After Coach Kunimoto finished speaking, both sides began to discuss in hushed tones, but compared to the orderly special recruitment group, the selection group was particularly noisy, with everyone frantically arguing to get their most accustomed position.
Everyone believed that their own youth baseball team was stronger, so by analogy, they would definitely be stronger in the same position, which led to some positions being unwanted and others being fought over by several people.
Time gradually passed without a conclusion, and everyone seemed unwilling to compromise.
"If we keep arguing like this, we won't get anywhere. We still need to determine the batting order," Kiriyama Ren said. At this point, someone needed to step forward and stop them, so he could only bite the bullet.
"If he lets me have the third base position and he goes to Ichirui, wouldn't that solve it?"
"Then why don't you go?"
To stop their argument, Kiriyama Ren came up with a compromise: "...How about this, you each play one inning."
"That's the only way, I'll go first!"
"Then why can't I go first?" Different opinions still emerged.
Kiriyama Ren broke into a sweat and could only pull the players assigned later aside to comfort them, "If we can get them three up, three down in the first inning, you'll be able to show your strength even more when facing the heart of the batting order in the second inning. But if he can't hold his own, then in the second inning, facing the lower part of the batting order, you can show the difference between you two."
These words couldn't be heard by others; after all, they were just simple words of comfort.
"Hmph," the player snorted, "Then so be it!"
Breathing a sigh of relief, it was fortunate that this player was easier to persuade. After setting the rule of one inning per person, the other positions were also resolved, and everyone quickly arranged their positions for the first inning.
However, later on, Kiriyama Ren still inadvertently rolled his eyes. If they really had the strength, they would be in the special recruitment group now.
Everyone looked incredibly arrogant.
They seemed determined to win this selection, but from the few tests just now, he hadn't seen any particularly outstanding performances from them.
"This is good," Coach Kunimoto wrote down Kiriyama Ren's name in his notebook. His intervention just now resolved the conflict within the selection group. "So, how will you solve the next problem?"
Coach Kunimoto was referring to the batting order. Everyone was a key player on their respective teams, either the cleanup hitter or in the heart of the order, and they were now arguing over who should bat cleanup.
"Let's draw lots..." Kiriyama Ren was gradually speechless. How could they be so unaware of the seriousness of the situation, getting tangled up in these trivial matters?
Kiriyama Ren's suggestion was approved by most people.
This was mainly because they also noticed that Coach Kunimoto was giving them less and less time. So, drawing lots it was.
In fact, it was mainly to accommodate those few who were arguing over positions and batting order. Kiriyama Ren, coming from a soft-ball background, was naturally assigned to the ninth spot.
He was indifferent to the batting order; with this group of teammates, he could only try his best not to lose too badly, because perhaps these people, who were only focused on arguing, hadn't noticed that besides the five specially recruited Narumiya players in the special recruitment group, the remaining four were all first-year students who had played in the Autumn Tournament this year.
The catcher was Harada Masanori, who had already played as a catcher in a game.
Even if they only played as pinch hitters or pinch runners, having an extra year of experience naturally made them stronger. The only good news for their selection group was that they would only play three innings, so they probably wouldn't face problems with physical exhaustion, provided the pitcher didn't get blown out...
Looking at the few people who were still bragging, Kiriyama Ren decided not to tell them what he had discovered. Even if he told them, they would only think they were no weaker than these first-year students.
No one was arguing over the catcher position. After Kiriyama Ren put on his protective gear, he walked over to the pitcher, who was tidying his glove, and asked in a low voice, "What pitches do you have?"
The pitcher seemed a little nervous, his voice trembling slightly: "Fastball and Slider..."
Very common pitches. Kiriyama Ren nodded, confirmed the signs with him, then pulled him aside, squatted down, and held up his glove: "Come on, let's practice pitching first. Uh..." He suddenly remembered he hadn't asked his name.
"My name is Hirano, Hirano Keiji."
"Alright."
After a few practice pitches, Coach Kunimoto's whistle blew, and both teams lined up facing each other, with the catcher at the very front of each line. Kiriyama Ren looked up at the opposing team; the special recruitment group's catcher was very tall, nearly a head taller than him, and much more heavily built. From his appearance alone, he was already at a disadvantage.
After both sides doffed their caps in respect, they returned to the field. The special recruitment group was up first, with Carlos, whom Kiriyama Ren knew very well, as the leadoff hitter.
After a few more throws and catches with Hirano, the game officially began. For the first pitch, to alleviate his tension, Kiriyama Ren chose to throw a high outside pitch to avoid the batter. Even if it was a ball, it didn't matter; if he dared to swing at that location, it would definitely be a foul ball or a pop-up towards the catcher.
"Strike!"
The tension didn't seem as severe now. He was able to throw to the spot Kiriyama Ren wanted. Carlos glanced at the glove's position, and his preparation for the next pitch moved slightly inward, seemingly not intending to let outside pitches go.
Since that's the case, then throw inside. Kiriyama Ren gave the sign, then threw a Fastball to the inside corner.
Bang!
The ball shot out flat, speeding past near the foul line. The First Baseman didn't even react in time to extend his glove to catch it. Fortunately, it was a foul ball, otherwise a second base hit would have been unavoidable.
The sound just now was very crisp, the ball was hit very well. Perhaps it was due to the wind that the ball drifted, but this absolutely meant that Carlos's skill was not to be underestimated.
The third pitch was still requested to be inside.
"Ball!"
That powerful hit just now made Hirano pitch more evasively; even when the same location was requested, he couldn't get it in. As a catcher, sometimes it's just that frustrating; no matter how much you strategize against the opponent, if the pitcher can't throw to the spot you want, it's all in vain.
"Ball!"
He threw two consecutive balls again, going from two strikes to a full count. And Hirano pitched more and more evasively, afraid to throw the Fastball into the strike zone, fearing it would be hit if he did.
Carlos was very cautious not to swing, just waiting for Hirano to self-destruct.
Carlos had to be dealt with, otherwise the rest of the game would be a headache. He put his glove back to the outside, slightly on the edge of the outside strike zone, waiting for Hirano to throw the ball in.
Pop!
Strike!
This time, Hirano threw the ball a little further outside, but still on the edge of the strike zone. Kiriyama Ren stood up and threw the ball back to Hirano. Once Carlos was dealt with, the rest would be easier.
"Ball four! Batter walks!" Coach Kunimoto announced expressionlessly.
Kiriyama Ren looked at Coach Kunimoto in surprise, making eye contact with him for a few seconds.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing."
Arguing wouldn't change his decision anyway, so it was more direct to focus on the next batter. He just hoped Hirano wouldn't be affected by that last call. It's a recognized fact that pitchers have fragile mentalities.