Chapter 366: Pinch (2)

WHOOOOSH

DOOONG

This time, Jorge held nothing back as he smacked the leather off the two-seam fastball which broke inside. The ball soared into the air, its destination already apparent.

In a flashy display, Jorge turned his gaze to Daichi and let out a wide grin before flipping his bat onto the ground.

"Too weak."

With that, he let out a laugh and jogged onwards to complete his victory lap. The Cuban bench roared out in cheers after seeing the display.

Coach Takashi frowned. He didn't appreciate the showboating, though he understood that they were currently in a pinch.

"What do you think Coach Takagi?" He asked, his arms crossed in front of him.

Chris was silent for a little while as he observed the field. He saw that Kei was watching as Jorge jogged around the bases, his expression fiery.

"I don't think we need to make any drastic moves yet." He said after a while.

"Mmm. What's your reasoning?"

"Well, if we replace Daichi, we're losing a big tool on offense." Chris said matter-of-factly.

Coach Takashi nodded, "I agree. I'll leave the conversation with Daichi to you." He said simply.

With the additional home run from Jorge, the game was now 2-0 in favor of Cuba. The next batter appeared but was quickly taken out in 3 strikes, putting an end to the inning.

"3 outs, changeover."

The Japan squad marched off the field, their expressions rather grim. Even though they had been aware of how good the Lopez twins were, getting smacked for two solo home runs in the first innings was not what they expected.

Ken was eyeing the mound even as they walked in, yet he had a feeling that it wasn't Kei's fault for the situation.

Daichi could be seen gritting his teeth in frustration as he returned to the dugout.

"Wait here." Chris said simply, tapping his son on the shoulder.

"Ah… Okay."

As Riku and Masayuki grabbed their helmet and bat, Chris pulled Daichi aside from the others. His expression was stern, yet he placed his arm around his son.

"We need you to pick up your game Daichi. If you keep playing like this then we'll be forced to substitute you out."

Daichi's expression flickered a little. He felt a little exasperated, particularly since he thought that it wasn't entirely his fault.

"I know what you're thinking, and you should certainly keep it to yourself, especially in front of the Head Coach. You seem to have forgotten that Coach Takashi was a catcher himself for many years." Chris added.

Yet this didn't do much other than sour Daichi's expression further.

"Why did you keep calling for inside pitches?"

"Eh?"

Daichi wasn't sure to begin with. He had only been thinking of sending difficult pitches in order to make it harder for the Lopez twins to hit the ball. He knew that as long as the bat made contact, it would go a long way.

"I'm trying to take advantage of the lefty match up." He said simply.

Chris let out a small sigh and shook his head.

"Do you think that the Lopez twins haven't faced a lefty pitcher before? They're part of the top 10 High School prospects in the Nation. You can't tell me you thought such and advantage would be enough?"

"I… I don't know." He admitted frankly.

If anything, he felt rather attacked in this moment. If it weren't for the fact that he knew his father well, he might have lashed out in frustration.

Chris patted him on the shoulder, trying to cheer him up.

"Use the strike zone and don't rely on such petty things like a left arm advantage, these guys are too good for that. Trust your skills and take charge." He said, a smile forming on his face.

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Daichi's eyes widened, as if he finally got the message. He had been so caught up in trying to make the most of the left handed pitcher that he had forgone most of what he'd learned this past year as a catcher.

It wasn't Kei's fault that they were behind in the first inning, it was due to him being easy to read. If the batter knew what kind of pitches were coming, then it was no surprise if they could hit them easily.

'Use the strike zone…' He said inwardly.

"Thanks Dad." Daichi said, his expression turning softer. He could feel the trust that his father had in him to perform, giving him the will to not let him down.

"Alright good. Don't worry, your team has your back." Chris said, sending him a wink.

DONG!

A moment later, the two swiveled their heads as Riku sent a ball into the outfield between the two players. He sped along the lane and rounded first before sliding onto 2nd base gracefully.

'That's right… The game has only just begun. We've still got plenty of time to come back.' Daichi said inwardly, gripping his fist tightly.

Ken saw Daichi's expression as he walked over and let out a sigh of relief. From his viewpoint in the outfield he wasn't particularly sure what was going on, but he could tell that something was off.

Thankfully, his father seemed to set things right with his brother.

"Batting 2nd, Center outfield, Masayuki."

Masayuki set his feet and lifted his bat, moving his gaze towards the large pitcher on the mound. The guy was one of those top-heavy pitchers who held a lot of power in their arm, yet lacked athleticism.

As he set his eyes on the pitcher, he could see Riku to the left who had taken a lead towards 3rd base. The guy had his usual wide grin on his face, making Masayuki let out a grunt of annoyance.

The pitcher entered his wind up and sent the ball flying towards the open glove of the catcher.

Masayuki held out his bat, intending to bunt the ball.

"Ah bunt!"

He forced both the pitcher and the guy on first base to run forward before he pulled the bat back and stood up straight before the ball sailed into the glove of the catcher.

"Strike."

"T-Third!"

Sergio at short stop yelled out, pointing towards third base and trying to alert the catcher.

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By the time the catcher got into position to throw the ball, Riku was already in the midst of his slide onto 3rd base.

"Whoa! Nice steal Riku!"