong? Are you already scared?"
"I'm not scared!" Furuya replied simply.
"Boom!"
"If you're not scared, then why are you avoiding it?
Can't you even throw strikes anymore?" At this point, Miyuki dropped his teasing tone. (Though Furuya couldn't tell the difference anyway.)
"Do you… want to be taken out?" Miyuki stared at Furuya with a serious expression.
"Ah!" Furuya was startled, though he didn't fully grasp the meaning behind it.
"If this continues, you'll definitely be replaced!"
"No!"
"That's not up to you—it's up to the coach, right?"
"Uh…!" His surging aura froze for a moment.
"If you don't want to be taken out, then throw to my mitt! Don't worry about the runner—if they want to bunt, let them bunt! Got it?"
Furuya nodded first, whether he fully understood or not, though his movement was stiff.
"Honestly…" Miyuki could tell that while Furuya understood the seriousness, controlling himself was still difficult.
"Heh!" Miyuki suddenly grinned.
"Smack!"
He grabbed both sides of Furuya's face.
"Just keep your eyes on the batter. I don't care if it's a bunt or anything else. We're not giving them a single run. If you don't follow my pitch-calling, I'll have you taken out—got it?"
Furuya nodded under Miyuki's grip.
"Don't worry! The guys on the field are our best lineup—they're reliable! Trust them!" Miyuki said before heading back to home plate.
Furuya suddenly recalled the game against Yakushi.
"That trick of Sendo's really works," Miyuki muttered with a grin as he turned away.
"Now then…" Back in his crouch, Miyuki glanced at Coach Kataoka.
Seeing Miyuki's determined eyes, Coach Kataoka understood and nodded.
Miyuki then extended his right hand, signaling forward.
Seidou's infield moved up, showing they wouldn't give up a single run.
If you want a run, come and fight for it head-on.
That was the message Seidou was sending to Coach Matsumoto and Kiryu.
"That pitcher's eyes have changed! Looks like we'll have to beat him head-on!" Coach Matsumoto immediately realized his previous plan had failed.
"Don't swing at low pitches! Just aim for hittable fastballs!" His instruction was direct and precise.
Since Seidou had come this far, being targeted was inevitable—and Kiryu's lineup had the ability to specifically exploit pitchers.
"Come on!" Miyuki set his glove.
"Pop!"
"Piu!"
"Boom!"
"Strike!"
"Swing and miss!"
"He swung? Is that pitcher's ball really that oppressive?" Matsumoto frowned slightly seeing Nagumo swing at a high ball.
The same thing had happened in the practice game.
"Well, whatever! As long as they don't swing at low pitches, getting outs will still take effort!"
"Piu!"
"Crack!!"
"Foul!"
"Alright! He's cornered!"
"Shut him down!"
"He's timing it!"
…
"Late again! He's just a first-year!" Nagumo thought.
Looking toward the bench, he saw his coach's signal and nodded firmly.
"As expected of Kiryu! He made contact on the second pitch! But now he's cornered—let's finish him with this one!" Miyuki felt some admiration for the batter.
At that moment, the runner on third crept forward slightly. Miyuki noticed, but could only let it be.
"The runner's going!" came the shout again as Furuya began his motion.
"Pop!"
"Don't pay attention to the runner! Focus on your arm!" Miyuki shouted inwardly, seeing the batter wasn't bunting.
"Piu!"
Hit-and-run!!
"Crack!"
"Bang!"
The ball hit the net behind.
"Foul!"
The runner returned to third again.
"We knew Furuya lacks experience—but they're really going all out to exploit him!" Miyuki thought as he looked at the returning runner.
Although they were prepared to give up a run, they couldn't just hand one over.
The fast splitter had effectively been sealed off.
Coach Matsumoto had only used another fake steal.
It was a message: this time it's hit-and-run—next time it might be a squeeze with two strikes.
If they threw a fast splitter, it would essentially be giving up a run.
And if that last pitch had been a fast splitter, Nagumo would have gone for a grounder to bring the runner home.
Unlike a regular splitter, the fast splitter doesn't drop as sharply—it wouldn't stop dead in front of the plate like Tanba's pitch could.
Even then, Miyuki wouldn't have been fully confident.
After the batter held a bunt stance for several seconds again, Miyuki firmly gave the sign.
That sign shocked Furuya.
It was a fast splitter!!!
"A squeeze… If you can guess this pitch, then go ahead!" Miyuki thought.
"Pop!"
"No tricks—just hit it straight!" Coach Matsumoto thought as Furuya stepped.
"Piu!"
As the ball sped in, the batter pulled the bat back.
"Boom!!!"
"Strike!"
"Batter out!"
"Two outs!" Miyuki shouted excitedly.
"Two outs!"
"Two outs!"
Seidou's players' morale surged.
"A fast splitter…That catcher has incredible courage!
Did I overthink things?" Coach Matsumoto sighed.
"Seventh batter! Shortstop--"
After Nagumo's strikeout, not only was there no more room for tricks, Matsumoto also fully settled down.
"Piu!"
"Boom!"
"Ball!"
The first pitch—a high ball—was taken.
"Piu!"
"Crack!"
"Foul!"
"Piu!"
"Low pitch!"
"Boom!"
"Ball!"
"They're completely ignoring low pitches!
Unless Furuya can consistently locate low, or get the fast splitter into the zone, it won't be very effective!"
"Piu!"
"Boom!"
"Strike!"
"Hey, I just said that and you throw it there?" Miyuki muttered as he caught the low fastball.
"Piu!"
"Boom!"
"Ball!"
Even when cornered, the Kiryu batter remained unfazed, letting another low fast splitter go.
"Pop!"
"Piu!"
"Crack!"
"Still late!" This time, the batter actually wished he had been even later—because the ball stayed fair.
"Pop!"
"Out!"
Oniisan dove and cleanly caught the ball.
"Three outs, side change!"
"Well, I guess this worked out in a way. Even though they didn't swing at the fast splitter, it still disrupted their timing a bit," Miyuki said with a smile.
"A pitcher who isn't easily beaten, even when you ignore low pitches… huh?" Coach Matsumoto looked at Furuya with a complicated expression.
But he wasn't worried.
After all, there wasn't another lineup in the country with backs over 180 kg of muscle that could also hit this well.
"Bottom of the 6th! Seidou High's offense, Ninth batter! Right fielder, Shirasu!"
The score was 5–4. Coach Kataoka's surprise attack had ended, and the game had returned to square one—now entering a true slugfest.
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
"First pitch—low outside, just catching the edge of the zone."
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
Although Shirasu waited until the very last moment, he still swung and missed at the slider moving from outside to inside.
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
"Batter out!"
A three-pitch strikeout. At the final moment when Shirasu was disrupted, he was put away with a high-speed, sharp inside fastball.
For a left-handed batter, that kind of inside pitch is indeed difficult to handle. Left-handed hitters having an advantage against right-handed pitchers is mainly because breaking balls and outside fastballs are easier for them to hit.
After all, fastballs don't have much angle, and without inside velocity, breaking balls—aside from sinkers—mostly move from outside to inside.
When it was Kuramochi's turn, Tate once again dominated without suspense.
After that, Oniisan, due to slightly mis-hitting the ball, was taken out by Kiryu's solid defense with a brilliant play.
In the seventh inning, Kiryu maintained their aggressive approach and their firm discipline of not swinging at low pitches.
Although the eighth and ninth batters were retired, they still made Furuya deeply feel the pressure of a national-level team.
Especially since this national powerhouse understood them so well, and their coach was a true old monster.
They finally secured two outs through defense, and the real test began.
"First batter! Center fielder, Amazawa!"
The fourth time through the lineup—and right away, a top-tier batter with almost no weaknesses.
By this stage, the lineup's timing was heating up.
And in the on-deck circle, Amazawa had already seen plenty of pitches—what he lacked was actual in-game contact.
"We're counting on you, Amazawa!"
"Hit it!"
"Show them what you've got!"
"Attack!"
"Two outs now, Furuya!"
"Just shut him down!"
"We're still ahead by one run!"
…
"Kiryu's number two hitter in their lineup! No weaknesses in speed, power, or hitting technique—and he's the best on the team at reading pitches. To be honest, among this lineup, he's the worst possible matchup for Furuya. First, let him remember the trajectory of the fast splitter, then bait him into swinging at a high pitch!" Miyuki was already planning the pitch sequence.
"First pitch! Fast splitter!"
"Yeah!" Furuya saw the sign and nodded deeply.
Although they had managed to get through thanks to defense, none of the outs had come easily.
Every batter was incredibly persistent—this was also a test for Furuya.
The pitch count was high, the weather was hot, and his frustration from struggling to get outs was draining his stamina rapidly.
He had only gotten four outs so far, and he was already sweating.
Seidou was fortunate this was only the seventh inning—and fortunate to have a reliable ace. Coach Kataoka had already prepared to switch to Kawakami in the next inning.
…
"Pop!"
"Bring it, Furuya!"
"Piu!"
"Fast splitter!"
"Crack!"
After making contact, Amazawa immediately started running.
"Center fielder!!!"
The crowd almost imagined the sound of Sendo and Amazawa sprinting.
Both were fast players—though Amazawa was much slower than Sendo.
"This contact!" While running, Amazawa could feel he hadn't hit the sweet spot, glancing toward the outfield as he ran.
All he could do now was give it his all.
"Drop!!!"
"Catch it!!"
"Bang!"
"Huh?" Amazawa looked confused.
"It's gone!!! A game-tying home run for Kiryu High!"
"Yes!!!"
The moment the umpire signaled home run, Kiryu's bench exploded.
"The pitch was a bit high… But he could still hit that out? As expected of Kiryu's number two hitter." Miyuki could only admire it.
Furuya looked stunned, but he hadn't lost his fighting spirit.
"Second batter! Second baseman, Hirata!"
"Keep attacking, Hirata!"
"The pitcher's scared!"
"I'm not scared!" Furuya rebutted inwardly.
"Don't take it to heart—reset your mindset!" Miyuki shouted, removing his mask.
Furuya nodded obediently—after all, this was the same person who had just told him he'd be pulled if he didn't listen.
…
"Boom!"
"Strike!"
Hirata, seizing the opportunity, swung at the first pitch—which was the same fast splitter that had just been hit for a home run.
Even Coach Matsumoto was surprised by that boldness, but remembering how Miyuki had called for a fast splitter in a previous high-pressure situation, he quickly understood.
However, the swing-and-miss on that pitch was extremely significant for Seidou.
For the batter, that pitch would leave a strong impression.
"Piu!"
"Crack!"
"Foul!"
"He's cornered!"
"Nice pitch, Furuya!"
"That's it!"
"If he couldn't hit that one, this becomes simple!"
"Boom!"
"Strike!"
"Batter out!"
"Three outs, side change!!!"
"151!"
When the scoreboard displayed 151 km/h again, the entire stadium gasped.
"A high fastball!"
"That's the one!"
"151 km/h!!!
He hit that speed again!"
"It really feels different seeing it live!"
…
"Nice ball, Furuya!"
"Yahaha! Nice pitching!"
Even though the game had been tied, Furuya still managed to fight through and get the final out of the inning.
Bottom of the seventh—
The fourth cycle of both teams' core lineups was about to become the biggest highlight.
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