บท 124: <124> Open Strategy and One Swing to Reap the Cornfield

Chapter 124: Open Strategy and One Swing to Reap the Cornfield

In the top of the first inning, with Fukasawa's defense still reeling from Akagi's opening plays, there were no outs, runners on second and third, and Kondou, the third batter and second baseman, at the plate with a count of 1-0.

"Damn it! Should we load the bases and face the cleanup hitter instead? No, we have no scouting information on this team. Walking this batter would be suicidal! We have to fight here, even if it costs us a run!" the catcher wrestled with his decision before ultimately choosing to pitch to Kondou.

The pitcher threw the second pitch.

"What?! A bunt?!" The moment Kondou seemed poised to swing, he instead squared for a bunt, prompting Ohno on third base to dash toward home plate in a forced scoring attempt.

Instinctively, the pitcher threw wide.

"Pop!"

"Ball!"

"What the…?" Kondou pulled back his bat, and Ohno retreated to third base. Once again, the pitcher and catcher found themselves at an impasse.

A bunt attempt by the third batter, a core hitter, was almost unheard of in middle school baseball, particularly in amateur school matches.

With no guidance from their coach, the pitcher-catcher duo grew increasingly uneasy.

They understood this was their coach's way of developing their decision-making skills.

Even so, Fukasawa's coach, Coach Daimon, wasn't someone unfamiliar with Akagi's reputation.

Coach Nakani had personally arranged these games, ensuring Akagi faced teams with capable coaches who understood the fundamentals of professional baseball.

"Not bad. This inning might see a lot of runs. That cleanup hitter must be the Sendo that Nakani-sensei mentioned," Daimon thought. He glanced briefly at Sendo, then returned his focus to his pitcher and catcher, curious about how they would proceed.

The battery quickly communicated and decided to stay aggressive.

The third pitch came.

"Ping!"

"Foul!"

Ignoring Kondou's fake bunt, the battery chose to challenge him directly. When Kondou retracted his bat and swung, the hurried attempt resulted in a foul ball.

"Nice pitch! We're putting the pressure on him now. Focus on the batter!" The pitcher regained some confidence, and the game felt less one-sided in Akagi's favor.

...

Kondou, however, wasn't aiming to score through a bunt.

"I don't care about scoring one or two runs here. The important thing is to probe this pitcher and set up Sendo to finish the job!" Kondou thought.

The entire lineup was structured to support Sendo. Even if Sendo himself hadn't explicitly said so, the team wholeheartedly believed in him, ensuring they created the best possible opportunities for him to deliver.

Much like the Chicago Bulls' triangle offense in the NBA—where even Dennis Rodman once remarked that the strategy was essentially designed to give Michael Jordan isolation plays—Akagi's lineup worked to give Sendo the perfect conditions to shine.

Their goal was to expose every strength and weakness of the opposing pitcher, then apply immense pressure to pave the way for Sendo's success.

Even the smallest advantage for Sendo was worth pursuing.

...

"Pop!"

"Ball!"

"Ping!"

"Foul!"

"Come on! Show me everything you've got! Your breaking ball! If you lack pinpoint control or overwhelming speed, then surely you have a decisive out pitch, right? I'll uncover everything!" Kondou thought, locked in as he fouled off another pitch.

Finally, the first breaking ball appeared.

"Pop!"

"Ball!"

"A curveball? Was that deliberately thrown outside to tempt me? The arc is nice—it must be a lure. Or… is this their go-to pitch for outs? Whatever. As long as I've seen it, that's enough. Sendo will destroy you!" Kondou gritted his teeth.

"Damn it! He didn't swing!" the catcher thought bitterly. He had hoped to bait Kondou into chasing, but Akagi had spent over a year specifically training their players to identify balls and strikes.

There was no way Kondou would fall for such a simple trick.

The count was now full.

"The earlier batters were all good at discerning balls and strikes. The cleanup hitter must be the same! We can't let this batter get on base!" Fukasawa's catcher steeled himself for the next pitch. Despite his misjudgments about Sendo, he was determined to settle the battle with Kondou.

...

The final pitch of the at-bat.

"Whoosh!"

"Steal!"

Simultaneously, the fielders at second and third base shouted as the runners broke for the next base.

"A double steal!"

This wasn't a last-moment fake-out like before. This time, the runners moved after the pitcher released the ball, leaving no opportunity to change the pitch.

"These kids… have their stealing technique honed to such a degree? They can freely time the pitcher's motions? But what's the point?" Even Coach Daimon couldn't help but be impressed.

As he saw Kondou readying his swing, Daimon understood. The steal wasn't just about advancing runners; it was a deliberate tactic to protect the batter and force chaos on the defense.

But baseball operates in split seconds, leaving no room for such reflections. All Daimon could do was continue watching the game's direction unfold.

"Don't wait for the ball to reach the plate. Swing early, sweeping to the right!" Kondou silently recited the batting technique he had practiced for over half a year.

"Ping!"

Kondou's swing connected with the slider before it could break, sending the ball rolling toward first base.

"Throw it home!" The catcher decided to prevent a run, sacrificing the easy out at first base.

As the first baseman faked a throw to home plate, Ohno bolted back toward third base.

"Safe!" Ohno slid back safely to third.

"Pop!"

The catcher, now holding the ball, turned to find Ohno already safe at third. Before he could even glance at first, the umpire's call came:

"Safe!"

The batter had reached first safely, loading the bases with no outs.

"Yes! Bases loaded with no outs!"

"Nice baserunning, Ohno! Aoki!"

"Great work!"

The Akagi bench erupted in cheers as the result sank in.

...

Coach Daimon observed the scene and quickly pieced together the strategy.

The double steal wasn't about stealing bases—it was a calculated move to disrupt the defense and force a decision.

If the batter hit the ball, as long as it wasn't a pop fly, the defense would struggle to decide between throwing home to prevent a run or going for the out at first base.

If they threw home, they might stop the run, but given Akagi's aggressive and skilled baserunning, they likely wouldn't tag out the runner from third.

Even a weak hit would load the bases. On the other hand, if they threw to first, the runner on third would simply score.

The players' synchronization and the fake steals were all part of an open strategy—a gambit that forced the defense into a lose-lose situation.

Either they loaded the bases as intended, or Akagi scored a run with no outs.

At the heart of this tactical brilliance was the cleanup hitter, Sendo.

Coach Daimon realized that the entire play revolved around setting the stage for him.

The optimal response for Fukasawa would have been to concede one run, secure the out at first, and intentionally walk Sendo, leaving runners on first and third with one out and facing the fifth batter, Sawamura.

However, the sheer amount of information in such a short moment made it nearly impossible for the defense to process and react correctly.

Unless their sole focus had been avoiding a showdown with Sendo, the defense couldn't have made the right call under such circumstances.

This led to the catcher making a seemingly correct but ultimately flawed decision—another example of the disadvantage caused by lack of information and the overwhelming presence of a game-changer like Sendo.

...

Bases loaded, no outs, and a cleanup hitter of monstrous caliber.

It was the worst-case scenario for Fukasawa.

"Their baserunning is incredible and perfectly coordinated! Now we're facing the cleanup hitter in this situation? Let's just hope he isn't stronger than the earlier batters," the catcher thought desperately.

As this thought crossed his mind, the Akagi bench erupted again.

"Yes! The stage is set!"

"Crush them, Sendo!"

"Hit it out of the park!"

"Give us a massive home run!"

The moment Sendo stepped into the batter's box, the Akagi bench exploded with energy.

The roaring cheers made it clear to the pitcher and catcher just how significant this batter was.

Even the three runners on base stopped their leads and stood still, shouting encouragement to Sendo from their positions.

Seeing the composure and confidence of the runners—who had previously caused chaos with their aggressive baserunning—made it obvious how much faith the team had in their cleanup hitter.

It was as if the runners were saying, "We're waiting for you to send us home!"

...

"Are they serious? Is this batter really that good?" The Fukasawa players couldn't help but feel the weight of the moment.

The runners, as well as the entire Akagi bench, had built the perfect stage for Sendo.

All that was left was for him to deliver.

Sendo stood in the left-handed batter's box, calmly kicking the dirt.

"These guys are like the best servers in the world," he thought with a grin. "They've set everything up so perfectly. If I mess this up, I'm going to get yelled at for sure!"

From the on-deck circle, Sawamura shouted, "You better deliver, Sendo!"

Sendo smiled as he recalled his earlier conversation with Sawamura.

...

"Which side?" Sendo had asked Sawamura dramatically, mimicking his favorite player's flair.

"Huh?" Sawamura hadn't understood at first.

"Are you aiming left, right, or center?" Sendo continued, enjoying his moment of flair.

Without missing a beat, Sawamura replied with a laugh, "Center, of course! The furthest one!"

Satisfied with the response, Sendo had smiled and walked toward the batter's box.

"But what if you can't do it?" Sawamura had shouted, turning the exchange into a challenge.

"If I fail, I'll wash your laundry for a month—including your underwear! But if I succeed, you'll wash mine!" Sendo had declared confidently.

"Deal! But it's got to be at least a double—or better!" Sawamura had quickly added, ensuring he didn't agree to a losing bet.

...

Back in the present, Sendo grinned at the memory.

"Time to show the results of my special training with Ozawa," he thought to himself.

But then his cheeks flushed slightly as he recalled an embarrassing moment during training—a chance encounter he'd probably never forget.

Trying to shake off the distraction, he quickly refocused, clearing his mind with a deep breath.

The Fukasawa catcher misinterpreted his movements as signs of nervousness.

"He's feeling the pressure of his teammates' expectations. This could be our chance!" the catcher thought, drawing the wrong conclusion.

"Ping!"

"Center fielder!"

"No way… is that real?" Sawamura muttered softly, watching the ball's trajectory.

Fukasawa's center fielder took two steps back before giving up entirely.

The height and distance of the ball made it clear—there was no chance it would land in play.

Even the protective netting installed to prevent home runs from flying out of the park was utterly useless.

The ball soared past the netting without showing any signs of descending.

Given the elasticity of the softball and the lack of velocity suppression from the pitcher, it kept flying further and further.

When Fukasawa's players finally went to retrieve the ball, they measured the distance out of curiosity.

To their astonishment, it had traveled a staggering 176.4 meters!

For reference, in Japan, the dimensions of baseball fields vary by level.

While the infield dimensions for middle school, high school, and professional fields are similar, the outfield distances shrink as the players' ages decrease. For example:

Jingu Stadium's center field measures 120 meters.

Many high school fields have slightly shorter outfields.

Middle school fields often have outfields around 80 meters.

Elementary school fields might range from 50 to 60 meters.

Sendo's hit had far surpassed the dimensions of any middle school field, marking it as an extraordinary feat.

---------------------------

If you want to read 20 chapters advanced.

Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Shu_21