บท 253: First Innings (1)

The first pitch came roaring towards the plate with a full head of steam. Makoto narrowed his eyes and instinctively knew where it was going to go.

It was outside the strike zone but not out of reach of his bat. While he was eager to blast it out of the park, he did his best to remain calm and refrained from swinging.

As long as he didn't swing, it should be a ball. After all, there was more benefits for him if the battery was behind in the count.

PAH

"Strike"

"Huh?' Makoto turned to look at the umpire with confusion.

He knew that he had a long reach, but there was no way that the last ball had been a strike. The umpire merely looked at him with a "I said what I said" expression plastered on his face.

The Captain resisted the urge to draw a line in the dirt, indicating where the ball had past home plate. Instead, he rolled his shoulders back and tried to relax.