Diamond Ace: Monster Slayer

Chapter 225: The Substitute Pitcher of Teito High School

"Qiang!"

"Baseball! The baseball went through again! This time it went over the second baseman's head and landed between the second baseman and the center fielder!"

"Damn it!"

Omura, the center fielder of Teito High School, picked up the ball and threw it towards first base, but unfortunately, due to the long distance, his passing speed could not match the speed of the troll Otojukami to get to the base!
"Safety on base!"

The referee raised his arms and announced that the troll Daitojuan was at base!

No one is out, runners on first and third base!

"In the top of the fifth inning, the giant troll Daifujimaki once again found a good chance to score! Hongo got a single, no one was out, and there were runners on first and third base! The next batter to come up is their fifth catcher, Yasuda-san!"

The commentator looked at the situation on the field and became more and more excited in his commentary.

I really didn't expect that this year the dark horse Troll Da Tengjuan could suppress Didong High School.

I have never seen anything like this in my life!

It seems like this year's Koshien is really a hot topic!
Okada stood on the pitcher's mound, holding his knees and panting. His face was red all the way to his ears, and he looked very uncomfortable.

Being beaten out continuously was a huge drain on his physical strength.

"What should I do?"

Director Okamoto was also in a dilemma.

I originally wanted to drain Hongo's energy, but I didn't expect that Hongo was full of energy now, while my ace pitcher had become like this.

If the Troll Big Vine Roll is leading by one point, they still have a chance to catch up, but if the Troll Big Vine Roll hits again and again, it will be very bad for them.

Coach Okamoto pinched his chin and looked back at the bullpen.

"Can that kid do it?"

Supervisor Okamoto said silently.

Now he also has the idea of changing his pitch.

They did attract a good pitching prospect in their freshman class this year, and he has a good chance of becoming their ace pitcher in the fall.

It's just that this kid is a little self-righteous.

Instead of studying how to pitch properly, you insist on saying that the "nine-square grid" of a good pitch has depth.

I was so stunned by what Director Okamoto said that sometimes I even thought he was abnormal.

But in the current situation, replacing him may be the only option.

Okada was exhausted. If he continued to pitch, there was no telling how many points he would lose.

It is better to stop loss in time.

"Supervisor, do you need a message?"

After seeing the team's predicament, the recorder of Teito High School also asked for the opinion of coach Okamoto.

Now, the only people who can help the pitcher get back into shape are the catcher and the supervisor.

But after all, their current catcher is second-year player Kenichiro Inui, and compared to him, coach Okamoto's words are more effective.

It's not just like this at Teito High School, it's the same for pitchers and catchers in many schools.

There is no good chemistry between the senior pitcher and the junior catcher.

How could the team's ace pitcher trust the words of a little kid from the lower grade?

Ace pitchers are proud creatures themselves.

Maybe this is the case for many teams except Seidou High School.

After all, Miyuki of Qingdao High School has proved himself.

Last year, when Chris was injured and unable to play, it was the first-year player Yuki who was in charge on the court.

Over time, everyone believed him.

Because he filled the vacancy left by Chris very well. Although his role was not as good as Chris, he was a ray of light in Qingdao High School at that time.

Although his pitching skills are quite immature compared to Chris's, no pitcher dares to refuse his pitch.

Although bold, he has his meaning.

Unlike other teams.

The third-year catchers on other teams think that the first-year catchers are there to just squat and catch the ball.

This alone shows how strong Yuki is.

He really did subdue the third-year pitcher at Seidou High School that year.

"No need, let's switch."

Coach Okamoto thought for a while and decided to change the pitcher.

"Change vote?"

The recorder of Didong High School was dumbfounded.

Is it really a good idea to change the pitch now before losing any points?

And if the pitcher is changed now, who can replace Okada?
Okada is the strongest pitcher in Teito High School. If there is really someone who can replace him, the title of ace pitcher will never be given to him.

For the recorder of Teito High School, it would be better to continue to believe that Okada can adjust than to change the pitcher now.

"Would you like to reconsider this?"

"No need, just shout out the sun."

"I see."

The recorder of Teito High School nodded.

When you are defeated, this may be the only way to avoid losing points.

Okada was in critical condition on the field, and the only tactic that could save him was to replace the pitcher.

Coach Okamoto didn't want to lose too many points in this round.

Rather than having an ace pitcher with a broken mind to support the team, it would be more practical to replace him with a freshman.

Besides, Mukai Taiyo’s strength is not bad either.

Coach Okamoto is training him to be the future ace pitcher.

"Supervisor, the sun is ready."

After calling the bullpen, the recorder of Teito High School reported to Supervisor Okamoto.

"Good, get him ready to pitch."

"Yes."

"Referee, make a substitution!"

Coach Okamoto's voice was very loud, and everyone from Seidou High School sitting in the audience could hear it clearly.

"Is Didong High School going to change people?"

"It should be a change of pitcher."

"I really don't understand who they can replace now."

The students of Qingdao High School were talking about it, but Zhou Hui was the only one sitting quietly on the side, supporting his chin with his hand.

"Are you really coming, kid?"

A ray of light suddenly flashed in Zhou Hui's eyes, which were narrowed into slits.

Yukichi looked back at Zhou Hui, thinking that he must have unique insights.

"What do you think about the replacement of Teito High School?"

Zhou Hui nodded.

For a pitcher from Teito High School, he actually knew someone.

“The Suns might be on the court.”

"The Suns? That freshman pitcher of theirs?"

"Yes, he gave me a lot of trouble when we were in Little League."

When Yukichi heard Zhou Hui's words, his face immediately turned cold.

The pitcher who can cause you trouble is probably not born yet?
"Really? Is there any pitcher you can't handle?"

Zhou Hui didn't say anything. He kept thinking about Mukai Taiyo's playing style and his abnormal ball control ability.

The ball can be controlled in the four corners of the strike zone, the balls thrown are not easy to hit, and he also has a spiral ball that can decide the outcome of the game.

These are the characteristics of Mukai Taiyo.

In the national competition, Zhou Hui had very few at-bats without a hit.

Among these few occasions, the Suns did it once.

After graduation, I heard that he went to Tokyo to play basketball, but I never knew which school he went to. Now I know it was Teito High School.

The legendary freshman at Didong High School might be referring to him.

"Teito High School's substitution notice: Pitcher Okada-san is going to rest. His replacement is pitcher Mukai Taiyo-san!"

"Mukai Taiyo?!"

"Which pitcher is this?"

"Is there another player like this in Didong High School?"

When the audience heard the name Mukai Taiyo, they all showed expressions as if they had never heard of it before.

This is true, as the Suns last played in the semifinals of the summer tournament.

Apart from that, he has never appeared in any other show.

The last time I appeared, it was similar to this time.

It was after the ace pitcher Okada was knocked out of his form that Mukai Taiyo came up to "put out the fire."

There is no record of his appearance since then.

Mukai Taiyo is a left-handed pitcher, and his pitching is very uncomfortable for some left-handed hitters.

Because that feeling is like a baseball flying at the back of your head.

Zhou Hui also began to think about it carefully.

"Let me see how much progress you have made since graduating from junior high school!" Zhou Hui became more and more curious.

They had very little contact after graduating from junior high school, so it was satisfying to be able to see him pitch on the Koshien stage now.

"Next, pitch according to my instructions. Don't be willful. This game is very important."

Inui Xiangang has little say in front of Okada, but it is different in front of Mukai Taiyo.

Mukai Taiyo is just a first-year pitcher and his qualifications are not as good as his.

"I understand, Senior Qian."

Mukai Taiyang was a little impatient and didn't even look at Qian Xiangang's face.

"This boy."

Qian Xiangang shook his head helplessly.

It would be strange if this kid wasn't willful.

No one is out and there are runners on first and third base.

The situation at the beginning was a suffocating one for the pitcher. It was a bit abnormal to use this situation to test Mukai Taiyo.

But this is not a test.

It will decide whether Teito High School will go back home or continue to compete in Koshien.

This put even more pressure on Mukai Taiyo.

"Fifth batter, catcher, Yasuda-san."

There is not much time left for the sun, as Yasuda of the troll vine has already walked down.

"Don't let him swing too easily. Hit the first pitch low and straight to the outside corner."

"Whoosh!"

Lowering his body, the Suns threw the ball out.

Yasuda is a left-handed hitter, and when he saw the angle at which the baseball was coming he exclaimed it was outrageous.

"How do you watch this ball?"

Before he could finish his thought, the baseball went into Qian Xiangang's glove.

"Snapped!"

"Bad ball."

The referee gave a bad ball without hesitation.

"This ball is obviously a good one."

Mukai Taiyo was obviously not convinced.

"High inside corner."

One ball is farthest from the batter, and the next ball is closest to the batter!
This diagonal shot!
But this is something the Sun can do.

The Suns rely on ball control for their livelihood.

"Whoosh!"

Throw the ball away again.

“Great location.”

Qian Xiangang said this in his heart.

But before the ball entered his glove, it began to float wildly upwards.

"Oops."

"Snapped!"

Finally, Qian Xiangang caught the baseball next to Yasuda's face.

"Bad ball."

"so close."

Yasuda stroked his heart as if he had been given a new life.

"Feel sorry."

Although Mukai Taiyo apologized, his face showed a nonchalant look, and it wasn't an apologetic attitude at all.

This first grade is too crazy!

Looking at what Mukai Taiyo did, Yuki looked at Zhou Hui again.

He really couldn't imagine how such a pitcher was accepted by Coach Okamoto.

"Did he deserve a beating before?"

"You can say that."

"What kind of ball is that? Don't be so lazy. Try another one in the low outside corner."

After two bad balls in a row, Qian Xiangang felt helpless.

It's totally different from training.

Maybe the sun was paying too much attention to Zhou Hui in the audience.

Ever since Zhou Hui became famous, he has been hearing news about Zhou Hui.

This made him quite unconvinced.

I have dealt with this terrible monster before, why do you only talk about him?

He! Mukai Taiyo! He just doesn't accept it!

He wanted so badly to show Zhou Hui his progress, but unexpectedly the opposite happened.

"Zhou Hui, look carefully!"

He pressed his body down and Sun threw the ball out.

"Whoosh!"

This ball is still a straight ball!
Flying along a route, above the batter's box, Yasuda held up the bat, waiting for the baseball to approach.

“This is such a hard feeling.”

"Qiang!"

"Shortstop!"

The moment he saw the baseball being swept out, Mukai Taiyo immediately turned around and shouted.

The shortstop quickly stepped forward, picked up the ball, stepped on the second base and passed it to first base.

"Snapped!"

"Out!"

Double kill!

As soon as Mukai Taiyo came on, he reversed the situation!
The baseball was hit so straight that the troll Da Tengjuan's third base runner had no time to run back and could only stay on third base.

Two outs and a runner on third base.

The situation changed in an instant.

Zhou Hui couldn't help but applaud his former opponent.

He did a really good job. Let alone this year's Koshien, even if they met Teito High School in the fall, it would be enough to make them feel uncomfortable for a while.

"The sun has made great progress."

Zhou Hui also noticed that he was not the only one making progress.

If we wait until autumn and Teito High School really meets Qingdao High School, Zhou Hui may still not be able to overcome Mukai Taiyo.

"Sixth batter, third baseman, Oda-san."

The troll vine's attack continued.

Oda-san walked into the batter's box, and the sun on the pitcher's mound showed a triumphant smile.

Left-handed hitter, another left-handed hitter!
He likes left-handed hitters the most!

After coming on the court, Qian Xiangang immediately matched the ball types.

"Whoosh!"

The feeling of a baseball flying towards the back of your head is really uncomfortable, and the angle is also very tricky.

This is a torture for Oda.

"nice shot!"