I Thought I Was Dead After Getting Stabbed While Protecting a Girl From a Random Attacker, but a Goddess Gave Me a Special Reward and Brought Me Back to Life in My Original Body—Now, All These Girls Are Coming on to Me!? - Chapter 43: Emergency Pitching Change

Chapter 43: Emergency Pitching Change

“Terada! You’re up next!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

After carrying Captain Nogata to the back of the bench, the coach returned to the bench and immediately announced a pitching change.

Watching from the bench, I thought that twist would make it hard to pitch right away, and it turned out exactly as I expected.

That means Terada-senpai and I have to hold the remaining two innings together.

…This is getting intense.

Terada-senpai hurriedly prepared and headed to the mound.

Of course, both of us had warmed up our shoulders in the bullpen, but mentally, pitching in a situation like this was, naturally, unexpected.

I hope he can stay calm and pitch well…

“Phoenix High School announces a player change. Pitcher Nogata is replaced by Terada…”

Makabe-senpai went to the mound to first calm Terada-senpai down.

He took his time to help Terada-senpai pitch with a clear mind. These small actions show why Makabe-senpai is trusted as the team’s cornerstone.

“Go for it, Terada-senpai…!”

“You got this! Stay calm and pitch like always!”

We cheered with all our might to support him.

The first pitch was the problem.

He threw a slider, but…

“…! Right down the middle…!”

Crack!

The sharp hit went toward the third base line. The third baseman dove, but the ball cruelly rolled to the outfield…

“Foul!”

Or so I thought, but it just barely curved for a foul call.

“Phew… Saved…”

“The middle is scary, senpai…”

Tsutsumi also felt like he barely survived. Of course, I did too.

Well, it’s not like anyone can pitch normally in a situation like this…

At that moment.

“Minase! Get ready!”

“…! Yes, sir!”

My shoulder was already warmed up. I just needed to do some light catch while keeping my body from cooling down.

“Tsutsumi, can you catch for me?”

“Of course! I was just about to warm up too!”

I played catch in the bullpen while watching the game unfold.

“Ball! Ball two!”

The second and third pitches were clearly off the mark.

…This is tough. Terada-senpai isn’t the type to rely on control, so he might struggle in delicate situations like this.

For his weakness to show up at this moment is just terrible timing…!

The fourth pitch went high and way outside for another ball.

Seeing this, Makabe-senpai glanced at the bench.

The coach nodded and gave a sign. That sign was definitely…

Then, Makabe-senpai stood up. As expected, an intentional walk.

“Ball! Ball four!”

Rather than risking a hit that could widen the gap, filling the bases was the better call.

Then, the coach stepped out of the bench again to announce another player change.

“I’m going.”

“Good luck!”

“Phoenix High School announces a player change.”

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.

It’s fine. I’ve handled situations like this back in middle school.

It’s just a pinch. If I pitch like always, I can hold them.

“Pitcher Terada is replaced by Minase.”

On my way to the mound, I glanced at the stands behind home plate, where my family was.

My beloved girls were cheering for me with all their might.

With the crowd’s cheers filling the stadium, I shouldn’t have heard their voices.

But to my ears, they came through clearly.

“Ryu-kun! You can do it!”

“Ryu! Go all out!”

“Ryu! Just like always! You’ve got this, Ryu!”

“Big brother! I’ve got your back!”

The moment I heard their voices, the trembling in my hands and feet stopped.

Makoto, Kanade, Yuna, and Sakuya.

They’ve always supported us.

As long as they’re by my side, I’m certain I won’t lose.

I glanced at the stands and saw them cheering with expressions I’d never seen before.

…Heh, seeing their faces naturally made me smile.

With them believing in me like that, I’d be no man if I didn’t live up to their expectations.

“…Alright! Let’s do this!”

The team’s in a pinch, and it’s the seniors’ last summer.

I’ll take us to the finals with my own hands. No, I’ll take us to Koshien.

With that resolve, I headed to the mound.

“Phoenix High School announces a player change.”

The moment I heard that announcement, my heart jumped.

After all, with another pitching change here, there’s only one player who’d come out.

“Pitcher Terada is replaced by Minase.”

…Big brother!

Runners in scoring position, a hit could tie the game… or even lead to a comeback.

To pitch in such a tense moment…

I’m an athlete too, and I’ve fought in high-pressure situations like this plenty of times in table tennis.

But since I play an individual sport, I can’t imagine fighting while carrying the future of my teammates.

I clasped my hands tightly in front of my chest, praying.

If he gets hit here, my brother’s summer will end.

He’d be the one to end it.

That absolutely cannot happen.

But all I can do from here is cheer, and that frustrates me.

Then, I felt like my brother looked our way.

With all the crowd’s cheers, our voices shouldn’t reach him.

But even so, believing they would, I—we—shouted with all our might.

…Did he just smile?

I think he looked at us and smiled gently.

Did it… reach him?

Not wanting to miss a single moment of my brother’s performance, I focused on the battle in front of me, forgetting even to blink.

“For now, if we don’t hold them here, it’s over, so let’s go all out.”

“Yes. I’ll leave the lead to you.”

Makabe-senpai and I nodded and returned to our positions.

Up against us was the opponent’s cleanup hitter.

First pitch.

“Here we go!”

I started with my go-to: an outside fastball.

I kept the speed moderate and hit the course perfectly.

It landed in a good spot for a strike.

A no-out chance. I knew they’d come cautiously to avoid blowing a chance to tie or take the lead. I used that to build my count.

For the second pitch, I chose a slider.

A high-speed slider with little speed difference from my fastball.

I knew he’d swing. The ball clipped the top of the bat, sending a foul to the backstop.

Now I had him cornered.

Makabe-senpai chose the final pitch.

I understood his intent from the sign.

Trust me, I nodded to the sign.

I changed my grip in the glove and lifted my leg.

I stepped forward quickly, put my whole body into the ball, and threw it toward Makabe-senpai’s mitt.

The ball went straight to the outside.

The batter judged it a good pitch and swung hard as it came toward the middle.

But…

“What…!?”

The ball curved sharply, veering far outside.

Naturally, the bat missed.

Swing and a miss, strikeout.

“Strikeout! Minase takes the first out with a strikeout!”

“Was that curve sharper than a slider? Is that the trendy sweeper? A high schooler can throw that!?”

Yes, my trump card: the sweeper.

A breaking ball that curves more than a regular slider.

Saving it until now paid off.

Now, the opponent would fear the sweeper when cornered and start swinging early.

Second batter.

First pitch.

“…!? Damn…!”

I started with a changeup.

I threw a slow ball to disrupt his timing as he was eager to hit. That should work.

After throwing off his timing completely, I went with a fastball.

A high bait pitch drew a swing and a miss. Now I had him cornered.

For the final pitch, no need for a breaking ball or a trick pitch.

“Take this!”

A fastball to the inside, low at the knees. He couldn’t get his hands on it.

“Struck out!”

“What a pitch! No one could hit that!”

“It’s not just the speed or control, but the guts! Throwing to the inside in a pinch like this—pros rarely do that!”

Called strikeout, that’s two down.

Third batter.

At this point, it’s my show.

I threw a sweeper right off the bat.

Swing and a miss. His bat’s path didn’t even come close to the ball.

It’s not a pitch you can hit on first look.

To avoid a strikeout, the opponent would likely shorten their grip to make contact.

So, I’d shake them up with speed and vertical movement.

For the second pitch, I threw a high fastball.

Maybe desperate not to get cornered, he swung at the bait pitch and missed. Two strikes.

The final pitch.

At this point, there’s only one choice.

“Ungh!?”

A changeup. The batter, timed for a fastball, couldn’t adjust.

He lost his balance, knees buckling, and couldn’t even touch the ball. Swing and a miss, strikeout.

The stadium erupted in cheers.

Seeing the umpire’s out call, the realization hit me.

I did it…! I held them…!

I completely shut down this pinch…!

“…Yes!”

I threw a big fist pump, and in response, an even louder cheer rose from the Phoenix High School cheering section.

“Three strikeouts! Minase pitcher cuts through this pinch with three straight strikeouts!”

“This is amazing! He’s pulled the momentum to Phoenix High School with great pitching!”

“Nice, Minase!”

“Seriously, thank you…! Really, thank you…!”

“Minase, you’re amazing! Truly amazing!”

Back at the bench, my teammates mobbed me.

Especially Terada-senpai, who had to leave the mound in a pinch, looked like he was tearing up.

This kind of scene is one of the best parts of playing baseball.

“Alright! Switch to offense! Let’s score some runs to make it easier for Minase!”

“Got it!”

…This feels pretty good, doesn’t it?