Naoki didn't have much luck either, falling victim to the new and improved pitching from the talented 1st year pitcher.
Judging from Coach Goto's expression, it could be seen that he was also surprised and impressed with the changes in Kazuhiro. Originally he had faith that he would be able to keep the Yokohama batters at bay, however he was judging their skills from the friendly match.
The fact was, Yokohama had improved exponentially in the short span of 3 months. From an outsiders perspective it was mind boggling to see such improvement after even a year, yet these kids had outdone his wildest expectations.
Coach Goto thought it was particularly so for both Hiroki and Ken, who despite being the best players on the team last time, had the most growth.
His confidence was shaken when the two had produced home runs against Kazuhiro, making it look effortless.
But now it was different.
"You're pitching well Kazu." He said, placing a hand on his left shoulder.
"Thank you coach. I feel like I can improve if I keep facing them…"
Kazuhiro gazed down at his right hand, as if it had all of the answers he was searching for.
Coach Goto smiled genuinely, feeling a sense of warmth as he looked upon his pupil. Yet there was a hint of bitterness that reared its head when he thought of the other star on his team.
Without a word, he turned and glanced at Carlos on the end of the bench, isolated from everybody. He felt his heart ache a little.
'I'm sorry I failed you.' He said inwardly.
It was now Shuei's turn to bat at the bottom of the 4th innings with the score still at 5-1.
Before the batter went onto the field, the coach stopped him and turned to the team. Everyone quickly focused their attention onto the coach, all but one person.
"I need you to do one thing in the remaining 5 innings, and that is to try your best to get onto base. Bunts, singles, walks, I don't care how ugly it is, this is our only chance at overcoming the lead."
The coach's words were calm and even as he surveyed his team, yet there was a sense of urgency in his tone that was instilled into the psyche of those who listened.
Coach Goto never raised his voice, nor did he ever show much outward emotion. His face was always adorned with a soft smile, making him feel nice and approachable, not something you'd usually expect from a coach.
Yet his passion and love for coaching and knowledge of the game were so much that it motivated his players to train hard in order to succeed.
"We need to trust each other. Get on base so your teammate can follow up and do the same. Put us in a position to score, even if it's just 1 run at a time…"
"Can you do that?"
"Yes coach!"
The teens answered with gusto, feeling their morale begin to soar.
With that, the two next batters walked on the field, ready to give it their all.
Coach Goto nodded, feeling a sense of pride swell. While everyone was looking at the game, he made his way over to the end of the bench and gazed at the star player.
"Carlos, we'll get players on base this game so I just need you to hit it big."
Carlos raised his head, an expression of skepticism painted on his features.
"Yeah right. Those guys won't be able to hit those pitches." He remarked with a scoff.
The coach wasn't at all surprised by his response, yet he didn't let it effect him, choosing to turn his back and gaze out at the field.
"It might not be this innings, but I guarantee you'll get a shot to turn things around in this game."
The words were spoken as if he already knew what would happen in the future. He then walked away, leaving Carlos who watched his retreating figure.
"Tch, I'll believe it when I see it."
Carlos had been let down too many times when it mattered by his so called teammates. So much so that he had lost all faith in their abilities, prioritizing his own growth and ideals as a result.
He looked towards Ken on the mound and mused, "Maybe if I had teammates like that guy…"
However, he didn't know that Yokohama was not the same team as before. They were elevated and changed by the very person that he was envious of, improving by following his example.
That was how a true star player shined.
'Hmm? These guys look energized…' Yuta thought, seeing the tense body of the batter at the plate. He could tell with one look that the guy was going to swing big, no matter what.
With a small smile creeping onto his face, he did what he hadn't done yet in this game, call for a ball.
Ken saw the lead and was a little confused, but he still decided to do as was instructed. He began the innings with a fastball outside of the strike zone with his usual pace, only to see the batter swing and miss with his full might.
'Looks like Yuta noticed that they're getting desperate.' He thought, raising his glove to catch the ball thrown back to him.
The next ball was similar, yet still a ball.
"Strike."
This time the batter almost fell on his backside with how hard he had swung at the ball. Every batter knew how jarring it felt to send a full swing, only to hit nothing but air.
"Strike two."
Visible frustration that bordered on desperation appeared on the batters face as he stood back up and turned to Ken on the mound.
Unperturbed by the display of the batter, Ken calmly looked at Yuta's lead and couldn't help but admonish him in his heart.
'This guy is so savage on the field.' He thought, doing his best not to chuckle.