Chapter 167: Jiecheng's Home Run

"Three days!"

"Oh? Only three days of training camp?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Did you buy tickets for the finals?"

"I did. Mom, Dad, me, and my sister, we're all coming. Oh, right, and Reina too!" Kumiko lay on the bed, happily kicking her feet.

"Good, that means I absolutely have to make it to the finals," Huangqian Yangyi replied.

Only by fighting his way into the finals would their trip not be in vain.

"Hee hee, I believe Nii-chan will definitely win the championship!"

"Koshien ends, and a few days later is the Kansai Wind Music Competition, right? That concerns your qualification for the National Tournament, so you need to work hard too. Don't let your focus on my games delay your own affairs," Huangqian Yangyi reminded her.

"I won't! I've been practicing properly every day. The Kitauji Wind Music Club will definitely advance to the National Tournament!"

"Good, I believe in you."

The two siblings lost track of time chatting. An hour later, Miyuki, who was lying on the other bed playing with his phone, couldn't help but sigh; it was truly terrifying when a sister-complex and a brother-complex existed at the same time.

Time flew to the day of the semi-finals. The temperature today was a bit lower than before. Even when the first semi-final game started in the morning, the sun still hadn't appeared; it was an overcast day.

"Nice, I like this kind of weather."

In the third-base dugout, Huangqian Yangyi looked up at the sky and said. Compared to the scorching, fiery sun, this weather was more conducive to him conserving his stamina.

"Too bad, in this weather, you can only pitch three innings, and you're not even starting," Miyuki laughed.

Huangqian Yangyi let out an 'eh'. He had been arranged by Coach Kataoka to pitch the final three innings today. Of course, for the first six innings, he would appear as the Left Fielder, contributing to the team from the batting side.

Semi-finals, Seido's starting lineup.

1st Batter - Shortstop - Zhitian Jiangtai.

2nd Batter - Second Baseman - Kominato Ryosuke.

3rd Batter - First Baseman - Yuki Tetsuya.

4th Batter - Third Baseman - Dong Qingguo.

5th Batter - Left Fielder - Huangqian Yangyi.

6th Batter - Catcher - Tanaka Wataru.

7th Batter - Center Fielder - Isashiki Jun.

8th Batter - Right Fielder - Yoshikawa Junpei.

9th Batter - Pitcher - Nanjo Taishi.

After both sides finished warming up, the game began quickly.

Top of the first inning, Seido attacks first.

Osaka Kiryu's starting pitcher today was still their ace, Matsuki Musashi.

As soon as the game started, Zhitian Jiangtai, who was the first to step into the Batter's Box, felt what it meant to be the strongest pitcher of this year's Koshien.

After three consecutive fastballs, his bat simply couldn't keep up with the ball at all. The opponent seemed to be deliberately showing off his skills, unleashing four-seamers, two-seamers, and cutters, and before the ball's trajectory changed, it was impossible to tell which pitch type it was.

Why did it feel like Huangqian Yangyi was standing on the opposite side?

Zhitian Jiangtai walked off the Batter's Box feeling depressed. Although Huangqian Yangyi's top speed was faster than Matsuki Musashi's, he mostly kept it under 150, around 148 or 149, and he also threw four-seamers and two-seamers.

Next time, next at-bat, I must hit it! Zhitian Jiangtai swore to himself. Just looking at the fastball, this Matsuki Musashi was just a low-spec version of Huangqian. I've even hit Huangqian's fastball, why can't I hit yours!

Next, after Kominato Ryosuke went up, he managed to follow a cutter with his precise pitch-selection ability. Unfortunately, he couldn't hit the sweet spot, and the baseball just happened to fall near the Second Baseman and was caught in his glove.

3rd Batter, after Yuki Tetsuya went up, Matsuki Musashi naturally didn't dare to be careless, starting with a low outside fastball.

Bang!

Yuki Tetsuya swung, and the baseball flew Jianjie.

Matsuki Musashi's pitching rhythm was fast; not long after the catcher returned the ball, he threw the second pitch.

Thwack!

Another Strike. This time, Yuki Tetsuya swung and missed again.

On the Pitcher's Mound, Matsuki Musashi looked at Yuki Tetsuya's focused expression, which wasn't affected at all by the two swings and misses. He didn't dare to continue throwing fastballs, so a High-speed Slider flew toward the outside corner.

Just then, Yuki Tetsuya took a big step forward and swung his bat with a whoosh, aiming exactly at the outside corner.

Bang!

The metal bat hit the slider squarely.

"It, it flew out!!"

"Home Run!"

"Seido's 3rd batter, Yuki Tetsuya, hits a home run right at the start!"

"It's unbelievable!"

Not to mention the spectators, even Yuki Tetsuya, who hit the home run, was a bit dazed. He had indeed chosen to hit the outside corner, but he had chosen a fastball on the outside corner. By a stroke of luck, he had actually smashed this outside High-speed Slider out.

What was this? A blessing from the Goddess of Luck?

"Ugh, what a pity for this home run."

Seeing the baseball fly into the stands, Huangqian Yangyi said with a pained expression to Zhitian Jiangtai and Kominato Ryosuke, who were coming off the field.

If the two of them had been on base, this home run would have been worth three runs.

"You're wrong about that. Maybe if we had been on base, Jiecheng wouldn't have been able to hit the home run," Zhitian Jiangtai said.

In a baseball game, when there are people on base versus when there aren't, the pitcher's strategy is completely different.

"Well, just saying," Huangqian Yangyi said, spreading his hands.

After running a lap and returning to home plate, Yuki Tetsuya high-fived Dong Qingguo, who was going up to bat, and returned to the dugout. On the field, Matsuki Musashi was now deep in thought.

Was that Home Run just luck, or did the opponent guess he was going to throw a High-speed Slider?

If it was the latter, then the level of caution regarding the Seido batting lineup must be raised another notch.

Watching Dong Qingguo in the Batter's Box, Matsuki Musashi gave the Catcher a look, and the Catcher nodded before quickly signaling.

Whoosh!

"Bang!"

"Jianjie!"

Pop!

"Strike!"

One Fastball and one Vertical Curveball left Dong Qingguo with one Jianjie and one swing-and-miss.

He could not be careless; Matsuki Musashi squeezed the baseball in his hand, for Dong Qingguo's batting was absolutely outstanding and second to none, even on a team like their Osaka Kiryu.

Come on, Changeup!

After seeing two consecutive pitches with speeds exceeding 145, Matsuki Musashi believed that Dong Qingguo would never expect a Changeup at the very start of the game.

Whoosh!

The little white ball flew out, and Dong Qingguo swung his bat fiercely.

Bang!

Damn it, didn't hit it well!

Although he had anticipated that the opponent might throw a Changeup, Dong Qingguo still failed to hit it well; just as Matsuki Musashi had thought, after seeing two consecutive high-speed pitches, he was indeed affected, and although he managed to track the baseball with this swing, he couldn't put enough power into it, and it didn't even count as an Extra-base Hit.

Fortunately, the landing spot was good, and the baseball flew into the no-man's-land behind the Shortstop, allowing Dong Qingguo to safely reach First Base.