Chapitre 69: <69> Unexpected Change
Chapter 69: Unexpected Change
"Wow, I didn't expect Sen-chan's pitching to be this amazing! It's like he can throw the ball exactly where he wants!" After Sendo left, the team started discussing his performance.
While their praise was exaggerated, it's true that during elementary school, Sendo's full-power pitches could control the four corners of the strike zone, but he wasn't so precise that he could hit a specific point.
If he had such pinpoint control, it would be a nine-square grid instead of a four-square one.
The reason why his control seemed so impressive was because his pitch speed was too fast for players his age.
However, it's a fact that when Sendo reduced his pitch speed, his control improved significantly.
Pitch control is a talent; there is a limit to how much it can be improved with practice.
For example, a pitcher with poor control might only manage to hit a four-square grid at full power, and that would be their limit.
"I understand now why he became the ace and cleanup hitter for the strong Wildcats team. Before, I only saw his batting skills, but it turns out his pitches are both fast and accurate!" Kondou remarked.
"With a pitcher of this caliber, our batting practice should improve even faster, right? Sen-chan is definitely trying to help us get stronger!"
"Alright, let's get back to it! Time to continue training!"
The players, feeling motivated, went back to practice.
Meanwhile, Sendo, who usually took his time biking home on his expensive, all-around racing bicycle, was speeding down the road as if in a race.
Today was the release day of his favorite manga, and he wanted to check out any interesting light novels to buy as well. It seemed like only at times like this that his high-end bike got to show its true potential!
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The next day:
Ring ring!
"Hello, this is Sano! … Oh, I see! That's no problem at all, but could I make a request? … Yes! … Yes! Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. Goodbye!" After a series of conversations, Sano hung up the phone.
"Alright, time to start calling everyone to explain the situation. And that includes Sendo, too!"
---
Not long after, as Sendo arrived at the field, ready to take on his pitching duties for the day, his phone started ringing.
"Hello, Sano-sensei! Oh, I understand. Really? That sounds like a great opportunity! Alright, got it!"
"What did Sano-sensei say?" someone asked.
"The practice game with Tokumei has been postponed until next Saturday!"
"Why? That seems a bit rude, doesn't it?" Sawamura shouted.
Although the others thought the same, they waited for Sendo's explanation.
"Here's the deal. Tokumei is scheduled to have a practice game tomorrow against Sakura Girls University, which is a prestigious softball team and last summer's national runner-up."
"It turns out their coach used to be a classmate and teammate of Tokumei's coach. Due to Sakura Girls's limited time availability, they requested to delay our game."
"Sano-sensei agreed, but he asked their coach to let us watch their game instead. So, the plan for tomorrow remains unchanged; we'll just be observing instead of playing. Sakura Girls is a strong team, so it's a good chance to learn something. And who knows, maybe we'll get to see some cool older sisters!"
"Alright!" Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Okay then, let's get started! Sawamura, go for a run! Who's up first today? Let's see how many pitches you can get me to throw."
"Huh?"
"What are you staring at? Even if you try to use your cat-like reflexes, go run! It'll help stabilize your lower body and improve your explosiveness, which will increase your pitch count!"
"Huh?"
"You wouldn't get it even if I explained it. Just go run!"
"Okay!" Although Sawamura didn't fully understand, he knew it was good for him, so he went for a run.
"Good. That's just how it should be. Focus only on pitching for now; we can work on your batting later. Pitching is everything in your baseball career," Sendo thought as he watched Sawamura run off.
"Now, who's starting first?"
With that, the practice, briefly interrupted by Sawamura, officially began.
In the end, Sendo pitched just 26 balls, averaging three pitches per batter.
With only two days to adapt, three pitches a day, it was tough to get used to his angled, corner-targeted fastballs, especially with a day's gap in between.
It wasn't continuous at-bats, so even knowing the pitch type didn't help much.
"Alright, that's it for today! In your free time, look up exercises for dynamic vision training. Although it doesn't improve much through practice, it can still be quite helpful! I'll try to find some exercises for you when I have time, but most of the methods are pretty similar, so don't expect too much!" Sendo suggested a way for everyone to improve without increasing his pitch count.
"Got it!"
"Alright, keep practicing, everyone! Remember to meet here tomorrow morning. You'll head over with Sano-sensei on the bus! I'm heading out now. Keep at it, guys! Bye!" Sendo said as he swiftly took off, vanishing from their sight like he was avoiding someone.
For the past two days, Sawamura had been running every day. With Sendo making a quick escape, even if Sawamura noticed, he couldn't catch up in time. By the time Sawamura's loud voice reached him, Sendo was already riding away on his bike.
"Haha! Sen-chan slipped away again!"
"Well, it can't be helped! He's a hardcore otaku after all. Although he doesn't attend events, he can't live without anime, manga, and novels! Speaking of which, doesn't Ei-chan have similar hobbies?"
"Yeah, but as for whether he's reliable in baseball or not… sigh!" Wakana gave a resigned summary of their brief chat.
"That's just how Sen-chan is!" everyone chimed in together, echoing Wakana.
"Alright, let's get back to practice! Who was up next for batting and base running before we called it yesterday? Step up!" Ohno interjected, steering the conversation back to business.
"It's your turn at bat!" someone called out to Ohno.
"Is that so? Hahaha!" Ohno responded with an awkward yet polite laugh.
"Hey, Ohno! Don't think you can get away with it by just laughing it off!"
It seemed like many people loved using laughter to cover up awkward moments!
"Damn it!" Sawamura grumbled as he continued running, glancing at his teammates joking around.
"Ei-chan's throwing a fit again!"
"And I bet it's directed at Sen-chan, right?"
"Those two have been like this since the very beginning!"
"Haha! It can't be helped. Maybe that's just how their dynamic is… or rather, it's their way of interacting with each other!"
"You're probably right! Alright, enough chatting!"
"Hey, Ei-chan! We're starting practice, so get over here and pitch!"
"I knew it! You guys can't manage without me! I'm coming!"
As the sunlight shone on Sawamura's back, the entire team in that moment formed a picturesque scene. Unfortunately, no one captured that beautiful sight on camera.
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