I stepped up to bat and glanced towards the first base bench. As expected, the sign was for a sacrifice bunt. I squared up, ready to lay it down, while third baseman Kaku charged in aggressively, aiming to tag the runner at second.
The first pitch was a low fastball. I pulled back my bat, thinking it was outside, but the umpire called, "Strike." I was surprised; it looked like a ball to me, but a strike's a strike if the umpire says so.
The second pitch was a slider just outside. I instinctively pulled back, unable to handle it. "Ball," the umpire declared. That was a nasty pitch, and I was relieved it wasn't called a strike.
With one ball and one strike, and after two pickoff attempts, the third pitch was a high fastball. Bunting high pitches can lead to pop-ups, so I focused on getting under it.
*Knock.* The ball rolled nicely towards first base. Pitcher Takita darted off the mound, grabbed the ball, glanced at second base, then threw to first. I sprinted with everything I had, but the throw beat me by a step. "Out."
I returned to the bench, relieved to have done my job. "Nice bunt," my teammates said, clapping. Contributing to the team felt great, but the batting coach reminded me that in a squeeze play, I would have needed to put that first pitch in play no matter what.
With one out and a runner on second, Arai stepped up, returning to the top of the lineup. On the fourth pitch, he hit a ball over the second baseman's head, but right fielder Okatani made a diving catch just above the ground. Taniguchi, the runner on second, scrambled back to the bag. Tajima struck out next, ending the inning with no runs.
In the top of the fourth, Tokyo Chariots' leadoff batter Sakai was up. Sugisawa, who had kept them hitless, threw a ball that Sakai lifted into the right-field stands for a home run, putting the Chariots ahead by one. Despite the setback, Sugisawa composed himself, retiring Kaku with a short fly and striking out Duerer and Nakamoto in succession.
In the bottom of the fourth, our cleanup hitters stepped up. Tomatsu hit the first pitch down the left-field line for a double, but the next three batters struck out, ending the inning with no runs. Sugisawa retired the Chariots in order in the fifth, and no balls came my way at second base.
As the bottom of the fifth began, our lineup started with number seven, Takeshita. Before the inning, he approached Taniguchi and me. "Tani and Takashi, this inning, the three of us from the same draft year will score a run. I'll get on base no matter what, and you guys bring me home." We nodded, determined.
The pressure on Takeshita was immense. The opposing pitcher didn't want the leadoff batter to reach base. Takeshita battled until the count was full, then fouled off two pitches before hitting a forkball to center field. True to his word, he got on base and celebrated with a small fist pump.
Next up was Taniguchi. On the second pitch after a strike, Takeshita stole second. The sign was green light, meaning he could steal at his discretion. Takeshita's hard work to improve his base-stealing showed as he made it safely. With no outs and a runner on second, Taniguchi faced a one-ball, one-strike count. He hit a solid shot down the right-field line, but Okatani made a running catch. Takeshita tagged up and advanced to third.
One out, runner on third. This was a golden opportunity. I walked to the batter's box, my body trembling with nervous excitement.