Chapter 161: Tanba in Trouble

Returning to the dugout, Huangqian Yangyi saw that Tanba had already put on his glove and was standing beside Coach Kataoka, eager to get in the game.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Honghai Daisagara was on the attack.

Coach Kataoka requested a substitution: First Year Pitcher Huangqian Yangyi moved to Left Fielder, and Second Year Pitcher Tanba Koichiro took over the pitcher's position.

"Tanba!"

Before taking the field, Coach Kataoka suddenly shouted. Tanba gave a start, turned his head, and looked at Coach Kataoka with trepidation.

"Do a good job, you can do it," Coach Kataoka said.

As for Tanba, although his personality made Coach Kataoka feel he was a bit weak, his pitching was still respectable. As long as he performed normally and coordinated with the defense behind him, it would not be easy for even Honghai Daisagara to score off him.

"Yes, Coach!" Tanba roared.

The nine Seido players walked onto the field, and Huangqian Yangyi walked to the Left Fielder position.

He didn't leave the field entirely; first, because Coach Kataoka needed his batting, and second, out of concern that if any unexpected situation occurred in the game, he could be moved back to the Pitcher's Mound at any time.

On the Pitcher's Mound, after adjusting his breathing, Tanba quickly threw the first pitch under Miyuki's guidance—a four-seam Fastball.

Bang!

The Batter swung and made contact, resulting in an infield Grounder. It was headed toward First Base, so Jiecheng stepped forward two paces to pick up the ball and then forced the Batter out.

Following that, Honghai Daisagara's Seventh Batter and Eighth Batter were each struck out or forced out. Tanba's appearance in this game was very successful; his Curveball and vertical Curveball made it very difficult for the Batters to hit an Extra-base Hit.

"Tanba!!"

Having successfully retired the side in order, Tanba also reaped the applause and cheers of the audience. With a faint blush on his face, Tanba lowered his head, pressed down the brim of his cap, and jogged back to the dugout.

"Well done, keep it up." Coach Kataoka's short sentence made Tanba as excited as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

The game reached the sixth inning, with Seido on the attack.

In this inning, Seido failed to score. Eighth Batter Shinoki Keita was struck out, and Huangqian Yangyi, who replaced Ninth Batter Yoshikawa Junpei, managed to track the ball, but it didn't fly far and was easily caught by the Honghai Daisagara defense for an out.

"You two are no good, watch me."

Zhitian Jiangtai teased Huangqian Yangyi as he left the field. After stepping into the Batter's Box, he actually tracked a Slider on the very first pitch and hit it to the left, crossing the Third Base defense along the foul line.

"Safe!"

A Single; Zhitian Jiangtai, the "detonator," began to play his role.

"Hey, he really got on base," Huangqian Yangyi laughed.

"He's the detonator, after all; it's about time for him to perform."

"Zhitian, nice hit!"

While his teammates were discussing, Kominato Ryosuke stepped into the Batter's Box. The squinty-eyed player had already scored for Seido in this game, and with this opportunity arriving again, Kominato Ryosuke would definitely not let it slip away easily.

One pitch, two pitches, three pitches... seven pitches!!

He tangled for a full seven pitches.

"Out!"

Having successfully drained the pitcher's stamina, Kominato Ryosuke still failed to advance the runner.

The top of the sixth inning ended, and the score remained 4-0, with Seido in the lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, after Tanba stood on the Pitcher's Mound, although he successfully retired Honghai Daisagara's Ninth Batter, he was immediately hit by the First Batter.

Then the Second Batter took advantage of the momentum; a high-quality bunt helped the runner reach Second Base, and then the batter himself was forced out.

Two outs, runner on Second Base. Tanba next had to face Honghai Daisagara's Third Batter, Maya Yamato!

At the Catcher's position, Miyuki was thinking incessantly about how to retire Maya Yamato.

Tanba-san's pitch types, the Curveball and vertical Curveball, were both vertical Breaking Balls, and Tanba's pitch speed wasn't fast. There was only one way to retire Maya Yamato: throw the ball to the corners to make the opponent hit a low-quality ball and rely on the defense behind him to get the out.

Start with an outside Fastball!

Miyuki gave the signal and simultaneously gestured for the defense on the field to all retreat to prevent an Extra-base Hit.

Tanba's hands were full of sweat at this moment; the aura radiating from this batter made him feel invisible pressure.

Come on, Tanba-san, don't hesitate. If you shrink back now, it's all over.

As it turned out, Tanba on the Pitcher's Mound shook his head at Miyuki.

Miyuki frowned. What did that mean?

Not throwing a Fastball?

He changed the signal: Curveball. Tanba shook his head again. Vertical Curveball—still shaking his head.

You've got to be kidding, you want to give a Base on Balls?

Miyuki looked at Tanba in surprise. If he gave a Base on Balls, there would be runners on First and Third, and the next batter was the Fourth Batter!! Furukawa Shunsuke!

He couldn't understand Tanba's intention. Walk the third batter and face the fourth? What was he thinking?

The pitcher kept shaking his head to reject his pitch calling, and Miyuki felt a bit displeased.

Even Yangyi had never shaken his head at me like that!

Damn it, Tanba-san!

Miyuki absolutely disagreed with a Base on Balls. In his view, as long as Tanba could throw the ball to the spot he wanted, there was still a good chance to make Maya Yamato hit a low-quality ball and use that to get an out.

In the Batter's Box, seeing Tanba keep shaking his head, Maya Yamato was also a bit confused. What was he doing? Could he have some secret weapon?

Throw it!

Miyuki firmly set his glove, not noticing at all that the expression on Tanba's face on the Pitcher's Mound had become too stiff.

Tanba took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but the pressure brought by Maya Yamato and the anger from Miyuki's aggressive pitch calling intertwined, making him completely unable to control his trembling palms.

Soon, Tanba forced the pitch.

The baseball flew out and then smashed into the ground.

This... a dirt-digger?

The entire audience went quiet, followed by a burst of laughter.

Tanba's face turned even redder.

By this time, Miyuki finally realized that something was wrong with Tanba's condition, so he hurriedly called a timeout and ran toward the Pitcher's Mound.

"Tanba-san? Relax, we can get him out!"

Upon hearing this, Tanba squeezed his eyes shut hard and said, "Give him a Base on Balls."

"Are you sure?" Miyuki frowned; if he could throw a ball into the dirt with a runner on Second Base right now, wouldn't he just throw a Wild Pitch if there were runners on First and Third?

"I'm sure!" Tanba nodded; he didn't know why, but whenever he faced this 3rd Batter, he couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Alright then, hurry up and adjust your state of mind, focus on dealing with the next Batter." After saying this, Miyuki returned to home plate.

After a few deep breaths, Tanba threw consecutive balls and gave Maya Yamato a Base on Balls.

Seeing this, in the Seido Dugout, Department Head Ota was flustered and scrambling in a panic.

"There's a runner on Third Base, we aren't going to give up a run, are we?"

"Department Head, stay calm; even if we give up a run, it's only one," Huangqian Yangyi said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Department Head Ota looked toward Manager Kataoka, only to see the latter watching the field intently, with absolutely no intention of saying anything.