ALL NOVEL Chapter 44: <44> Lineup Confirmed
Chapter 44: Lineup Confirmed
Under Sendo's deliberate efforts, he and Coach Nakani barely had any chances to talk, and thus, the second day's training came to an end.
...
"Second pitcher?" Sawamura asked in confusion when Sendo brought up Coach Nakani's comment.
"You participated in the summer tournament, so you should know the rules and the game schedule, right?"
"Huh? I don't know anything about that!"
"Well, I didn't expect you to know. So..." Sendo glanced at the others, but the whole group collectively shook their heads.
"What were you guys even doing before?"
"Well, we just used to look at the opponent for the first round on the preliminary bracket and showed up at the scheduled time for the game. We never really paid attention to the tournament schedule!" Shin said awkwardly.
"Alright, in any case, we need a second pitcher. We'll start with basic throwing and catching drills. Everyone except Shin, try it out one by one! Shin, you'll be catching!"
"Got it!"
So, everyone took turns trying the pitcher training, but the results were less than ideal. Eventually, they decided on the center fielder, Omura, and the right fielder, Aoki, as the second and third pitchers. Their pitching skills were still basic at best.
They also added the balance training on the wooden board for Sawamura and strengthened the infield defense.
In the following days, the team's ability to distinguish between balls and strikes, bunt techniques, baserunning, and understanding the umpires' strike zone improved significantly.
Since the training was done in a real-game setting, it was only natural that their progress skyrocketed.
In terms of defensive details, they had already surpassed some junior high teams that treated baseball as just a club activity.
Although there were still issues with pitching—Sawamura had to tone down his throws to keep the ball under control, and the second and third pitchers were working on slow pitches—the angles of their throws made them tricky to hit.
Combined with the team's solid infield defense, the future seemed promising, even though the two pitchers' slow pitches were still a work in progress.
The week of joint training with the Wildcats quickly came to an end. The Wildcats paused their training to start organizing practice games with other youth baseball teams, including junior teams.
Since both youth and junior teams play on fields of the same size, they could compete against each other. Naturally, only teams like the Wildcats had the capability to take on junior teams.
Sendo understood that watching those games wouldn't help his team much, so he resumed regular training, focusing on improving the team's coordination.
"When fielding at third base, you need to be faster. Don't make me keep repeating myself, and keep your throws low to make them quicker!"
"Shin, you need to call out where the ball should go on every play. It can get complicated with runners on base. That coach also taught you how to direct the defense based on the runners' positions, right? Now's the time to practice that. Don't wait until the game. A single moment of hesitation or a misdirected call could cost us runs."
"I understand!"
"That's the way!"
...
"Alright! Omura, Aoki, Shin, head to the bullpen. The rest of you, take a break."
Baseball training is all about repetition, repetition, and more repetition.
...
"That's it for today! Everyone's basics are solid, so starting tomorrow we'll be making adjustments."
"We'll kick off with a 5-kilometer run in the morning, followed by throwing drills—we haven't done enough of those lately."
"We'll practice throws from home to first base, then long throws from the outfield to home, all for 30 minutes."
"After that, we'll work on bunting for another 30 minutes. Finally, we'll dedicate the rest of the time to fielding practice and baserunning! Prepare yourselves to crawl back home!!"
"We won't lose! Bring it on!!!" Sawamura shouted immediately.
The others' mood instantly fired up, following Sawamura's energetic roar.
"What a bunch of hot-blooded fools!" Sendo thought to himself.
"In half a month, we'll be heading back. Before that, I'll have the coach set up practice games with Tokyo teams that are still in club activities."
"In a week, we're going camping by the beach! We'll stay for three days and two nights. Sound good? Afterward, we'll rest up and prepare for the practice games."
"Yeah!!! Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!" Everyone cheered together loudly.
"We're going to the beach! Hooray!" Sawamura shouted again, after joining the group chant.
"Not right now, idiot!"
"Oh, is that how it is?" Sawamura asked innocently.
"Did you not listen at all, you idiot?!"
And so, the fatigue from the day's training was completely wiped away by all the commotion.
...
"Damn it! Whether it's pushing or pulling the ball, I just can't seem to channel my strength properly. Is my batting stance that bad?" Sendo muttered to himself that night while flipping through batting guides in his room, as others continued with their voluntary practice.
"This one's too troublesome to practice... and this one too. Isn't there a technique that's both easy to learn and effective?" Feeling lazy but also obsessed with hitting that mesmerizing ball, Sendo found himself in a dilemma again.
In the end, Sendo didn't find what he was looking for and gave up on changing his stance, deciding to stick with the basic one. He had been using the American-style uppercut swing.
The American-style uppercut swing was designed to send the ball farther. Major League hitters began using this technique to hit those high, far balls, which increased the importance of outfielders proportionally.
Naturally, Coach Nakani didn't teach this method to just anyone on the Wildcats. This style usually isn't suited for Asian players, who are generally better at hitting the ball directly rather than with an upward swing.
This technique demands significant strength and force behind the swing, which is why players like Ichiro Suzuki and even Coach Nakani during his career didn't use it.
Estimating the time, Sendo headed downstairs early. After listening to the others chat and walking into the bathhouse, he grabbed his bat and went outside. As usual, Fumino appeared at the field right on time.
"You don't need to follow me every day, you know?"
"The stars are so beautiful here!"
"Is that so? Well, suit yourself!"
"Have you started enjoying baseball lately? You've been coming to hit every day!"
"I don't know. If there really is a pitcher like that in our generation, then maybe it'd be fun. The thrill of facing a strong opponent is the best. Who'd enjoy a game you can win without a challenge?"
"You're right about that!"
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