The Old Baseball Player System

"Isamu, come here!" - Sugawara called to the boy who was about to leave the dugout and head to the batter's box.

Isamu quickly went to Sugawara and listened carefully to his captain's plan. He nodded a bit hesitantly and climbed the dugout steps toward the field.

"So, the plan now is to destroy their pitcher?" - Kohei asked as he also climbed the dugout steps to wait for his turn in the on-deck circle. For some reason, his friend hadn't shared the plan with everyone this time.

"Hehe, nah! We're going to destroy that catcher first!" - Sugawara said with a smile, his eyes focused on Kazuki crouching behind home plate.

"Oh, I get it! No special orders for me?" - Kohei asked with a playful smile, as if he were telling a joke.

"Hmph! Since when do you ever listen to my orders?" - Sugawara huffed in irritation. Kohei was the only person on the team who ignored his orders when batting, but since Kohei always hit well, he couldn't say much.

"Hahahaha, I'm up! Wish me luck!" - Kohei laughed as he climbed the dugout steps. He then noticed Isamu, who had just stepped into the batter's box.

Kazuki signaled for a fastball above the strike zone, and Jiro nodded quickly. The boy had total confidence in his captain. The first pitch of the third inning came.

PAH

"Ball!"

Isamu didn't move a muscle, he simply watched the fastball, slightly above the zone, land in Kazuki's glove and be called a ball.

Kazuki called for another fastball, this time low and outside the zone. The second pitch came.

PAH

"Ball!"

Once again, Isamu didn't react. Jiro's pitch was just outside, bringing the count to 2 balls.

"Hahaha, no matter how fired up your pitcher is, if the catcher is a coward, it's way too easy!" - Sugawara laughed like a maniac, his eyes locked on Kazuki behind home plate, looking at him with disdain.

"Those two pitches were right near the strike zone, but he didn't even flinch." - Kazuki thought as he looked at Isamu standing in front of him.

"Maybe... he's waiting for the splitter?" - An idea popped into Kazuki's head. He signaled for Jiro to throw another fastball to test his theory. The pitch came.

PAH

"Strike!"

The fastball was perfectly placed on the inside part of the zone. Isamu saw the pitch clearly but remained still.

"That's it! He's waiting for the splitter!" - Kazuki quickly deduced and called for another inside fastball, but this time he was a bit more cautious.

PAH

"Ball!"

The fastball was too far inside and ended up out of the zone. Isamu still didn't react. The count was now 3 balls and 1 strike.

Kazuki wasn't rattled by the full count. In fact, he felt confident in his read and his plan. He signaled for the fastball and positioned his glove low in the zone. The pitch came.

PAH

"Strike!"

Isamu still didn't move as Jiro's fastball was perfectly placed on the lower edge of the zone.

"Tch!" - Isamu gritted his teeth in frustration. He gripped his bat tightly, showing that he was done waiting and would swing at whatever came next.

"So you finally decided to react, huh?" - Kazuki smiled, now even more confident in his plan. For the first time in the duel, he gave a different signal to Jiro, positioning his glove in the same spot as the previous pitch, on the lower edge of the strike zone. The pitch came.

"Hehe!" - Sugawara grinned the moment the ball left Jiro's hand.

POFT

"Ball! Ball four!"

Jiro's splitter dropped just before reaching the plate, bouncing on the ground. Isamu just watched as the umpire announced the walk.

"He was right again..." - Isamu sighed as he dropped his bat and walked to first base. It had been Sugawara who told him not to react to any pitches, and even the frustrated noise he made before the last pitch was part of the white-haired maniac's plan.

"Hahahaha, so predictable! That's what you get for leading like a coward!" - Sugawara laughed loudly as he watched his plan succeed. The white-haired boy grabbed his bat and helmet and climbed the dugout steps, heading to the on-deck circle.

"Damn it!" - Kazuki cursed in frustration. He looked nervously at Kohei stepping into the batter's box and at Sugawara waiting in the on-deck circle. He had a bad feeling, but he decided not to dwell on it. If they wanted to win this game, they couldn't allow any more runs. They had to get Kohei and Sugawara out here.

Jiro was sweating heavily on the mound. Even though the boy hadn't pitched two full innings yet, he had never played under so much pressure before. To make matters worse, the hot summer sun was only intensifying, beating down on the young pitcher with no shade for protection.

Jiro nodded at his captain's signal. Ignoring the sweat and the pressure, he put everything he had into the pitch. Kohei watched the fastball leave Jiro's hand, heading toward the lower part of the strike zone. As a pitcher, Kohei could feel better than anyone the determination and fighting spirit behind the nerdy boy's pitch.

WOOSH

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DOOOOONG

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Unfortunately for Shoto Junior High, all of Jiro's fighting spirit and determination weren't enough.

"Damn it!" - Shun looked at the ball flying high over center field. He watched as it sailed over the fence, finally landing in the stands. A two-run home run.

"UOOOOHHHHH!!" - The roar of the crowd in the stadium drowned out the excited cheers of the Hokuto players in the dugout. This was what they had come to the stadium to see today, to watch the unknown team that defeated the elite Seishin, and to witness an insane home run off the bat of a second-year middle school pitcher.

Jiro stood on the mound, staring at the center-field stands, clearly shaken. When the ball had left his hand, he had felt like it was the best pitch of his life. But Kohei had sent that pitch into the stands.

"Jiro..." - Kazuki stood behind home plate, looking at Jiro on the mound with concern. As his catcher, he knew that this last pitch had been Jiro's best one of the game. He then glanced at Kohei, who was trotting around the bases with his fist raised in the air. At that moment, Kazuki felt an overwhelming sense of defeat. It was as if no matter what he did, they couldn't win this game.