First batter: center fielder, Miki.
Second batter: right fielder, Onoda.
Third batter: shortstop, Kishibe.
Fourth batter: first baseman, Azuma.
Fifth batter: third baseman, Kubo.
Sixth batter: catcher, Takizawa.
Seventh batter: second baseman, Ishiguro.
Eight batter: left fielder, Ogura.
This is our batting order for today.
But...
I don't remember seeing him as the top pitcher.
Yes.
I thought we'd start off by showing you our defensive capabilities.
Those fools wouldn't even be able to get a hit if we played our top pitcher against them.
I see.
Mitsuru Adachi
（Serialized in Shogakukan's 「Weekly Shonen Sunday」）
Created by
Toshihiro Nakazawa
Nobumasa Sawabe
Planning
Masato Hayashi
Rei Anami (TV TOKYO)
Shin'ichirou Tsuzuki
Planning Assistance
Toshisato Okuno Shin Omura Takenori Ichihara
Masato Hayashi
Supervisors
Original Planning Assistance
Michihiro Tsuchiya
Series Composition
Yuji Kondo
Main Character Design
Maho Takahashi
Tomoyuki Matsumoto
Koichi Imano
Art Design
Subcharacter Design
Prop Design
Kayoko Ono
Miki Tsubouchi
Hiromi Komine
Yutaka Kuramoto
Art Director
Color Design
Photography Director
Editing
Nobuhide Tanaka Toshiyuki Kuroiwa
Kotaro Nakagawa
Takeshi Takadera
HALF H・P STUDIO
Music Producer
Music
Sound Director
Sound Production
「Summer Rain」
Lyrics／Composition: Kentaro Kobuchi
Arrangement: Kobukuro
Kobukuro
（Warner Music Japan）
Opening Theme
Shogakukan Music & Digital Entertainment
TV-TOKYO Music
Warner Music Japan
Music Assistance
Ryosuke Sakurai
Animation Producer
Animation Production
Shunji Aoki Naohiko Furuchi
Producers
Osamu Sekita
Director
Shogakukan Shueisha Production
Production Studio
SUBTITLED BY ANBU
Looks like your plan's gone wrong, Akaishi.
We were supposed to concentrate our offense starting with Kitamura,
but our twelfth graders are going to get hits too, if he was to pitch.
You're right.
Just you watch.
I'll make you regret not using me on the first-string team soon enough.
Play ball!
They could get hits...
How scary!
That would have been a home run if you had actually hit it.
You punk!
Strike three!
Damn it!
If only they'd play like they usually do.
Bring it, Senda!
Out!
You guys have to do better than that, Senpais.
This is your last chance to make the first-string team, you know.
Senda, you punk!
That's one and two.
That's three outs. Change sides.
My apologies.
I didn't think they were going to be this mediocre.
What the hell are you doing out there, man?
You're all putting too much into this.
You got that right.
Isn't it hard to watch from all the way back there?
There are seats open up front, you know.
Oh, I'll be fine over here.
Come on, over here.
Like I said, Missy...
By the way, were you able to use the restroom, Acting Principal?
Yes, I just went.
That's good.
It's going to be a while before our turn on offense ends.
First batter: center fielder, Miki.
Oh come on, you didn't announce our names when we were batting.
Overall, he's pretty deft with the bat.
He can handle any pitch and likes to hit to the opposite field.
Huh?
Strike!
He won't swing on the inside pitches until he's pushed against the wall.
Smack it out, Miki!
Miki! Miki!
Strike two!
The same pitch three times in a row?
Who do you think I am?
Out!
Looks like they got lucky with the pitch.
You can't jam Miki just with good pitch placement.
You need more than that.
Second batter: right fielder, Onoda.
That batter likes low pitches.
Strike two!
Strike three!
Who on earth is that pitcher, Daimon?
I'm not sure.
I haven't looked at their roster.
That's Ko Kitamura.
He's the only child from the sports equipment store.
He's a tenth grader from the cesspool.
Two outs!
Third batter: shortstop, Kishibe.
He has one of the top two fastest swings on the team.
He can't hit high pitches.
He'll swing on outside pitches even if they're a little off the plate, though.
Go, Kishibe! Let's go, Kishibe!
Foul!
Get him against the wall with another foul.
I guess he's not the third batter for nothing.
He was able to take advantage of the slightest slow-down on the pitch.
Looks like you guys got a considerable amount of data on us.
I don't know what you're talking about.
I see now.
It must have been her .
Did she figure out my weakness, too?
Who knows.
Fourth batter: first base, Azuma.
What about this batter?
Well...
He could probably hit anything, no matter where you pitch it.
Good luck.
Now then.
Kishibe's fast on the base paths, too.
We're at two outs,
so he'll start running as soon as contact is made.
And Azuma's slugging percentage happens to be .800.
So we'll start off with a single run, huh.
We could plate two with a home run.
Ball!
Out!
Way to get him!
No worries.
Let's take it easy, shall we?
The liquor store's son is pretty good.
Do you know who Akaishi is?
A little bit, maybe.
"It's the top of the second,
with fourth batter, third baseman Makihara at the plate."
What ever happened to announcing our names, too, damn it!
Don't strain yourself, Senpai.
I know!
Bring it, Senda!
What's with that sissy curve?
Good at-bat!
Out!
They're good.
Great job, second baseman.
Let's go with the original plan, Ko.
What's this "original plan?"
Oh, I was just talking to myself.
Hey, Ko!
We'll get their guard down with our first four batters and leave them open for attack.
Then you'll need to get on base somehow as the fifth batter,
and Miya, the best bunter on the team, will sacrifice you to second.
After that, Nakanishi or I will get you home.
All right!
Then no matter what happens...
No matter what happens, I'll have to get on base!
H-Home run!
Huh?
Oh well.
Safe!
What on earth is going on here, Daimon?
It just means we have a mediocre player on our team, as well.
I got it, I got it!
That's three outs; change!
No worries...
There's no longer a place for you on this bench.
Where's Kayama?
He hasn't come back from the men's room yet.
He said something about the okonomiyaki he had for breakfast not being fully cooked or something.
I don't think he's going to make it, coach.
He's been groaning at us to sub him out while he was on the crapper.
But who could we sub in for him?
The only person we have that can take shortstop is...
S-Senda?
What the hell are you doing here?
I got cut from the first-string team.
What?
Well this isn't an official game, after all.
Bottom of the second inning;
Seishu Baseball Team will first be attacking with their fourth batter: first baseman, Azuma.
I guess he's doing over his first at-bat.
But listen to these cheers.
Is he really that good of a batter?
Yes.
There aren't many pitchers in Japan who could be a decent matchup against this guy.
You'd have to aim for the lower outside corner,
and let him walk once the count becomes unfavorable for the pitcher.
At least that's what a smart pitcher would do.
Let's shut 'em out!
Strike!
Right down the middle?
Against Azuma?
That's quite some nerve you've got.
I signaled the wrong pitch to him.
I wanted him to hit you with a pitch,
so that he wouldn't have to throw four balls.
Throw it to the lower, outside corner, Ko.
Strike two!
He doesn't come off as a smart pitcher to me.
Either that,
or he's one of those "few pitchers in Japan" who can be a decent matchup against him?
No.
Awesome!
He's just another dumb pitcher.
You happy now?
Well I guess we did have three runs.
This might be better than letting them load bases with no outs.
I guess so.
Fifth batter: third baseman, Kubo.
This might be better, huh.
Like hell it is!
Sixth batter: catcher, Takizawa.
All right, beat them down in one stretch!
We have a runner on base with no outs.
So what?
Are you implying that I should play it safe in a game against the cesspool?
Not really.
Slug it out, Takizawa!
Don't push yourself, Kitamura.
Don't forget that we also have an awesome pitcher who came back from the first-string here.
Takizawa! Takizawa!
I don't think he'll go very far as a pitcher,
Got it!
But with his footwork, his defensive skills,
Out!
and his shoulder...
I think he'll make a good shortstop who likes to show-off.
All right, yay!
I see it now.
A double play, huh?
That's a fine play that he made.
That was nothing more than a routine grounder to short.
He's just making a big deal out it.
Now that I think about it,
I still haven't asked your name, Missy.
I'm Aoba Tsukishima,
I'm a ninth grader from Seishu Academy Middle School.
No wonder.
No wonder?
Oh, nothing.
What about yours, Mister?
Me? Well...
They call us old folk "old man" no matter where we go, I guess.
His fastballs sinks slower than you'd think.
That's something to look forward to.
Seventh batter: second baseman, Ishiguro.
Then I'll just have to hit the first fastball.
A curveball?
And change sides.
That batter's really good against fastballs.
I see.
A considerable amount of the first-team's data was leaked out.
They're pretty accurate on top of that.
Announcing substitution for Seishu Academy:
Kamikawa will be subbing in for Senda as the pitcher.
His speed isn't out of this world,
but he's got excellent control.
We can't expect him to throw four balls, so we'll have to maximize every chance we get.
Let's take him on from his first pitch!
Trust me, I used to compete with him for the top pitcher's spot!
Can he really throw this many change-ups?
Yes.
He's an annoying pitcher who's hard to lock on to.
We should have scored at least two or three more runs while Senda was still pitching, then.
I agree.
Hey...
Move, you're in my way!
We'll show them our mettle from our first batter!
I'll rip that pitcher apart!
This is no place for you to be lying around!
You're taking Kayama's place as second batter, aren't you?
Go suit up already.
Now that's showing them our mettle.
He struck out the side.
Nice job showing our mettle out there.
Oh, shut it.
Here's your glove.
Hey, Kitamura,
who's that girl on our bench?
That's our manager.
She used to live abroad.
A manager who's lived abroad?
She's worlds apart from the first-string manager.
Is she nice?
Probably.
She's at least pleasant to be around.
Let's shut them out!
You should be scoring at least double digits against this mediocre team!
Get out there and change that unpleasant scoreboard right now!
Yes, sir!
Eight batter: left fielder, Ogura.
He can't really hit long balls despite his size,
but he's quite an annoying batter who hits from center to the right.
He's weak against 12 to 6 curveballs.
Strike!
We could use more of this pitch.
Slug it out, Ogura!
Ogura! Ogura!
Crap, it's not dropping.
Safe!
But I guess it could use some more practice.
Ninth batter: pitcher, Kamikawa.
Slug it out, Kamikawa!
Strike!
Foul!
His control and speed tend to vary, but...
Strike three!
Kamikawa.
That's the kind of fastball I wanted you to have.
Out!
This is ridiculous.
How did we go from having the bases loaded with no outs to just scoring a measly run from a sacrifice fly?
The game's not over yet, Coach.
Akaishi,
pitching's quite exhausting.
Oh yes,
the game's not over yet.
Pitching really is quite exhausting.
What are you saying now?
It's only the end of the third inning.
Get off your butt and pitch!
I don't intend to be in charge of a game like this.
Are you sure that pitcher's supposed to be "mediocre?"
What did you say?
I've never seen someone who's "mediocre" pitch like that!
Next time, on Cross Game Episode Ten:
Stop Joking.
I finally get why this is so tiring, Akaishi.