Chapter 233: The Blown-Up Furuya

Behind home plate, Miyuki, acting as the Catcher, wore a smile the entire time; no matter what Furuya's pitching state was today or how miserably he got blown up, he would not provide any instructions.

Although Huangqian Yangyi had told Furuya via the internet to value control even before he entered Seido, Furuya's pitching training after arriving at Seido had also focused primarily on control.

But the problem was that just talking about it was not enough to make Furuya deeply feel the importance of control.

Only in a game, after truly being blown up by the opponent because he lost control, could Furuya realize that ball speed was not everything and that control was equally important.

On the sidelines, watching Furuya Satoru's stance, Manager Matsumoto Hirotaka frowned tightly; this First Year Pitcher had a very strong presence.

Whoosh!

At this moment, the baseball in Furuya's hand had already flown out.

The Osaka Kiryu First Batter gathered all his focus; before taking the field, Manager Matsumoto had instructed him not to underestimate this First Year Pitcher, and he stood in the Batter's Box with absolute caution.

The result.

Bang!

The bat swung out, easily hitting the incoming baseball to the Center Fielder position; the Batter was incredibly puzzled while running the bases—although this ball was fast, it was too easy to hit.

Not only did it lack movement, but the pitch path was also too high; it was not even as good as a ball from a pitching machine at the same speed.

Was it a mistake?

The Batter, filled with doubt, charged straight to Second Base in one breath.

On the Pitcher's Mound, Furuya stood frozen in place as if he had lost his soul.

By the time the Osaka Kiryu Second Batter stood in the Batter's Box, Furuya finally came to his senses and looked toward home plate; Miyuki's pitch calling was simple: throw to the low part of the strike zone.

Bang!

It flew again, an Extra-base Hit to Right Fielder.

The Osaka Kiryu First Batter returned straight to home plate to score the first run, and the Second Batter was also fast; although Shirasu in Right Fielder threw the ball back, he was always a step slow, and the opposing runner reached Second Base in the blink of an eye.

Thwack!

"Ball!"

"Ball!"

"Ball!"

"Ball!"

After four balls, the Osaka Kiryu Third Batter was granted a Base on Balls to First Base, while the Second Batter runner stood on Third Base.

Next, the Fourth Batter came up; after two balls, the Batter hit a floating Fastball into the corner of the stadium with one swing.

The Second Batter returned to home plate to score, the Third Batter stood on Third Base, and the Fourth Batter stood on Second Base.

When the batting order reached the Fifth Batter, Furuya Satoru's entire state was falling apart; four consecutive balls allowed Osaka Kiryu to take another run.

The game started without getting a single out, and the score had already reached 3:0.

Fortunately, relying on the defense behind him, Furuya finally managed to get three outs, controlling the runs allowed in the first inning to three.

Returning to the Dugout, Furuya was immediately grabbed by the collar and lifted up by Sawamura.

"What is wrong with you, what kind of trashy pitches are you throwing? If you can't do it, get down and let me go up," Sawamura shouted.

Furuya swayed like a piece of seaweed with Sawamura's arm, completely ignoring the other's questioning.

"This kid is trying too hard," Miyuki said, coming to Huangqian Yangyi's side.

"The fatigue from the training camp hasn't faded yet; he knows this clearly, and knowing his condition is bad, he tries even harder to pitch, yet his control is off, leading to a vicious cycle. Speaking of which, are you really not planning to give him a hint?" Huangqian Yangyi said with his arms crossed.

"Of course not, this is the Manager's order. As for when Furuya will realize the importance of control, that's up to him," Miyuki said with a smile.

Bottom of the first, Seido's offense.

Kuramochi Yoichi hit an Infield Hit and reached First Base.

After Kominato Ryosuke tangled with the pitcher for twelve pitches, the pitcher threw a 4-ball Base on Balls.

Third Batter, Isashiki Jun, continued the offensive and pierced through the infield defense.

Bases loaded, no outs, Fourth Batter Yuki Tetsuya stood in the Batter's Box.

Bang!

On just the first pitch, the baseball thrown by Osaka Kiryu ace Tachi Hiromi was blasted out of the park by Yuki Tetsuya.

"Ohhh!!!"

"Captain!!"

"Home Run!"

"Golden Home Run!"

"The Immovable Fourth Batter!!"

The teammates shouted excitedly, and the spectators watching from outside the stadium also clapped loudly; the disappointment brought by Furuya's pitching just now was cast to the back of their minds, and all that remained was praise for Jiecheng.

With just one swing, the score was overturned, and the momentum on the field seemed to have returned to Seido's side.

Following the Fifth Batter Miyuki being put out, the Sixth Batter Masuko Toru's swing hit the ball high into the air—it was an infield pop-up, a Flyout.

The Seventh Batter Sakai Ichiro hit an infield grounder, and the bottom of the first ended with Seido leading 4:3.

However, the leading situation did not last long; in the top of the second, Furuya Satoru's state could not be adjusted—his pitches lacked movement, his control was completely off, the difference between strikes and balls was very obvious, and even when he occasionally threw into the strike zone, the path was too high, ultimately giving up 4 runs.

The game reached the 4th inning like this, and Seido was already trailing 5:8.

Yet in such a situation, not a single person on Seido's side went up to offer Furuya comfort; seeing Furuya motionless on the Pitcher's Mound, Manager Matsumoto Hirotaka felt a bit unbearable—Seido's training was too cruel, and Manager Kataoka was truly hard-hearted.

"This guy always thinks about pitching with all his might and relying on his own pitching to solve the batters; at times like this, he should try to trust his teammates."

Huangqian Yangyi sat off the field, looking at the score on the scoreboard and shaking his head with a sigh.

It wasn't just control; Furuya's mentality was also problematic. This guy had talent, a competitive spirit, and a strong will, but unfortunately, he liked to carry everything on his own shoulders too much, wanting to solve problems with his own pitching no matter what.

Hearing Huangqian Yangyi's sigh, Chris turned his head to look at Sawamura, a smile appearing on his lips unconsciously; when it came to trusting teammates, this silly deer did a great job.

Just then, Furuya, who had been keeping his head down on the field, didn't know what he had thought of, but suddenly turned his head to look at Huangqian Yangyi in the Dugout.

If it were you, what would you do at a time like this?

The moment their eyes met, Furuya Satoru shuddered all over; Senior Huangqian, what a fierce look in his eyes.

Is he angry?

That's right, with his own performance being so poor, it's only natural for the senior to be angry.

Hurriedly shifting his gaze away, Furuya Satoru suddenly recalled the two words that Huangqian Yangyi had been mentioning from time to time ever since they met last year: ball control!

Right now, he felt uncomfortable all over and his condition was extremely poor; if he lowered his pitch speed at a time like this, what would happen if it got hit?

Furuya was in the middle of a brainstorm.

How about, giving it a try? What if it works?

Whew~

Having made a decision, Furuya slowly took a breath.

Hm?

Noticing the change in Furuya's expression, Miyuki realized something.

Whoosh!

The baseball flew out, and the Batter watched the trajectory and swung the bat.

Pop!

"Strike!"

"What?!"

The Batter turned his head in surprise; this pitch had slowed down!