The Old Baseball Player System

After Kenta's home run, Shoto's fifth batter, Daigo, stepped into the batter's box. Once again, after observing a few pitches, Daigo chose a curveball on a 2-2 count and easily sent it to left field, managing to reach second base.

With a runner on second and no outs, Sora, the sixth batter, stepped into the box with a calm mind. The young pitcher didn't have to wait long, as on the third pitch of the at-bat, Kaito delivered a perfect changeup, and Sora didn't waste the opportunity.

WOOSH

DONG

The ball was hit deep into center field, allowing Sora to reach second base comfortably and giving Daigo enough time to reach home plate and score Shoto's fifth run. With the seventh batter stepping into the box, the situation remained the same, a runner on second and no outs.

Shoto's seventh batter, Tomo, managed to reach base via a walk, a sign that the composure and control of Seiryu's ace were already being affected by the five runs on the scoreboard. With runners on first and second and no outs, Shoto's eighth batter, Hisashi, stepped into the batter's box.

Kaito didn't seem ready to give up yet. In the first three pitches, two landed in the strike zone, putting Hisashi in a tough position in the count. As a result, Hisashi didn't have the same opportunity as his teammates to carefully select the pitch he wanted to hit.

On the next pitch of the at-bat, Kaito delivered a fastball inside the zone. And even though Hisashi knew what was coming, hitting a 140 km/h fastball is no easy task.

WOOSH

DING

Hisashi only managed weak contact, grounding the ball toward Seiryu's shortstop. The boy knew it was unlikely he would make it to first base, but he ran with everything he had anyway. Continue your journey on empire

Unfortunately for Hisashi, Seiryu's infielders were also elite players, even if they hadn't yet had the opportunity to demonstrate it in the game. With ease, Seiryu's shortstop quickly fielded the ground ball and wasted no time throwing it toward second base.

PAH

"Out!"

As the ball hit the glove of Seiryu's second baseman, the umpire called Tomo out. Without hesitation, the second baseman threw the ball hard toward first base.

PAH

"Out!" – The umpire announced Hisashi's out at first.

"Fuck!" – Hisashi cursed in frustration. Even with his team holding a five-run lead, it wasn't a good feeling to be responsible for the team's first out in the game, especially with a double play.

Despite the double play, the atmosphere in Seiryu's dugout and stands remained tense. After all, they were witnessing their ace give up five runs in the first inning. And even though they had secured two outs, Sora, who was on second base, managed to advance successfully to third, leaving Seiryu in an uncomfortable situation.

On the field, the tension was even higher. None of Seiryu's players could understand why Kaito was being hit so easily by Shoto's lineup. But whatever the reason, it was clear they were in a bad spot in the game. Especially because right after Shoto's ninth batter stepped into the box, the top of Shoto's lineup would return.

With two outs in the inning, Kaito had the opportunity to end it by retiring the ninth batter and preventing further runs. However, it was evident that Seiryu's ace was no longer in the best mental condition, and the pressure of facing the top of Shoto's lineup again in the first inning clearly didn't help Kaito remain calm or recover.

Takeya, Shoto's ninth batter, was determined to get on base and give Shun another opportunity at the plate. But in the first two pitches, the boy found himself in a tough spot as Kaito managed to land both pitches in the strike zone, leaving Takeya in a 0-2 count.

Even in a tough count, Takeya remained calm, likely thanks to Shoto's substantial lead. He observed Kaito's pitches carefully, and even though Seiryu's ace had started strong, his next four pitches were far from accurate.

"Ball! Ball Four!" – The umpire called as Takeya dropped his bat and trotted to first base. With that, Shun began walking toward the batter's box, ready to hit with runners on the corners and two outs. But before Shun could reach the box, Seiryu's coach climbed the dugout steps.

"Time!" – Seiryu's coach shouted, drawing the attention of the entire stadium as he walked toward the mound. The catcher and the rest of Seiryu's infielders also began heading toward the mound for the meeting, but they all already knew what was about to happen.

"Kaito, that's it for today. I'm going to replace you." – Seiryu's coach said to Kaito as soon as he reached the mound. Even though the man didn't think Kaito's pitches were bad, it was clear something was wrong since all of Shoto's batters had made contact with his pitches.

"Yes, coach..." – Kaito said in a low voice, lowering his head. The boy then pulled the ball from his glove and placed it in his coach's hand before beginning the walk back to the dugout.

That was the longest and most humiliating walk of Kaito's life. Even though the crowd in the stands wasn't saying anything, the silence was more humiliating than criticism could ever be. At that moment, Kaito wished he could plead with his coach to let him continue, to let his pride as a pitcher speak louder and keep him in the game. But unfortunately, the boy no longer had confidence in his pitches, he no longer trusted himself to help his team from the mound.

From the batter's box, Shun observed Kaito walking back to the dugout with his head lowered, and a flicker of regret shone in his eyes. At that moment, while Shun didn't regret discovering Kaito's tell and helping his team build a significant lead early in the game, a deep desire to face Seiryu's ace again stirred in his chest.

"Next time, I hope you come back stronger." - Shun murmured as he walked back to his dugout, waiting for Seiryu's new pitcher to take the mound. Although Shun didn't know when he would face Kaito again, he was certain that the next time could only happen in high school. And since the two teams were from different prefectures, the most likely stage for their next showdown was none other than the grandest stage of Japanese baseball. The legendary High School tournament, Koshien.

Shun calmly watched as a new pitcher from Seiryu climbed the mound and began throwing warm-up pitches. The pitcher had a youthful face and a slim build. He wasn't very tall, likely due to his age. Shimizu glanced at the roster list she carried and quickly found out that this pitcher was a second-year student. However, Shun couldn't do much with that information.

He had never seen this pitcher play before and had no idea what kind of pitches he would face. Despite this, Shun remained calm. He was confident that no matter who stood on the mound, he could have a solid at-bat, even without the training center's tools, thanks to his numerous skills. After all, that was why he trained every day.

The umpire signaled for Shun to return to the box and resume the game. Shun quickly complied, stepping back into the batter's box and locking eyes with the young pitcher on the mound. Shun understood very well that all the pressure of this moment rested on Seiryu's new pitcher, and he planned to exploit it.

With a 5-0 lead, two outs, and runners on first and third, Seiryu's battery had to face one of the most dangerous hitters in the entire Kanto tournament, and possibly the best contact hitter in the competition. As such, they needed to take a cautious approach but also had to eliminate Shun here to end the inning without giving up more runs.

Seiryu's catcher called for a fastball on the low outside corner. He hoped Shun would either let the pitch go or make weak ground contact to end the inning. Seiryu's pitcher threw the ball exactly as requested, surprising the catcher, who hadn't expected such precision on the first pitch in a high-pressure situation. The call was good, and the pitch was even better, but unfortunately, the batter in the box was Shun.

WOOSH

DONG

Shun had no trouble identifying the fastball and swung his bat without hesitation. Although he knew it was important to see the pitcher's other offerings, Shun was more focused on crushing the new pitcher's confidence right away. The ball soared toward right field, bouncing in fair territory before rolling deep into foul territory. The right fielder sprinted after the ball.

By the time the right fielder retrieved the ball, Shun was already approaching second base. The runner from third had long since crossed home plate, and Takeya, who had been on first, was rounding third and sprinting toward home.

The right fielder hurled the ball with all his strength toward home plate. Seeing this, Shun didn't stop at second base and continued running toward third.

PAH

The ball reached Seiryu's catcher's glove, but just as he turned to tag the runner, he saw Takeya already sliding, his hands reaching for home plate.

"Safe!" – The umpire called, spreading his arms wide.