Chapter 19: Explosive Batting Lineup!

Meiji Jingu Second Baseball Stadium.

"Dong!!"

"Jiecheng!!"

"Nanjo!"

"Manager Kataoka!!"

"Seido!!"

The Seido bus pulled up outside the stadium, and as soon as the Seido players stepped off the bus, the Seido supporters gathered nearby shouted the players' names; some even unfurled banners.

"Tsk tsk, this atmosphere—and this is only the fourth round," Huangqian Yangyi remarked as he stepped off the bus and looked at the supporters.

"It'll be even crazier if we make it to the finals," Miyuki said.

"I'm looking forward to it."

At 10:00 AM, the fourth round of the Spring Metropolitan Tournament officially began.

Seido High School's game was scheduled as the first match, with Donghe High School as their opponent.

Seido High School was on the First Base side, Donghe High School on the Third Base side, and Seido was batting first.

"Tokyo Baseball Spring Metropolitan Tournament, fourth round, first match."

"The game between Seido High School and Donghe High School officially begins!"

As the stadium broadcast ended, a roar of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands.

On the Third Base side, the Donghe High School manager was cheering on his players; facing a veteran powerhouse and one of the Tokyo Big Four, Seido, winning would be extremely difficult.

"Let's go, boys!" the manager roared.

"Yes!!"

The nine starting players roared as they charged onto the field, not one of them shrinking back because their opponent was Seido.

Sensing the opposing team's momentum, the Seido players were also in high spirits.

"Zhitian, swing as soon as the ball comes, don't have any reservations!"

Before taking the field, Manager Kataoka said this to Zhitian Jiangtai.

In today's game, they had to score runs right from the start!

"Yes!"

Zhitian Jiangtai carried his bat onto the field, and behind him was the second batter, Nanjo Taishi.

Zhitian Jiangtai, a right-handed batter, nodded to the umpire and stepped into the batter's box.

In the dugout, Huangqian Yangyi and Miyuki Kazuya sat shoulder to shoulder, both hoping immensely that Zhitian Jiangtai could hit the ball and reach base safely.

They both understood that whether they would have a chance to play today depended on whether the seniors could score runs in the first few innings.

"Donghe's ace pitcher, Gaoye Jiandou, third year, top speed 139, average speed 136, specializes in forkballs and High-speed Sliders."

Beside the two, Chris was muttering to himself while holding a small notebook.

"Yangyi, if you were the first batter, how would you hit?"

The sudden question caught Huangqian Yangyi off guard, but after a moment of thought, he said: "I'd swing at the first pitch. The opponent's speed isn't very fast, so the pitch selection will definitely focus on alternating between Fastballs and Breaking Balls to confuse the batter, but it's unlikely the first pitch will be a Breaking Ball."

"As for whether it's inside or outside, I'm inclined to think an outside pitch is more likely."

Chris remained unmoved after hearing this, and after a moment of silence, he asked: "Miyuki, if you were the opposing Catcher, would you call for an inside or outside pitch on the first ball?"

Miyuki hadn't expected to be involved, but he began to think it over.

Standing outside the dugout, Manager Kataoka nodded with satisfaction upon hearing the three's conversation, then turned his attention back to the game.

The atmosphere throughout the stadium was heated, with cheers and shouts constant; in such a situation, as the umpire's voice fell, the game officially began.

Bang!

With a crisp sound, Seido High School's first batter, Zhitian Jiangtai, tracked the opposing pitcher's first pitch and smashed it away.

"Run!"

"Zhitian, go!"

"Reach base, reach base!"

After the first batter hit the ball away, the Seido supporters in the stands cheered wildly, their encouragement rising one after another.

The pitcher on the Pitcher's Mound gritted his teeth, watching the small white ball fly into the outfield behind him; the first pitch had been hit for an outfield hit by the Seido batter, who had successfully reached First Base.

A bad start; the Donghe High School players shouted one after another not to worry, cheering up their pitcher.

Conversely, the Seido High School dugout was jubilant; the first batter reaching base was a very good sign.

Seido was in excellent form today, as the second batter, Nanjo Taishi, caught an inside pitch and drove it through Donghe's infield defense, successfully advancing the runners.

The third batter, Yuki Tetsuya, did not waste the opportunity created by the two seniors; after swinging and missing twice, he caught the third pitch—a Slider—with a big swing, successfully sending himself to First Base and loading the bases.

For Donghe High School, the situation had become extremely dire; they hadn't recorded a single out yet, and with the bases loaded, they were about to face Seido's Fourth Batter and main cannon, a monster who had hit 37 Home Runs in his high school career to date: Dong Qingguo!

"Hahahaha~"

Amidst his exaggerated laughter, Dong Qingguo walked to the batter's box like a giant beast.

"Dong!"

"Blast it out!!"

"38!"

The Seido supporters boiled over at this moment.

The pressure of the entire stadium seemed to transform into a massive force, pressing down on the shoulders of Donghe High School's ace pitcher, Gaoye Jiandou.

*Hoo*—Gaoye Jiandou took continuous deep breaths; the immense pressure made it hard for him to catch his breath.

"Don't be afraid! Just pitch it for him to hit!"

"Hang in there, Jiandou!"

Amidst the shouts of his teammates, Takano Kento withstood the pressure and threw the ball.

Bang!

The crisp sound was like a funeral knell from hell.

Dong Qingguo showed no mercy, seizing the opportunity of the Pitcher's wavering heart to unleash all his strength and blast the ball away.

"Fly out!"

"Ah!!"

"Home Run!"

All the Seido supporters shouted in succession, and the players on the bench also stood up, looking up at the small baseball in the air as the Donghe High School Left Fielder ran frantically, trying to catch it after it landed.

However, reality is just that cruel. This ball flew over his head and landed in the spectator stands!

"Grand Slam Home Run!!"

Only a few short minutes after the game began, a Grand Slam Home Run appeared!

The Seido players on the bases ran back to home plate leisurely, each with a smile of surprise.

4 runs!

Scoring 4 runs all at once!

"This batting lineup is too strong."

Huangqian Yangyi sighed as he watched the 4 seniors on the field.

"Yeah, too strong." Miyuki nodded in agreement, then took a deep look at Huangqian Yangyi.

With such a powerful batting lineup, Huangqian Yangyi was still able to suppress them while limiting his pitch types.

This guy is also an absolute freak.

On the Pitcher's Mound, Takano Kento's eyes were vacant, his whole person plunged into a dazed state; anyone who saw him knew how great a blow he had suffered.

They had clearly trained hard too, and had fought their way through to the quarterfinals.

When they walked onto the field full of fighting spirit, facing the so-called powerhouse, they were so vulnerable; are these the four great mountains standing tall in Tokyo?