Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 428 - 67: Death Match Across Day and Night (Part 2)

Nakagawa Seiichi, who was next to appear, did not disappoint his teammates as he sent a hit right through the gap between the Ham Team’s third and shortstop positions, adding a run for the visiting team; if not for Matsuda Naohiro, batting sixth this game, hitting a ball towards the pitcher’s mound that was caught perfectly, resulting in a 1-2-3 double play by the Ham Team, the Softbank Team might have further expanded their lead.

After a small climax in the first inning, the subsequent game fell into silence: it must be said that Tsumura Shingo, who started on the mound today, performed quite well. Although his pitch count was too high and he still overly relied on defense, he caught the Ham Team’s batters off guard as a surprise play—over five innings, the entire Ham Team batting order didn’t gain any advantage from him. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Correspondingly, Ohtani Shohei’s pitching quality today was also commendable. Aside from a brief disruption in the bottom of one inning, his performance in the following innings caused no small trouble for the Softbank batters, as their offense was repeatedly blocked.

Before the start of the sixth inning, the score was still 1-0, with the Softbank Team leading.

"This game is a bit challenging..." Akiyama Koji stood on the sidelines with a serious expression, gazing at his players on the field and muttering to himself.

"What’s wrong, manager?" Mr. Oishi noticed his unusual demeanor and quickly stepped forward to inquire.

"We’ve played five innings now and still have the lead. From this perspective, it’s possible for us to win this game—if we win today, the lead over the Rode would stretch to 1.5 games, giving us more leeway in the series that starts the day after tomorrow..."

He didn’t finish his sentence, but Mr. Oishi understood Akiyama Koji’s thoughts: he knew his manager was thinking about winning this game; but likewise, he was unsure whether to overturn the planned strategy and use reliable bullpen resources for a game initially intended to be forfeited.

After thinking it over, Akiyama Koji found it difficult to make a decision right away, ultimately deciding to wait a little longer; however, he also prepared for a showdown with the Ham Team, issuing orders to Takayama Yuuji at his side:

"Yuuji, have those middle relievers warm up—if we are still leading or tied after the sixth, we’re taking this game!"

Unexpectedly, just as Akiyama Koji finished that sentence, the situation on the field changed yet again:

At the top of the sixth, Ham Team’s second batter, Tsubaki Kenshi, hit a single off Tsumura Shingo, igniting an offensive surge for the Ham Team:

In the following six at-bats, the Ham Team’s batters, who had been blocked in the earlier half-innings, quickly dismantled the Softbank Team’s defense with a string of consecutive hits. Not only did they tie the score but extended the lead to 4 runs—even changing pitchers midway was of no avail.

More importantly, this wave of offense was a wake-up call for the Softbank Team’s coaching staff on the sidelines.

"Man... manager, should we... still have the bullpen warm up?" Standing beside Akiyama Koji, Takayama Yuuji’s throat was somewhat dry, his eyes constantly shifting between the field and his manager, clearly unsure what to do at that moment.

Akiyama Koji didn’t immediately respond to Takayama Yuuji, clearly a bit stunned by the Ham Team’s offensive wave—just moments before, the fire lit in his heart had been doused abruptly.

With his lips pursed, head down, thinking for a moment, this renowned baseball player known for breaking conventions and coming back stronger during his playing days, who once led the Softbank Team to become Japan’s Number One, finally revealed his true character:

"No problem, it doesn’t affect us. Let them continue to warm up, isn’t the sixth inning not over yet?—As a manager who has led this team for five years, I believe my players won’t let me down!"

When Tsubaki Kenshi, appearing again in this half-inning, was forced out in front of first base for the third out, most of the Softbank players in the dugout returned with expressions of deep dissatisfaction: dropping 5 runs in that half-inning was not just the pitchers’ problem; the catcher’s pitch selection, infield, and outfield defense all shared responsibility.

"Clap, clap."

From the bench, Akiyama Koji clapped his hands, signaling all the players to look over: "I know, you’re dissatisfied with your performance and not content with the game—even though I already told you before the game that this was a match we could forfeit, losing like this is hard to swallow."

Pausing there, Akiyama Koji glanced at the players gathered around him and continued: "But after seeing the expressions on your faces, I suddenly have a different idea—I don’t want to give up on this game; I believe many of you feel the same."

"If that’s the case, then forget about the runs we just lost—a baseball game, at the end of the day, is about hitting the ball! If you’re truly dissatisfied and really want to win this game, then prove it to me in the upcoming half-inning!"

"Let’s go, let’s win this game together!"

For the Softbank players who already had a fire in their hearts, Akiyama Koji’s speech was like fuel to the flames: players, including star players like Nakagawa Seiichi and Matsuda Naohiro, quickly responded to their manager, and the whole team’s emotions rose.

"Now let’s get on the field and reclaim those lost runs!" called out Hasegawa Yu, who was to be the leading batter in the next half-inning.

Once on the field, these players indeed proved that their rallying cries were far from mere verbal slogans:

From Hasegawa Yu, the leadoff batter, the Softbank side mirrored the previous offensive surge of the Ham Team in the previous half-inning, hitting consecutively in 7 at-bats—with the batting lineup interwoven, the starting Ohtani Shohai was driven from the mound, and the 4-run gap continuously shrank until it was entirely erased.

The Ham Team had barely warmed to their 4-run lead when the Softbank Team, with their fiery offensive, tied the score again: by the bottom of the sixth, the game was tied at 5-5.

Starting from this half-inning, both teams again fell into a deadlock, with neither able to gain an inch; and the duration of this game continued to advance towards a figure unimaginable to ordinary people.

Infected by the emotions, Akiyama Koji, the team manager, had quite gone heady; in contrast, Head Coach Mr. Oishi, who remained calm and considered everything from a macro perspective for the season, felt he should take on the related responsibility to cool down his manager.

"Manager, is the cost we’re paying next worth it for such a not-so-significant victory?"

Akiyama Koji glanced at his partner and, after thinking for a moment, replied: "Mr. Oishi, I understand your concerns, as a manager myself, I also know that expending too much energy in this game could possibly lead to more loss than gain for us."

"However, look, the current situation doesn’t allow us to be indecisive or even to retreat—maybe in terms of statistical significance, this game indeed isn’t that important; but often, it’s just such an apparently insignificant game that can determine the trajectory of an entire season for a team."

"Look, this game has already been played for nearly 6 hours, and we’ve chosen this path with no way back—once we clinch victory in this game, I believe this team will certainly win the crucial matchups against Rode and Seibu that follow!"

As he said this, Akiyama Koji didn’t forget to point at the large clock above the field—Mr. Oishi looked up and saw the hour, minute, and second hands about to completely overlap.

Midnight’s bell was about to ring, and this game awaited someone to seal the deal.