That was some impressive batting.
Well he didn't hold the home run record at our batting center
for three consecutive years for nothing.
But I thought you couldn't practice against change-ups too well over there?
He probably just got lucky.
Damn it.
I thought it was going to curve in, but it broke to the outside.
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
I'll have a Napolitan and a coffee, Ichiyo.
Same here.
Coming up!
They really like the Napolitan today, don't they?
Don't forget to save one portion, okay, Ichiyo?
One portion?
For Ko!
You mean how Aoba said she'd treat Ko to one
if he held the first-string team to five runs, right?
That's not going to happen.
Why not?
He's playing against elite players gathered from all over the country, you know.
And this is his first game pitching outside of a sandlot game, right?
Aoba said they'd score double digits on him even if they weren't serious.
It'd take a miracle to hold them down to five, she said.
But don't you know?
Ko's good at making miracles happen.
He's good at it?
Have you never heard his impersonations?
Toot toot!
That's a train whistle.
Tomb mounds and shell mounds...
Those are monuments.
Is anyone sitting here?
Only if it's an empty seat.
Dear lord, isn't this is a mighty fine...
Surprise.
Strike three!
So he's struck out two batters in a row now.
Impressive.
And I'd thought he'd be tired by now having hit and run bases on his last at-bat.
All right.
Foul!
Third base!
What do you want, Catcher?
Makihara's motivation has plummeted ever since he found out he can't make the first-string team, huh?
Smack it out, Ogura!
Strike three!
His speed picked up again just when it looked like he was running out of gas.
It's rare, but I hear pitchers like that do exist.
This is the first time I've seen one, though.
I know you may not be completely satisfied with the way things are going,
but there's nothing to worry about, Acting Principal.
The pitcher I brought onto this team has not given up a single run.
If I had actually coached this game,
that Prefab pitcher would have come off the mound after the third inning.
So you won't be giving orders or employing any strategies today?
I won't, and I believe that will make perfectly clear
what is needed to do to get a group of talents gathered from around the country
to gel together as a team in just a few months.
I see.
And that's where your brilliant leadership comes in, right?
I will, without a doubt, produce results.
Unlike some worn out coach that we both know.
Geez, what a snoozefest.
Why don't we take this a little more seriously, Senpai?
What in the hell was that foul just now all about?
Shut up!
If you've got a problem with it, tell the old geezer to sub me out.
I'm ready to quit any time.
Coach!
I'm not going to sub you out, Makihara.
After all, this may just be your last chance.
At least for playing in front of an audience this big.
I'm really sorry that I let you twelfth graders down.
You damn well should be!
What do you think we've been doing for the last three years—
Goofing around?
Why are you apologizing?
It's not your fault, Coach.
It was because the school just decided to—
You're up first, Nakanishi.
Hurry up and get to the batter's box.
O-Okay.
It was due to my lack of power that the school was able to act so high-handedly.
Forgive me, Makihara.
That was fast.
You're out already?
Just when I thought I hit the ball squarely, it goes right to the shortstop.
Strike three!
Damn it!
Not a single run given up by their top pitcher so far, huh?
We really should have tried to get another run while Senda was still pitching.
Come on, we're changing sides!
Hey, Chubby.
Yes?
What's with the bandage wrapped around the geezer's head?
Oh, that's a secret.
Just tell me already!
Slug it out, Kamikawa!
Strike three!
Coach went to plead with Coach Daimon two days ago.
He heard that there were bench openings for the first-string team,
so he went to ask if he could at least get the twelfth graders in there somehow.
Strike!
He tried really hard, and even got down on his knees for it.
Please, I'm begging you!
But Coach Daimon said...
There's no place on my bench for trash that's been soiled by the hands of an old man.
Wait, youngster!
...and that's what happened.
I knew there was some sort of drama behind it,
but I didn't think it'd be a heroic one.
I didn't think he'd be that simple-minded.
That always has been his one redeeming quality.
What kind of epic story should I write next?
Let's let it be as is for now.
Strike three!
Yes!
Wait a second.
If we keep going at this rate, we'd lose 5-3.
The Napolitan...
What?
Here's your bat.
Thank you.
All right! Let's go out with a bang!
Give me anything you've got!
Wait a second!
That was a nice, compact swing.
What the heck was up with that bat?
Safe!
Tape on the grip?
He's good at hitting the ball, but he does have a tendency to overswing.
He probably wouldn't have listened even if I had told him.
Twelfth graders.
Huh?
Enjoy yourselves out there.
A double play chance!
Two men on, with no outs.
They're at the top of the ninth trailing by two runs at 3-5, with their clean-up hitter at the plate.
Normally, this would be the best of chances.
You're quite composed for someone going up against the clean-up hitter in a pinch.
Bring it!
Strike one!
After all, this may just be your last chance.
At least for playing in front of an audience this big.
It's the top of the ninth, we're trailing by two runs at 3-5.
The clean-up hitter...
All right!
Safe!
Out!
Senpai.
Surprised?
But not as much as I am, I bet.
Great bunting, Senpai.
I didn't think he'd advance them.
I guess we have Coach to thank for that.
His fine coaching got the twelfth graders back on track from not wanting to play,
and also got us a hit from Senda.
This is our chance to tie things up, Kitamura!
Even if you keep reminding me...
First base is open, Kamikawa.
Wait, isn't that face...
A fastball!
Right?
I'm home!
All right!
We're tied up now, punks!
Since when have you been practicing bunts, Senpai?
Who needs practice for that?
But with that hit just now, he's completed a—
Cycle.
Now that you say that, he has.
Wow.
I'll give you credit on your three hits outside of your home run.
What about my pitching?
You've been too stupid about it.
Don't pitch seriously if you think the batter can hit it off of you.
If you don't want to walk the batter, you should at least have a good pitching plan
and avoid giving up a home run.
I didn't think you'd actually hit it.
On all three home runs?
Yeah.
You're out!
Out!
It must be humiliating for such a famous coach
to have to actually bat against the second-string in the ninth inning.
Serves him right!
But the situation probably won't change no matter how hard they work at it.
I'm sure something will change.
It probably will... for sure.
Six high schools came to scout me during middle school.
I chose Seishu not just because of the coach,
but because I wanted to play on the same team as you.
And when I saw who the members of this team were,
I, in my mind, had no doubt that I had made the right choice.
Don't worry about it, Miki.
You made the right choice in choosing this school.
Ball!
Foul!
Smack it out, Kishibe!
Going compact, huh?
Looks like we're not in that send-off party mode anymore.
Kishibe! Kishibe!
No outs and a man on.
Looks like they're the ones in trouble this time.
Sorry, Kitamura.
There's no way anyone could have gotten that one.
But the next batter is...
Fourth batter: first baseman, Azuma.
I have a message from the coach.
Does he want us to walk him?
No.
"Let me dream with this one," is what he said.
They're asking if a nightmare would be okay, too.
Is that right?
Ball!
That was close!
Looks like the coach didn't tell them to walk him.
Of course not.
They couldn't possibly be hoping for a draw in a send-off game with no extra innings.
Besides...
Besides?
He wouldn't be able sleep if they just let him get away with the three home runs, no matter how tired he gets.
Would he be able to sleep if they lose the game after giving up four home runs, then?
Looks like you haven't even considered that option at all.
Foul!
He's got him against the wall.
He fouled those off on purpose.
He did it to have the count against himself.
Giving us a handicap?
I figured it'd be hard for a pitcher pitching his first game on the mound to get three strikes on me.
Don't underestimate him now.
I didn't think you'd actually hit it.
Who's underestimating who?
Foul!
We're still at two strikes and a ball, huh?
Yes.
Strike three!
Yes!
Azuma...
I'm sorry.
I just couldn't swing.
I should have had him perfectly with the last one.
Wipe that smirk off your face.
The game isn't over yet.
Here's a souvenir of your walk-off loss.
Come on.
How long are you going to space out like that?
Get your act together!
That's not something I'd want to hear from you, Senpai.
W-What did you say, punk?
I guess he's right.
You did a good job, kid.
Senpai...
Let's go back to the bench with our heads up.
Yeah!
Yeah.
Coffee Clover, how can I help you?
Oh, Ao?
How did Ko do?
Oh.
I see, okay.
How did the game go?
You don't have to save that Napolitan anymore.
I guess the miracle didn't happen.
Now I'm hungry all of a sudden.
Make me a Napolitan, Ichiyo.
At bat, I completed the cycle with four hits in four at-bats.
On the mound, I struck out nine, including the clean-up hitter that everyone in the country's talking about.
I'd call it a shocking debut game, wouldn't you?
But you suffered a walk-off loss at 6-5,
and gave up three home runs to one batter.
At least that's what some cute Missy told me just now.
Was that Missy really "cute"?
So you're Aoba Tsukishima?
Fight me!
The batting center about an hour away by bus from the train station
can pitch balls over 130km/h too...
Why the heck do I have to go that far just to hit a bunch of fastballs?
You're fighting Aoba Tsukishima, aren't you?
Damn that Kitamura!
How could he be hanging around the Acting Principal's daughter?
This is on Waka's birthday, too.
Next time, on Cross Game Episode Twelve:
Fight me!
Shall we go, then?