Chapter 221: A Pitch with an Idea

Knowing Sawamura's pitching characteristics, Huangqian Yangyi had long been prepared. After eyeing the ball's trajectory, he swung the bat in his hands fiercely, striking the incoming baseball with precision.

Bang!

The small white ball flew over Sawamura's head.

"Huh?!!" Sawamura looked incredulous. He believed there was nothing wrong with that pitch, yet it had been hit so easily. Judging by the height and speed, it was definitely a Home Run.

"Lucky~"

Huangqian Yangyi looked up, watching the baseball fly to the edge of the field and slam into the fence.

"Damn it, again!"

Sawamura snorted through his nose, turned, and shouted at Huangqian Yangyi.

"Come on, no matter how you pitch, I'll hit it," Huangqian Yangyi said.

Now that Sawamura had adjusted and stabilized his pitching form, his pitches no longer flew wildly like before; this was both a good thing and a bad thing.

If it were still like before, even Huangqian Yangyi wouldn't dare guarantee he could hit every ball accurately.

However, once this guy improved his control and started actively mastering his Seven-colored Changeup, his pitching would have the qualifications to compete with top-tier Batters.

Sawamura looked silently at the baseball in his hand. He currently only knew two types of pitches: the four-seam Fastball and the cutter. A left-handed Pitcher's cutter would shift toward the right-handed Batter as it entered the home plate area.

Hmm, for the second pitch, throw a low-outside Fastball, then throw a high-inside cutter!

Calculating in his mind, Sawamura quickly threw the ball.

The baseball flew straight toward the low-outside position. Huangqian Yangyi swung his bat, easily catching the contact point and hitting the ball away.

"Yo, didn't hit that one out," Huangqian Yangyi said with some regret; that pitch was only an Extra-base Hit.

Looking at Huangqian Yangyi's expression, Sawamura couldn't understand. His pitching had clearly worked well during the match against Kurotsuchikan, and even when hit, it was mostly to the infield. How was it being handled like a soft persimmon in Huangqian Yangyi's hands?

It was too easy to guess. Huangqian Yangyi looked at Sawamura with a smile. No one was calling pitches for him, and with this single-celled organism's intelligence, he didn't even need to wait to see the trajectory to know where he wanted to throw.

The third pitch, it must be a cutter.

Sure enough, Sawamura threw the third pitch, and Huangqian Yangyi swung decisively; it was indeed a cutter.

Another Extra-base Hit.

"How pitiful, Sawamura's pitching is being perfectly countered by Huangqian."

"Yeah, his ability to track the ball is too strong. This guy's eyes are monstrous."

"And his swing speed is terrifying too; even if he swings a bit late, he can still make contact."

"He doesn't need to select pitches at all; seeing clearly before hitting is Huangqian's batting specialty. Unless your pitch speed is fast enough, or you use different Breaking Balls to disrupt his rhythm, it's just wishful thinking for the current Sawamura to try and retire Huangqian with a Fastball."

"What do you think the Manager is thinking? Isn't he afraid of hitting Sawamura's confidence too hard?"

"Who knows what the Manager is thinking."

The teammates on the sidelines whispered and discussed. It really looked like bullying for Sawamura to face Huangqian.

Being hit for three consecutive pitches, Sawamura was indeed greatly discouraged, standing there like a statue, motionless.

Holding his bat, Huangqian Yangyi just waited. This was exactly what the Manager wanted to see: under such a heavy blow, could Sawamura endure it, and what kind of performance could he produce? This was very important.

In less than ten seconds, the previously dazed Sawamura suddenly turned his head, fuming and glaring at Huangqian Yangyi.

Yo, quite spirited.

Huangqian Yangyi smiled. That was the good thing about this kid Sawamura: a big heart, cheerful and sunny, never giving up, and with a firm goal. He wouldn't become decadent or depressed because of failure; no matter how big the blow, he could face it head-on.

"Continue. As long as you can get one Strike, you win," Huangqian Yangyi said, raising his bat.

"Huh?! Who are you looking down on? I'm going to Strike you out," Sawamura shouted loudly.

Manager Kataoka on the sidelines nodded silently. Sawamura's current performance was already passing. What happened next depended on how he handled it—whether he did well or poorly didn't matter. What he wanted to see was the Pitcher thinking for himself, especially in this situation, on how to use his limited weapons to exert maximum power.

On the field, although Sawamura shouted loudly, he was truly at a loss.

Inside pitches and outside pitches didn't work, and the cutter was also hit. What should he do next?

Subconsciously, Sawamura looked toward the Dugout at Chris, who was also paying attention to this side.

Chris was expressionless, with no intention of giving any hints.

Even if he were actually paired with Sawamura, if the Batter was Huangqian Yangyi, it was too difficult. Never mind an out, even getting a Strike was hard.

Sawamura's pitching was still too far behind in front of a top-tier national Batter like Huangqian Yangyi. If it were someone else, there might be a way, but Huangqian's monstrous dynamic vision was too much of a counter to Sawamura.

With no help, Sawamura gripped the baseball tightly. How about throwing a ball to try it out? See if he could trick Huangqian into swinging?

As soon as this thought popped up, Sawamura shook his head wildly. They had been teammates for a while, and he knew Huangqian's dynamic vision well. With his pitch speed, it was impossible to trick the opponent with a ball.

Hmm? Wait.

Sawamura had a flash of inspiration and thought of a good idea, then covered his mouth with his glove and snickered.

Hehehe, this might work.

In the Batter's Box, Huangqian Yangyi looked at Sawamura suspiciously. Is this kid crazy? What is he laughing at? Could he have some secret weapon?

A new pitch? Haven't heard of it.

Just then, Sawamura began to adjust his breathing, and Huangqian Yangyi also prepared to hit.

Whoosh!

Sawamura swung his arm, and the baseball flew over with a whoosh.

This is!

A ball?!

Huangqian Yangyi saw at a glance that the ball was flying toward the outside corner and was definitely not in the strike zone. It was too naive to try to trick him into swinging with a pitch like this.

Just then, the baseball shifted horizontally toward Huangqian Yangyi, flying past right along the edge of the strike zone.

"Ball!"

Manager Kataoka called out.

"Ah?!!" Sawamura shouted, looking angry and unwilling.

However, Manager Kataoka and Huangqian Yangyi exchanged a glance, both seeing the admiration in the other's eyes.

Although this pitch did not enter the Strike zone, it was a pitch with intent.

It was very clear that Sawamura wanted to throw an outside low cutter, and the initial trajectory of this pitch would make the Batter think it was a ball, thereby causing hesitation in their swing, ultimately missing the optimal hitting timing whether they swung or not.

If they swung, they might not hit it well, but if they did not swing, and this pitch curved into the Strike zone, a Strike would be recorded.

It was just a pity that while Sawamura had the idea, his ball control was still lacking; this pitch was a bit too obviously a ball and ultimately failed to curve in.