Chapter 120: Chapter 19: The Catcher’s Performance
As he stepped into the batter’s box, the sharp instincts unique to the catcher position prompted Uesugi Yasuyuki to glance around the field:
After the intentional walk strategy collapsed, East Asia Academy opted to face the challenge head-on: Seeing that the batter was a first-year catcher who hadn’t played before and was lower in the lineup, their outfielders moved significantly forward, leaving only a central fielder with good speed and a large defensive coverage area standing further back.
Having lost 2 consecutive runs, East Asia Academy was desperate to get an out to relieve the immense defensive pressure on their players:
If Uesugi Yasuyuki hit a weak grounder, they could easily turn a double play and keep the losing score within 2 runs;
If the opponent hit a high-flying outfield ball, with East Asia Academy outfielders’ speed and arm strength, there’s a chance they could catch it and throw home to tag Lin Guanglai who was on third base.
For East Asia Academy, this tactic was a desperate yet necessary move:
The pressure a person can endure has its limits—East Asia Academy’s players on the field now had a mental state like a spring continuously stressed to its limit, having twice failed to get an out with the bases loaded;
If they repeated the scenario from the previous two at-bats, the tension would eventually snap—and then they’d really have no way to recover.
At this point in the game, both sides knew their choices well.
Uesugi Yasuyuki turned his gaze towards third base: There, Lin Guanglai kept taking leads and returning to the base, putting pressure on pitcher Kamata Hideyuki on the mound—he had successfully stolen home several times, forcing East Asia Academy’s defenders to split their attention towards the base runner on third.
Their eyes suddenly met, Lin Guanglai was momentarily stunned by Uesugi Yasuyuki’s gaze, then he smiled and gave a thumbs-up, his lips moved slightly as he mouthed to Yasuyuki in the batter’s box:
"Go for it."
"Play Ball."
As the umpire made the call, the baseball, under the motion of Kamata Hideyuki’s arm, traced a smooth trajectory in the air before being thrown out.
Uesugi Yasuyuki stood still, watching the ball make its way into the strike zone.
"Whack."
"Ball."
As a catcher, Uesugi Yasuyuki possessed high baseball intelligence, and he liked to think from the catcher’s perspective when batting—in the current game scenario, the best play was to force a double play with a grounder, so an outside low pitch would certainly be called.
But an outside low pitch requires high control ability from the pitcher, and it’s difficult to ensure it lands in the strike zone even with no players on base, let alone under the pressure of loaded bases now.
Kunishi Yuuta called for another outside low pitch, attempting to help his pitcher find the rhythm—yet Kamata Hideyuki still couldn’t place the ball into the strike zone, the baseball gently slid towards the outside edge, narrowly missing the corners of the strike zone.
The pitcher couldn’t consistently control the ball in the strike zone, so Kunishi Yuuta had to suggest pitches that were easier to throw but also carried a higher risk of being hit.
After some delay, the East Asia Academy’s pitcher-catcher duo finally decided on this turn’s pitch; Kamata Hideyuki nodded slightly at his catcher at home plate, lowered his body, and threw the ball with a swing of his arm.
Almost simultaneously with the ball release, Uesugi Yasuyuki stepped forward and swung the bat with force.
In his view, this pitch was all too familiar, one he had encountered countless times during practice.
As Uesugi Yasuyuki swung his bat, Lin Guanglai on third base simultaneously took off, sprinting full speed towards home plate—the tacit understanding forged over years of partnership meant he didn’t need to know the specific situation of the ball, because Uesugi Yasuyuki never let him down.
The baseball was solidly hit by Uesugi Yasuyuki’s bat and quickly flew backwards into the outfield, bouncing off the outfield wall of Fuchu City Public Stadium and then back into the field.
The sudden change in the baseball’s trajectory caught East Asia Academy’s outfielder Kuchida Kei off guard; he was almost at the ball’s landing spot yet found himself needing to turn back to chase it; forward-positioned outfield teammates also sprinted over but were still quite a distance away from the ball.
By the time Kuchida Kei regained control of the baseball and returned it to the infield, all the bases had been emptied except for Uesugi Yasuyuki, who stopped at third base.
5:0.
Looking at the scoreboard with its widening score difference, and this seemingly endless bottom half of the inning, East Asia Academy’s players could only manage a wry smile.
...
"Three outs! Change sides!"
Starting from that intentional walk with runners on first and third, East Asia Academy conceded eight consecutive runs in the bottom half of the inning before ending it with a double play once the batting order cycled back.
Now, the score had reached 8:0—East Asia Academy’s players returned to the dugout dispirited, color drained from their faces; although the game had just begun, it already felt like it had ended.
With much difficulty and encouragement from both the coach and the team leader, they mustered some spirit; in the top of the second inning, Lin Guanglai and Uesugi’s pitcher-catcher duo dealt them yet another hard blow:
East Asia Academy’s current cleanup hitter, their catcher Kunishi Yuuta—after Takasugi Masahiro’s retirement, Kunishi Yuuta took over his position and, as a core hitter, helped the team secure victories.
In the second round match against Adachi Academy, Kunishi Yuuta performed outstandingly: He hit safely in all three plate appearances, including a solo homer and a double, contributing greatly to the team’s win in seven innings.
Yet, facing Lin Guanglai, Kunishi Yuuta felt his skills were useless: East Asia Academy had long been aware of Lin Guanglai’s prowess and had thoroughly studied his pitching habits;
But in actual confrontation, Kunishi Yuuta still felt at a loss—Lin Guanglai’s control was incredibly precise, even with straight balls exceeding a speed of 140 kilometers per hour, he could accurately place them at the corners of the strike zone, often leaving Kunishi Yuuta hesitating between swinging and selecting pitches, easily missing the optimal timing.
In the end, as expected, Kunishi Yuuta couldn’t manage a swing and was struck out by Lin Guanglai.
When East Asia Academy barely capitalized on one of Lin Guanglai’s rare control lapses to reach first base and attempted to steal second with a combined play, Uesugi Yasuyuki, who had earlier hit a triple, showcased his talent again:
Receiving the ball pitched by Lin Guanglai, Uesugi Yasuyuki, who had already prepared his throwing stance, launched himself up with a thrust of his legs, taking a forceful step coupled with a swing of his arm to throw the baseball directly towards second base.
Kenta Manabe, who had come to back up, hardly had to move as the baseball flew right into his glove; he then quickly tagged the sliding runner beneath him, promptly ending East Asia Academy’s offensive attempt.
"Three outs, switch sides."
Seeing the Waseda Jitsugyo pitcher-catcher pair exchanging high-fives on the field, the East Asia Academy team felt like a mountain weighed on them, making it difficult for each of them to breathe.