Baseball: A Two-Way Player

"Two outs, runner on third—at the top of the ninth inning, the opportunity to help the team extend the lead has once again fallen into the hands of Yagaki Kentaro."

"In this game, he is replacing Lin Guanglai, who is absent due to illness, as the team's cleanup hitter. Perhaps due to the excessive pressure, in his first three at-bats, he squandered prime scoring opportunities with runners in scoring position: two strikeouts and one groundout—this performance is likely unsatisfactory even to himself."

"Now, the same opportunity is once again in front of him—can Yagaki Kentaro seize it this time?"

The intensity of this game exceeded everyone's expectations, even for commentators experienced in game analysis:

After Waseda Jitsugyo expanded their lead with a strong offensive in the top of the fifth inning and a solo home run from Kenshu Yasuda in the top of the sixth, Showa High School still chose not to give up;

Instead, with wave after wave of spectacular defense, they repeatedly thwarted Waseda's attempts to further extend the lead—in the remainder of the game after the solo home run in the top of the sixth, Waseda's entire lineup only managed two hits against Showa without any additional runs.

Particularly, Showa's center fielder Tsuji Masashi and right fielder Yuzawa Shigeki, the two together delivered three skillful plays: a sliding catch to catch a fly ball in center field, a diving catch to nab a fly ball in right field, and even an impressive outfield catch followed by a throw-in double play.

In the top of the ninth inning, a rejuvenated Waseda returned with vigor, with lead-off hitter Chongxin Shen Zhong hitting a base hit, and in exchange for two outs, Waseda helped him advance to third base—if only Yagaki Kentaro could hit a base hit to score another run, given Showa Academy's displayed offensive ability today, the game would be nearly in their grasp.

Considering the game's severe situation, on Showa High School's side, Ogawara Takuma called for another short pause before the start of the at-bat, using the time to assess his teammates on the field and, based on experiences with Yagaki Kentaro's previous at-bats, carefully set up the team's overall defensive formation and positioning.

If there were anyone most deserving of a victory today at Tokyo Metropolitan Showa High School, it would certainly be their third-year Catcher Daikagawa Takuma; his guidance for the pitchers and sharp defensive awareness were the most crucial factors in Showa High School's ability to block Waseda's powerful lineup.

Similarly, in this at-bat, under his guidance, Aomura Shou quickly gained a 2-2 count advantage.

He signaled towards the pitcher's mound, indicating to his partner that the next pitch should be a slider on the outside corner to decide the outcome.

As the arm swung and the baseball was thrown, Aomura Shou on the pitcher's mound instantly felt that something was not right—the release of this pitch felt off; it was clearly a mistake pitch.

The baseball shot straight towards home plate, but the trajectory was several positions off from where Daikagawa Takuma had set his glove; instead of an outside pitch, this one ended up directly in the strike zone center from Aomura Shou.

"Clang—!!!" Pent-up for the entire game, Yagaki Kentaro was not about to let this opportunity slip by, and as he swung, his bat made perfect contact with the baseball.

The small white ball was hit heavily by the bat and, carrying tremendous momentum, rolled swiftly towards third base.

"A strong ground ball heading towards third base! This is Waseda's chance!"

The moment the ball hit the ground, the pinch runner at third immediately took off, sprinting back to home plate to make the safe call—it looked like this strong grounder might bring Waseda a run.

But Showa High School wasn't giving up.

Despite the baseball's fierce and speedy approach, the third baseman Yoshikawa Ryosuke was unafraid, instead speeding up with agility to meet the ball's path.

To gain more speed and prevent the baseball from slipping through the gap below his glove, he kept his center of gravity low, adjusting his rhythm from long strides to small shuffles as he neared the ball.

"Pop." Just before the baseball penetrated the infield, Yoshikawa Ryosuke intercepted it.

Knowing that every moment was crucial, Yoshikawa Ryosuke didn't hesitate after fielding the ball; with a swift turn, he delivered it towards first base.

The baseball traced a brilliant arc between third and first base and gracefully landed inside the glove of first baseman Kiriye Yuusuke.

At that moment, Yagaki Kentaro was still one step away from reaching first base—the gap between that single step felt like a chasm separating him from the base, cutting off his last opportunity to contribute to the team within the regular game time.

The first base umpire made a precise call, indicating the ball reached first first, and the runner was out.

"Three outs, teams switch sides!"

Returning to the dugout, Yagaki Kentaro felt very disappointed; the dejection and shame were evident on his face—even though he was capable enough to replace Lin Guanglai as the cleanup hitter in this game, his four missed opportunities in scoring positions left even him feeling ashamed, believing that he had let down both his coach and his teammates.

Even with Lin Guanglai on the bench continuously consoling him, Yagaki Kentaro's mood didn't improve much.

Before the bottom of the ninth inning began, the game umpire granted a longer break, giving the players ample time to hydrate and boost their morale.