Chapter 108: The Sudden Home Run

In the Seido dugout, Nanjo Taishi was loosening his shoulders, preparing to take the field. Dong Qingguo, who had just returned, glanced back at the Inashiro dugout and immediately said to Nanjo Taishi, "Nanjo, be careful."

"Mm." Nanjo Taishi nodded. In the top of the 4th inning, he was immediately facing Inashiro's 2nd, 3rd, and 4th batters, and at a time when the opponent was trailing by one run and would surely launch a frantic counterattack, the pressure would be immense.

Not only Dong Qingguo, but Coach Kataoka also spoke up: "If someone gets on first base, you can consider a base on balls."

Nanjo Taishi was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood Coach Kataoka's meaning. If someone got on base before the 4th batter, he would have to face the slugger Shinkawa Kenichi. In such a situation, a base on balls was clearly the safer approach when facing Shinkawa Kenichi.

However, the coach said to "consider" it; the situation on the field changes in an instant, and how to act specifically would ultimately be decided by Tanaka Wataru and Nanjo Taishi. What Coach Kataoka gave was merely a suggestion, or rather, permission.

The Seido players each took their defensive positions, and Inashiro's second batter had already stepped into the batter's box.

Looking at the strength of the opponent's grip on the bat, Tanaka Wataru could feel the batter's determination to get on base. It made sense; if the second batter could get on base, the next two batters were Inashiro's Captain and their 4th batter, so the scoring opportunity would be quite high.

Since that was the case, he couldn't let them have their way.

The pitcher and catcher exchanged glances and soon began pitching.

"Snap!"

"Strike!"

"Bang!"

Only on the second pitch, Inashiro's second batter connected with Nanjo Taishi's pitch. The baseball hit the ground and bounced directly toward first base. The Inashiro batter's luck wasn't great either, and he was out in a very unfortunate manner.

"Heh, it seems the Goddess of Luck is favoring Seido too," Tanaka Wataru smiled.

After that, Inashiro's 3rd batter, Captain Haneda Kazuki, was retired on just one pitch. His aggressive swing sent the baseball very far, but also very high. Isashiki Jun in center field retreated while watching the incoming baseball, and finally caught it steadily, completing a flyout.

Having successfully secured two outs, the spectators cheered. The performance of the Seido pitcher-catcher duo made their supporters feel incredibly satisfied. This was Inashiro, after all; their batting strength would never lose to any team in the country, yet until now, they hadn't been able to score a single point off Nanjo Taishi and Tanaka Wataru, and even getting on base was difficult.

Seido's supporters were very happy, but this joyful atmosphere didn't last long before it went completely silent following a swing from Inashiro's 4th batter, Shinkawa Kenichi.

Bang!

The bat firmly swept across a high-speed slider thrown by Nanjo Taishi. The little white ball shot into the sky, flying very high and very far.

"It's out of here!!"

"A home run to left field!"

"Inashiro's 4th batter, Shinkawa Kenichi, has stepped up in a critical moment and hit today's first home run!"

A magnificent home run. Seido's one-run lead had been tied by Inashiro shortly after it was established. The triumphant Shinkawa Kenichi jogged back to home plate, holding his fist high toward their fans.

When he left the field, he also high-fived Harada Masatoshi, who was heading out.

"Senior Shinkawa, you're so cool!"

Just as he returned to the dugout, Narumiya Mei shouted with both hands raised high.

Slap!

Shinkawa Kenichi also dotingly high-fived Narumiya Mei.

"Haha, the Seido guys must be really annoyed right now, looking at how smug they were when they scored earlier."

"They must be dying of frustration."

"Look at their expressions."

The Inashiro group chattered away. Shinkawa Kenichi looked toward Dong Qingguo at this moment. Both were powerful 4th batters in the West Tokyo region, so naturally, they were secretly competing against each other. With this home run, his home run count had reached 40.

Regrettably, relying on Inashiro's great strength, he had played many more innings than Dong Qingguo. Even so, Dong Qingguo's home run count was still higher than his, which made Shinkawa Kenichi feel somewhat uncomfortable.

On the pitcher's mound, Nanjo Taishi looked at Coach Kataoka with some unease. If he had known it would turn out like this, it would have been better to just walk the opponent. Now that the score had been tied by a home run, Nanjo Taishi was almost dying of regret.

Coach Kataoka shook his head at Nanjo Taishi. Walking Shinkawa Kenichi was an arrangement for when there were runners on base ahead of him, intended to prevent Inashiro from scoring more points. But with two outs, choosing to face the opponent was not a mistake. That Shinkawa Kenichi could hit a home run at this time was not the fault of Tanaka Wataru or Nanjo Taishi.

Seeing that Coach Kataoka had no intention of blaming him, Nanjo Taishi breathed a sigh of relief. Logically, a single home run shouldn't cause a battle-hardened pitcher like him to have such psychological fluctuations; the problem was that he had just been instructed that he could consider a walk, so a home run occurring at this moment was somewhat delicate.

Casting a reassuring look toward Tanaka Wataru, Nanjo Taishi was already prepared to deal with the next batter.

5th batter, Harada Masatoshi.

With Senior Shinkawa's home run as a precedent, Harada Masatoshi naturally inherited that momentum. Every swing made Tanaka Wataru, in the catcher's position, feel a palpitation. Fortunately, in the end, by relying on a cutter slider, the quality of the ball Harada Masatoshi hit was low, and they successfully retired him with the help of his teammates' defense.

After three outs, the top of the 4th inning ended. When Nanjo Taishi left the field and returned to the dugout, he still looked at Coach Kataoka with some trepidation.

"Don't think too much, this is the game. Defend the final inning well!" Coach Kataoka said. His words were few and very brief, but Nanjo Taishi felt the coach's trust and nodded heavily, saying "Yes."

At this moment, in the bullpen, Huangqian Yangyi, who was warming up with Miyuki, smiled and said, "Why do I feel like the coach's temper has gotten much better lately?"

Miyuki looked back in confusion and said, "It's not that his temper has gotten better; it's that the pressure isn't as great."

The current Seido was more than a grade stronger than before, both in its pitching staff and its batting lineup. A single home run wasn't enough to make Coach Kataoka anxious. Having pitched 4 innings against Inashiro and only giving up one run so far, even if the coach were more demanding, he couldn't say anything reproachful.

As a former ace, Nanjo Taishi still held a very important position in Coach Kataoka's heart. He believed that Nanjo Taishi would not let his state be affected by one home run.

"Hehe, you really understand him. Could it be that you're the tapeworm in the coach's stomach?" Huangqian Yangyi said.

"Isn't that obvious? It's you I'm worried about; the later innings are all yours, don't be careless," Miyuki said.

Huangqian Yangyi looked toward the pitcher's mound, a flash of excitement in his eyes: "I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

At the meeting the night before the semi-finals, Huangqian Yangyi had already received permission to use the pitch that Chris jokingly called a cutter slider in the game. With the new pitch appearing in a game for the first time, Huangqian Yangyi just felt his hands itching.