Last episode saw Tosei finally catching up with Nishiura with a score of 2-2. However, a side that is as technical and calm like Tosei will not allow the momentum to cease. It will just continue its relentless effort to gain the lead for the first time in the game. As Mihashi struck out two people, there is still one more batter to go onto the field before the seventh inning. Will the inexperienced and physically drained Mihashi manage to survive the onslaught?
Or will Tosei’s relentless pressure cause Mihashi or Nishiura to make a mistake and gain another point? To add, never discount the resilience of Nishiura to regain the lead too.
Episode summary
The next batter came in, as Mihashi threw two fastballs to take a 2-0 lead. He then shot a slider for the out, with Abe impressed by Mihashi’s control. Ruri actually made a small flag to wave when Mihashi struck out his opponent, but was embarrassed about it. Eventually, she took it out, and Mihashi’s mother found it fascinating as the other mothers also wanted some flags. Ruri also had a mail that informed her that Kano was playing, while Mihashi was struck out. Abe was next, and he got a base hit, then stole a base. However, the next two batters struck out, as the advantage returned to Tosei.
Mihashi was waiting for Abe, and Abe was worried that Mihashi’s energy was getting sapped due to the rain and the exertion to his demands. Abe lamented how little the catcher can do to help the pitcher. As Abe got close, Mihashi said he wanted to win, and Abe asserted that he would depend on Mihashi for the last three innings. The first batter for the seventh inning was Junta, who was struck out by Mihashi’s fastballs. Junta was wondering about how he swung the bat too fast. The shortstop was next, as Abe wondered if Tosei stopped the strategy to wait for the curveballs.
Abe wanted to test it out, so he asked Mihashi to throw one as the shortstop hit the ball sloppily, but managed to get to first base. The right outfield, no. 9 was next, and Abe wondered if the batters would hit a curveball even if it’s out of the zone. However, he made the position for a bunt, and Mihashi threw a pitch for the bunt, and struck him out. The shortstop got to second base. Mihashi was already breathing heavily, and he did not even throw 60 pitchers yet. Abe knew he had to finish the play as soon as they could to conserve Mihashi’s energy. Tosei’s 3rd baseman, Mashiba (no.5) was next as he batted a curveball out of the zone, but Oki failed to get it before the batter ran past.
Momoe was annoyed how Tosei got first and third base even when Nishiura made no mistakes, but hoped for the best. Kawai was discussing about Mihashi’s fast pitch in the sidelines with the next batter, and the next batter said he would take note of it even though he laughed at Kawai’s comments that the fastball would float up. In the next pitch, Mihashi slipped due to the wet soil, and made a wild pitch. That allowed the third base runner to get the third point for Tosei. Mihashi and Abe were stunned with the rest of the team, and Sakaeguchi went over to check Mihashi. Mihashi was evading his eye from him, but replied that he was fine.
Abe then called a timeout, as he walked over to Mihashi. Mihashi was panicking because there was no where to hide, but Abe told him to keep his spirits up because it was not his fault. However, Mihashi was just blaming himself and was not listening to Abe telling him that he would do anything to catch his pitches. Abe then screamed at Mihashi, asking if he heard what he said, and Sakaeguchi told Abe to be softer on him. However, Mihashi regained his composure when Abe said that there was no one else but Mihashi to pitch for them now. For the next batter, they deliberately walked him to help Mihashi get back in the swing.
Mihashi’s grip recovered and Shingo was next. He made two foul balls, and Mihashi’s very fast pitch was out of the zone, creating a 2-1 situation. Shingo then made another foulball, as Abe was impressed at the extremely good control of Mihashi. On the next pitch, Shingo’s grip went off his bat as the bat flew away for a strike. The rain is becoming heavier, as Momoe was worried that the match might be called off. If so, Nishiura would lose. Mihashi said he wanted to go to the toilet for a pee, but Abe realized that Mihashi downed himself in the showers. When Abe asked for his hand grip, Mihashi no longer have any strength in his grip. Mihashi no longer has the ability to pitch.
Ruri rushed into the toilet, telling Mihashi that Kano won his match. However, the attendant caught Ruri as she was chased out. Mihashi walked out, his face completely changed. The other guys then teased him about his nickname “Rinrin”, as Tajima reached out for his hand. Mihashi’s strength in his grip suddenly returned, and Abe confirmed it. Hanai then told everyone to return as the match was resumed, as they all restored their confidence to regain their lead and they would win.
Thoughts
Wow, this is definitely a very good twist to the story. It is a complete catch up by Tosei, and eventually they did overcome the 2 point buffer that Nishiura established. I actually like how Nishiura’s lead was finally vanquished by just a single mistake from Mihashi, the last person you expect to make a mistake. In a way, I like the irony that he slipped and lost his control on his pitch, which is rather catastrophic for a pitcher who is great at control.
Also, I found Abe to be really lack of confidence sometimes. It seems like Mihashi is often depending on Abe in the pitching way, but it took me so long to realize that Abe is dependent on Mihashi mentally to survive in the pitch. Many a times, Abe tends to give up too easily, panics, and required Mihashi’s intervention somehow to regain his composure. I do not know why it took me so long to figure it out, but well, it’s better late than never?
I am also wondering about Shingo and his swings. I know that a foul tip is not considered a strikeout if he already has two strikes. I do wonder if he is really holding out to make Mihashi pitch more so that he is tiring, or it is simply the tactic to wait for a curveball. I mean, it’s pretty obvious that Mihashi would not hit a curveball since he batted it successfully twice.. It’s a bit of a confusion for me, but I guess it’s merely circumstances, and that Mihashi’s fastball is not exactly the most usual ball you will hit.
One more thing is the grip. Is it that possible that Mihashi is inspired by Kano. I guess Kano does look to Mihashi as a competitor, and it’s perhaps a shot in the chest for Mihashi when he realized that Kano is actually winning (I mean won) his game. It is definitely great to see Mihashi really pumped up after hearing the news, or is it the Rinrin name that cheered him up. One last word: Ruri is really very darn cute in that dress she wore.
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11 Comments
Ruri called Mihashi “Renren,” which is a cute play on his name, “Ren.” I think he got pumped up because Kano won, and he and Kano made a promise to play again. Maybe he realized that they do have a chance to going up against each other in the tourney in the future, if they keep on winning, so he needs to win? I dunno, though.
Renren can be written with kanji for love/koi twice (koi-koi), which is why the others were laughing at his nickname.
I agree with Keh that it’s his promise with Kanou kept him pumped. Kanou is his BFF (you might want to check early vols’ omakes if you haven’t already) and Mihashi is very competitive despite his look and behavior.
Abe lacking confidence? I don’t realize this, which scenes?
@Keh: Arr, yes, I guess that is probably it in which sports is more of a mental rather than physical game once you get to the competition. In a way, the driving force for sportsman is a goal to move forward. In this case, it is probably Kano, and I think Mihashi wants to have a replay with Kano to make sure that they compete on truly equal grounds.
In a way, I can understand that because i used to be a national sportsman, and when I think I will win, I tend to overcome the physical exertion stage.
@Anon: @_@ OHHHH, thanks for that information. I was wondering what is so funny about it. BFF (???) and Mihashi is competitive? Wow, I am quite surprised to be honest because he often looks like he lacks confidence. However, his persistence to win and overcome obstacles does show his competitiveness. He feels low about himself, but that doesn’t mean he does not try to work. In fact, he works harder. Nice observation, Anon.
Abe seems to lack confidence very often for me in terms of thinking a bit too negatively into things. Maybe it can be seen as concern, but like when they got caught up, Mihashi is the one that went all hyped up while Abe is the one being led mentally.
@Impz: BFF stands for Best Friends Forever (used a lot in celebs gossip column *sweat*). In vol 2 omake and based on Ruri’s comment, Mihashi and Kanou have been friends from elementary school. Kanou lives across/next to Mihashi’s granfather/Ruri’s place in Gunma, so they played together whenever Mihashi visited his grandfather. They were on first name basis before entering Mihoshi. (BTW, Ruri disliked Kanou before they entered Mihoshi, I don’t know how their relationship stands now).
Mihashi monopolized pitcher position, pushing Kanou aside (even though they are BFF) says a lot about Mihashi’s competitiveness. Honestly, I think Kanou is more of a puzzle, for someone so agressive outside the field (such as kicking Hatake), he actually was comfortable being in Mihashi’s shadow that their relationship didn’t break apart in Mihoshi (referring to Hatake’s comment at the end of Mihoshi’s match).
I confirmed Mihashi and Kanou as BFF and Mihashi’s competitiveness only after reading later chapters, so perhaps I should not say more. Some Oofuri personalities and relationships are hinted a bit here a bit there, so it takes quite a while to get the whole pictures (it makes backtracking fun though).
About Abe – I feel Abe and Kawai have the same trait there – overly careful. Perhaps more so for Abe, since when he was overconfident, he was served with a homerun in Mihoshi’s match (Abe mutters “should not be overconfident” a lot). Since Abe and Kawai are clearly very good catchers, I tend to think that all good catchers are overly careful… perhaps since baseball is a low-scoring sport (i.e. even one run is relatively hard to earn) catchers play rather protectively and focus their effort on avoiding worst-case scenarios.
Abe may also be being overly cautious because it’s Tosei, and they’re really in a tight spot because Tosei’s been catching up so fast. He also needs to be very careful about exerting Mihashi too much — if I recall, in the past episodes, he tried to get Mihashi to stop batting (but we all know how Mihashi is with persistence and tenacity XD).
I think Kanou didn’t mind being in the shadow because he really knew that Mihashi was good at it? For all his issues, Kanou’s a great friend and a good sportsman. And, Mihashi’s always seemed competitive to me. Mihoshi is a touchy subject, and I think that his lack of competitiveness at the start of the Mihoshi game doesn’t count because he was freaked out by then. (Later on, he shaped up nicely, though.) His tenacity towards the mound is also already indicative of his competitiveness.
@Anon: Man, when life owns you, you cannot even properly reply to people who make a good reply ;_;
BFF just sounds a little dirty at times, and I do not even know why but it just feels that way. Ehh, Ruri disliked Kanou? It does not really seem to be the case since Ruri seems to be rather fine with it.
Well, in a way, I can understand that Kanou is the type that is competitive, but always backs down if there is someone better than him. You can be competitive, but you can also be recognizing that you have a pitcher that is better than you. Kanou’s view during the practice match should tell you that Kanou firmly believes that Mihashi is better than him and wants to prove himself.
I guess catchers have to be careful as pitchers are somewhat dependent on their hints and signs and signals in order to play a perfect game. I do get your point though, and perhaps that is a characteristic of a catcher, to cover all grounds.
@Keh: Ya. i think the very fact that he has to return back to the place where he was unwanted hinders his confidence. However, as the game played on and he did well, you can see his competitiveness kick into play.
I believe that the earlier exertions by Mihashi (falling, batting etc) have caused him to drain out so fast. If he had relaxed a little, he would not tire out so easily.
@Impz: Ruri and Kanou: Kanou was an annoying brat in elementary school, hated by all girls apparently.
Impz commented:
It’s more like Mihashi is running a fever. The team were trying to cool him down in an earlier episode and in Episode 20, he was sitting under the running shower to cool down. Mihashi, for all his insecurities and lack of confidence, is really a gutsy fighter.
@Anon: WHAT? I cannot tell at all. Kanou looks so nice, actually X_X
@Legonsh: Oh, I thought he was suffering from a cold, simply because he had a cold bout from the amount of rain he contacted. He does not strike me as the type of guy who is very resilient toward illness, but way too resilient mentally. Well, I am currently writing the entry for Ookiku Furikabutte 21, so be back later!
If you look at the episode carefully, you’ll notice that Mihashi’s blushing way more than usual. He also had a nosebleed from exerting himself even while feverish. It’s all quite cute and distressing at the same time.
XD As for Kanou being hated by girls — it’s in the omake for volume two, I think. When Mihashi was being dropped off at school, he didn’t want to leave and Ruri was trying to get him to get out of the car. And then Kanou came around and there was the caption there. Ruri was glaring at him, too, but Kanou only had eyes for Mihashi and Kanou just completely ignored her and got Mihashi to come out. It was funny to read.
@Impz: Kanou must have had his rebellious phase early XD. Usually, kids start to act up during adolescence, 2-3 years and most of them will calm down. So, I’m not surprised now he is nice and friendly.