Koshien First Round (1)
"It's incredible, isn't it?"
"It really is."
At the home stadium of the Osaka Tigers—the team with the undisputed second-largest fanbase in Japanese professional baseball—and at the same time the sacred ground of high school baseball, Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, two men were already watching the packed stands.
Even though it was only a high school baseball game, Koshien Stadium, which could hold more than forty-seven thousand spectators, looked set to fill to capacity from the very first round.
"The teams that have to play in the first round are unlucky. Every single day of rest matters at Koshien, yet they have to play one more game than everyone else."
"Still, they have to push through it. The world is full of unfair things. In the long run, sometimes luck is with you and sometimes it isn't."
"Hahaha, that's true enough."
"More importantly…"
Sports Kagawa reporter Sekiya Kenji wore a careful expression.
The first-round matchup now being prepared was between West Tokyo representative Seisho High School and Kanagawa Prefecture representative Shohoku High School.
"I wonder if Seisho will start Hongo from the first round today."
"They probably will, don't you think? Even in the preliminaries he only started from the second round."
"Hmm. Maybe so."
Sekiya nodded at his junior's words.
"Looking at Hongo, Seisho has to be considered a contender for the Koshien title, right?"
"On paper, yes. But that doesn't mean there aren't any worries."
"Worries?"
"Coach Maeda Katsuyori has at least led a team to Koshien before, but none of the players have any experience in the main tournament."
"Ah… Still, how many schools make it to Koshien every year, anyway?"
"True. But they're all still high school kids. Once you add the pressure of Koshien, it can make an already unpredictable game even harder."
Sekiya spoke with firm conviction.
This was the same man who, before Seisho had even reached Koshien, had insisted they were a team to watch. Now that they were actually here, he was pointing out the potential cracks.
"Just look at today's opponent, Shohoku. No one expected them to beat Keiho and take Kanagawa."
"Yeah, everyone was stunned."
The final of the Kanagawa Prefecture summer Koshien preliminaries.
The traditional powerhouse Keiho High School, affiliated with Keiho University, had fallen to Shohoku High School and been denied a Koshien berth—an upset that had shocked high school baseball fans everywhere.
"But…"
"Yes?"
"No. Never mind."
"Come on, senpai."
Sekiya started to say something, then held it back.
He had a fairly clear idea in his head, but putting it into words still felt a little too far-fetched.
Hongo Yukihisa.
The vanished first-year phenom who had suddenly reappeared and kicked up a storm.
At the practice game Sekiya had covered, the kid had shown overwhelming stuff, and then in the West Tokyo preliminaries he had only driven his stock higher.
Victory over Naruse Tomoyuki in the quarterfinals, followed by a complete-game shutout in the final, had kept Sports Kagawa scrambling for more photos of Yukihisa.
If he can break through the pressure of Koshien itself and, as a second-year ace, lead his school to the top…
Then Hongo Yukihisa would become a pitcher who represented not just high school baseball, but all of Japan.
Thirty-seven-year-old reporter Sekiya Kenji was already certain of it.
Pop!
"Thirtieth pitch."
"Yes."
I answered senior Matsuda Masahiro.
Right before the first round of the Koshien main tournament.
In the practice area where pitchers could warm up at Koshien Stadium, I was throwing bullpen pitches.
Something about the feel…
Maybe because it wasn't the actual mound, just a practice area. Even though I was standing inside the dream stage that was Koshien Stadium, I didn't feel particularly nervous or overwhelmed.
Pop!
I simply ran through my usual pre-game bullpen routine. Nothing had changed from before.
The evening before a game we analyzed the opposing hitters, then held a meeting with the coach, the pitching coaches, the pitchers, and the catchers to decide how we would attack them.
Not only senior Matsuda among the catchers, but also senior Date Yoshinori—who had only played a few innings of defense in the preliminaries—and first-year Yamada Tetsuya, who had not taken a single at-bat or pitched a single inning, had all given their opinions with everything they had.
Pop!
"Sorry."
The curveball had slipped out of my hand, so I apologized to senior Matsuda.
A little more.
That was exactly why we threw bullpen sessions before games, but I still had to chase perfection right up until the first pitch.
Even back when I couldn't produce results, I had never once stepped onto the field thinking, I should have prepared more thoroughly.
Someone once said that to get results you need both human effort and heaven's will. Some people might call me arrogant, but I can say with confidence that my effort has never been lacking.
Pop!
"Good! A little more!"
"Yes!"
Senior Matsuda shouted louder than usual. I answered him just as loudly.
Today's first-round game. We had to win it.
"Waaaaaah!"
"Whoa."
"Amazing."
I finished my final preparations and sat down on the bench.
By now the lineup would have been announced, and people would know I was today's starting pitcher.
I had thought Meiji Jingu Stadium was enormous, but Koshien Stadium could hold even more spectators and felt more majestic for it.
At the same time it carried an atmosphere of tradition.
"Shirakawa."
"Yes."
Every player stood as the captain approached.
"Honestly, when we were preparing for the preliminaries I just wanted to make it here, even if we got eliminated in the first round…"
Captain Shirakawa Satoru looked around at us.
"But now that we're actually here, I think we have to win the whole thing. Let's go out there with confidence."
"Yes!"
No special speech was needed.
Even I, who didn't have particularly close friends on the team, knew how hard everyone had worked. The sense of shared purpose that came from that was unmistakable.
"Waaaaaah!"
"Seisho and Shohoku! The players are racing across the field!"
Just before the game, both teams sprinted across the diamond.
The entire crowd rose as one and applauded.
"Give it everything you've got!"
"You worked hard just to get to Koshien!"
"Play without any regrets!"
According to Nagasawa, this was the one moment when every spectator cheered and encouraged both high school teams that had made it to Koshien, not just the side they supported.
"And now the players line up before the game!"
"We look forward to a good game!"
I stood and bowed to the opposing players. They did the same.
"The game is about to begin!"
"Two tough schools facing each other right from the first round. This should be exciting."
"The Cinderella team, Shohoku High School! Taking the mound for his school in the first round is third-year ace Rukawa Hanamichi, wearing number one!"
The opposing pitcher was loosening up on the mound.
His frame was only in the upper 170s, not particularly large, yet he could run his fastball into the upper 140s.
On top of that, for a high school pitcher he was said to have a rare strength in moving fastballs.
His weapons were the four-seam, cutter, and two-seam—the entire fastball family—plus a curve and a splitter.
Of course.
Any pitcher who had carried his team to Koshien as the ace would have clear strengths.
"Leading off, shortstop, Shirakawa."
"Seisho's lineup steps in against Shohoku ace Rukawa! First up is the third-year captain, Shirakawa!"
"Excellent contact skills and speed. Once he reaches base he's a real problem."
(The pitcher we expect them to start loses the life on his moving fastballs once his pitch count climbs. There's no need to get impatient and force early runs.)
That was what the coach had told us the night before.
And beyond their ace, the rest of the opposing staff wasn't particularly special.
In that case…
The real battle would probably be decided late.
Of course, if we could put up a big inning early, so much the better.
Crack!
"Foul!"
"He swung at the first pitch but fouled it off!"
"A cutter inside? Rukawa's command is sharp as ever!"
The first swing.
I could see senior Shirakawa looking slightly uncomfortable.
There had been enough rest after the Koshien preliminary final, so the pitcher's arm would be fresh. A little luck would help.
Pop!
"Ball!"
"Full count! Still no decision on the eighth pitch!"
"His contact ability really is outstanding, isn't it?"
"That's it, that's it!"
"Shirakawa! Keep watching the ball!"
Pop!
"Strike three!"
Huh?
A curve right in the zone here?
"He freezes on the breaking ball! Strikeout looking!"
"No!"
"Shirakawa went down looking?"
"…"
The break on the curve had been pretty sharp. We had heard it was a strength, but still.
"Ah, that was embarrassing."
"At least you ran up his pitch count."
"Let's take it slow."
"Second batter, second baseman, Minamino."
Crack!
"Out!"
"Out at first!"
"Strikeout against leadoff hitter Shirakawa, ground ball against number two Minamino. From the first inning, Rukawa is already showing his trademark pitching."
"Third batter, third baseman, Kazuma."
Crack!
"Full-count swing—well struck!"
Senior Kazuma Junpei had pushed a pitch on the outer half cleanly the other way.
We all watched the right fielder's position.
Damn.
"Diving catch! He snags it!"
"Hahaha!"
"He holds the ball high! Baseball with everything on the line from the first inning! Welcome to the sweltering summer of Koshien!"
"…"
A diving catch with no regard for his body.
I could feel the opponent's will—they had no intention of backing down.
In that case…
I would just have to answer from the mound.
The opposing pitcher had thrown nineteen pitches in the first inning, if I remembered right.
"High fastball above the zone, and a splitter that drops below it. Keep the zone as tight as you can. He's an aggressive pitcher, so only swing at pitches that are clearly coming in."
"Yes, sir!"
Kanagawa representative Shohoku High School.
The players answered their coach's instructions in loud voices, trying to push past the fear of their opponent and the pressure of the big stage.
"Leading off, right fielder, Miyagi."
"After a clean first inning, Shohoku comes to bat in the bottom of the first! It starts with leadoff hitter Miyagi!"
"And Seisho's second-year Hongo Yukihisa, who raised expectations with his performance in the West Tokyo preliminaries! What kind of pitching will he show us at Koshien?"
"…"
Shohoku's third-year Miyagi Sojiro stepped into the box and stared at Yukihisa on the mound.
Is this kid really a second-year? Is he even a high schooler?
The height and the clearly trained body were one thing, but the aura he gave off was nothing like a high school student's.
"Here comes Hongo's first pitch at Koshien!"
Miyagi set himself to hit.
Pop!
"Strike!"
"…"
"Waaaaaah!"
"One hundred fifty-five kilometers right out of the gate!"
"Incredible."
No way.
Miyagi was rattled.
The pitch had clearly finished above the strike zone. He had prepared and prepared for the high fastball.
But the rising sensation of that powerful fastball had forced his bat to move anyway.
Pop!
"One hundred fifty-five again!"
"Is he trying to seize the initiative against their lineup right away?"
"He goes right back to work!"
Pop!
"Strike three!"
"Splitter! Swinging strikeout!"
"The drop on that pitch is a work of art."
Splitter…
Miyagi had prepared and prepared. The result was still a three-pitch strikeout.
He hadn't even touched the second fastball that had come into the zone…
So that's how it is.
Preparation alone wasn't enough. It was simply a difference in talent.
"His stuff is better than I thought. Even the balls are hard to tell from the strikes."
"That bad?"
Still, he swallowed his frustration and told his teammate.
"Second batter, left fielder, Kuroda."
"Hongo sets the first batter down on three pitches. How will Shohoku's hitters try to handle him?"
"It certainly won't be easy."
Pop!
"Strike three!"
"Splitter again! Back-to-back strikeouts!"
"The distance between the ball and the bat is enormous."
"Third batter, pitcher, Rukawa."
"Shohoku ace Rukawa Hanamichi steps in. Bottom of the first—ace versus ace!"
"From the pitcher's perspective on the mound, you have to want to put the other guy in his place."
"Hongo!"
"Show him you're the better pitcher!"
"Shut him down!"
In the Seisho cheering section, the crowd was roaring even in the sweltering summer heat.
"If we can get through this and score quickly…"
Seisho's second-year manager Nagasawa Haruka muttered from the stands.
"It's fine."
"Huh?"
"They're the ones who should be feeling the pressure."
Third-year lead manager Fukada Riko said from beside her.
Pop!
"Strike three!"
"Breaking ball! Swinging strikeout! K! K! K!"
"What a terrifying pitcher. That last one looked like a curve."
"Haa… thank goodness."
"That's our Hongo!"
Riko grinned.
Pop!
"Strike three!"
"The batter freezes for the strikeout!"
"A cutter painted perfectly on the outer edge."
"Runners left on first and second! Seisho fails to convert the chance for the first run."
Seisho's eighth batter, Okada Shugo, had gone down swinging on a full count.
"But the top of the second took a while on defense. The pitch count is climbing."
"Bottom of the second—scoring is one thing, but the pitcher and fielders need rest too."
"Cleanup, first baseman, Sakuragi."
Pop!
"Strike three!"
"One hundred fifty-four on the outer half! Strikeout!"
"When he works that fast, the hitters can't adjust, can they?"
Pop!
"Strike three!"
Pop!
"Strike three!"
"Splitter! Six straight strikeouts for Hongo Yukihisa!"
"His stuff is still overpowering."
"Haa… haa…"
Shohoku ace Rukawa Hanamichi, who had just faced the monster on the mound.
He had thrown twenty-five pitches in a grueling top of the second, only to have to climb the mound again far too soon for the top of the third.
The murderous heat of Koshien. He was already pouring sweat.