Chapter 105: Intentional Walk?

Start with a ball on the edge to test the waters; Seido's offense is very aggressive today and isn't afraid of the opponent not swinging, so Harada Masatoshi makes his judgment and immediately signals.

Furthermore, Matsumoto Takuhai's fastball can reach a top speed of 146, which is extremely outstanding in high school baseball. With such speed aimed at the corners, Dong Qingguo can only rely on his instincts to distinguish between balls and strikes; his eyes simply cannot keep up. As long as there is the slightest hesitation in his judgment, he won't be able to hit this pitch well.

On the pitcher's mound, Matsumoto Takuhai nods and immediately throws a subtle ball toward the outside corner.

Pop!

"Ball!"

The baseball enters the mitt, and Dong Qingguo actually didn't swing!

Looking back at Harada Masatoshi, a smile curls at the corner of Dong Qingguo's mouth.

Sure enough, this guy actually called for a ball.

Recalling how Miyuki and Huangqian had asked him to deliberately feign a desire to hit to lure the opponent into throwing a ball before he went up to bat, Dong Qingguo has to marvel at how truly devious these guys are.

At this moment, Harada Masatoshi also looks at Dong Qingguo with some surprise. He observed clearly just now that Dong Qingguo didn't force himself to stop swinging after identifying it as a ball, but rather had no intention of swinging at all.

This person's batting style is the type that swings at anything that comes, yet it is different from a "blind cannon." He has a strong ability to track the ball and a high probability of making contact. Under normal circumstances, Dong Qingguo would never let any batting opportunity go, let alone today, where Seido's tactical arrangement is clearly to swing aggressively. For Dong Qingguo to let the first pitch go, Harada Masatoshi has to reconsider his pitch calling.

Returning the ball to Matsumoto Takuhai, since Harada Masatoshi cannot guess the batter's intentions, he decides to call for a forkball.

Keep it low! Must keep the pitch path low!

Harada Masatoshi signals with his palm facing down; a forkball only works if the path is kept low.

Matsumoto Takuhai understands Harada Masatoshi's meaning: as long as the pitch is kept low, given Dong Qingguo's height, even if he makes contact, there is a high probability it will be a grounder.

Soon, Matsumoto Takuhai throws a forkball toward the low outside corner; this path is not only the furthest from Dong Qingguo but also kept very low.

However, Dong Qingguo still doesn't swing this time, just watching the baseball enter the home plate and drill into Harada Masatoshi's mitt.

"Strike!"

What exactly is he trying to do?

Harada Masatoshi frowns. Two pitches in a row without swinging—has this person had his soul swapped? This isn't like him.

Dong Qingguo's uncharacteristic behavior makes Harada Masatoshi feel the pressure. This person already has strong batting ability; if he also uses his brain, he will be even harder to deal with.

One ball, one strike. After a brief moment of thought, Harada Masatoshi still chooses the forkball, only this time it is on the inside.

Matsumoto Takuhai throws the ball violently. Just then, Dong Qingguo's sturdy frame suddenly moves, and the swung bat whistles downward. Bang!

The baseball is scooped up and shot toward a gap in the defense, and Dong Qingguo takes the opportunity to run to base in one breath.

"It went through!"

"Haha, Captain is amazing!"

"Fourth-batter monster!"

"Dong Qingguo!"

"Yo-ho, he's on base!"

Cheers erupt from the stands, and Seido's cheerleading squad calls out Dong Qingguo's name in unison.

"Hehe, Harada-senpai must be feeling very frustrated right now," Miyuki says.

Huangqian Yangyi smiles: "They must have studied Dong-senpai and discovered he isn't good at hitting balls near his feet, but how would they know how many of these pitches I've fed Dong-senpai over the past two months? Though, I was throwing fastballs."

"This pitch was meant to be hit as a forkball, and the landing point wasn't much different from a fastball, so Dong-senpai hit it quite smoothly," Miyuki says.

Ever since Huangqian Yangyi began daily live-pitching training, the strength of Seido's entire batting lineup has improved significantly, especially after their performance in the Kanto Tournament.

From the initial training with limited pitch types to later scenarios closer to actual games, and even specifically targeting the positions each pitcher is not good at, every player on Seido's First String has had their weaknesses addressed.

It is no longer feasible for Inashiro to target Seido based on past intelligence.

In the batter's box, 5th batter Tanaka Wataru finally makes contact after the count reaches two strikes and two balls, but the quality of the hit is poor; the ball flies high and short, and is easily caught by Inashiro's second baseman for a flyout.

Next up is 6th batter Isashiki. As soon as he stands in the batter's box, he lets out a roar—it must be said that Dong Qingguo is the senior he respects the most.

His behavior is the same, and his performance isn't bad, but he is struck out.

After that, 7th batter Shinoki Keita hits a grounder, and thus the second inning ends.

Both teams' fourth batters reached first base in this inning, but in the end, neither scored. Both pitchers performed excellently on the pitcher's mound; this game has truly become a pitcher's duel.

Then, in the third inning, the game continues.

In the top of the third, Nanjo Taishi easily disposes of Inashiro's 8th and 9th batters, then faces Carlos again.

Neither Nanjo Taishi nor Tanaka Wataru believes Carlos will bunt twice in a row; the probability is too low.

As for Carlos, although his speed is astonishing for a first-year, he is relatively immature at the plate. Facing a pitcher like Nanjo Taishi, who has served as an ace at Seido, Carlos has no intention of picking or choosing pitches; he just stares at the fastball to hit it, but in the end, he is struck out and fails to open up the situation for Inashiro.

Successfully retiring Inashiro in order, Nanjo Taishi receives enthusiastic applause from the audience.

In the bottom of the third, after 8th batter Yoshikawa Junpei is retired, Huangqian Yangyi stands in the batter's box.

"It's this kid's turn."

"Huangqian, hit it out!"

"We believe in you!"

"I love you!"

Messy shouts come from the stands, and Huangqian Yangyi can't help but wipe away some sweat. Come on, he's not even an adult yet.

Swinging the bat a few times, Huangqian Yangyi's eyes flicker. After one round of the batting order, it's back to the end; sure enough, do I have to rely on myself to score? What a lot of pressure, Huangqian Yangyi jokes to himself.

Looking at the smiling Huangqian Yangyi, Harada Masatoshi suddenly considers giving him a base on balls.

Anyone who has watched Seido's previous few games can see that once the batting order reaches the 9th batter, Huangqian Yangyi triggers a scoring storm for Seido. In his hands, no pitcher has escaped this law so far.

Although there is no one on base right now and a hit is first base, and a base on balls is also first base, the problem is that this bastard's home run rate is terrifyingly high.

A base on balls? Harada Masatoshi turns his head to look at Manager Kunitomo on the sidelines.

Manager Kunitomo shakes his head. Although Huangqian Yangyi is a huge threat, choosing to walk him at this time would undoubtedly mean losing the momentum. This is a semi-finals match where the brave win in a narrow encounter; any factor that could affect the outcome must be eliminated.