"Seido! Seido!!!"
The mont Miyuki Kazuya blasted the ball out of the stadium, the entire stands ca alive.
Whether they were original Seido High School Baseball Team supporters or neutral spectators there for the excitent, everyone was now shouting Seido's na.
Although only a few minutes had passed since the ga began, in the audience's eyes, the outco was already decided.
Even with the best luck and more hidden cards, hoping for Hongmo High School to turn the tide in the remaining ti was unrealistic.
Seido High School led by four runs. Being overtaken by a powerhouse of the sa caliber would be one thing. Being overtaken by Hongmo High School would make the Seido High School Baseball Team a laughingstock.
Although Kataoka had reminded them more than once that the ga was not over until the final out was secured.
Baseball was different from ti-limited sports. It had no strict end ti. Even with a team leading by a dozen runs and only one out remaining, the trailing team still had a chance, however remote, to co back and win.
The probability was extrely small, almost negligible.
But no one could deny that within the rules of the ga, such a possibility existed.
It was sothing other major team sports didn't have. Soccer and basketball, at least, did not.
But even with that uniqueness, the gap in strength between the two sides was clear.
Expecting Hongmo High School to stage a coback against Seido was simply asking too much.
This ga no longer had any real suspense.
In a corner of the stands where the Yakushi High School Baseball Team players had gathered, their eyes were gradually glazing over.
"Should we just say, as expected of Seido?"
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow's ga more and more."
"When the ti cos, we'll show them what we can do."
Having just defeated Inashiro, who had recently claid the national championship, the dia had been hyping Yakushi extensively over the past few days.
The players were inevitably affected by it.
Todoroki Raizo had noticed.
He said nothing, though. He had co to the conclusion that anything he said at this mont would be useless.
Hot-blooded young players, after a significant victory, were going to feel so pride. That was unavoidable.
The key was how to channel that emotion in a productive direction.
Left unchecked, it could limit the players' future progress and cause real problems down the line.
Guided well, it could actually help the team grow stronger.
Even though they had just defeated Inashiro, that didn't an their strength was truly superior to Inashiro's.
In a rematch under similar conditions, the probability of Yakushi winning again would probably be under 30%.
Compared to Inashiro, they had no structural advantage.
Compared to the Seido High School Baseball Team, it didn't seem like they had one either.
Looking at Seido's performance today, setting aside their defense, their offense was simply relentless.
Their scoring power had even surpassed what Inashiro had shown previously.
To beat them, controlling the score would probably be the only viable path.
"The ga isn't over yet. Everyone sit down properly."
Todoroki Raizo said quietly.
The restless Yakushi players, hearing their coach's voice, beca imdiately compliant, settling back into their seats without another word.
"Now we'll see if Hongmo High School collapses, or..."
If Hongmo lost their fighting spirit from here, Todoroki Raizo would see no further reason to stay.
But if they still had sothing left in them, there might be more worth watching.
His curiosity was rewarded.
Hongmo High School had chosen to reveal their hand today, and had been hit hard for it, conceding four runs right at the start.
But their coach, the retired professional player, had no intention of surrendering.
He had laid down plenty of cover before this, deliberately keeping their true level hidden to confuse opponents across Tokyo. But the school leadership had limited patience.
If he couldn't show results soon, he would very likely lose the position.
Their demands weren't unreasonable. They weren't asking for Koshien right away.
But at the very least, he needed to show the school's leadership that the team was progressing.
If the style hadn't changed and the results hadn't improved, and no one could see any developnt in the players, how could anyone trust the new coach?
This ga was not only an opportunity for the players to demonstrate their abilities. It was also the coach's report card to the school leadership.
Hongmo's coach called a tiout and gave detailed instructions.
He made no substitutions. Mogami would continue pitching.
Beyond showcasing the team's strength, another intention was to develop Mogami himself.
Only by genuinely testing this pitcher could they build sothing for the future. By this point, the coach had already identified Mogami's biggest problem.
He had too little ga experience and couldn't hold himself together in critical monts.
That was ultimately why they had conceded four runs in one stretch.
But it couldn't be entirely blad on Mogami. Until today, he had never pitched in a formal ga.
For a first official outing at the high school level, against Seido of all opponents, his performance was already sothing to be acknowledged.
After absorbing two Horuns and giving up four runs in one go, Mogami had let go of the weight he had been carrying.
His first formal ga was always going to be imperfect. As the coach had told him, it didn't matter how much worse things got from here. Better to soak up the experience and pitch with everything he had.
In the coach's own words:
"Cherish the experience of facing Seido. It will beco a valuable asset for your future."
A Mogami who had fully let go now displayed his characteristics without restraint.
He successfully retired Seido's Seventh Batter, recording the third out and ending a difficult first inning for Hongmo High School.
In the bottom of the first inning, it was Hongmo's turn to bat.
The score on the field stood at 4-0, with the Seido High School Baseball Team holding an overwhelming lead.
But strangely, their opponent showed no sign of deflation. Their fighting spirit remained high.
It was as if they had completely set aside the scoreboard.
"Have they given up on winning entirely and decided to just enjoy the ga?"
Todoroki Raizo in the stands felt a flicker of envy.
This was actually the direction he had always been trying to lead Yakushi toward.
But his players couldn't quite get there. They couldn't fully let go.
Perhaps it was because they had grown stronger and carried higher expectations for themselves.
Whatever the reason, the current Yakushi found it very difficult to reach that kind of freedom.
The Hongmo High School Baseball Team's players, by contrast, carried no such weight.
And so they had arrived there without even trying.
With that, the ga took on a hint of genuine interest.
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