Chapter 302: Strikeout? Reverse Changeup

Top of the fourth inning, two outs, runner on first base, batter Huangqian Yangyi.

After a friendly exchange with Harada Masatoshi, Huangqian Yangyi focused and waited for the incoming pitch.

Although he was given a Base on Balls in his previous at-bat, he had also watched many of Narumiya Mei's pitches from the sidelines: the Fastball with increased velocity, the sharper Forkball, and that headache-inducing Changeup.

Hmm, he also had to be wary of this bastard's secret weapon; although he didn't know what it was, it definitely existed!

On the Pitcher's Mound, Narumiya Mei was also fully focused; the person standing before him was someone who had defeated him many times.

Pitching was one thing, but their Inashiro team lost because of their batting lineup. As someone with a strong sense of responsibility, Narumiya Mei attributed the failure to himself. Over the past year or so, he had not only honed his pitching but also strengthened his batting level, yet he still couldn't score runs off Huangqian Yangyi; on the contrary, Huangqian Yangyi had repeatedly scored off him and had even hit a Home Run.

Looking at the person across from him who had caused him consecutive failures, Narumiya Mei took a deep breath to adjust his state to the best, rotated the baseball in his palm, nodded to confirm the signs with Harada Masatoshi, slowly raised his right leg, and held his hands high to perform the pitching motion.

Whoosh!

The little white ball flew toward Huangqian Yangyi's chest. The speed was fast, and the trajectory was extremely tricky, almost at the very edge of the high inside corner. After Huangqian Yangyi caught the trajectory, his bat swung out.

Pop!

"Strike!"

The baseball darted past from below. Huangqian Yangyi frowned. After swinging and missing, he immediately realized it was a two-seam Fastball. Although the final landing point of the ball had deviated from the strike zone, he had swung too early, and Narumiya Mei had earned a Strike.

Looking back at Harada Masatoshi's glove, Huangqian Yangyi curled his lips. This battery was really aggressive today. When the baseball flew in just now, he had been certain it was a high inside four-seam Fastball; he hadn't expected it to be a two-seam Fastball shifting toward his body. They were very bold.

"This pitch was aimed at being a ball, right?"

On the sidelines, Arima Kazusa said in a low voice.

"Definitely. But I didn't expect Senior Huangqian to be fooled," Kominato Haruichi said.

"Is that so? He was fooled?" Sawamura turned his head with a blank expression.

"Idiot," Furuya said quietly.

At this moment, Kominato Ryosuke walked up to them. "It's normal not to hit it. You guys have been spoiled by Huangqian; you think he can at least make contact with the ball at any time."

"But Nii-san, it's normal for Senior Huangqian to miss, but it's rare for him to be fooled. His dynamic vision..."

"It can only be said that Narumiya Mei's pitch trajectory was too tricky, to the point that even Huangqian didn't anticipate it. This guy's control now is no worse than Yang Shunchen's," Kuramochi Yoichi explained from the side.

On the Pitcher's Mound, after seeing the smile on Huangqian Yangyi's face, the slight pleasure Narumiya Mei had gained from getting a Strike instantly vanished.

It wasn't over yet, it was just one Strike, Narumiya Mei warned himself in his heart.

Zoom!

Pop!

Catching the return throw from Harada Masatoshi, Narumiya Mei immediately put his left hand behind his back, confirmed the pitching sign, and rotated the baseball.

Zoom!

The second pitch flew in, and Huangqian Yangyi swung the bat just as decisively.

"Bang!"

"Jianjie!"

"Strike!"

An outside corner Cutter was hit foul.

Another ball?! Huangqian Yangyi turned his head to look at Harada Masatoshi. This battery was actually using pitches that moved horizontally to throw balls, and two in a row at that. Many people used such tactics, but it could only be maximized if one had precise control.

Interesting. Has the little blondie's control grown this impressively?

Huangqian Yangyi turned his head to look at the Pitcher's Mound, only to see Narumiya Mei still wearing his serious deadpan face.

Tsk tsk, if it were before, this guy would have already started showing off.

At the Catcher's position, after returning the ball, Harada Masatoshi quickly gave the sign for the third pitch.

Narumiya Mei was stunned for a moment when he saw the gesture, then nodded slightly.

Come on, chestnut-haired monster, this is a surprise I prepared for you.

Adjusting his grip on the ball, Narumiya Mei felt a little excited inside.

Hoo~

With the same pitching posture and the same arm swing, Narumiya Mei threw the third pitch without hesitation.

Zoom!!

The baseball flew in. Huangqian Yangyi judged the trajectory in an instant and swung his bat... No!

It's a Changeup!!

Forcing himself to change his swing speed and trajectory, Huangqian Yangyi leaned his body forward a bit.

He could touch it!

Swish~!

The baseball suddenly dropped diagonally, dodging Huangqian Yangyi's bat.

Pop!

"Strike!!"

"Strikeout!"

"What?!" Huangqian Yangyi swung and missed, then looked back.

No way?!

On the sidelines, seeing this pitch, the Seido group was all shocked.

"Reverse Changeup!" Chris said.

"Hmm, a Changeup that drops at the batter's hands like a Screwball," Ochiai Hiromitsu said, stroking his small mustache with some surprise.

"Two types of Changeups. This is trouble," Isashiki Jun frowned and looked at the field.

In the Batter's Box, Huangqian Yangyi revealed a smile after being struck out. So that was it; the secret weapon was a Reverse Changeup.

I thought you could hide it until the second half of the game; I didn't expect you to use it now.

"Isn't it a bit early?" Huangqian Yangyi said after putting away his bat.

"It's just right," Harada Masatoshi said as he stood up.

"Is this specifically to deal with me? Interesting." After saying this, Huangqian Yangyi turned and walked off the field.

The top of the fourth inning ended, and the score remained 0-0.

Huangqian Yangyi being called out on a Strikeout undoubtedly dampened the fans' spirits, but the guys from Seido were not that dejected.

"Hey, hey, Huangqian, what was up with that pitch? Is it even possible to hit?"

As soon as he returned to the Dugout, Kuramochi leaned in and asked.

"It's tough to hit. Even if you realize it's a Changeup, it's very hard to distinguish whether it's a Circle Changeup or a Reverse Changeup, and even if you do distinguish it, it's already too late to swing," Huangqian Yangyi said.

Hearing this, everyone wore expressions of utter frustration.

"Alright, no need to overcomplicate it. Have you forgotten what I said before? Don't worry about the Changeup. No matter how formidable Narumiya Mei's Changeup is, as long as you stay committed to the pitch type you intend to hit, it won't pose a threat to you," Manager Kataoka said, turning to face everyone.

Everyone nodded in unison; their goal was never the Changeup to begin with.

"Exactly. That guy Narumiya Mei shouldn't be throwing many Reverse Changeups. I reckon that one was used to deal with me. Yeah, that's it," Huangqian Yangyi laughed.

"You guy, are you saying he doesn't need a Reverse Changeup to deal with us?" The sensitive Kuramochi instantly grasped the implication in his words.

"Is that so, Huangqian?" Kominato Ryosuke cast a dangerous look his way.

"I would also very much like to try hitting it," Yuki Tetsuya said.