Chapter 444: Ochiai's Proposal
"Wait… are you using a curveball grip? No, that can't be it. If that were the case, the sinking movement in the latter half of the pitch wouldn't be possible, right? Without applying force from the index finger on the seams, you wouldn't get that kind of downward break."
Kawakami couldn't help but chime in from the side.
Ono, meanwhile, was staring at Eijun like he was looking at a monster.
Seriously, this guy…
Always full of surprises.
Even the airheaded Furuya finally caught on—Eijun's last pitch definitely wasn't ordinary. Of course, someone as simple-minded as Furuya…
Didn't share the same complex thoughts as Kawakami, Ono, or Miyuki.
In his eyes, a pitch is either one that gets batters out, or one that doesn't.
That simple.
And yet, it's also an incredibly accurate way of thinking.
So naturally, he didn't overthink it like Kawakami did. Still, the way Furuya looked at Eijun burned with an intense passion.
To catch up to him, stand shoulder to shoulder with him, surpass him—
To become the team's true ace.
That's a belief Furuya's held from the very beginning. And seeing Eijun grow even stronger didn't discourage him—it only fired him up more.
Because only someone like Eijun is truly worth chasing. Worth learning from.
"Hehe…"
Hearing Miyuki's confusion and Kawakami's question,
Eijun chuckled.
He casually loosened up his left arm.
And said quietly, "I've actually been thinking about this for a while now. Kawakami-senpai's sinker kind of slides toward the outside corner and then drops, right? So I thought—could a two-seamer also include a bit of movement before the main sinking action? That's when I considered incorporating a bit of a curveball's drop. Curveballs have a high release point and break to the side, but they also have a bit of vertical drop at the end. It's subtle, but I figured that movement could mesh well with a two-seamer. Or rather, I guess I shouldn't call it a pure two-seamer. My grip leans more toward a sinking fastball—kind of like that MLB pitch you mentioned before, Miyuki-senpai. It's similar to Kawakami-senpai's sinker too, just with a different motion."
"And the key is probably in how you apply pressure with your fingers and the force you use in your arm. That part—I really have to thank Coach Ochiai for his advice."
A faint smile appeared on Eijun's face.
He recalled a moment from a few days earlier.
When he was throwing with Kariba during practice, and Coach Ochiai happened to walk by and offer a suggestion.
"Don't just assume your unique trait is your quirky pitch style. Sure, pitches like yours aren't super common in the baseball world—but you're not the only one. Sawamura, you need to understand this: your greatest physical asset is the extraordinary flexibility of your joints. I've seen a lot of players—even pros—but no one's joints are as flexible as yours. You're working on a two-seamer, right? My advice—don't focus too much on applying pressure with your fingers, especially your index finger. That kind of forced pressure might make the pitch sink, but that's just textbook pitching. What you need to do is use your whole arm to compress the ball. Keep a balanced grip with both your index and middle finger along the seam. Remember—your body's flexibility is your strongest weapon."
Coach Ochiai's calm voice, paired with the lazy way he stroked his little mustache as he stood by—
Etched itself into Eijun's memory.
The older the ginger, the spicier it gets.
A sly old fox through and through.
Ochiai, widely known as a brilliant strategist, really stood out when it came to developing players. From what Eijun had seen so far, none of the other high school coaches he knew could match Ochiai in that regard.
The man had a gift.
Tailoring advice based on a player's unique strengths.
Digging deep into their individual traits.
Offering guidance that unlocked potential.
That's how you raise a player's game to the next level.
Ochiai—truly a coach worthy of his legendary status in the baseball world.
"Ochiai-sensei's advice?" Kawakami and Ono exchanged glances, both momentarily stunned, but then nodded with a look of realization.
If it came from that man...
Then it made sense. Such precise and brilliant advice was exactly what you'd expect from him.
And it perfectly brought out Sawamura's unique strengths.
No wonder the school leadership had insisted on hiring him.
"Arm flexibility, huh? Using the power of the arm instead of relying on the fingers?"
Miyuki frowned slightly.
Normally, breaking balls rely heavily on finger control. What Eijun described was a bit unorthodox.
Still, if this guy could actually throw it...
That in itself proved how well it suited him.
"Ochiai, huh? That man really does have a knack for seeing through everyone's strengths and giving exactly the right advice."
Miyuki shook his head slightly, thinking that to himself.
Standing beside Kawakami and Ono, Furuya's eyes lit up after hearing what Eijun had said.
A different kind of fire sparked in his gaze.
"Still… the pitch trajectory was a bit too high. The break wasn't all that sharp. It might catch the batters from Seikou off guard once, but after that, I don't think it'll be very effective."
As surprising as that pitch was, Miyuki could clearly see its flaws.
It didn't hit the strike zone.
And judging from Eijun's release point, the pitch seemed to ride a little too high.
Eijun, standing nearby, nodded in acknowledgment.
The key was whether he could consistently control the height of the pitch.
And by "low," it meant relative to the strike zone.
Since it was a sinking pitch by nature, if it dropped too low, not only would it lose its purpose, but it'd also risk hitting the dirt.
That's why this kind of pitch required very precise height control.
"I understand, Miyuki-senpai. Next, I want to simulate game conditions to test the pitch's vertical range. As for control—in the semifinals, if I can use it as a deciding pitch three or four times, I think that's enough. What do you think, Miyuki-senpai?"
Eijun said with a subtle, knowing smile.
"Heh… you've really thought this through." Miyuki's eyes crinkled as he returned the smile.
"Well then—let's figure out what the ideal height for this pitch should be."
"Ohhhhhh!"
With the crisp air of autumn thick in the air, Sawamura's new "Numbers" pitch was about to make its return.
And while this impromptu meeting of Seidou's five pitchers and catcher carried on in full swing…
Elsewhere in the dorms of Seidou High's Seishin Dormitory—
Another urgent meeting was quietly taking place.
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