Now then.
Let's see that 150km/h everyone's been talking about.
Strike three!
T-That's three strikeouts.
There it goes!
It sails over the top of the right field stands!
Azuma hits his second consecutive home run following the one he had in his last at bat of his prior game!
Coach.
Could you let me stand in the first base coach's box when we're batting again?
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
Batting fourth, first baseman, Azuma.
We're going for it, aren't we?
Of course we are.
We have two outs with no runners on base.
Besides, Matsushima is our ace, you know.
I was just curious, sorry.
Why don't you offer him your special "service"
to commemorate the fact that he hit a home run off you in his first at-bat against you?
My service?
A lefty versus a lefty.
He won't be able to stand so tall
if you brush him back with one of your borderline sliders.
I'm the only one who's been able to hit that slider off you.
I was going easy on you.
I'll take your word on it.
There's no need to go easy on him;
I wouldn't mind too much if you actually managed to hit him too.
Okay.
Yeah, that's the pitch I was talking about!
A double after a home run, huh?
Matsushima sure is getting smacked around, isn't he?
We've got two outs;
all we need to do is get the next batter.
Looks like the "silent ace" got a little shaken up there.
Their ace might just be a little shaken up,
but their clean-up hitter's been blown out of his mind.
That's three outs, Shimano.
I'll head on over to the first base coach's box, then.
S-Sure.
You seem bored.
Just a little.
But I'm not as bored as I was before the game.
I see.
That's good to hear.
And Kitamura gets two outs from the top of the batting order again!
Next up is Shimano!
Azuma, the other clean-up hitter and first baseman in the game, has already had two good at bats!
That's got to be getting to him by now!
You better hold him down!
It's belted high to the right!
Slug it out, Shimano!
This one, too!
Foul!
He's really staring me down.
Shimano! Shimano!
That means he'll probably swing no matter what I throw at him!
And the catcher misses it!
Run, Shimano!
And he runs for it!
Shimano, the clean-up hitter, has reached on a strikeout!
What?
Nothing.
Sorry, I threw that one too high.
It wasn't anything the mitt couldn't reach, though.
If you want to apologize for something, you should apologize for the speed.
Huh?
We haven't practiced pitches like that before.
That high cheese you just threw is the fastest pitch you've thrown so far.
Really?
Foul!
He sure is hanging on;
no wonder he's the second-best hitter on the team.
But still...
Strike three!
And the batter looks helplessly as the ball breaks inside.
what superb control and speed!
How many pitchers in the whole country can put up a solid performance like this against Ryuou?
That's three outs, Shimano.
Damn it!
Could you be a little more tactful?
You are Ryuou's cleanup hitter, after all.
What did you say?
Come on, don't push him like that!
I'm sorry.
I can't help myself when I'm having so much fun.
You find this game fun ?
Yes.
This is turning into another pitching duel.
How can you be so calm about this?
He's struck out eight in five innings against Ryuou's lineup!
He's given up just two infield hits so far,
and hasn't walked anyone.
And we haven't hit the ball into the outfield yet.
Can you believe this?
That rude, half-assed, slow-waking, messy room-having,
insensitive punk who wears shirts with holes in them like it's nothing is—
Yeah.
Ko sure is a cool guy, isn't he?
I was just complimenting his pitching.
Aren't you Aoba Tsukishima?
I'm Tsuchida from Shimura Commerce.
I've actually had a crush on you for the longest time;
please read this.
Likewise, my name is Omura; please read mine, too.
What the hell are you fools thinking?
Do you not realize where you are?
I'm going to slap you both all the way downtown if you keep up this crap!
Get lost already!
We're sorry!
Come on, calm down.
Strike three!
That's his ninth strikeout.
Strike three!
All right!
Amazing!
Seishu Academy's Ko Kitamura
has just gotten his tenth strikeout in just six innings against Ryuou!
Is this fun?
Is this game fun to you?
Third batter: third baseman, Nakanishi.
Slug it out, Nakanishi!
I can't just sit and let Azuma take all the glory!
You're out!
Huh?
Fourth batter: first baseman, Azuma.
He's telling him to hit him, right?
Yeah, probably.
He did get a clean hit off that slider on his last at-bat despite it breaking in so close.
Besides, he probably doesn't have enough control to brush him back without actually hitting the guy.
Slug it out, Azuma!
Oikawa!
Ball.
I guess he saw that coming.
Hitting him won't be so easy now.
Oikawa!
Don't you walk him, Matsushima!
What a disaster this has become!
Shimano will be unable to return after being pulled because of injury!
It looks like he's fractured one of his left fingers.
And to replace the injured Shimano,
Mishima enters the game as first baseman.
Don't you usually play third base?
I'm not in the first-string.
I just fill in wherever I'm needed.
I really wonder who got the worst with this substitution.
Who knows.
And Seishu Academy is unable to bring Azuma home from second base.
At the bottom of the seventh inning, the score still stands at one to nothing.
I guess I better start warming up.
The problem with Matsushima is his stamina;
he won't last nine innings unless he stops being such a picky eater.
At the bottom of the seventh,
Ryuou will be led by eleventh grader Keitaro Mishima,
who replaced the injured Mishima at first base.
Ball!
There's not much information that is known about Mishima,
but according to reporters,
Mishima apparently showed signs of discomfort every time someone even mentioned his name.
After many frustrating attempts by his teammates against Ko Kitamura,
Keitaro Mishima brings the game back to square one with just one swing.
Was this the talent that the now-injured Shimano was so afraid of?
What did you say!?
If that's the case, you've been very petty;
I'm talking to you, Tadashi Shimano!
Come on, calm down, Shimano!
Hey, turn off the radio!
Angry?
Not really.
You haven't let it in to vain.
I'm talking about the home run I hit.
You're putting up a good game.
Enjoy yourself.
Ko sure is amazing.
He just gave up a home run!
A tying home run!
Enjoy the game.
He just wouldn't do it no matter how many times I told him.
I'm talking about that hard-headed brother of mine.
He got three outs in just five pitches after the home run.
By having Ko pitch to contact, he's getting out the batters that'll probably land a hit;
that's some cool leading from Akaishi.
We'll have to consider the possibility of extra innings since we've come this far.
Foul!
You're out!
He sure is giving up a lot of fouls for pitching to contact.
And this is to the bottom of their lineup, too.
You're like the polar opposite of our "silent ace", aren't you?
You're out!
Strike three!
The problem will be the ninth inning.
Especially since their cleanup hitter will be batting.
Looks like calculating isn't your forte, Mr. "Chatterbox Ace".
We're leading off with our second batter,
while they'll be starting with their first.
Oh their batting order will come around...
Didn't I just tell you that they're—
And that's a single to center!
Not!
... to their cleanup batter.
And he's laid down a sacrifice bunt!
Third batter: third baseman, Nakanishi.
Slug one out for me this time, okay?
You bet!
Foul!
Strike!
And he strikes out swinging!
He's swung on a high fastball!
That was a good pitch.
If he was actually aiming, it was.
Change pitchers!
Announcing a substitution for Ryuou Academy:
Matsushima, the pitcher, will be replaced by Oikawa.
I guess we finally managed to bring together
Ryuou Academy's best players, Mishima.
Any complaints?
None, sir.
The fact that I had to strike out a batter with high pitches
when I usually throw low balls, means that my form's been broken.
Even with the two pitches before that,
I was going for a strike followed by a ball,
but I couldn't quite pull off the changeup.
As expected from the "silent ace".
You sure are composed about this.
You don't have to justify your decision to me;
I know very well how much you trust Oikawa.
That's very composed of you.
Fourth batter: first baseman, Azuma.
What's this?
The catcher's standing up?
Duh.
And Oikawa walks Azuma!
Seishu now has two outs and two on as their fifth batter, Akaishi, steps into the batter's box!
I wouldn't mind playing extra innings, Akaishi.
No, let's end this in the ninth.
And he strikes out with two runners on!
The only way we could end this in the ninth now is a walk-off loss, Akaishi.
All right!
He still looks energetic.
I won't get my chance to shine unless he holds out a little longer.
Didn't you say it yourself that the ninth inning will decide this game?
We'll finish it here.
At the bottom of the ninth inning,
Ryuou will lead off with the second batter and second baseman, Saito.
Starting from the second batter, huh?
That means the order will come around to that cleanup hitter.
He'll hold him down this time.
There's also the option of walking him like that pitcher did just now.
He'll hold him down, this time.
You're out!
I guess he can't keep up that fine control forever after all.
His pitches have been getting faster and hitting harder, though.
Ball four!
A-All right, this is our chance!
He's switched gears for his showdown with the cleanup hitter, eh?
Fourth batter: first baseman, Mishima.
Strike!
Ball!
That was fast...
Who on earth is that pitcher?
Holy crap.
He's really enjoying this.
I'd forgotten...
that the batter's box could be this exciting!
Ko Kitamura, eh?
We're finally in extra innings.
Their pitcher's still at full strength,
but I know you can keep throwing, even if it's the tenth or twentieth inning!
I'd say twenty innings is a bit too much...
Hey, you want to try winning the national championships, too?
Come on, why couldn't you get that ball just now?
Don't tell me...
Next time, on Cross Game Episode Twenty-Nine:
As if!?
All right, I got it!