Chapter 208: Tanba's Self-Destruction

Before the top of the first inning had even ended, Seido had already taken a 4-run lead, and Manager Kataoka immediately issued instructions.

"The slider was hit for a home run, so don't worry about that for a while; just focus on hitting the fastball!" Manager Kataoka said.

To be hit for a three-run homer in just the first inning, the pitcher's heart must surely be shaken; at a time like this, one must seize the opportunity to attack fiercely—strike while the iron is hot.

The seventh batter, Masuko Toru, capitalized on the momentum to blast an extra-base hit to left field, and the eighth batter, Ichiro Sakai, also successfully reached base; with runners on first and second, the ninth batter, Tanba, stepped into the batter's box and was ultimately put out.

The top of the first inning ended, and Seido entered the defensive half with a 4-run lead.

As the starting pitcher for the day, Tanba Koichiro's performance at the start was not much better; his habit of being unstable at the beginning remained, and by the end of the first inning, Ichidai Sanko had clawed back two runs, making the score 4-2.

The second inning began. Kuramochi Yoichi unexpectedly chose to bunt and safely reached base, after which he coordinated with Kominato Ryosuke to execute a hit and run, directly advancing to third base.

With runners on first and third and no outs, Seido's third batter, Isashiki Jun, blasted an outfield hit, successfully sending Kuramochi home to score.

The fourth batter, Yuki Tetsuya, also did not let the scoring opportunity slip by, knocking a hit to left-center field that sent Kominato Ryosuke and Isashiki Jun home.

In the top of the second inning, Seido's offensive remained fierce; after sending his teammates home, Jiecheng stood on second base, and Huangqian Yangyi stepped into the batter's box holding his bat.

Ichidai Sanko's ace pitcher, Zhenzhong Yao, was someone they had faced many times; although the opponent's pitching had a high degree of completion, he had never been able to bring out anything new, and he was especially lacking in terms of his catcher, who could not fully bring out Zhenzhong Yao's potential.

A high inside fastball flew in, and Huangqian Yangyi decisively swung his bat—*Bang! * The little white ball flew toward the left-field stands.

"Home Run!!"

"Thirty!!"

"Huangqian!"

The spectators cheered loudly; thirty—this was Huangqian Yangyi's home run count, and after this hit, his home run total had entered the 30+ club.

And he was only a student who had just entered his second year; such a record was too fast, and perhaps before this summer was over, his home run count would have a chance to break 40.

With the appearance of this home run, Seido gained another two runs, changing the score to 9-2.

Next, the sixth batter, Miyuki, stepped up, and just when everyone at Seido thought he would swing and miss, the kid actually picked a fastball and hit a base hit, reaching first base.

Huangqian Yangyi couldn't help but give a thumbs up; with no one on base, it was truly not easy for Miyuki to hit a base hit.

"Ugh!"

In the batter's box, Masuko Toru let out a roar, his bat sweeping heavily across a high-speed slider thrown by Zhenzhong Yao to the low outside corner—foul!

Next, Zhenzhong Yao threw a high-speed curveball, still to the outside corner, and Masuko Toru hit it foul again.

"Senior Masuko is still not good at hitting outside pitches," Huangqian Yangyi whispered to Kuramochi beside him upon seeing Masuko Toru being targeted.

Kuramochi Yoichi nodded; as his roommate, he also knew this weakness of Masuko Toru, but it was not something that could be solved in a short time.

Just as the two were talking, Masuko Toru on the field was lured by a ball on the outside corner and swung at air.

After him, Ichiro Sakai and Tanba Koichiro were put out in succession, and the top of the second inning ended.

Returning to the dugout, Miyuki was immediately grabbed by Huangqian Yangyi, who teased him: "You're doing great today; first a home run, then an extra-base hit even with no one on base."

"Heh heh, when the feel is there, you can't stop it," Miyuki said with a cunning grin.

As the two spoke while changing gloves, in the bottom of the second inning, Huangqian Yangyi stood in left field and watched helplessly as Ichidai Sanko clawed back three more runs, bringing the score to 9-5.

The game reached the fourth inning, and Tanba's condition became increasingly unstable; not only did he throw a walk, but under pressure, he kept shaking his head at Miyuki's pitch calling, ultimately choosing to throw a red-center pitch. Fortunately, the opposing batter couldn't hit it well, and the baseball rolled on the ground, where it was promptly picked up by Miyuki and thrown to first base to force out the batter.

After the bottom of the fourth inning ended, Tanba returned to the dugout with a nervous look on his face.

"You walk the batter to create a crisis, and then you want to throw a red-center pitch to self-destruct, is that it?"

Manager Kataoka's cold, ruthless voice rang out, and Tanba shuddered all over.

"Tanba, what exactly have you been learning these past two years?"

The manager's questioning was like a heavy hammer pressing down on Tanba, leaving him unable to catch his breath.

"Kawakami, you go up and pitch starting next inning!"

"Yes!" Kawakami shouted, standing straight.

In the top of the fifth inning, Seido was on offense, and Manager Kataoka stood outside the dugout looking at everyone.

"While the opposing pitcher's condition hasn't stabilized yet, blow him out in one go!" Manager Kataoka said.

"Yes!!!"

With the explosion of Seido's batting lineup, the game ended early in the 7th inning, with a final score of 16-8.

Kawakami took the mound from the fifth inning, and after pitching three innings and giving up three runs, his performance was quite commendable.

By the end of the entire game, Huangqian Yangyi's home run count had increased to 31.

"Good game!"

"Good game!"

After the two sides shook hands, the Seido team immediately returned to the dugout to start packing up and preparing to return to school.

In the stands, the reporter Fujio and his assistant, Ms. Owada Akiko, were watching the Seido players on the field intently.

"Senior, is that Huangqian Yangyi? It's such a pity we didn't get to see him pitch," Ms. Akiko said, holding her camera and feeling slightly regretful.

Before Fujio could reply, Ms. Akiko continued: "But I still like that Miyuki Kazuya; the boy with glasses looks so charming."

Fujio shook his head helplessly; this woman was a glasses-fetishist, and she almost forgot her job whenever she saw a handsome guy in glasses.

"Seido is still very strong this year; they beat Ichidai Sanko without their ace on the mound. If this momentum can continue into the summer, perhaps we might really witness history," Fujio said with a sigh.

As a reporter for the Baseball Kingdom, he was quite familiar with the three baseball powerhouses in West Tokyo. In previous years, Seido had always been in the predicament of not having an absolute ace pitcher, always falling just one step short of Koshien. However, now, Seido was so extravagant that they could defeat Ichidai Sanko without their ace pitching, and they even ended the game early.

However, while it was a fact that Seido had become stronger, Ichidai Sanko had also been somewhat unsatisfactory these past two years; they also lacked an absolute ace pitcher.

Although Zhenzhong Yao was formidable and his mental fortitude was stronger than Tanba's, perhaps such a pitcher would be enough elsewhere, but this was West Tokyo—there was Inashiro Industrial and Seido High School; having only one Zhenzhong Yao was absolutely not enough.