Chương 608: Chapter 36: Devilish Enough

Haruichi had long since prepared his response and was now simply executing it.

After the brief pause, the ball dropped rapidly.

The drop was so significant that it would measure at least 20 centimeters (7") on a ruler.

The ball fell from a high point along a diagonal path, while the bat swung in a straight line.

To hit Tanpa's high-drop curveball accurately, Haruichi had to find the intersection between the diagonal and the straight line.

This was extremely challenging.

The former fourth batter of Inashiro Industrial, Harada Masatoshi, once commented:

'Hitting such a pitch is very difficult.'

At that time, Tanpa Koichiro already had the qualities of an ace pitcher, except he was prone to breaking down after 70 pitches.

This demonstrates the power of such high-drop curveballs.

Facing this tough pitch, Haruichi was fully concentrated, his only thought being:

To hit this incoming ball perfectly.

Watching the ball fall, Haruichi mentally calculated the timing.

'Now!'

The moment had arrived, and without hesitation, Haruichi swung the bat.

Ping!

The white ball was struck and flew far away.

For a moment, Haruichi's lips curled into a satisfied smile.

'It was a perfect hit!'

With his power, hitting a home run would be difficult, but getting the ball to the outfield wasn't.

The pitch was good; the ball should fly over the second baseman's head, landing in the outfield gap.

'Perfect!'

Feeling good about his hit, Haruichi threw away the bat and prepared to run.

Unexpectedly, a figure suddenly appeared at second base.

At that moment, the figure seemed incredibly tall!

The ball was caught by the outstretched glove.

Snap!

"Out!!!"

'How could this be?'

At that moment, Haruichi had just thrown the bat and hadn't even taken a step forward.

He stared in disbelief at the figure that had appeared, unable to comprehend.

With his brother's height, he must have jumped at least a meter to catch that ball.

'How could he jump so high?'

"Did you really think that ball was going to get away? Too naïve!"

Kominato Ryosuke, still smiling, seemed as if he had done nothing, but he had just saved the team from a crisis with what could be called a perfect defensive play.

"Well done, Ryosuke!"

"Compared to you, the younger brother still has a long way to go!"

"Let the first and second-year Kohais see the terror of us third-year Senpais."

"It's time to show them how to play baseball."

With two Outs and no one on base, the New team's offense seemed sluggish compared to the third-year seniors' impressive start.

If their own performance was lacking, it would be understandable, but in reality, they were performing well and in good shape.

Yet, they still couldn't break through the third-year seniors' defense.

The gap was stark despite their evident skill!

"As expected of Aniki!"

Haruichi wasn't frustrated; he easily accepted his brother's perfect performance. Long accustomed to being overshadowed by his brother, Haruichi was used to seeing his brother perform miraculous feats.

Even though in this sibling showdown the younger brother was defeated by the older brother, the evaluation of the younger brother was still high.

Especially Chris, the catcher, was very surprised by Haruichi's performance.

He didn't expect that Haruichi could perfectly hit Tanpa's pitch. It was truly incredible.

That pitch was executed perfectly by Tanpa. Even if one guessed the high-drop curveball correctly, hitting it was not easy.

Haruichi swung at the first pitch and achieved that on the first attempt.

His skill and future potential were high.

Haruichi felt a bit awkward as he left the field.

Since he had swung at the first pitch, there were no details to share with Sawamura, who was about to step up.

"You did very well; keep it up!"

Sawamura was generous with his praise for Haruichi.

For the New team to get its lineup working, Haruichi's power was crucial.

His performance now was quite good, and if he maintains this focus in the Fall Tournament, his performance there could be highly anticipated.

"Third batter, outfielder, Sawamura!"

Following Haruichi, Sawamura Eijun, the third batter of the New team, stepped up to the plate.

"Third batter is Sawamura, hum?"

Coach Ochiai was conflicted, but not surprised.

Based on previous performances, Sawamura should have undoubtedly been the fourth batter for the new team.

In the former Seidou High, Sawamura's performance in the batter's box had been shockingly impressive. Not only did he stand out among freshmen, but even among all high school players nationwide, few could match Sawamura Eijun's level.

Although Sawamura's performance in hits and on-base percentage was still not on par with his senior, Yuuki Tetsuya, his evaluation in the batter's box was not inferior to Tetsuya's. This was because Sawamura had hit a remarkable five home runs throughout the Koshien tournament.

With his dazzling home run performance, Sawamura's evaluation in the batter's box was not worse than Tetsuya's.

Before the third-year seniors left, it was reasonable for Sawamura to bat third, but now that Tetsuya and the others had left the team, Sawamura should logically have been the first choice for the fourth batter.

But they cannot give him the fourth batter hole. Not because of his lack of performance, but because of his other position.

Sawamura is the Ace! No matter how good he is in batting, if it will affect his pitching then it is not necessary.

His pitching is the most important at this moment, it is the team's backbone with the current lack of the explosive lineup.

This is why Coach Ochiai was conflicted.

Meanwhile, a new student who had just come to observe was confused.

"Isn't the game supposed to be between the New Seidou and the third-year Senpais?"

The new student asked the Dean who had brought him.

"Indeed, that's correct."

"Then isn't Sawamura-senpai supposed to be the fourth batter?"

The boy asked in confusion.

"Hmm."

"Our coach must have his reasons."

Ultimately, unable to think of a good explanation, the Dean could only offer a vague excuse.

However, the new student seemed to be deep in thought.

"Not every team's fourth batter is necessarily their best hitter. Given Sawamura-senpai's style, batting third might actually be the most suitable position for him."

'Hmm?'

The Dean looked at the boy with curiosity.

This boy was the new golden recruit that Seidou was keeping an eye on. He was Japan's runner-up pitcher in the Little League World Series and a legendary figure in his grade.

This year, Seidou High's recruitment staff reached out to all notable talented pitchers across the country.

Unfortunately, very few top pitchers showed a willingness to join Seidou High.

With the Maou Sawamura Eijun, the Monster-kun Furuya, and Kawakami Norifumi already on the team, opportunities for newcomers were almost nonexistent until one and a half years later.

Under these circumstances, other new pitchers often couldn't even make it to the first team, let alone make a notable impact on the mound.

Thus, despite their gratitude for Seidou High's invitation, as being invited to the national champion's team was a form of recognition, very few were willing to spend two years as mere substitutes at Seidou. Good pitchers aren't made simply through training; without significant game experience, they cannot hone their skills.

With plenty of teams eager for good pitchers, Seidou High naturally struggled to be their first choice.

However, this boy was different. He turned down several invitations from the other strong teams and chose to join Seidou High. It was unclear whether he had great confidence in his own abilities or had other reasons for his choice.

"What's the reason?"

The boy muttered something, then fell silent. This left the Dean perplexed, prompting him to ask.

"The first batter is fast and has a high on-base probability. The second batter is excellent in hitting skills. Overall, these two players have very high on-base chance. With them on base, having Sawamura-senpai as the one to bring in the runs is quite fitting. Moreover, avoiding the fourth batter position can reduce the likelihood of being intentionally walked. It's a very smart strategy…"

"I see."

The Dean reflected on this, and after the boy's explanation, he suddenly felt that having Sawamura Eijun as the third batter wasn't bad after all.

'As expected the Coaches know their game well!'

While they were talking, the game continued.

…

T/N: Thank you all for reading!! And I hope you all have a good day!

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