Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 54: Rebirth – Practice Match (6)

"Nice!" Both teams cheered and encouraged their teammates.

"Alright, now it's our turn to hit! Let's take back those runs!"

"Yeah!!!" The players, still fired up from Coach Takei's pep talk, felt their faith in him grow even stronger.

"Hahaha! Now this is what makes a game exciting! But there's no way I'm letting you guys have your way. Get ready to witness the evolved Sawamura! The beginning of the Sawamura legend!"

"Idiot, what nonsense are you spouting? Weakling!"

"What did you say? Who's a weakling?"

"Listen, the real game starts now! They're full of spirit, and their morale will be at an all-time high this inning. You've got to keep them under control so the momentum shifts in our favor!" Sendo said, grabbing Sawamura as he was about to explode in frustration.

"I got it!" Sawamura huffed, trying to wriggle free.

"Let me go! I have to get to the mound." Sawamura gave Sendo a resentful look.

"Oh, sorry, sorry!" Sendo quickly let go, embarrassed.

Sawamura let out a huff and strutted to the mound with his usual confident swagger.

"Shin! I'm counting on you! Just focus on solid strikes in the center and inside; leave the rest to the defense. Even without giving it his all, that idiot's pitches aren't easy to hit," Sendo said, knowing the quality of Sawamura pitches would make it challenging for the batter.

"Got it!" Shin replied, aware of how tough Sawamura's pitches were to handle.

Even without Sawamura pitching at full strength, his ball still moved, just with a smaller drift that Shin could barely catch.

This small movement was tricky for the rookie-level players and club hitters to notice, especially in soft baseball, but it was enough to keep them from making solid contact. And since it's soft baseball, if they can't hit it cleanly, the ball won't go far.

This is partly why, in Sawamura's early days, he never allowed a ball to reach the outfield.

One thing Sendo never mentioned, though, is that even he doesn't know how well this kind of pitch will work in a real game.

"Alright!" After a quick warm-up, the umpire signaled the start of the inning.

"Sen-chan's right! Ei-chan's pitch doesn't need complicated sequences; just throwing basic ones is good enough. Besides, anything more complex and I wouldn't be able to catch it!" Shin muttered with a small self-deprecating chuckle.

"Let's not hold back! Bring it on!"

"You understand, don't you, Shin?"

If Shin could hear what Sawamura was thinking, he'd probably be exasperated, wondering, Understand what? I'm just following orders.

First pitch.

"Watch closely, Sendo. This is the beginning of Sawamura's legend—I'll lead you all to the nationals!" Sawamura thought, getting into position.

"Right down the middle?" The opposing leadoff hitter saw the straight pitch and didn't hesitate to swing; typically, there's no reason to hesitate on a perfect strike. But the impact felt completely different.

"What?"

"Yes! Ohno!" Sawamura cheered, seeing the ball rolling.

"Huh?" However, the ball unexpectedly rolled toward second base instead of first, catching Ohno off guard as it was a bit off-target, and he missed it.

This mistake was partly because Ohno wasn't on high alert.

It's a common mistake for beginners, who find it hard to maintain focus, and combined with the difference in skill and training, their reaction time is far behind that of a well-trained infielder.

"Safe!" The runner reached first base.

"What was that? That spin!" the batter said, but added, "It's alright! Now we start our counterattack, so be ready, pitcher!"

"Sorry!" Ohno apologized.

"It's okay!" No matter what happens, Sawamura is always ready to encourage his teammates, battling alongside them.

"Don't let it bother you—keep them in check!" Sendo shouted supportively.

"Yeah!!!"

The game continued as the second batter stepped up to the plate.

"What a joke! Throwing something like a straight pitch? I'll crush it!" The second batter thought as he watched his teammate reach base.

"What's going on? How did a straight pitch end up there? This kid definitely needs to work on his swing," Coach Takei muttered, puzzled by the trajectory of the ball.

"Here we go!"

First pitch.

"Haha, another straight pitch! I've got this!" The second batter grinned, ready to swing. But the hit didn't come off well, and he found himself questioning the strange feel of the contact.

But there was no time to dwell on it; he tossed the bat and sprinted toward first.

"Ohno! Cover second base!" Shin shouted.

This time, Kondou grabbed the ball and tossed it to Ohno at second, getting the out.

"Out!" The umpire raised his arm, making the call.

The throw continued toward first base.

"Safe!"

They missed the double play, but shifting from zero outs to one out with a runner on first was a decent defensive outcome.

"Another bad hit?" Coach Takei thought. Once could be a fluke, but twice meant something was off, though he still couldn't pinpoint the issue.

"This could be tricky," Sendo mused, watching the sequence unfold.

Sendo realized that Sawamura's controlled pitching style, though with minimal movement, led to unpredictable ball rolls that were easier for the catcher but tough for the infield.

Even though the hits weren't fast, the defense had a hard time predicting the ball's trajectory.

"Hey! Everyone, stay alert! The ball could come at any angle, so be ready every pitch! Got it? Hold them down!"

"Yes!!!"

In reality, Sendo thought he was lucky to have Ohno and Kondou on the infield. Their reaction times weren't superhuman, but they were decent, and their dynamic vision was above average.

But the infield is large, with four defensive positions; having only two with extended range already strained them. Even with decent skills and power, and Sawamura's impressive pitches, things could go wrong if luck wasn't on their side.

The previous hit was just bad luck.

The game resumed.

"Should I consider a bunt to get on base? I don't know what's going on, but that kid's pitches definitely have something unique," Coach Takei thought.

He also realized that he might've been misled by Coach Nakani, who'd said they had the upper hand in skill and were facing a rookie pitcher. But this "rookie" was far more puzzling than expected.

In games at this level, even a beginner pitcher with talent can turn the tables.

------------

If you want to read 20 chapters advanced.

Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Shu_21