And here it is!
The cleanup hitter, Azuma, belts it out!
Seishu Academy has just gotten a valuable insurance run.
And that wraps up the game!
Seishu wins it by two!
They now advance to the semifinals.
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
That's amazing.
You're one of the last four schools left in this tournament, out of the many that have participated.
And we'll be written off as just "participants" unless we make it through to the top.
Although it's all news to me since,
unlike you, I don't really know baseball or how amazing Kitamura really is.
He's not the only amazing guy on our team.
Right, Captain?
No, he's the only amazing one.
We were able to remove the Daimon faction,
keep Azuma as a member of the team,
and bring Nakanishi back to the baseball team
all thanks to Ko Kitamura.
T-Then I'm the one you should be thanking.
The reason why he became a pitcher was because he...
Yeah, because he looked up to you.
He's the one guy who knows exactly how amazing you are and how hard you train.
He only says that he does.
Sorry.
I tried really hard to tell them about how great you are,
but it seems like they got nothing out of it.
N-Now that you've brought it up,
what's he doing?
Why isn't he here?
Who knows.
I asked if he wanted to come with me after the game.
He called not too long ago.
He told me to hurry up and get better,
because he doesn't want to see me in a hospital.
So we promised that we'd go out on a date outside
after you guys reach the final round.
O-Oh, I see.
I guess he's right.
I guess it's sort of a nuisance when you have people around bothering you, huh?
Oh no, not at all.
I'm glad I got to see you, Akaishi.
I'm not lying.
We should get going then, Tsukishima.
Yeah.
Oh yeah, did you get the results of your test yet?
Yeah.
They're going to need to run another test.
Run more?
It didn't come out very good, I think.
I might even end up getting surgery.
I only answered because you asked, Akaishi.
It'd be my fault if you were to start playing badly now, right Akaishi?
Yeah.
But I won't let that happen.
Let's go, Tsukishima.
Guys are great, aren't they?
Aren't you worried about her?
No.
I'd be worrying from dusk till dawn for days on end if worrying could cure people.
Even to the point of giving up on the Koshien?
Yeah.
We'd be able to live happily even if I wasn't able to go to the Koshien.
Just like your brother.
Junpei's marriage depends on whether we make it to the Koshien, you know.
You idiot.
Don't take Ichiyo lightly.
I wonder what you'd become.
I can't wait to see what kind of an adult you become, Ko.
You shouldn't die, right?
At least not before your parents.
Look, Azuma!
I found a four-leaf clover!
Now that doesn't happen every day.
You wouldn't normally call an ambulance when you're hospitalized, would you?
Isn't it a little hard to fall asleep?
That's just how it is during a Japanese summer.
Not a fan of summer?
I would like it more if it wasn't for that summer.
It's not summer's fault.
Yeah.
You're right.
Say, Ko,
everyone's free to like whomever they choose, aren't they?
Yeah, probably.
I didn't think he was this cold-hearted.
Just showing up for a little bit at the hospital wouldn't have hurt.
That just means he understands.
He knows that there are some things you can do something about, and others you have no control over.
But you know that already.
Hey, Aoba?
Could you come pitch for the batters?
Coming!
You're forcing it too much, Akaishi.
Yes, sir!
Sandlot baseball's the best kind of baseball, isn't it, Nakanishi?
Let's go back to having fun playing sandlot baseball once we're done with high school baseball.
I don't know,
but I'm not sure the world will let you do that.
Keep trying for the 160km/h, Ko.
That way no one would have anything to say against you.
Say what against me?
This is the data we have on tomorrow's opponents, Nisikura.
3-2.
5-4.
2-1.
3-2.
4-3?
Wait, this team's beaten each of its opponents by a single run?
Yes.
I'm getting a bad feeling about this.
Teams like this usually have something up their sleeves.
Announcing substitution for Ryuou Academy:
Oikawa (P) will move to (CF),
Nishikawa (CF) will move to (RF),
Kano (RF) will return to bench,
and be replaced by Matsushima (P).
Did they say Matsushima?
That face looks like...
According to Manager's data, he's Matsushima's younger brother.
It seems he looks and pitches just like him, too.
Ryuou's got quite a bit of depth on their bench, don't they?
Enough depth to keep Oikawa in good condition ahead of the final round.
Yeah.
Oikawa's only pitched half the innings you've had to up to this point.
So what?
If you were to compare the innings we've pitched since childhood,
I wouldn't match up to him even if you were to double my share.
I see.
I guess so.
Ball four!
But Izumi Daisan's pitchers are still giving up a lot of hits, aren't they?
Why are they even bothering to walk Mishima, then?
That's not exactly true.
They avoided having the game called by walking him.
I see.
Let's go, Nakanishi, Ko.
It's time for the highly-anticipated second game of the day.
Gotcha.
Would that be all right with you?
Yes, Doctor.
We leave her in your hands.
This is Game 2 of the North Tokyo Tournament Semifinals.
Seishu Academy versus Nisikura High School.
We are now moments away from the start of the game.
It's a home run!
Seishu Academy's leadoff hitter, Senda (SS),
sends the first pitch of the game into the stands for a home run.
I'm getting a bad feeling about this.
Yet another clean hit!
But it lands almost squarely in the glove of the anticipating center fielder.
Seishu strikes first thanks to Senda's leadoff home run,
but there doesn't seem to be any signs of anxiety on the bench
as their pitcher returns to the bench after having just given up a go-ahead home run.
And with good reason.
They give up the first run
but with dogged determination they battle back and win by a run;
that is the pattern that has allowed Nisikura
to win all its previous games and advance all the way up to the semifinals today.
I'm getting a bad feeling about this.
Man, they've caught up to us already.
I wonder if they'll be all right.
That's okay.
If they lose, I get to ask Aoba to go camping with me.
At the top of the second inning.
Seishu will start with
fifth batter, Akaishi (C).
It didn't come out very good, I think.
I might even end up getting surgery.
It'd be my fault if you were to start playing badly now, right Akaishi?
And he's done it. A home run!
Guys are great, aren't they?
They're so simple.
And it's just barely inside the left field line!
Kitamura tries to stretch it to a double!
But the fielder throws a strike and Kitamura is tagged out!
Here comes two consecutive home runs!
Or not.
Strike three.
That's was close.
The bases were loaded, too.
But everyone's getting decent hits.
I bet that's because this team has a good batting coach.
You're right.
I'm kidding; it's all thanks to their own individual efforts.
You're right.
Did you cut your hair?
Now we're in the double-digits for hits.
All right.
Yet we still only have two runs from the two home runs.
Yeah.
That's a line drive to the shortstop!
The runner was off on contact and tries to retreat,
but he doesn't make it!
It's a double play!
I'm getting a bad feeling about this.
We're leading, you know.
Y-You're right.
We're approaching the end of the game, trailing by one.
The tides are turning in our favor, aren't they?
Huh?
What is it?
We haven't produced a single runner since the second inning.
Strke three!
They won't able to go anywhere, even if they had all the luck in this world, unless they start getting hits.
We can't be too careless.
We're barely leading,
and the tables can turn against us at any given moment.
But they're still swinging well, aren't they?
Oh, you flatter me.
You're out!
All right, we've got two innings to go;
we're getting to your favorite part of the game, the 8th and 9th innings.
This is when we start playing our game.
Go!
Yes, sir!
But...
If we don't score a run this inning,
we'll lose the game.
I never thought that coach would be the one to get the most carried away all the way in the semifinals.
That's what he gets for not pulling a pitcher
who gives up hits at the worst possible times but somehow holds his opponent to two runs.
He's gotten the Seishu lineup all fired up.
Am I the type of pitcher who'd give up hits when the other team's fired up?
No, you're not the type of pitcher who'd break down because of a fluke or some extraordinary effort from the batter.
Neither you,
nor him.
And the game is called after eight innings!
Seishu Academy has clinched their ticket to the final round!
All right, just one more to go!
Seishu progresses to the final round after an 8-1 victory over Nisikura High School.
Oh well, I guess camping will have to wait until after the final round.
They'll be at the Koshien after the final round!
Hooray!
She fell asleep?
Yeah, as soon as the game ended.
I see.
Tsukishima?
Yes?
Go take the winning ball from our semifinal win to Akane.
I'll see that she gets it.
Hey, I thought you didn't want to see her while she was hospitalized?
I would have pitched a perfect game if it weren't for the second inning this time.
I'm going to go brag to her.
Take him to the hospital, then, Tsukishima.
You know where it is, don't you?
I'd just get in the way if I went with you, wouldn't I?
That's right.
You'd get in the way.
I'm off, then.
So they really do use hard balls.
Ow...
What are you doing?
It's so hard.
So this is what Aoba got hit by.
Yeah, off Azuma's bat.
But is it really okay for me to have something important like this?
It's a present from today's hero Akaishi, who hit two home runs today.
I see.
Akaishi was amazing today, wasn't he?
Even the commentator on TV was raving about him;
he said Akaishi was either the best or second best catcher in this tournament.
He's the best.
There's no doubt about it.
As are you, right, Kitamura?
I bet every team thinks that way,
at least until they lose.
So, when is it?
When's what?
Your surgery.
It's on the day of the final.
My surgery.
I had a feeling that it might be.
You like Akane, don't you?
Yeah.
Who do you like more, her or Waka?
I can't compare her to someone who's passed away.
How about if it was me or her?
Next time, on Cross Game Episode Forty-Seven:
Can I Lie to You?
Wakaba wouldn't want to keep making you cry now, would she?