The cheers of his teammates around him couldn't bring Miyuki a sense of security.
Akai, who was at the batter's box, was behaving strangely.
He didn't crouch down, ready to switch to a bunt, as he usually would.
In the past, as long as this guy could make contact with the ball, there was over a seventy percent chance he would reach base.
He was an absolute monster.
But now, this monster had sheathed his sharp claws, quiet like a kitten.
His hitting stance was very standard, and his position was right in the center.
Using such a stance for normal hitting was certainly not a problem, but it would be extremely difficult to bunt.
Miyuki vaguely felt that Akai must have some other plan.
He really wanted to warn Senior Tanba, but Senior Tanba was currently in high spirits.
Because of Senior Manaka's situation, Tanba was showing extraordinary fighting spirit at this moment.
If he were to put the brakes on Tanba now, his fighting spirit would likely be greatly affected.
It must be said, being a good catcher is truly difficult.
Miyuki had to choose between the opponent and his partner.
In Shonan Gakuen's dugout, Mikura's lips curved into a slight arc.
Everyone said Miyuki was a genius, how excellent he performed as a catcher.
He could draw out the pitcher's full power, and he also had the ability to see through a batter at a glance...
In short, the media's praise for Miyuki was almost elevating him to the heavens.
They said he was the savior of the Seido High School Baseball Team, the top genius catcher in the country.
Whether it was his pitch calling or his hitting, he had his own set of principles that made him unfathomable.
But in Mikura's opinion, Miyuki and he were actually the same type of person.
Perhaps people like them had some talent, but they were definitely not as strong as outsiders thought.
In fact, their principles were very simple, and their strategies were not complicated.
The strategy they pursued, if you really wanted to describe it, was only four words.
Play to your strengths.
These four words are easy to say, but not so simple to do.
First, you need to know yourself and your opponent, then you need to consider the team's morale, the current situation of the game, the opponent's mentality...
Upon closer examination, it means acquiring information, analyzing it, and then making a decision using the method of playing to your strengths.
For ordinary people, just talking about this set of things is enough to make their heads spin.
Not to mention making them do it one by one.
But for people like Miyuki and Mikura, these things seemed to be naturally ingrained in their minds.
They could easily make trade-offs and choices.
Or rather, they were actually very good at these things.
Such people, once they fully utilize the four words 'play to your strengths,' will naturally be successful in everything.
But to fully utilize the four words 'play to your strengths,' in addition to one's own effort and strength, a crucial prerequisite is needed.
That is, not to encounter a similar type.
Unfortunately, Mikura also happened to be good at these things.
"Next pitch, high breaking curveball."
Mikura muttered.
"Whoosh!"
The white ball whizzed in, it was Tanba's deciding pitch, the high breaking curveball.
Fans who saw this pitch were all excited.
"To use the deciding pitch so quickly, that's decisive enough."
"Perhaps he wants to take the initiative and catch the opponent off guard?"
The fans in the stands kept speculating about the intention behind Miyuki's pitch calling.
No matter what answer they guessed, they all felt that Miyuki was playing a deep game.
They hadn't thought of this strategy.
Facing this pitch, the batter seemed not surprised at all, as if he had guessed it in advance.
"Ping..."
After the white ball was hit, it rolled foul.
"Foul!"
The count was two strikes, zero balls.
They had now successfully put pressure on the batter.
But there was no smile on Miyuki's face, only shock and wariness.
In his impression, Akai, whose hitting ability was generally average, actually made contact with the ball the first time he saw Senior Tanba's high breaking curveball?
Miyuki carefully recalled every detail, and finally, he was almost certain.
This was not a coincidence!
The opponent had guessed early on that Senior Tanba would use a high breaking curveball.
Not only did he guess it, but he also made a counter-move.
Miyuki looked up, surprised, at Akai in front of him.
In Miyuki's impression, although this guy wasn't as lively as Kuramochi, he was essentially an unrestrained character.
A bit childish, as if he hadn't grown up yet.
His play was basically based on intuition; analysis was not his thing at all.
In just two years, has the opponent grown this much?
It's one thing for his skills to improve, but can his personality change too?
No...
With almost no hesitation, Miyuki denied this speculation in his heart.
It shouldn't be Akai's reason.
At Shonan Gakuen, someone must have told him in advance what to do.
Miyuki's interest was piqued.
Although he was excited for every game, over time, with more games, the level of excitement for each game was definitely different.
Facing powerhouse opponents, especially facing two arch-rivals, was naturally the most exciting.
For ordinary games, Miyuki's excitement level would certainly not be that high.
But now, the excitement that suddenly surged in Miyuki's heart was even comparable to playing against Inashiro.
Full of motivation, Miyuki continued to signal Tanba for a high breaking curveball.
Good pitching!
The opponent just got lucky; Senior's pitch is fine.
Let's get the batter out with this last pitch.
Miyuki's signal seemed to possess some kind of magic, directly transmitting the information to Tanba.
Tanba himself was slightly surprised earlier.
He also couldn't believe that the opponent could make direct contact the first time they saw his curveball?
Now, seeing Miyuki's signal, although he still felt Miyuki was a bit annoying, he still accepted Miyuki's suggestion.
Tanba threw another high breaking curveball.
The angle of this pitch was even greater than before, and the placement was even more tricky.
"Good!"
Miyuki, at the catcher's position, also inwardly exclaimed when he saw this pitch.
In terms of pitch quality alone, Senior Tanba's high breaking curveball could definitely rank in the top three in the Seido High School Baseball Team.
First is Zhang Han's Light Speed Ball.
Second might be this kind of high breaking curveball, or Furuya Satoru's Fastball.
As long as Senior Tanba can make good use of this pitch, they will...
Just as Miyuki thought he could immediately get Akai out, Akai, who had been in a hitting stance, suddenly changed to a bunt.
He had obviously practiced this stance many times before, and doing it now was effortless.
Tanba's pitch speed itself wasn't extremely fast, and when throwing a breaking ball, it dropped several levels.
This pitch was only about 120 kilometers per hour.
Akai made contact with the ball with almost no effort.
"Ping..."
After the white ball was hit, it rolled towards Third Base.
Previously, under Miyuki's direction, the teammates who had moved forward had returned to their original positions because they were already leading by two strikes and the opponent was pushed to the brink.
After all, the possibility of choosing a bunt for this last pitch was too low.
Once it accidentally went foul, the batter would be out directly.
However, what none of them expected was that Shonan Gakuen did exactly that.
By the time Masuko ran up to pick up the ball, ready to throw to First Base.
He saw the runner Akai out of the corner of his eye.
Why was he there?
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