Shinooka:
Mihashi went to junior high at the Mihoshi Academy where most of his former teammates' still playing ball.
But Mihashi is pitching for a new team now, Nishiura High.
It's the first practice game at the season.
And Mihoshi Academy and Nishiura are squaring off.
It's the bottom of the 2nd inning, and so far neither team has be able to score a run.
But this game is just getting started.


:
Hi, man, here we go, here we go! /Come on, guy! You got do (xxx) /(xxx)! Batter, batter, batter, batter! /Nice and easy, Kanou! Smoke this guy! /(xxx), man! You can do it!

Umpire:
Strike!

:
That's all right! That's all right! (xxx) Here we go! You got this!/ Try, try! You get next them. Come on!

Kanou:
Please, Oda! This is the only chance I get to pitch against Mihashi all year!
I'm begging you! Please, just help me win this game!

Oda:
I don't know why, but Kanou show what he get worked up at this game all of the sudden.

Umpire:
Strike!

Oda:
Hey boys, that's one!

:
That's one! /One out! /One out!

Shinooka:
Batting ninth, the pitcher, Mihashi.

Mihashi:
How's going...

Oda:
Hold on a sec.
I heard Kanou humming in the bath last night. He's acting a bit odd.
Huh.

Umpire:
Steerike!

Oda:
And before the game, he's shown off his forkball right in front of the other team.
He knows better than to reveal a pitch like that.
This isn't a new thing.
He's been worrying about this game for a while.

Umpire:
Steeriiike!

:
You strike him out, man! /Here we go, dude! /One more like that! /Nice!

Oda:
For one reason or another, Kanou's totally hung up on this pitching and winning a game against Mihashi.
I've never seen him like this.
They probably won't face each other again, so this is the only chance.

Umpire:
Strike three!

Oda:
Kanou has to get to win today.

Hatake:
Two down!

:
Two outs! /Two down!


Momoe:
Hmm...

Umpire:
Strike!

Momoe:
Hatake isn't very creative with the way causes pitches.
But since he [fires] up his signs so quickly, [there's/they've] got a good rhythm going.
And whenever they get behind in the count, they got Kanou's fork what would bail 'em out.
No wonder my guys [xxx are/look so] nervous up there.

Umpire:
Strike!

Momoe:
This rapid-fire pitching is (the) killing us.
Our guys don't even have time to [set a xxx/settle in], [when/well, as] long as they don't get pull by his forkball.

:
(xxx) these guys not there! /Don't wanna (xxx)! /You got this, dude!


Abe:
You're just struck out. Don't look so happy.
On the mound, you just have to be a pitcher, but in the batter's box, you're a hitter, got it?

Umpire:
Steerike!

:
Nice throw! /Nice strike, Kanou!

Kanou:
Nice...

Mihashi:
Oh, wow...

Abe:
"No one can get to bat on one of Kanou's pitches."
That better not be what you're thinking.

Mihashi:
Uh... of course not.

Abe:
Oh, geez!

Mihashi:
I forgot my glove!


Shinooka:
Hey, Ai! Look at this.
Mihashi's already got four strikeouts, in fact, right now he's working out in the no-hitter.
Ain't that great?

Umpire:
Strike three!

Shinooka:
Wow, that's five!


:
Break out losers straight! Don't be intimidated by grandpa's boy!
He's just so lucky so far, you got this crush, man!

Abe:
Kanou's on deck.
And it's weighing on Mihashi's mind, as about a face of pitcher, he truly admires.
I get why he's happy to see Kanou's at top of his game.
But still...

:
Ready!

Oki:
I got it! I got it!

Umpire:
Out!

Mihashi:
O-Oki, good first out!

:
Nice out! /Great job! Great job! /Let's go! Runner (xxx)!

Abe:
I wonder... is that all there is to it?

Kanou:
All right.

Shinooka:
Batting 9th, the pitcher, Kanou.

Mihashi:
Oh, great. Kanou's up.

Abe:
Kanou's a sort of like the field-hitter, so he's probably at the end of the order only 'cause he's just a pitcher.
But I play at a safe, start him off to the ball.

Mihashi:
Fastball, outside, for a ball!

Umpire:
Foul ball!

:
It's all right, man! /It's all right, dude! /You gotta be (xxx)
Stay focus, dude! You got this! You got this!

Abe:
He's reaching for those pitches like he doesn't even care.
Guess he's more careless at the plate than on the mound. Hm?
Knocks the dirt off his spikes, swings once, twice... A stretch, then settles in to his stance.
That's the same [he's acted xxx when/exact routine he xxx] doing any first step in the batter's box.
That's not just a habit, he's doing for luck.
Doing all of that once should've been enough, but he so superstitiously steps out of the box, he's gotta go through the whole thing all over again.
This guy is anything but careless.
He's not taking his eyes off Mihashi.
Must be more serious about the thoroughly match than the rest of his team.
[He's/Is] that why he waited off to the first ball? Because he's nervous?
He's not underestimating Mihashi, so we have to be careful.
But there's tense * he is, it ought to be easy for us.

Mihashi:
Screwball, ...to the same spot?
A screwball to the outside, it'll pull back dead center.
All right. Guess Abe's got a plan. I just gotta trust him.
Screwball, outside!

Kanou:
Same spot again.
That's Mihashi. But this time...

Abe:
He fell for it!

Kanou:
It curved! Crap!

Umpire:
Uh... you're out!

:
All right!

:
Great toss, Taji!

Mihashi:
Ka... Kanou...

Hatake:
Kanou! What the heck do you think you're doing, sliding head-first in a practice game?!
You're stupid if you get hurt now!

Kanou:
No, you're stupid.

Hatake:
Uh, what...?

Kanou:
[We've bat/We're about] to start us 3rd inning, we haven't scored us single run.
Why did you play like you give a crap?!

Hatake:
What?!

Oda:
[Man/Come on], xxx.
We don't need three first basemen, all right?
Let's take our positions that get to play 'em.

Mihashi:
[They/That]... looked like an argument.


Umpire:
Play ball!
Ball!

Momoe:
He's never missed on the first pitch before.
Maybe that slide choke him up a little.
Here we go!

:
Go on, Kanou! /You can do it! /Well make 'em throw your strikes! /Knock it out of the park!

Oki:
Wait for, huh?

Umpire:
Ball!

Suyama:
Hm?

Umpire:
Ball!

Sakaeguchi:
3 and O! Once for a strike!

Oda:
Oh, man. Kanou's lost his concentration.
He normally would just shrugged off for [what] Hatake said just nobody needs to tense.
[We know/If we don't] calm him down soon, [he's xxx the/his labor's] self-destruct.

Umpire:
Ball four!
Take your base.

:
Nice walk! /Take your base!

Momoe:
Now we go.
Abe is up next, he's been playing with hardballs since a junior high.
He's not gonna be afraid [of] the bunt.
So get out there and lay one down.

Shinooka:
Now batting, the catcher, Abe.

Hatake:
First base!

Umpire:
Out!

:
Nice bunt! Great sacrifice!

Momoe:
One out, runner on second.

Shinooka:
Batting cleanup, third base, Tajima.

Tajima:
Let's go!

Hatake:
Left fielder! Center! Close the gap!

He gotta hold of Kanou's forkball last time.
And first base is open, so we can walk him if need be.
Let's see how he does with the outside corner.

Tajima:
I've hit his forkball once, so you won't try that again.
But [I xxx to/only] make contact 'cause I stepped into it.
Huh? There's a hole on right-center.

Hatake:
How the hell?!
Where's the runner? Crap!

Home! Throw in home!

Umpire:
Safe!

Mizutani:
Whoa!
(xxx) the board!

Nishihiro, Mizutani, Suyama:
One, two, Tajima!

:
All right! Great hit! /(xxx), Tajima! /Alright, Hanai! Bring him home! /You can do this! Let's go! /(xxx), Hanai!

Abe:
Hey! You start to feel sorry for him, I can tell.

Mihashi:
No! I'm not, I swear!
Well, maybe a little...

Abe:
A little?

Can't believe this guy!


Shinooka:
We scored first run! Did you see that, Ai?
Of course, you didn't. You're all the way down there. Sorry, puppy.
There's only one out, and we've got Tajima on second.
Great chance to take it two run lead! Oh...
Batting for Nishiura, center fielder, Hanai.

Hanai:
All right!

Hatake:
Now they've bat it through the [xxx swinging/order to swing] early on their count.
So let's start mixing in a few more forkers.

Hanai:
Forkball!

Hatake:
Ah! Couldn't catch up!

Izumi:
He dropped it! Go, Tajima, go!

Hatake:
Oh, hell. My bad!

Hanai:
Good job, Tajima.
With him on third, I guess I won't see anymore forkballs this at bat.

Momoe:
Go for it.

Hanai:
You got it.
Now gimme a fastball, straight down the middle.
Show me what you got.
Come on, fastball.
Yes! Down the middle!

Nishihiro:
Okay!

Hanai:
Popped it. Come on, go, go, go!

Tajima:
Works for me!

Izumi:
Go!

Hatake:
He's fast!

Suyama:
Tajima, stay [out/up]!

Tajima:
That's two!

Oki:
Way to go!

Mizutani:
Awesome hit, Hanai!

Oda:
That's two! Look it out!

:
That's all right! Still two out! Still two out! /That's two!

Momoe:
Kanou just put his serious face on.
Easy guys, he doesn't need any help from us.

Umpire:
Ball! Ball! Ball!
Ball four! Take you base.

Mihashi:
He threw... four consecutive balls again?

Umpire:
Time out!

Oda:
Infielders!

Hatake:
Kanou, you gotta chill.

Miyakawa:
Yeah, we can get two runs back in no time.

Yoshi:
Yeah, right. It's only Mihashi. How hard could it be?

Kanou:
You don't know what you're talking about.

All:
Uh?

Kanou:
How many times do I have to say it?
Mihashi's better than you've given credit for.
Do any of you even realize that right now he's pitching a perfect game against us?

Miyakawa:
Yeah, but...

Kanou:
What's going to take to make you understand?
Even Mihashi thought I was defending him because I'm a nice guy or something, but that wasn't the reason.
It was the truth, but you guys wouldn't listen.

Miyakawa:
But when Mihashi pitched in junior high, we lost every game because his...

Kanou:
We lost every game because of you guys!
No matter how many times I tried to tell you, you all kept saying Mihashi was a starter because of nepotism.
Once you accept that, you stop playing to win.
The way you guys were playing, (and) [it] would've been a miracle if we'd won.

Hatake:
We didn't stop playing hard 'til he started losing games!

Kanou:
The reason Mihashi's pitching so well against us today, is because his catcher is actually working with him, Hatake.

Hatake:
Uh...

Kanou:
If you['d] given Mihashi the credit he deserved and used him properly, he could've pitched for us to way he is pitching for them.
But instead you gave up on him and we lost!
What kind of a catcher does that make you?!
You sabotaged the best pitcher we had!
So don't try to blame Mihashi.
We lost the whole season because of you.

Yoshi:
What are you saying!
Hatake want to the same thing we all did, you're on a mound.

Miyakawa:
Couldn't you see? Mihashi got special treatment!
I mean, he was the only one coach ever called by a nickname, and there was other stuff.
But that's why he got to be the ace!

Kanou:
Shut up! He deserved to be the ace!

Yoshi:
Then how come you're the only one who thinks so?

Oda:
'Kay, all! Chill!
That's better.
Listen, now I know I wasn't around last year, but I reckon favoritism had at least some do with Mihashi's position.
Hold on. Now you gotta admit the boy's pitching ahead of the game.
So I can help to [say/think] maybe he did deserve to be the ace.
But you crossed the line bud.

Kanou:
Huh?

Oda:
Apologize.

Kanou:
Sorry.

Hatake:
It's cool.

Kanou:
I know you were doing what you thought it was the best for the team.

Hatake:
Forget about it.

Kanou:
Listen up!
I'm sick and tired of us living in the past.
'Cause if we keep on underestimating Mihashi, there's no way we're gonna win today.
You say I'm better than Mihashi, fine, then help me win this one.
Accept that he's a good pitcher, and get your heads in the game!

Hatake:
Whatever, you are better than him.
When we win, will you finally admit it?

Kanou:
Yeah.

Hatake:
Miyagawa, Yoshi, I don't care how, just get on base.
Yes you, Oda and I will bring you both home.

Oda:
Wow, why me?

Hatake:
We'll put the runs upon the board, you're just going pitch your best.

Kanou:
Okay...

Hatake:
Good.
So, we're gonna do this thing, then let's kick some ass!

All:
Ha!


Abe:
You wanna be in that huddle, don't you?
Hey! Mihashi!

Oh, that was obvious.
Nice. He wants to go back to his old team.
He actually misses them.

What are you doing down there?
Come on, get up.

Mihashi:
Yeah, there was a bump or something I tripped...

Abe:
Even after all they put him through, he still wants to be their friend.
He still wants to play ball with them.

:
Nice pitch!

:
Come on, baby, one more!

Abe:
Guess I can appreciate that.
Even I'm inclined [the thing/to think] that'd be the best thing for him. To an extent.
But still, this team needs a great pitcher, too.
I ran a big risk by [committing/coming to] this no-name public school, and I found someone [new xxx/who throws] like Mihashi.
I'm not gonna let him go that easy.
Besides, if he wants to win, he's better off sticking with me anyway.

Umpire:
Strike!


Shinooka:
Middle of the 4th, score's two-nothing.
The guys are playing awesome, aren't they?
Who knows? If they can keep up this moment, and we might even [put up/pull off] a shut out!

First practice game, first mark in the win column.
Hang in there, guys! You can do it!


Momoe:
You're doing great on offense, but if we wanna win this thing, we gotta defend well, too.
Think you can do it?

All:
Yeah!

Momoe:
Show me.
Hold up, Abe.

Abe:
Yeah, coach?

Momoe:
Your shin guard is a little loose.

Abe:
Uh, thanks a lot.

Momoe:
This inning, I want you [to] really focus on the first three batters in their lineup.

Abe:
Yeah, sure.

Good call.
If there's nobody on when their cleanup hitter comes up, we can even afford to give up a triple without losing our lead.

Momoe:
I want Abe, take care of Mihashi, okay?

Abe:
Uh, of course.

Momoe:
Now, get out there!

Abe:
Thanks again, coach!

She's right. Mihashi[, he] is the valuable part of this team.
And by the time this game is over, I'll make him realize it.
This is the team he belongs on, and I'm the catcher who make him great.

Mihashi!

Mihashi:
Uh!

Abe...

Abe:
For better or worse, I'm your catcher.

Mihashi:
I'll pitch good for you, Abe, with all my strength, with everything I've got.


[trailer]

Shinooka:
We're leading by two runs going into the 5th inning.
And what looked like a surefire win for Nishiura High isn't so sure now that Kanou's got his confidence back.
The runs aren't coming as easy for the guys as they were earlier in the game.
But Mihashi's pitching is staying strong, he even strikes out Oda, Mihoshi's cleanup hitter continuing his perfect game.
Mihashi's concentration is dead-on.
Next episode, "Requirements for Pitchers."
Hey, Mizutani. Don't let the error get you down!