Vol 8 Ch 17
Kazuki of Tosei, meets Roka of Bijou, in a diner. Roka remarks that Kazu looks down, like 3 years ago. Roka says he'll buy Kazuki dinner up to 1500 yen (about $15). Kazuki orders several dishes that add up to exactly 1500 yen.
Kazuki tells Roka that Nishiura is on their third round right now (against Sakitama). Bijou won’t be playing them for another 3 rounds (sixth round).
Kazuki talks about the curveball as the deciding pitch that was then switched to the fastball, which wasn’t normal a normal fastball and can’t practice hitting it. Kazu eats his dinner, but refuses to give any to Roka. Kazuki also tells him about Tajima reading the pitcher's motion and Momoe sending detailed signs, Hanai having a good arm. He says Abe's throwing arm was ordinary, but good considering he's a first year and he also gave detailed signs.
Roka notes that the Nishiura pitcher has a good variety of pitches and control. Kazuki is most impressed by their batting, able to follow sliders and sinkers. He complaims how Tosei couldn’t use the forkball because of rain, but Tajima even hit the sinker. After Kazuki's done eating, Roka pays, and says he has to help cook for training camp with 50 people. Roka talks about Takii, the Bijou coach, who used to go to Tosei for middle school, then went to Bijou for high school. Takii had injured his shoulder in middle school. Roka calls him a cheerful idiot, who can’t throw a ball, and wonders why he returned to baseball.
Roka sees Kazuki carrying a bag of books and advises him that a college could still accept him, since he was a captain, even though Tosei lost in the first round. But Kazuki wants to keep his options open and may not apply with a baseball recommendation. He’s the smartest guy in the baseball club, but Roka notes the club is full of morons.
Roka was apparently injured at some point, but now says he’s sick of running and being a coach is easy so he likes it. The current third years also have people quitting after the summer tournament. He didn’t look at anything to do with HS baseball for years after
Roka’s team lost in the first round three years ago. (Kazuki was in middle school at the time?)
Everyone cried but Roka just stood there. Roka did not go back on the field for the ending ceremony.
Kazuki wonders if he’ll (himself) ever feel like playing baseballl again.
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Two of Chiyo’s friend greet her. Her team had just l lost a game. (School athletic competition?)
The two want to be cheerleaders. They belong to a jazz and hiphop dance club with a model as a member. Abe appears behind a low wall and asks Shinooka to make 3 onigiri for Mihashi. Chiyo denies having feelings for anyone on the team.
At the school athelic meets, Tajima tells Mihashi to run with him 3 meters from his side. Soccer first round: F league - Year 2 Class 1 vs. Year 1 class9.
Tajima uses Mihashi's face to score a goal! Meanhwile,
Izumi thinks "as someone with an older brother, I feel sorry for you." Later, Tajima, Hamada, Izumi, and Mihashi eat their lunch in their classroom.
Shinook comes by with her friends but they’re too shy to say hello. Hamada notes after two more wins, they’ll be in the best 16 and the newspapers will come around. Hamada ponders about Momoe, but no one else is interested. After eating, everyone but Hamda takes a nap.
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The team goes to see a game during the weekday as part of their practice duties. There're lots of people, so they have to sit by the thirdbase line. (Why are there so many here, but so few in the Nishiura vs Sakitama game?)
Tajima’s injury won’t heal for a week, but during the week they have to play the winner of this game. Momoe moves Tajima from thirdbase/cleanup to firstbase and leadoff. Tajima’s upset, but Momoe explains how lefthanded hitters hit towards first more so fast balls come that way and a pitcher like Mhashi needs those balls caught, and the lead-off hitter gets the most at bats and steals. It's more difficult but fun. Tajima completely buys into it.
Game: Iwatsuki-nishi High bats first. Prefectural school that has more than 60 members every year. In spring, they lost in the first round, last summer in the third. They've grown stronger over the last ten years.
Sakitama High School has only 11 members, and only one third year. They didn’t have enough members to play in the spring (less than nine) and last summer they lost in the first round.
Tajima recites the innings and scores for Sakitama’s first game against Wakou Minami. The team is amazed at Tajima’s memory. Abe doesn’t understand why he can’t remember other things, and Hanai wonders why he can’t do it as he watched the same news twice. Momoe comments Iwatsuki is in reality the better team, but Sakitama has the momentum from the last game. Hanai's and Abe's moms show up and meet with Momoe.
The team discuss how their parents went to all these stadiums to watch the games. Hanai angrily explains they went to take videos of the matches in their block. He doesn’t understand why they don’t know about the videos. Izumi asks it’s more like why he knows. Hanai‘s parents talk about it and Mizutani comments he sure gets along with his parents, which Hanai hotly denies.
Momoe gives the parents advice, but they’re old pros at watching games and came prepared with towels, fans, etc. Momoe talks about herself. She joined a regional club in grade school with both soccer and baseball and plenty of girls. In middle school she played softball and at Nishiura was the manager. The advising teacher (not Shiga) never played baseball and there weren’t many members in the club so she knocked, pitched and batted every day. They played with a soft ball. Hanai’s mom has more questions and thinks it's odd Momoe would want to be the manager in the first place. She wonders why none of her old teammates have come around to visit her.
The team watches the Sakitama pitcher's specialty screwball get 3 strikeouts in one inning. The guys check their directory for the Sakitama stats:
Pitcher 2nd year, shortstop 3rd year, catcher and thirdbase 1st year, everyone else is 2nd year.
Tajima announces the catcher batted 1.00 in the first round, going 6 for 6 and drove in the winning run.
Abe suddenly asks Mihashi how many kilos he now weighs. Mihashi has to think hard because it was in the morning before he was fully awake, about 50.3 or 50.8 kg. Abe tells Mihashi to gain his weight back, and continues to nag him not to drink too much water or he'll lose his appetite, and then he asks about Mihashi's dad’s height (around 175cm, average height) and thinks about having Mihashi do stretches to condition his muscles. Abe comments to Mihashi that he can throw like the Sakitama pitcher. Mihashi gets upset and tries to say something then runs to the bathroom. Abe realizes Mihashi remembers what he said about not needing speed.
Oki tells Abe he got startled from listening to him even though Abe didn’t shout. Abe’s voice and laugh is very loud and makes him frightened. Meanwhile, Mizutani teases Hanai about being the cleanup hitter and Mihashi studies the pitcher. Abe catches him - he’s supposed to watch the batters. Abe tries to keep his voice normal as he tries to get Mihashi to understand.
Sakura Daichi, the Sakitama catcher, hits the ball hard, but it's caught by the shortstop. Abe analyzes the catcher. Next up is centerfielder Kamimura. In the Sakitama dugout, Daichi apologizes, then apologizes profusely for sounding arrogant. The team thinks how he’s a good kid, got good looks, really good at baseball, but he’s really, really stupid. The team captain thinks to win just once in his last year is enough of a reward for continuing the club on his own. It’s thanks to Daichi.
The game gets intense and tied at bottom of the ninth. They go into extra innings tied 7-7. Momoe analyzes the Sakitama team and Daichi. Daichi is happy about extra innings so he can play longer, but the pitcher is tired. Daichi apologizes profusely for his selfishness. He hits a homer in bottom of the 10th to win the game.
Abe asks Mihashi if it’s ok to walk the catcher when they face him. Mihashi is fine with it as he hates getting hit the most.
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NOTES:
Tajima plays soccer in the winter.
Abe and Hanai started playing baseball in grade school.
This is the First game of the summer for Itwasuki-nishi but second for Sakitama.
Nishiura is on their third round right now (against Sakitama). Bijou won’t be playing them for another 3 rounds (fifth round?).
Abe points out there is now a week between games (between Tosei and Sakitama games), then 3 days, then one day. Nishiura actually has 10 days, more than a week, for practice before meeting Sakitama. After two more wins, they’ll be in the best 16 and possibly facing Bijou.
LineUp: Tajima, Sakeguchi, Izumi, Hanai, Suyama, Abe (thinks how Momoe ’s not worried about the lead, unlike for Tosei), Oki, Mizutani (thinks Abe pushed him back in the lineup) and Mihashi
Sakitama pitcher throws around 120KMP
Knock is a pop fly that’s hit as a warm up for the players to catch before games.