Chapter 288: New Cutter Ball

"Kid, hurry up and pitch!" Dong Qingguo didn't know what Miyuki and Sawamura had said to each other, but as a senior and a Professional Baseball Player, he felt too embarrassed to ask Miyuki.

Adjusting his grip, Sawamura took a deep breath, his entire demeanor causing the onlookers to unconsciously hold their breath.

Lifting his right leg high, he brought his foot down heavily, the power traveling from his leg muscles to his arm, and the small white ball left his fingertips, shooting toward home plate like a white laser.

Hmph!

Dong Qingguo let out a cold snort; he had already seen the trajectory—another outside pitch.

Boom!

The bat whistled as it swung, and Miyuki's heart suddenly tightened.

The bat swung toward the baseball, and everyone was prepared for the ball to be blasted away. However, just as the ball reached home plate, it suddenly shifted.

Ha, a Cutter!

Dong Qingguo sneered inwardly; this little trick wouldn't stump him, as he had been prepared before he even swung.

Pop!

To Dong Qingguo's surprise, the ball simply bypassed the front of his bat.

"What!" Dong Qingguo was shocked; was this a Cutter?

How could it be!

Dong Qingguo actually saw the shadow of Huangqian Yangyi's Cutter Slider in this pitch.

Catching the ball, Miyuki's pupils dilated, and his hands were trembling.

Excitement! Miyuki hadn't expected that simply having Sawamura return to his old pitching style would have such an effect.

The last time he saw this kind of eccentric pitch was Huangqian Yangyi's Cutter Slider; although he knew Sawamura was a pitcher with eccentric pitches, this result was almost too good.

Pop, pop, pop!

Applause suddenly rang out in the Bullpen, and when everyone turned to look, Huangqian Yangyi was smiling and clapping continuously.

"Not bad, Sawamura, you've got a new weapon again," Huangqian Yangyi said.

Finally, he had witnessed the emergence of Sawamura's Seven-colored Changeup with his own eyes.

"Eh? Really? A new pitch?" Sawamura himself didn't quite understand.

"Take this chance to memorize the feeling you just had, as well as your grip," Director Kataoka said.

"Yes, General!!" Sawamura shouted.

Distracted by Sawamura's new pitch, no one noticed Dong Qingguo's embarrassment, and just as he was preparing to quietly leave the Batter's Box, a certain black-hearted guy spoke up.

"Oh, Senior Dong didn't hit that one; are you going to concede?"

"Damn you, Miyuki! Who's conceding? The underclassman finally developed a new pitch, shouldn't you be helping him quickly find the rhythm to throw it? That's your responsibility as a Catcher!" Dong Qingguo lectured Miyuki with righteous indignation.

"Hehehe." Miyuki chuckled, stopped teasing Dong Qingguo, and stood up to say to Sawamura.

"Sawamura, come with me to the side to pitch, just like you did just now."

"Mm-hmm!" Sawamura nodded heavily; he was more than happy to develop a new pitch.

The two went to a spot nearby to start studying the new pitch, and Dong Qingguo also let out a sigh of relief, then turned his head to look at Furuya Satoru, who had been eager to try.

"Kid! It's your turn!" Dong Qingguo said.

Furuya Satoru looked left and right, his gaze landing on Director Kataoka.

"Go ahead, pitch well," Director Kataoka said with a nod.

Receiving permission, Furuya strode toward the Pitcher's mound.

"I'll catch," Chris said as he stepped out.

"Hahaha, Chris, come on over."

Dong Qingguo hadn't expected to be able to face Chris this time; at this moment, who the Pitcher was no longer mattered.

"Senior Dong, aren't you going to go easy on us?" Chris smiled.

"Since you're the Catcher, I'll be serious," Dong Qingguo said.

Chris smiled and said nothing more, turning to walk toward Furuya Satoru.

"Furuya, relax. Watch for the signs later and pitch with everything you've got."

"Everything?"

Furuya was puzzled; if he pitched with everything he had right now, although it wouldn't be wildly off-target, the ball would still float high.

"Yes, if you want to get a Strike against Senior Dong, you need something unexpected," Chris said, patting Furuya on the shoulder.

"In short, this is training. As long as you can adjust your mindset, your pitching will be able to exert even greater power."

Hearing this, Furuya nodded slightly and said "Mm."

In the Seido Baseball Team, the prestige of the two Catchers, Chris and Miyuki, was second only to the Ace; for Furuya, receiving affirmation from Chris was something very proud and happy.

If Senior Chris said he could do it, then he definitely could.

After drinking some "chicken soup," Furuya's confidence soared; so what if he's a senior, so what if he's a Professional Baseball Player, I will never let you hit my ball.

At the entrance of the Bullpen, the onlookers were also very much looking forward to the duel between Furuya and Dong Qingguo; with Sawamura's surprise beforehand, everyone naturally hoped that Furuya could also bring out something new.

"Huangqian, Sawamura's pitch just now was very similar to your Cutter Slider," Kuramochi whispered.

Huangqian Yangyi shook his head, "There's a difference. Sawamura's Cutter should be using a Cutter grip on the basis of a four-seamer. Compared to a normal Cutter, the lateral shift happens earlier and the magnitude is greater, but it's still a Cutter in essence."

"And the principle of my Slider is the same as Sawamura's new Cutter, but it's still a Slider in essence."

"At the end of the day, these are two different types of pitches."

Kuramochi said "Mm": "Is that so? But it looks very similar to me."

"Your eyes aren't good."

As the two spoke, Furuya had already finished a simple warm-up in the Bullpen.

"Hurry up and start, let me see what's special about your pitch," Dong Qingguo said, his eyes revealing anticipation. Sawamura's third pitch had already given him a surprise; if Furuya's pitching could also surprise him, then there would truly be nothing to worry about regarding the future of Seido.

*Pa! * Chris clapped his mitt and gave a signal with one hand.

A high inside Fastball.

Furuya nodded; he could not throw at full power at this location, otherwise he would lose control of the pitch and very likely hit someone.

Amidst the anticipation of Dong Qingguo, Furuya lifted his leg, swung his arm, and cleanly and neatly threw the baseball toward home plate.

*Whoosh! *

*Bang! *

Dong Qingguo's bat swung out; although he tracked the baseball, he failed to make good contact, swinging a bit late, and he was also jammed by the swing at this location.

"The pitch speed is quite fast."

After just one pitch, Dong Qingguo felt pleasantly surprised; since entering professional baseball, he had no time to pay attention to high school games, as his daily training tasks were full and heavy.

Coming back this time was actually just to relax, and it just so happened to coincide with the finals, so he could also cheer on his juniors.

As it turned out, two First Year Pitchers gave him an unexpected surprise: one left-handed pitcher with a quirky ball, and one pure orthodox power pitcher.

Moreover, looking at the current situation, it was only the first pitch, and clearly this junior Furuya had not yet used his full strength.