Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 50: Rebirth – Practice Match (2)

"Hit-and-run?"

Since Aoki was batting left-handed, if the pitcher tried to change trajectory to an outside pitch, his elbow would be forced outward, making it impossible to control accurately—forcing him to throw slightly off.

Crack!

"Ball!"

Aoki held his bat steady, eyes fixed on the pitch, and refrained from swinging at an obvious ball.

"Darn it! Blocked again—no time!"

Being a left-handed batter placed Aoki directly in the catcher's line of sight. A right-handed catcher had to shift slightly to make the throw, so a left-handed second batter was an irritation for a right-handed battery. And this catcher was nowhere near the talent level of someone like Miyuki.

Smack!

"Safe!"

"Hasn't it only been a month since they started training? How could they have mastered a high-level tactic like the hit-and-run?"

"Nice! Stolen base successful, and we got a ball! The count is now two balls and no strikes!" Sendo thought with a small, satisfied fist pump.

If Sendo knew what Coach Takei was thinking, he'd probably say, "Us? Pulling off a hit-and-run…? We're just bluffing!"

Indeed, the hit-and-run strategy requires precise coordination, with the runner going early and the batter hitting on cue, demanding high levels of skill and trust.

Aoki could perform the first half well, but if he followed through, it'd likely be a miss.

As a lefty, even a missed swing would disrupt the catcher, who might throw the ball straight into Aoki's bat or miss the throw completely.

Only a catcher with top-level skill could seamlessly avoid the batter's bat and make a solid throw, but if the runner was exceptionally fast, there would still be at least a 0.2-second delay.

That was exactly why Sendo insisted on training Aoki as a lefty. In middle school games, it's rare to encounter a top-tier catcher. With Ohno on base, facing middle-school-level defense, the chance to score would skyrocket.

"Lead! Lead! Lead!"

"Darn it! What do I do now?" Seiwa's catcher started to feel the pressure.

"Don't worry about the runner, Ishihara. Focus on the batter!"

Coach Takei called out. He knew that getting tangled up with the runner would just bring more trouble, especially since their defensive coordination wasn't their strong suit.

Facing a small-ball strategy, having multiple runners could quickly turn into a serious threat. Better to settle with the batter and try to limit the damage.

"As expected from a senior! Prepared to concede a run?"

"Though I may not be an expert in baseball strategy, in high school baseball, psychology plays a huge role. Your players have already shown their weak spot. I'm not really after this one run. Do you have a backup catcher, by the way?"

"Don't hold back, Ohno! Look for an opportunity and steal again! This catcher's arm is weak, and his throwing skills are shaky. Aoki, don't rush the bunt until you get two strikes. Hold the stance; it'll prevent a steal, but it'll slow down the pitch enough for you to possibly connect."

"And whatever you do, don't hit it high!"

Sendo signed to the players, unable to relay the last instruction with their basic signals, so he shouted it instead.

"Takei, you'd better stay alert. That kid may be inexperienced, but he's sharp, especially good at reading minds—a little psychologist, full of tricks. Don't underestimate him just because he's a kid." Coach Takei recalled Coach Nakani's warning and had already sized up Sendo as an equal.

Watching him signal again, he grew even more cautious.

The opponent hadn't started their real offense, so it was impossible to tell what their intentions were. The best-case scenario was that they'd only allow a run while figuring out the strategy.

After deciding on the sign, the pitcher threw the third pitch.

Whoosh!

"Steal!"

The first baseman suddenly shouted.

Smack!

"Strike."

It was a low, outside fastball in the strike zone.

But as Seiwa's catcher prepared to throw, he realized it was a fake steal.

"The first pitch was a low outside ball, the second an inside low strike after changing the trajectory at the last moment, which widened the strike zone enough. The third pitch was an outside pitch."

"Standard, but solid pitching. This pitcher hasn't thrown any breaking balls yet—likely because the small-ball tactics leave no room for it. I don't have much to play here, but Ohno's speed should give us a chance to steal. Hopefully, we'll get a bit more intel."

With everything now left to the players' decisions, Sendo no longer needed to keep track of them.

At this point, Ohno gave Aoki a look, and Aoki subtly nodded back.

"Lead! Lead! Lead!"

Even though the opponents had stopped paying attention, Ohno continued calling out, hoping for any small distraction.

The fourth pitch came.

Whoosh!

"Steal!"

"Inside pitch!"

Aoki swung decisively!

Smack!

"Strike!"

"Damn it, again!" Aoki's empty swing created a huge distraction for the catcher's throw.

Pop!

"Safe!"

The runner made it safely to third base, and the count was now two balls and two strikes.

Although the batter had no room for error, there were still no outs.

"Nice! Ohno, great base running!" The bench erupted in cheers.

"They really are childhood friends. Just a glance, and they understand each other's intentions perfectly! And that Aoki—swinging just to mess with the catcher. How did he even think of that?" Sendo fully grasped their silent communication.

"Not sure how they're signaling each other, but this isn't looking good. There's some serious thought behind this batting order, right, Sendo-kun?" Coach Takei thought, glancing over at the opponent's bench.

"Just focus on the batter. Infield and outfield, move forward! We need to get that runner out!" Coach Takei called out, determined to stop Aoki from advancing and ready to go all out against the batter.

"That's aggressive—no wonder he's a wildcat at heart. But that tactic won't work on Aoki." Sendo noticed the infield and outfield move in but felt unconcerned.

He misinterpreted Coach Takei's intention, thinking he was trying to get Aoki out while pressuring Ohno on third to prevent any easy runs, unaware of the catcher-focused strategy Sendo had in mind.

The fifth pitch came.

"Steal!"

"Don't underestimate us! Trying to steal home, huh?"

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