Chapter 340: A Stolen Base from Miyuki

Well done!!

The corners of Miyuki's mouth curled up, and the bat in his hands swung out with incomparable decisiveness.

Bang!!

A screwball with a massive break, appearing for the first time today, was struck squarely by Miyuki!

The little white ball flew toward the center field, flat and fast!

Double!!

Miyuki sprinted all the way to second base.

"Hahaha!"

"Little Taiyo, did you see that? This is our third batter!"

"Miyuki!!!"

"Nice hit!"

All sorts of praise came from the stands, and Miyuki raised his hand high at second base, looking toward the pitcher's mound.

Over there, Mukai Taiyo still maintained an expression of disbelief; his screwball, had it really been hit the moment it came out?

How could this be!

While Mukai Taiyo was still doubting reality, Inui Kengo had already begun to regret it.

Throwing a breaking ball after getting ahead in the count was Mukai Taiyo's habit, and using a breaking ball to finish off an at-bat when ahead in the count was also very reasonable; yet, they had tripped up on exactly that. Just by looking at how Miyuki swung without hesitation, it was clear the opponent had been aiming for the screwball all along. No wonder the swings at the first two pitches were so decisive—it was to mislead his judgment.

Just then, an even louder cheer erupted. Inui Kengo turned his head to see Huangqian Yangyi picking up his bat and walking over from the on-deck circle.

A headache! Inui Kengo furrowed his brows. With a runner on second and this monster as the batter, though he hated to say it, he had to prepare for the possibility of giving up runs.

Mukai Taiyo was indeed a genius, and his pitching was formidable, but Inui Kengo knew clearly that if the current Mukai Taiyo were placed on a national scale, he definitely wouldn't rank among the top. They had high hopes for Mukai Taiyo's future, but right now, facing this monster head-on, trying to get an out from him was simply harder than ascending to heaven.

Turning his head to glance at his dugout, Inui Kengo's gaze sharpened; Director Okamoto was signaling to him.

Base on balls!

Should they walk Huangqian Yangyi?

Huangqian Yangyi had already stepped into the batter's box, looking full of excitement. With a runner on second, this was a prime scoring opportunity; if he just hit an extra-base hit into a tricky spot, Miyuki could even run all the way home.

Looking at the smile on the opponent's face, Inui Kengo thought for a moment before signaling the base on balls to Mukai Taiyo.

What?!

Mukai Taiyo's pupils shook. They actually wanted him to walk Huangqian Yangyi? Then wouldn't his previous provocations toward the opponent become a joke?

Gritting his teeth in extreme unwillingness, Mukai Taiyo hoped the other would change this decision. However, Inui Kengo shook his head firmly; unless there was a runner on third, he had decided to walk Huangqian Yangyi regardless of the situation today. This was also the Director's intention.

Damn it!

Mukai Taiyo ultimately had to accept the decision. Although he was a genius with his own pride, as an ace, he was well aware of his responsibilities; the team's victory came first.

Thus, Mukai Taiyo threw a fast, wide pitch toward the outside corner.

"Ball!"

Heh, Huangqian Yangyi watched this scene and chuckled. A four-pitch walk for him?

Must say, a very wise decision.

Seeing Mukai Taiyo choose to walk Huangqian Yangyi, the Seido supporters in the stands let out dissatisfied boos. In their view, a walk meant one less chance for Huangqian Yangyi to rack up his home run count.

Soon, Mukai Taiyo lifted his leg again to prepare for the second ball. Just as everyone's attention was drawn to the pitcher's mound, Miyuki, who had quietly moved two steps off the base at second, dashed toward third base the moment the ball was released.

"Third base!!"

Stolen base!

Hearing the sound, Inui Kengo reacted immediately. At a time like this?!

Everyone was startled by Miyuki's sudden stolen base. This catcher, this Miyuki Kazuya, was truly too good at seizing opportunities.

Pop!

After catching the ball Mukai Taiyo had thrown, Inui Kengo immediately threw it toward third base.

"Safe!!!"

The umpire's loud ruling rang out; Miyuki reached third base just ahead of the ball.

Stolen base successful!!

"Ohhhhhhh!!"

"Miyuki!!"

"Too cool!"

"Hahaha, hey Teito, come on! If you've got the guts, walk him again!"

"We've got our Seido Twins on the field, focusing only on our ace won't work, hahaha."

"Miyuki, you're the man! That was perfect timing!"

"Did you see that? That's the deep love our catcher has for the pitcher!"

This was an extremely beautiful stolen base; everyone had to admit the fact. Just as the fourth batter was about to be walked, Miyuki at second base used the stolen base to seal off the opponent's plan to walk him, winning a chance for the fourth batter to hit!

In the Seido dugout, teammates cheered for Miyuki's brilliant steal, and Director Kataoka nodded secretly as well. With two outs, Miyuki still dared to steal boldly, and the timing was so clever—courageous and meticulous!

"As expected of our champion catcher. Although it was a bit risky, reaching third base at this moment will increase the pressure on Teito many times over." Ochiai Hiromitsu would never admit that he had trembled with excitement upon seeing Miyuki's successful steal.

"Haha, Miyuki is amazing." Department Head Ota remained limited in his vocabulary.

"Mm." Takashima Rei remained aloof as ever.

On the field, Huangqian Yangyi looked toward third base and gave Miyuki a thumbs-up.

Hehe, not bad, right?

Miyuki's face was filled with a radiant smile, looking like he was begging for praise.

Then, Huangqian Yangyi turned his head to look at the pitcher's mound. The count was two balls, with a runner on third; Teito had truly shot themselves in the foot this time.

Furthermore, Huangqian Yangyi would never allow himself to waste the batting opportunity that his Catcher had fought to earn for him!

This is an opportunity! Inui Kengo would never dare to call for pitches on the very corners at a time like this; otherwise, if he were even slightly careless, there would truly be a possibility of a Base on Balls.

It will be an easy pitch to hit, Huangqian Yangyi thought, once again giving Miyuki a mental thumbs-up.

Seeing the slightly mocking smile on Huangqian Yangyi's face, Mukai Taiyo was so angry his mouth twisted; guided by Inui Kengo, Mukai Taiyo put aside his gloomy mood and threw the third pitch.

The pitch trajectory was not perfect, but it was definitely not off-target; such a pitch was absolutely within Huangqian Yangyi's range of ability, and one could see the bat in his hands swing, leaving an afterimage as he smashed it fiercely toward the small white ball flying in front of him.

Boom!!

The rebounding baseball left a streak of white light in the air, and the air wave stirred up when the bat struck the ball pushed it away as if it had exploded.

That crisp sound was so clear to Mukai Taiyo's ears, echoing incessantly; he turned his head and stared blankly at the baseball in the sky, until he witnessed the baseball shoot into the stands.