Chapter 348: Sawamura's Changeup

Returning to the dormitory, Huangqian Yangyi changed into his team uniform and walked toward the field with Arima Kazusa.

In the bullpen, because Furuya was injured, Sawamura had been very proactive lately; in his view, with Furuya injured, the responsibility on his own shoulders was greater and his tasks heavier—like Furuya, he was another hot-blooded idiot who felt the team couldn't function without him.

Huangqian Yangyi, who was warming up nearby, watched for a while and said, "Sawamura, stop."

"Eh?" Having just thrown a pitch, Sawamura was still maintaining his one-legged stance, turning his head with a confused expression to look at Huangqian Yangyi like a fool.

"Ono, let him try a Changeup," Huangqian Yangyi said.

"A Changeup?" Ono Hiroshi and Sawamura were both stunned; the former was surprised, the latter pleasantly so.

"Aniki! I can practice a new pitch type?" Sawamura zipped over to stand in front of Huangqian Yangyi.

"Mm, your control practice has reached a certain level, and your foundation is fairly solid. If you can master a Changeup, it will be a great help to you in games," Huangqian Yangyi said, pushing Sawamura away.

The current Sawamura was already able to skillfully use the outside Fastball and inside Fastball, and he had also mastered the modified version of the Cutter; it was time to learn a new pitch type and master a new weapon.

"But, Sawamura has been practicing the Two-seam Fastball lately," Ono Hiroshi also stood up and walked over.

Huangqian Yangyi smiled: "No rush on the Two-seam. This kid's current Fastball is barely enough; at this time, he needs a Changeup to amplify the threat of his Fastball."

Ono Hiroshi nodded upon hearing this. The Two-seam practice was something he and Sawamura had decided on privately; after all, the break direction of the Two-seam Fastball was opposite to the Modified Cutter, which would allow Sawamura to make better use of the width of the strike zone. But now, hearing Huangqian Yangyi put it this way, it was true that in the short term, the way to allow Sawamura to have more improvement and produce better performances on the field was to practice the Changeup.

"Then do you have any suggestions? For the Changeup," Ono Hiroshi asked.

Just then, Miyuki also walked in from the entrance.

"A Changeup? Is Sawamura going to learn a new pitch type?" Miyuki walked over, stood side-by-side with Huangqian Yangyi, and asked while staring at Sawamura.

"Mm-hmm, Aniki said I can practice a new pitch type," Sawamura nodded vigorously.

"Is that so? Indeed, learning a Breaking Ball is fine. That way, I'll have a much easier time when calling pitches. Otherwise, partnering with a guy like you, it's all Fastball, Fastball, Fastball; many times I have to gamble on the batter's pitch selection, which is quite tiring," Miyuki couldn't help but complain.

Among Seido's Pitchers, his chemistry with Huangqian Yangyi was the best; the two were a championship-level battery, followed by Kawakami, who also mastered multiple pitch types, making pitch calling very easy.

Then there was Furuya; that kid's pitch speed alone could handle most batters.

As for Sawamura, it really was tiring to call his pitches, but it was also very interesting!

"Ha?! You idiot Miyuki, are you saying I'm a nuisance?" Sawamura started yelling.

"Yeah, good luck. A Breaking Ball isn't that easy to learn. Depending on individual differences—hand size, finger length, physique, weight, posture, and even personality—even if you use the same grip, the resulting Breaking Balls will all be different."

Miyuki looked at Sawamura very seriously. This guy's natural, weird-moving ball had disappeared—or rather, been sealed—after he learned the four-seam Fastball. He wondered what kind of situation would arise after he practiced a Breaking Ball.

"Well, saying all that, I don't think your pea-sized brain will be able to learn it in a short time, ahahaha."

"You bastard!"

Sawamura was so angry his head was steaming. Huangqian Yangyi raised his hand and knocked Sawamura on the head: "Enough, listen to me properly."

"Ooh."

"My current Changeups include the Circle Changeup and the Palmball. Sawamura, what your Changeup will be like, you'll only know after you try it yourself. In short, as long as you can slow down the pitch speed, you can grip it however you want; the important thing is to be able to deceive the batter," Huangqian Yangyi said.

"What should I do?" Sawamura asked.

"First, try to get the feeling of slowing down the pitch speed. Use your usual way of throwing a Fastball, ensure the arm swing motion is the same as the Fastball, and the speed shouldn't be too slow. Ono, go to the other side and try playing catch with Sawamura using this method."

Ono Hiroshi nodded and ran to the opposite side of Sawamura.

Whoosh~

Sawamura held the baseball in his hand, recalling Huangqian Yangyi's words in his mind, just as he was ready to throw the ball to Ono Hiroshi.

"Wait! Don't focus too much on your hand. Your lower body motion is distorted. Just like in a game, pay attention to the weight transfer," Huangqian Yangyi reminded him.

Sawamura grunted and prepared himself again.

Lift leg, swing arm... Whoosh~

Pop!

"Barely. Your arm is still using a bit too much force. Do it a few more times."

Whoosh~ Swish~ Snap~

After 3 pitches, Sawamura seemed to have found the feeling.

"Very good. Next, try other grips. Just try it with the grip you used when you first started pitching," Huangqian Yangyi said.

"Eh? That Five-Finger Ball?" Miyuki laughed. He knew about Sawamura's Five-Finger Ball; it was a pitch where you had absolutely no idea where it would fly.

"That's right, that should be the most comfortable grip for Sawamura," Huangqian Yangyi nodded. After such a long time of control training, perhaps there would be unexpected gains.

Hearing Huangqian Yangyi say to use his original grip, Sawamura was immediately excited.

After receiving the return throw from Ono Hiroshi, Sawamura took a deep breath to adjust his state, confirming everything bit by bit from his lower body rotation and center of gravity, and finally threw the ball.

Whoosh~

The little white ball flew out, and everyone's eyes lit up. The pitch speed had dropped, and it was even slower than when he used the Fastball method just now. Ono Hiroshi extended his glove to catch the ball... Zoom!

It accelerated and changed direction!

Pop!

The baseball entered the glove, and Ono Hiroshi widened his eyes in disbelief.

"The weird movement is back."

"Slow first, then fast; that's interesting."

Huangqian and Miyuki each said a word. Sawamura's Changeup surprised them greatly; the movement was within expectations, but it actually accelerated midway—this was a Changeup with extreme personal characteristics.

"Hahaha, I threw it! How is it, how is it? I feel like I threw the ball really well," Sawamura turned his head and asked the two of them.

"It's okay. Sawamura, try throwing it like this," Huangqian Yangyi made an 'OK' gesture.

"Eh? A Circle Changeup?" Sawamura became interested. He had seen Huangqian Yangyi's Changeup and had been itching to try it for a long time.

"Mm, remember to keep your body relaxed; don't let your arm get too stiff."

"Got it, Aniki, I'll give it a try."

Sawamura looked at the baseball in his hand, carefully learning the grip to lock the ball, and swung his arm a few times to get a feel for it.

"Here it comes!"

"Throw it over!"