That would have been a home run if you had hit it properly!
So you're saying I mishit it on purpose?
No, but...
It was on purpose.
Azuma!
My, my.
I guess hitting one off a good friend is a hard thing to do.
You got that right.
Who are you calling a "good friend"?!
You guys had nothing to do with him in the first place!
And why is the background pitch black.
Can't you tell?
You're dreaming, duh.
Oh, 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
Tetsuya Takeda
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
Shin'nosuke Wada (TV TOKYO) Naohiko Furuichi
Producers
Osamu Sekita
Director
Shogakukan Shueisha Production
Production Studio
SUBTITLED BY ANBU
I'm sorry!
I overslept!
Oh, you don't have to come, Aoba.
You're a respectable member of the baseball team who even participated in last night's practice.
Oh no, I'll help.
And also...
Also?
I'm so sorry!
I'll clean this up!
I'm very sorry!
I guess I'll leave it up to you girls, then.
Yes, thank you.
What are you doing?
Oh, I'm sewing a button back on.
It came off again?
Didn't I just sew it back on for you?
Or is it a different one?
No, it's the same one.
Just as I expected.
You may look like you're swinging wildly,
but you still have good form.
Baseball's the only thing I'm capable of doing, after all.
There aren't many girls at your skill level in all of Japan, you know.
I doubt there'd be much left of me if you were to take baseball away from me.
Tsukishima!
If I land two hits in tomorrow's game!
A triple!
Two base steals!
Three times on-base!
Go out on a date with me—
Shut up!
We're sorry!
You don't get it at all.
You don't get this popular just by being good at baseball.
Aoba Tsukishima is charming as a girl.
You should be a little more perceptive of your own strengths.
Didn't someone else tell me the exact same thing?
People don't figure out their own strengths very well, do they?
Hey.
What would you say my strengths are?
I'd probably say your overall flexibility and the fact that you know how to use your elbow well.
I'm not talking about baseball here!
I'm asking you what "Aoba Tsukishima's charm" is.
Ball!
You're asking me?
You've known me the longest, haven't you?
That might be true,
but there are things you don't notice about a person when you're close to them.
Even when it's so easy to point out their faults?
Yeah, something like that.
Nice ball.
If they win tomorrow,
I'll be able to start going to root for them.
They won't lose.
They're going to make it to the Koshien, after all.
You're right.
And that means...
Congratulations on getting married.
Not yet!
B-But it says you guys are open outside...
Not yet!
Six more games until the Koshien, huh?
I thought we wouldn't make it past the first game when I heard that we were up against Kurokoma.
That's why I said the real challenge would be the game against Seishu that was after that.
You're a surprising man.
You've completely turned this team around in just two years.
We were already a team that was willing to work hard even before I got here.
It was just that we weren't using our practice times as effectively—
Oh, I didn't mean to say that.
Don't worry about it.
I'm just a baseball-loving social studies teacher with no formal knowledge of the game.
There's no need to be so courteous against a coach like that.
That's what matters most.
Here I go, Akaishi!
Okay.
That you love baseball.
And the game begins.
The Sena will be batting first in the top of the first inning,
And their left fielder, Tsukuda will lead things off.
Come on, wedding reception!
Play ball!
Strike!
What are you doing, Mishima?
The game's started already.
Don't worry, he's not the type of pitcher who would start shaky.
Strike three!
I see.
You're out!
The opponent's pitcher is getting off to a good start as well.
But both teams will be leading off the second inning with their cleanup hitters.
Strike!
I see.
I think I understand why Azuma stayed behind with this team, now.
Maybe you transferred schools too fast?
Maybe.
Dash!
You're out!
Awesome, Nakanishi!
I didn't know that third baseman could move so well.
He lost two kilograms.
I see.
Looks like we didn't collect enough data.
Who's the fattie now?
Strike!
Strike two!
Kitamura!
You're awesome!
Looks like he's popular with girls from other schools, as well.
Any baseball team's ace is bound to be somewhat popular.
You think so?
Hey, girls, don't you know me?
Haven't you seen me on TV before?
Hey, isn't that Ryuou's Mishima?
Where?
She's right, it's really Mishima!
He's an ace, too, right?
Yes; but he's just a pitcher who won the Spring Invitational.
Strike three!
Okay, nice pitching!
Kitamura!
There are some things you don't notice about a person when you're close to them.
Maybe that's what it is.
Huh?
Ball.
Ball four.
All of them were pretty sharp, though.
It would have been to his advantage if Azuma had tried to hit any of them.
I guess he wasn't planning on throwing any strikes from the first place.
Batting fifth: Akaishi (C).
And he lays down a sacrifice bunt!
The quality of Seishu's batting order moves the runner to second, with one out.
Seishu now have a chance to score first!
Batting sixth: Kitamura (P).
He's walking him?
And now Seishu has runners on first and second with only a single out.
We may have hidden him as the sixth batter,
but he's a hitter whose power is second only to Azuma.
You're out.
Looks like that pitcher's not worried at all by the fact that we have runners on base.
Strike three!
That's three outs. Change sides.
Seishu's attack is brought to a close as they strand two runners.
The more you leave runners on base, the more pressure will be applied on the team.
And momentum will turn...
to whichever team is able to overcome that pressure.
An error!
Senda, the shortstop, commits an error!
Could you possibly talk any louder?
Sena now has a chance with a runner on first and no outs!
Batting eighth: Enami (RF).
That's three failures to put down the bunt.
And Sena tries to sacrifice a runner over with one out!
First base!
You're out!
It's hard work trying to even a get bunt down against that pitcher, isn't it?
It's even harder trying to get a hit off him.
Getting consecutive hits or long drives off him would be like winning the lottery.
We'll have to get into scoring position first, and capitalize on any opportunities we get.
But one hit possibly couldn't make a difference against that drawn-in outfield.
Wait, what was that sign you told me to give out just now?
A hit and run!
He sends the ball flying!
But it's...
out!
They sure are trying dangerous things.
They understand just how hard it is to score a run off you.
It was an interesting plan, though.
Yeah.
He swings on the pitch!
Miki stands tall here, as well.
The man on third is left stranded.
The momentum's totally on his side right now.
That's nothing to be happy about.
Whether it's the cleanup hitter or the ninth batter, he always takes it one out at a time;
he gets his three outs without worrying about the bases.
Yeah.
It doesn't matter how many get on base, the opponent can't score if no one gets past third.
He's the kind of pitcher that keeps the team steady even when it's in a pinch;
that's the kind of quality that would rank him pretty high as a pitcher.
Of course it is;
how else would you explain Coach Daimon?
Kurokoma Vocational's not the type of team you could beat by dumb luck, you know.
Probably not.
He's stranded ten runners on base up until the fifth inning.
Strike three!
Huh?
And that makes it eleven.
They've been swinging at bad pitches since the last inning, haven't they?
Constantly leaving runners stranded must be putting pressure on them.
That's one out.
But then again...
Strike three!
And he's struck out looking!
Wouldn't you say that having no hits and no runs would also put pressure on a team?
Strike three!
That's three outs from three consecutive strikeouts!
He's quite a big deal.
I know.
M-Miki...
This is an amazing white-knuckle game, wouldn't you say?
Y-Yeah, it sure is.
Strike three!
Any objections?
Oh, no.
Nice ball.
Azuma again hit a one out double in this inning,
but Miki stood tall, and no runs score.
At the end of the seventh of the inning, the score remains 0-0.
Either team has yet to score.
He actually pitched against you, too, huh?
Yeah, he located his pitches to spots where I couldn't possibly hit a home run from.
He's got great ball control when he actually pitches at you.
Plus he seems to have his facts rights against our team.
One thing he may not realize, though,
is that we have Aoba Tsukishima within the ranks of our 11th graders.
Strike three!
Three outs!
Seishu has allowed no hits this inning as well;
Tokyo Sena High has yet to land a single hit against Ko Kitamura through eight innings.
M-Miki.
A no hitter is useless if your team's still tied at the end.
On the other hand, Seishu Academy has been unable to plate any runs
even as they manage to get on base every inning.
Batting seventh: Ehara (2B).
We four 11th graders have racked up twelve outs between us so far.
Especially when they've been scoring opportunities.
Damn it, just don't forget
that there's someone who's more frustrated than all of us!
This at-bat's got a lot of determination behind it, doesn't it?
Getting hits in this game wouldn't be so hard if you could actually get somewhere by being determined.
Get past him!
All right!
God must have been keeping count of the number of times he's been swinging everyday.
Of course he has.
And Hama, the eight batter, sacrifices him to second!
All right, keep it coming, Yashiro!
Is it just me or do I hear someone noisy?
Let's go, keep this up!
Batting ninth: Yashiro (LF).
Grats, Yashiro.
I heard there was fierce competition for the left fielder's position.
Tsukishima!
Strike!
He's a little too determined there.
What's this?
The ball scraped the side of his uniform!
He's been hit by a pitch.
Miki's in a jam now, with runners on first and second and only one out.
Good job, 11th graders.
Now leave the rest to moi.
Strike three!
He's struck out!
He's Miki's favorite type of batter.
You got that right.
Batting second: Mitani (CF).
Follow through on the first pitch. Follow through on the first pitch.
What was he muttering about on his way to the plate?
Oh.
Two outs, huh?
Maybe we should go for the record of most runners left stranded on base—
He said, "follow through—
"on the first pitch!"
What he said.
Home run!
And Seishu scores three runs all at once in the bottom of the eighth!
It's an all too painful sight for Sena, as Mitani heads home.
A product of the 11th graders' tenacity, I should say.
No one would ever have to practice if you could hit home runs by being tenacious.
You're right.
I haven't been keeping count since I'm not God,
but he's probably the guy who's swung his bat the most
Tsukishima!
since I signed up as coach.
Get back to the bench already!
Was that a careless pitch?
If you look only at the result, it was.
Don't let your guard down.
This team isn't dead yet.
Yeah.
But a three run deficit proved to be too big for them.
I was in top form that day,
and it didn't seem like I'd give up any hits at all.
Until the last batter, that is.
Was that a careless pitch?
It was, if you only look at the result.
I guess that's what's scary about baseball.
You mean what's fun about it.
Hey...
Yes, you want my autograph?
Have you seen Mishima?
He left just now.
Hooray!
Hooray! Hooray!
Three cheers for my wedding reception!
Looks like we've grown even stronger as a team.
Yeah.
But if it weren't for that last home run, he would've had a no hitter;
he missed a chance at a shutout, too.
Does it really matter?
I doubt anyone's blaming our ace for that.
You idiot.
Except for one.
I was always an idiot to begin with.
I've been throwing fast in today's game even though I didn't put as much power into it.
Did I do anything different?
I wouldn't know.
After all, I've never thrown a ball as fast as you.
Kitamura's at a loss, isn't he?
He always tries so hard when no one's looking,
but no one seems to be able to tell that he is.
Next time, on Cross Game Episode Forty-Five:
I'm the one who's saying that now!
I always give my best on each play!