The Old Baseball Player System

PAH

"Out!" - The seventh batter made contact with Shun's first pitch and was retired with a fly ball to center field, which ended up in Jiro's glove.

"YEEEEAAHHH! ONE MORE! ONE MORE! ONE MORE!" - The crowd celebrated enthusiastically, making even more noise, as Shun's perfect game was now just two outs away.

Feeling the pressure of the moment, Kasuga's eighth batter stepped into the batter's box, clearly nervous. Daigo noticed the batter's anxiety and called for a vertical slider in the zone, hoping to induce a ground ball or even a swing and miss.

Shun nodded at Daigo's signal and threw without hesitation, trusting his catcher's glove.

WOOSH

DING

"Damn!" - The eighth batter felt pressured seeing the ball in the strike zone and swung, but as soon as his bat connected, he knew it wasn't solid contact. Nevertheless, he sprinted to first base, hoping for a miracle.

POFT

The ball bounced along the ground toward center field, but unfortunately for Kasuga, Shoto's shortstop and captain, Kenta, was already in position to field it.

PAH

As soon as the ball landed in Kenta's glove, he didn't hesitate and threw it hard to first base.

PAH

"Out!" - The umpire called, seeing the throw beat the batter to the base by a wide margin.

"YEEEEAAHHH! ONE MORE! ONE MORE! ONE MORE!" - Once again, cheers erupted through the stadium with the second out, leaving Shun just one out away from finishing the game.

"ONE MORE! ONE MORE! ONE MORE!"

"ONE MORE! ONE MORE! ONE MORE!"

Kasuga's ninth batter walked to the left batter's box as the chants echoed throughout the stadium, creating tremendous pressure on him. At that moment, all he could hear were the shouts calling for "one more" out. He felt as if the whole stadium was waiting to see him get out, and he couldn't help but feel nervous.

But just as the pressure was getting to him, as he thought there was no hope left, a different shout reached his ears.

"HIT IT!" - Imai yelled from the dugout, as loudly as he could, and right after him, the other players and fans of Kasuga followed their ace's example.

"You can do it!"

"Get a hit!"

"Go for it!"

"You can hit it!"

"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"

"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"

The ninth batter from Kasuga heard the voices of his teammates and felt the weight of their trust in him. At that moment, those were the only voices he could hear. His expression shifted as he stared at Shun on the mound with determination, he was going to find a way to reach base!

Daigo called for the first pitch, a horizontal slider on the outer part of the strike zone. Shun didn't hesitate, throwing right into Daigo's glove.

WOOSH

DING

"Foul!"

"You see it!"

"You got this!"

"Let's go!"

Kasuga's dugout cheered as the ninth batter made contact with Shun's first pitch. While they encouraged their teammate for making contact, the rest of the stadium celebrated the first strike of the duel.

"ONE MORE! ONE MORE! ONE MORE!"

"ONE MORE! ONE MORE! ONE MORE!"

The cheers echoed through the stadium as the pressure only intensified. Shun received the ball back, but before positioning himself to pitch, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm. With all the shouting, the pressure, and the heat of the summer sun, Shun was sweating heavily, and it was clear he was tired.

But even so, Shun didn't hesitate. He looked at Daigo's signal and threw with everything he had.

WOOSH

The ninth batter swung as he saw the ball coming toward the outer part of the strike zone, but before he could make contact, he saw the ball sliding away from his bat.

PAH

"Strike!"

"YEEEEAAHHH!" - As soon as the umpire announced the second strike, the entire stadium cheered excitedly. Shun was now only one strike away from a perfect game, and almost the entire stadium was eager to witness it.

"Damn!" - The ninth batter cursed in frustration as he found himself cornered with just two pitches. He was also sweating heavily as the pressure from the crowd began to affect him.

"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"

"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"

But before he lost his concentration, the chants from Kasuga's crowd reached his ears. The ninth batter looked toward Kasuga's dugout and saw all his teammates, fans, and even his coach cheering him on, and his expression changed.

Kasuga's ninth batter positioned himself again in the batter's box, showing a calm that was almost intimidating. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't the only one calm in this duel. Daigo noticed the change in the batter's expression and gave Shun a new signal, positioning his glove in the same spot as the previous pitch.

"Pft! Not bad, Daigo." - Shun chuckled slightly, seeing Daigo's request. In that moment, under so much pressure, Shun could hardly believe what he was witnessing. But he didn't hesitate.

Shun lifted his right leg as he propelled his body forward. He then stomped hard on the ground as he twisted his body completely.

"HA!" - Shun shouted as he whipped his arm toward home plate, putting all his remaining strength into the ball.

The ninth batter watched the ball leave Shun's hand and quickly noticed it was heading toward the outer part of the strike zone. He started to swing his bat but remembered the last pitch.

'It'll be a ball!' - The ninth batter held back his swing, letting the pitch with the same trajectory as the previous one pass, expecting it to break out of the zone.

PAH

Unfortunately for him, as soon as the ball reached Daigo's glove, he realized he'd made a mistake. Unlike the previous pitch, this one barely broke and stayed within the zone. The hanging slider that Shun had barely used today would be the last pitch Kasuga's ninth batter would see this summer.

"StrikeOut! 3 outs, Game Set!" - The umpire announced as soon as the ball landed in Daigo's glove.

"YEEAAAHHHH!!"