Oki:
Third base!

Tajima:
Got it!

Oki:
Shortstop!

Suyama:
Yeah!

Abe:
There's nowhere to hide once you're upon the mound.

Mihashi:
Yeah.

Abe:
Okay, I'll be taking care of all the signs.
The only thing you have to do is put the ball in the mitt.


Kanou:
Mihashi.

:
Oh, look who it is.

Hatake:
He's actually showing his face.


Mihashi:
I'm sure everyone in Mihoshi dugouts give me dirty looks right now.
Like Abe said, there's nowhere to hide on the mound.
Don't worry, man. I'm gonna throw the best I can.


:
Excuse me.

Shinooka:
Uh, hey.

:
We wanna thank you for announcing the game.

:
Rest of (xxx) what we can do!


Umpire:
Batter up!

Miyakawa:
Oh! Yeah!

:
Crash it! Pitcher's [the/a] hack!

Hiiragi:
Come on, knock it out of the park!

Miyakawa:
Right!

Abe:
Mihashi said Miyakawa's a good hitter, but he likes some low.
But as much as we know about them, they know everything about Mihashi.
Guess it's gonna even.

Mihashi:
Hard fastball down the middle?

Abe:
Don't be afraid, Mihashi.
Show him you're a different pitcher than you were in junior high.

Let's go!

Mihashi:
Okay, full strength. You can do it.
Hatake, Kanou, get a load of this, my new and improved fastball!

Miyakawa:
Ah! That was close.

Umpire:
Steerike!

Miyakawa:
Uh?!

Umpire:
You swung.

Miyakawa:
Ah, all right. Sorry.

:
[What d'you/Whatcha] doing stepped out of the box?!

:
Mihashi's pitches can't hurt you!

Miyakawa:
Can't hurt?

Hiiragi:
Hear me, Miyakawa!

Miyakawa:
Does he not hear what the ball sounds like when it hit the catcher's mitt?
Hatake's mitt never sounded like that when Mihashi threw in junior high.

Sakaeguchi:
Soon enough, Mihashi!

Miyakawa:
He's pitching faster now.

Mihashi:
I knew it. I still can't control the heat.

Abe:
Mihashi! Nice toss!

Miyakawa:
Nice? How?

Tajima:
Smoke it by him, Mihashi!

Sakaeguchi:
Guy doesn't stand a chance!

Oki:
Nice pitchin', man. Nice pitchin'.

Mihashi:
I get it.
Abe wanted the pitch to miss the strike zone, to throw at batter's focus.
Long as I trust him, everything should be fine.

Abe:
Okay, he just lowered his elbow.
He's adapting based on the speed of the first pitch.
Let's give him the ball, slider, low and inside.
That one tends to break actual anyway.

Mihashi:
Start let at strike height, and let it drop.

Miyakawa:
It's low, but still in the zone.
Uh! It dropped!

Umpire:
He's out!

Abe:
One out!

Mihashi:
One out!

All:
One out!

Sakaeguchi:
Lead-off guy grounds out to the pitcher just like what happened to me.
Mihashi's looking good so far.

Shinooka:
Batting second, center fielder, Hiiragi.

:
Hey, what happened up there?

Hatake:
Yeah, you've hit his pitches thousands of times!

Miyakawa:
No, it was different from last year.
Way hard to lead.
His pitches are gotten faster.

Umpire:
Ball!

Oda:
Another ball.
So this is the guy everybody's been talkin' about who got on the team because of his granddaddy.
I used to take trash talk what granddad's son, but it looks like they were [loud/right] about him.
I can't wait to give my time at the plate.

Umpire:
Strike!

Oda:
Yeah, no one's got a hit.

Kanou:
You may have a hard time getting a handle on Mihashi's pitching, Oda.

Oda:
Is that right? How come?

Umpire:
Strike!

Kanou:
Well, I know you (xxx) you didn't get to go play with the upperclassmen today, but I think it's good for you to see Mihashi's stuff.

Umpire:
Strike three!

:
Nice one! /Great K, man, great K!

Shinooka:
Now batting, the shortstop, Yoshi.

Oda:
What the hell?
Kanou's making it seem like he respects Mihashi now when I coulda sworn the whole team hated the guy.
Kanou's really good at what he does.
He got the starter over the rest of the pitchers for reason.
If this guy's granddaddy had no reins for him to be on the team, Kanou woulda been the ace for sure.
But what did he mean when he said that I'd have a hard time with Mihashi?

Umpire:
Strike!

Oda:
This catcher knows how to position of ball and his mitt to make it good loud (xxx), but these pitches can't be over 110.
And his mechanics are little leaguer at best.
What the hell was Kanou warn to me about?

Umpire:
Steerike!

Oda:
All those of us who weren't there for the drama that having back in junior high, this game is just like any other.
But I'm actually comforted to this up by now.


Mihashi:
They couldn't touch me.

Sakaeguchi:
Hey, Mihashi. You can get (xxx)

Mihashi:
I got Miyakawa, Hiiragi and Yoshi out in the same inning.

Suyama:
Let's (xxx)!

Mihashi:
And it's all thanks to Abe's guides.
What an awesome catcher. Lucky he's on my side.


Shinooka:
Top of the second, batting 4th from Nishiura High.
Third baseman, Tajima.

Tajima:
Let's do this!

Sakaeguchi:
Good job.

Nishihiro:
Yeah, you kill 'em.

Abe:
If Mihashi keeps it up, he'll get up a shutout.

Sakaeguchi:
(xxx)

Abe:
Now we just need to get on the board. Come on, Tajima.

Tajima:
'Kay, I'm ready!

Hatake:
Dude, it's tiny for a cleanup hitter.
Must be a bundle of energy.

Umpire:
Strike!

Abe:
[How/That] was a perfect pitch to jump on?
Why didn't he take it?

Umpire:
Strike!

Abe:
What the hell? He's even gonna try to swing?

Mihashi:
Oh, hate to say it but Kanou exceeds even better from last year.

Abe:
He's setting upon the outside. Don't fall for it, Tajima.

Umpire:
Ball!

Abe:
Count 1-2, here comes a forkball. Predictable much.
Hang on a sec. Is he waiting for the forker?

Hatake:
Don't know what this punk's doing with his stance, no way he'll ever hit Kanou's forker at the back in the box like that.

Tajima:
Come on, baby!

Abe:
Stepped into it?!

Tajima:
Told you so!

Hatake:
Set out to relay! Someone cover third!

:
Here! throw!

Tajima:
Yes!

Sakaeguchi:
Okay, so what's your yell-out?

Izumi:
How about "Tajima, No. 1"?

Suyama:
Hm.

Nishihiro, Izumi, Suyama, Sakaeguchi:
Tajima, No. 1!

Momoe:
Joy!
Not a long ago these kids barely knew each other, now look at 'em.
The battery's locked and loaded, and our axis of evil offense is ready for war.
We've gotta making several real team here.

Suyama:
(xxx), Hanai!

Sakaeguchi:
Let's keep (xxx) going!

Izumi:
Come on!

Nishihiro:
Hanai, burst it!

Shinooka:
Batting 5th, center fielder, Hanai.

Hanai:
No reason to go for the homer. A simple base hit should score a run.
I'll even try for a bunt if you want.
Swing away? With pleasure.

Momoe:
I would say that laid down a bunt to advance Tajima to third.
But bunting hard balls is tricky (xxx) and the boys were still adjusting to them.
Plus, Kanou's strong defender, so there's a good chance he can field the bunt quickly.
And if Hanai pops it up or something else goes wrong, and probably miss double.
Besides, this is our very first game.
During practice I can figure out which of my guys are skills, but guts.
That's something you only witness in a game environment when everything is on the line.
If I take more hands-off approach today, I'll have a better chance of seeing how my team reacts under pressure.

Hanai:
Come on, bring the fastball.

Umpire:
Strike!

Abe:
They want to turn a double play off of a bunt.

Sakaeguchi:
Just shows you how well trained they are.

Hatake:
He'll knock into right, or he might lay down a bunt.

Kanou:
High inside, hard to bunt or hit to the right.

Umpire:
Strike!

Oki:
Hanai! Yeah, come on!

Momoe:
Hm, is Hanai reasonless nerve? Or he's the only tough guy on his own turf?

Umpire:
Ball!

Hatake:
Time for a K.

Hanai:
Come on, man. I'm waiting. Gimme the forkball.

Umpire:
Strike three!

Hanai:
Holy crap! Wasn't even close.

Shinooka:
Now at the plate, shortstop, Suyama.

Suyama:
All set!

:
Knock him in, Suyama!

Momoe:
You were waiting on the forkball, weren't you?

:
Bring Tajima home!

Momoe:
You left Tajima in scoring position, and you watched just two very hittable pitches (xxx) for easy strikes.
So, was there a point in you sitting and waiting for it?

Hanai:
I... I thought I could make a contact.

Momoe:
Uh, it's all right, then.
Tajima got a hit off once, so I'm sure you were confident you could do the same. That's reasonable.
But since you came up empty this time, I want you to try and think of a way to hit it by your next step up.

Hanai:
Got it!

Momoe:
All right, guys, listen up.

Nishihiro, Mizutani:
Yeah, coach!

Momoe:
As I'm sure you realize, Tajima's a more than exceptional ball player.
But there's one place where he needs your help.

---------- [Eyecatch]

Momoe:
Tajima's not as big of a guy as typical cleanup hitter.
So while he will get more than he sure hits, he's not gonna get a lot of homers for us.
Of course, with all of that boils down to it said, he can't put runs upon a board by himself.
Tajima's a high on-base percentage hitter, but that'll only help us if you guys back him up.

Umpire:
Strike!

Momoe:
See that? He's double with waste 'cause we couldn't hit the ball.
Remember that every time you're at the play. Got it?

Sakaeguchi, Nishihiro, Mizutani, Hanai:
Got it!

Shiga:
All right, guys. Take the field.

All:
Right!

:
Let's hold them.

Sakaeguchi:
Show on some defense!

Shiga:
Come on, let's see some hustle!

Hanai:
I was selfish back there.
If I just got on base, we'd be up a run right now.
The coach had me pegged, I delivered it third of most pitches waiting for the forkball just like I try to one-up Tajima.
And I wiffed, and then this (xxx) with again if I try to be the hero.

Momoe:
You were waiting on the forkball, weren't you?

Hanai:
I just [take] Tajima gets on base again
I wanna prove to everyone that I'm the team player, that I know how to score runs.
Next time, I'll go after the fastball.


Abe:
Nice one!

Kanou:
You may have a hard time getting a handle on Mihashi's pitching, Oda.

Oda:
I still, though, get what Kanou said that, the guy's pitches are slow.
I don't know maybe means that (they're) too slow.

Abe:
Second! Come and down!

Suyama:
Nice throw!

Mihashi:
Nice catch.

Suyama:
Here.

Mihashi:
Oh, thanks.

Suyama:
Don't let that big guy scare ya.

Abe:
So that's the new cleanup hitter?

Mihashi:
Oh, yeah. The guy with the accent.

Abe:
Since it's no one on base yet, I wanna try to mine as much data out of him as I can.

Mihashi:
D-Data?

Abe:
Yeah, data.
I'll be testing his limits, so he may end up a run.
Don't get scared. We'll just deal with the batters after him.

Mihashi:
You got it.

Man, Abe is really something else.
And the best part about it is, he's on my side.
This is so much easier when the catcher's actually looking out for me.
All I gotta do is focus on my pitching.

Abe:
He's set up in the center of the box, and he's got a narrow stance.
But for those long arms, once he steps in, he could hit the ball anywhere he wanted.
Let's go for a high fastball, very inside.
If he likes inside, he'll make some kind of movement, which I'll [reason any/easily] notice from down here.

Mihashi:
A fastball, high and inside, out of the zone.

Umpire:
Ball!

Abe:
He watched like a hawk.
Sure, it was a ball, but he even thought about swing it he would twitched.
Maybe he's just a kind of hitter who always takes the first pitch.
Okay, we'll try the inside again only lower this time.

Mihashi:
Inside again, but low.

Umpire:
Ball two!

Abe:
Guy's a statue.
Is he just being overly cautious?
No, if he wants swinging a slow one of first ball, there's something else going on.

Oda:
What's all the pitch of that?

Abe:
I mean, he liked two of 'em go right by, he must've been told to.
If I didn't know Mihashi, I'd sure be swinging up what he serve it up.
Someone on the bench must notice Mihashi's fastball is different from most.
Good, no need to see him a fastball.
Let's get a strike with a curve to the outside corner.

Mihashi:
Outside, curve.

Oda:
Tsk, strike...

Umpire:
Strike!

Oda:
That was right on the edge of the strike zone.
If he aimed there, then this guy has got good control.
Now, let him only give me a fastball to look out.

Mihashi:
Curveball, same spot as before.

Oda:
Oh, well...

Abe:
He moved!

Umpire:
Foul!

Mihashi:
How'd he pull the outside curve so far?

Abe:
Mihashi!

Mihashi:
All right. Abe told me this guy might get a hit, so I shouldn't be scared.
I'm gonna begin [to] tons of strong batters over the years, and I was always so scared being on my own.
But this time...

:
Come on! Hit it right here!

Tajima:
Hey, batter, batter, batter!

:
Here we go, Mihashi! You got this one!

:
Easier! Easier!

Mihashi:
This time, I'm not alone.

Abe:
Mihashi seems to be doing okay.
And this Oda guy finally made a move.
Curveball was a strike.
Only reason it went foul 'cause he liked it and happened to overswing.
He's got those long arms, so it makes sense he is more comfortable on the outside part of the play.
But if he's okay for a fastball, he doesn't have the skills to adjust for a breaking ball.
He does have dangerous power, though.
He's different from Tajima. He's a slugger, a home run hitter.

Oda:
Hey, can you do me a favor? Please call for a fastball?

Abe:
What?

Oda:
I promise you I won't hit it.

Abe:
Okay, I was right.
Someone did tell him to size up Mihashi's fastball. But what's this "I won't hit it" crap?

Mihashi:
Screwball, lower inside.

Umpire:
Strike three!

Oda:
I told you I wouldn't hit it. Man, I swear.

Abe:
One out!

All:
One out!

:
Two more, guys!

Sakaeguchi:
Nice K!

Abe:
All of it wasn't lie when he promised not to swing.
He went right back to statue mode.
Who knows? Maybe the guys who didn't used to play with Mihashi just aren't into this game that much.
If that's the case, we've got in a bag.


Shinooka:
Oh, my goodness.
Now up from Mihoshi, the catcher, Hatake.


Oda:
I'll catch for you.

:
Huh? Uh, sure.

Oda:
That was an interesting at bat, huh?

Kanou:
What do you mean?

Oda:
It was like a magic trick.
His change-up started to float back there.

Kanou:
Now you know pitches that's slow can't float.

Oda:
Stop beating around the bush. Tell me what's going on.

Kanou:
Honestly?

Oda:
Come on, out with it.

Kanou:
Mihashi's pitch is faster than a slow fastball.


Hatake:
Whrrrrragh!

Abe:
Hatake's sweet spot is inside, right at his belt.
And he's usually aggressive on first pitch fastballs.

Mihashi:
Even against Hatake, I [can/can't] let myself worry.
Just focus, and pitch.
And, there's a sign from Abe.
All that's left is to throw my best!

Hatake:
Fastball inside.
Gotcha! Wait! Screwball?!

Sakaeguchi:
So, yours!

Umpire:
You're out there!

:
Nice!

Abe:
Two down! One more!

:
That's two down! / That's tow! One more!

Shinooka:
Batting 6th, right fielder, Kadota.

Abe:
After three years, Hatake can't tell a fastball from a screwball?
Thought he would be the biggest threat, but if he keeps underestimating Mihashi, he'll always be an easy out.


Oda:
So was the pitches faster than a slow fastball?
You'll explain how that make sense.

Umpire:
Steerike!

Kanou:
Last year whenever I asked Mihashi to throw a fastball during practice, he'd served up the weirdest pitches.
When I brought it up to the rest of the team, they said it was not, but I still think he's doing something bizarre with his fastball.

Oda:
Now that is exactly the word I would use "bizarre."

Kanou:
I've actually put some thought into this, and I'm pretty sure it's caused by his speed and the angle his throwing at not thinking up right.
See, when I throw a fastball, it goes something like this.
While my change-up follows more this path.
Like most batter as you and I tend to predict the speed from the angle around this point in the delivery.
However, Mihashi's fastball is different, it has a lot less back spin, so it tends to drop a bit lower.
But it's faster, it has more spin than a change-up.
So if you are expecting one of his fastballs that weird angle, it makes us to see (xxx) rising.
He actually got quite a few strikes with that pitch back in junior high, but everyone on the team just assumed it was because our opponents sucked.
They got used to Mihashi's all pitches, so they could always hit him during batting practice.

Oda:
Doesn't seem to be helping you out today, does it?

Kanou:
I think that has more [than/to] do with the catcher's cause.
So, what pitch were you waiting for?

Oda:
Fastball.

Kanou:
And what you get?

Oda:
Two fastballs. two curves, then a screwball, so... ah?

Kanou:
Yeah, just as I thought, man. The catcher read you like a book.
That's probably what's happening to the rest of the team, too.

Oda:
I told him I wanted the fastball, even promised I wouldn't swing it out him, but he didn't believe me.

Kanou:
Huh? Oda, do you not want to win?

Oda:
Of course, I do.
I figure it out to hit it next time.

Kanou:
So even you're underestimating Mihashi?

Oda:
Uh...

Kanou:
What a great attitude from new cleanup hitter.
I am not gonna lose out to Mihashi again.

Oda:
Again? But wait up, heard he got the job just because of his granddaddy.

Kanou:
Come on! Hatake is the only one who keeps dwelling on that!

Oda:
All the analyzing, Kanou's than with Mihashi's mechanics, it's obvious he's better at that, too.
Don't know why he's get so angry.

Kanou:
I'm at the point where I don't feel like I can beat Mihashi!
And if that's what I'm thinking, a lot of people would say I don't even deserve to be on the mound.

Oda:
What's he going on about?
How Mihashi's pitch is even a little better than Kanou's?

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!


Umpire:
Strike three!

Mihashi:
Yes!
Oops! Got a lot too excited there.

Tajima:
Nice!

Suyama:
Great work!

Sakaeguchi:
Keep it up!

Mihashi:
Ah, thanks.

Abe:
Looking good up there.

Mihashi:
Yeah.

Abe:
Getting pretty warmer. Don't forget to stay hydrated.

Mihashi:
Hey, um... can I say something?

Abe:
Yeah?

Mihashi:
I'm actually having a really good time today.
It feels good to be on the mound.
I want it [to] get back out there.
I, um...

Abe:
You know, I'm having a good time, too.

Momoe:
This game's just got started.
The real fun comes later. Count on it.

Mihashi:
Uh, right!

She is right. Only 2 innings (xxx) of this thing.
I've got a long way to go.
But it's okay, 'cause that mound, it's mine now.


[trailer]

Shinooka:
At the top of the third inning, and the score is tied at zero when this match-up between Nishiura High and Mihoshi Academy.
So far, Mihashi has a perfect game going, but it's still early, so I don't wanna jinx 'em.
And on the Mihoshi side, Kanou's proving to be great arm, too, so it's anyone's game.
We all knew this'll be a pitcher's duel, but just wait, the game's about to take in an unexpected turn.
Next time on "Big Windup!", "Don't Cut Corners".
Wow, looks like the other team's having some trouble.