Chapter 154: Eephus Pitch

Maya Yamato has an unusually tall build, as if he were an unshakable mountain. Every muscle is perfectly defined and bulging, full of a sense of power. Such a physique makes it clear at a glance that he is a typical power hitter, cut from the same cloth as Dong Qingguo.

Although he has yet to hit a home run in this Koshien tournament, that does not stop him from being the focus on the field.

Because the number of extra-base hits he has in his hands has reached an astonishing 6! This means he possesses powerful explosive force and long-distance hitting ability when at bat; every swing is like a thunderbolt, putting immense pressure on the opponent's defense.

From the batter, Huangqian Yangyi felt an invisible pressure. This pressure did not come from the opponent's size or aura, but from an indescribable feeling. He couldn't help but frown and look at Miyuki. The two exchanged a glance, as if they shared a telepathic connection; both decided to first test the batter's strength and reaction with a Fastball.

As one of the most basic pitching methods in a baseball game, the Fastball, while seemingly simple, actually contains many techniques and strategies.

Huangqian Yangyi took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing and rhythm, then gripped the ball in his hand, preparing to throw this crucial first pitch.

Maya Yamato stared intently at Huangqian Yangyi, keenly noticing the subtle changes in the opponent's expression. This made his heart tighten, and he subconsciously gripped the bat in his hands, but soon realized this might affect his performance, so he loosened his grip slightly.

Just as Huangqian Yangyi was preparing to pitch, Maya Yamato's body, as if pulled by an invisible force, reacted instantly. His arms swung like lightning, and the bat let out a crisp whistle in the air.

"Pop!"

The ball entered Miyuki's glove.

"Strike!"

The cheers of the audience were thunderous, but Miyuki's attention was entirely focused on Maya Yamato, secretly marveling in his heart at how fast this person's swing speed was!

Returning the baseball to Huangqian Yangyi, Miyuki thought for a moment and then positioned his glove further out—come on, Slider!

Huangqian Yangyi nodded and immediately threw the baseball. The speed of this ball was not much slower than the Fastball, and for a batter, it was very difficult to distinguish. By the time the baseball flew to his side and changed trajectory, it was definitely too late to adjust his swing path.

Sure enough, the bat Maya Yamato swung was aimed at the path of a Fastball. After the baseball entered the Home Plate, it suddenly shifted horizontally, just missing the tip of the bat.

"Pop! Strike!"

In the Batter's Box, seeing this legendary, bizarre Slider with his own eyes for the first time, Maya Yamato couldn't help but admire the opponent's talent. Unless one knew from the start that the opponent was going to throw this pitch, it would be quite difficult to hit. However, after his surprise, Maya Yamato was not shaken in the slightest. His goal was not this pitch to begin with; he would hit the Fastball—as long as the opponent threw a Fastball, he would hit it!

Two strikes. Huangqian Yangyi clenched his fist. What to do next? Continue throwing the Slider?

Glancing at Miyuki in the Catcher's position, Huangqian Yangyi's eyes suddenly lit up. This guy is too wicked.

Huangqian Yangyi didn't even dare to imagine that if this pitch were thrown and the opponent swung and missed, the opponent would probably curse both of them out in his heart.

Hehehe.

Watching the batter's tensed muscles and the desire to hit revealed in his eyes, Huangqian Yangyi silently suppressed the corners of his mouth, putting on an expression as if he were going to engage in a head-on, bayonet-style duel with the batter.

Sorry.

Secretly whispering an apology in his heart, Huangqian Yangyi took a step forward and swung his arm fiercely, but at the very moment of release, he pulled back his strength and gently tossed the baseball out.

Maya Yamato was also very tense. With a two-strike count, upon seeing Huangqian Yangyi throw the ball, he immediately swung his bat. But what happened? He had only swung halfway when he realized something was wrong—this ball, an Eephus Pitch???

Keep swinging? That definitely wouldn't hit it!

Pull it back? But the swing was already more than halfway through!

Helpless, Maya Yamato could neither advance nor retreat, and could only watch as this damn Eephus Pitch dropped into Miyuki's glove.

"Eh???!!"

There was an uproar in the spectator stands. No one expected that in such a tense and exciting situation, this Pitcher and Catcher pair from Seido High School would actually pull such a stunt.

"Hahahahaha!!"

After a few seconds of silence in the stadium, the Seido fans erupted into laughter that resounded throughout the entire field, like a long-suppressed volcano.

This laughter was filled with admiration and amazement for the scene that had just occurred.

That's right, it was indeed a very brilliant pitch, even though some might consider it a bit "shameless." But for the Seido fans, it was simply a marvelous tactical application.

"Good job, Huangqian!" someone shouted.

"Miyuki!" another person followed up, clearly giving a thumbs-up to Miyuki's wit.

Conversely, the fans of Komadai Fujimaki erupted into a chorus of boos after the silence.

As a result, they saw Huangqian Yangyi on the Pitcher's Mound scratching his head and spinning in a circle, with a smile still on his face.

How hateful!

After flashing a smile at the audience, Huangqian Yangyi returned to the Dugout surrounded by his teammates.

"Not bad, kid, you actually dared to throw a pitch like that." Dong Qingguo laughed loudly, looking very satisfied with this Eephus Pitch.

"It wasn't me who wanted to throw it; it was the pitch Miyuki called," Huangqian Yangyi said hurriedly. Although this pitch achieved a good result, he would rather give the credit to Miyuki; he just wanted to disappear beautifully.

"Miyuki is good!"

Zhitian Jiangtai said while draping his arm over Miyuki's shoulder.

"They always say catchers are cold-hearted; I didn't believe it before, but today I'm convinced."

"Yeah, I'm convinced too."

The friends teased Miyuki with banter, while Tanaka Wataru, who was standing to the side, caught a stray bullet.

The first inning of the game ended, with both sides tied at 0:0.

In the top of the second inning, Seido was on the attack, and the first to stand in the Batter's Box was Huangqian Yangyi, who had just thrown an Eephus Pitch.

Carrying his bat as he walked to the Batter's Box, Sawamura Eijun noticed that the Komadai Fujimaki Catcher seemed to dislike him—how petty.

"Strike him out!!"

"Kill him!!"

"Hinata, you must not lose to him!!"

"Go for it!!"

The fans of Komadai Fujimaki were as excited as if they were seeing a sworn enemy upon seeing Sawamura Eijun, wishing that Hinata Hayato would strike him out in three pitches—preferably with an Eephus Pitch!

Of course, that wasn't realistic.

Hinata Hayato looked at Huangqian Yangyi opposite him with a calm gaze. Come to think of it, he had actually been paying attention to Huangqian Yangyi for quite a while; when Seido won the Spring Tournament championship, some media had already dubbed him the strongest pitcher of the same generation.