One Outs 21

One Outs, Volume 3, Chapter 21 (pp. 93~113)


<93>
=Another 1-2-3 innings for the Lycaons in the bottom of the 2nd.
=It's now the 3rd inning,
=The Mariners are up to bat.

=Tokuchi,

=That last inning,
=I think they might've caught on to how you change the spin on your fastball.

=Well,

=I guess they won't get easy hits just from noticing that...
Chapter 21: Strategy


<94>
Chapter 21: Strategy


<95>
=Steeerike!!

=Tokuchi's got Yamakawa down 0-2!

Wow—Great location.
He's really got amazing control.

But like Takami and the others said,
It's just a mediocre fastball.

=Tokuchi, slated to start all 3 games in this series,
=Is placing his pitches very confidently and sparingly. He isn't fooling around at all.

=It's not that he won't fool around, he just can't afford to.
=After all, he's gotta pitch tomorrow and the day after that.

He's definitely gonna try and end it with the next pitch.
He'll place a low rotation fastball inside the strikezone!

=3rd pitch to Yamakawa—


<96>
BWHIP
=He throws!

You'll regret trying to conserve your energy—

BWHAP


<97>
=Steerike yer out—!
=A three-pitch strikeout!! What's going on with Yamakawa—!?

=He took a huge cut on a pitch
=That should've been ball one!

Now he throws me a pitch outside...

It's almost like he read my mind...!

=Next up—
=Nozoe, batting 2nd.

According to Takami and Tomas, Tokuchi starts by offering up his lazy fastball, then throws the low rotation pitch to fool the batter into taking a swing.

...So that must mean—

=He's never gonna start off with the low rotation fastball!


<98>
=And now,
=The first pitch to Nozoe—

Beating Tokuchi—?
Piece of cake!

=He throws!!

It's all mine—!!


<99>
GONK

=A low rotation fastball
=On the first pitch!?

=Oh no—! Nozoe swings on the first pitch and hits a routine grounder to second—!

=That's yet another 1-2-3 inning—!

=He read me like a book...!


<100>
=Tokuchi seems to be handling the defending champions with ease—!

OHHHHHHHH

=The Mariners lineup

=Simply had no answer for Tokuchi's wily pitching.

=One after another.

=They continued to pile up the outs.


<101>
=The prized cleanup trio remained hitless,

And incredibly enough,
Tokuchi had pitched a no-hitter through the 7th inning. The only baserunners being the pair of intentional walks in the 1st inning!!

=DAMN IT!
CRACK

=Why can't I hit those crappy pitches—!?
=How many bats is he planning on wasting today?


<102>
=Don't worry,
=Brooklyn brings 30 bats to every game so he doesn't have to worry about running out.

=Whoa, it's heavy!
=I heard it weighs 2.5* pounds.
=2.5 pounds!?
[margin note]*Bats used in the professional leagues usually weigh around 2 pounds.

=What a monster, swinging around a bat like this...
=Yes, but it's even more amazing how he keeps breaking those bats like they're chopsticks.

...A heavy bat...
That's it!

OHHHHHHHHH

=I was worried about Takami, but...
=Looks like you've got it all under control.

=It's not over yet.


<103>
Toua continued his excellent pitching, allowing zero runners despite pitching on only 1-days rest,

Making it a no-hitter going into the top of the 9th inning.

=The Lycaons dugout is feeling ecstatic, completely oblivious of the fact that they haven't scored any runs either...

=You were right, Itsuki.
=What's really amazing about that guy is his ability to cater to the hitter's mindset.

=It took me 3 at-bats but I've realized,
=That guy...//Can tell exactly what we're thinking.


<104>
=Then all we've got to do
=Is not think about anything when we step into the batter's box!

=It's called "Mu no Kyouchi" in Japan, isn't it?
=That would be the best plan,//But there's no easy way to achieve that kind of mental stability.

=Quite honestly,
=I don't think we have a chance trying to outsmart him.

=And it's not just about Tokuchi being the better gambler...//These past few years, we've been the champions, for better or for worse, and it's made us completely reliant on our strength as a team. We haven't had to outsmart our opponents in a while, and it's starting to show.

=Then Tokuchi's just going to keep destroying us like this...?

=No, I've got a plan.


<105>
=First,
=Forget about trying to hit Tokuchi's low rotation fastballs.

=Only go for the normal fastballs he sets up with.

=Second,//Only swing the bat once. Never take any additional swings.

=That means no practice swings in the batter's box. Not even when you're waiting on deck.

=Itsuki... What are you...?


<106>
=Tokuchi watches his opponents very very closely.
=That's where he starts analyzing his opponents' mindsets.

=For example,

=Just now, Tomas stepped out of the batter's box after missing the first pitch, adjusted his grip downwards by an inch, and took a practice swing.

=It was pretty obvious you were going, "My timing is a little bit off," in the back of your head.

=Our subconscious thoughts always show up in our actions.
=We can't reduce our minds to nothingness, so we only have one choice.

=Suppress your actions as much as possible.

=Just one swing—//The moment you hit the ball.
=Whoa, hold up...


<107>
=You said just one swing to hit it, but...//What happens if you foul or whiff on that one shot?

=Don't worry.
=You won't miss!!

=And here's the most important part,

=The strategy for defeating Tokuchi, part 3...

=Huh—!?

=Seriously...!?
=Tokuchi's pitches... With that...!?
=No...


<108>
=...It'll work.
=This is exactly what we need.

=One out, nobody on base in the top of the 9th inning.//The lead-off hitter, Yamakawa, is up to bat.

=Takami seemed pretty confident, but I wonder if this is really gonna work...
Don't go for the low rotation pitches. Only swing the bat once.

=I guess,
=I'll just have to go after the first pitch!


<109>
=Tokuchi's first pitch,
=He throws!!
BWHUP

=Please don't be a low rotation pitch...

GWUSH..

=UCK!!

A low rotation
Fastball—!?

He got me again!!


<110>
CRACK

=WHOAA!!


<111>
=He hits it—!
=A clean hit to center field—!!

=He hit Tokuchi's hanging fastball right on the button—!

=Alright—! We can do this—!
=Get him outta there—!!


<112>
Takami's plan
Worked like a charm.

=Nozoe hits it—!!
CRACK

CRA—CK
=Tomas drops it to left field—!!


<113>
=Bases loaded!!
=Whatever happened to that great pitching he displayed through the past eight innings!? 3 consecutive hits has made it a one-out bases-loaded situation in the top of the 9th—!!

=And now the two monsters are stepping to the plate!!
=How is Tokuchi going to get out of this one—!!?


Proofread by quantula