The Old Baseball Player System

The rest of the game between Tsubasa and Seiryu was a solo showcase by Seiryu Junior High's ace, Kaito Ogawa. In addition to his impressive 140 km/h four-seam fastball, Kaito had two other incredible pitches: a highly effective curveball and a dangerous changeup. Using this combination of three pitches, Kaito threw six shutout innings until Seiryu's batters scored the tenth run, ending the game via the mercy rule.

With a final score of 10-0, Seiryu Junior High School also advanced to the quarterfinals of the Kanto Tournament. This meant that Shoto Junior High's next opponent was decided. Shoto's players in the stands began discussing the game as soon as it ended. It was clear to everyone that the quarterfinals wouldn't be as easy as the first round, so they were all brainstorming ways to counter Seiryu's ace.

"Senpai? Are you okay?" - Jiro approached Shun and asked. Normally, Shun would be the one leading these discussions, but for some reason, he seemed distracted, staring silently at the empty field.

"Huh? Yeah, I think I'm just a bit tired haha! Coach, can I go take a nap on the bus?" - Shun said with a laugh, turning to Coach Yamada to ask for permission to rest on the bus. Well, he wasn't actually tired, but... he had other reasons to "nap" now.

"Alright, rest up and make sure you're back in time for lunch." - Coach Yamada was slightly surprised by Shun's request but quickly agreed. After all, there was no harm in letting the boy rest on the bus, especially since their next game wouldn't be until after lunch.

"Will do, hehe! Hey, Ren, want to join me?" - Shun turned to the young samurai and asked. Shun knew that, unlike him, Ren was someone who truly needed some sleep after his sleepless night.

"Oh, good idea!" - Ren quickly stood and agreed. Even though he hadn't shown it, he was definitely feeling tired, and a nap would do him good.

"Shun, I'll transfer the recording of Seiryu's game to your phone so you can review it after your nap." - Shimizu said before the two boys could leave. She also found it strange that Shun wanted to sleep now, as he was usually the most focused on preparing for the next opponent. However, she trusted that he was genuinely tired.

"Thanks!" - Shun smiled and gave her a thumbs up. He then turned and began walking with Ren toward the stadium parking lot to nap on Shoto's bus.

The two friends quickly reached the bus. Shun entered first and went straight to the back, with Ren following close behind.

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"Hey, man—" - Ren started, intending to strike up a conversation, but when he saw Shun throw himself onto the bus seat and immediately begin snoring, he could only stare in disbelief. What kind of person could fall asleep that quickly?

Ren shook his head. Since Shun was already asleep, he chose a good spot for himself, lay down, and closed his eyes. Of course, unlike Shun, he didn't have a system that helped him fall asleep instantly. But after lying still and quiet for a while, his fatigue caught up with him, and he soon drifted off.

---

Meanwhile, Shun, who had "fallen asleep" instantly, was far from actually sleeping. Instead, he now stood in a large, empty stadium with three transparent screens in front of him. Without wasting a moment, Shun entered the training center of the arena. As soon as he saw the ghostly silhouette of the old man, he spoke.

"Enter review mode, please," - Shun said hurriedly.

"Hahaha, so you noticed too, kid!" - The old man laughed enthusiastically. Just as he finished speaking, a notification from the system echoed in Shun's mind.

[Review Mode activated.]

[Displaying game: Tsubasa Middle School × Seiryu Junior High School.]

As soon as the system notification sounded, Shun found himself in the bullpen of the training center, with a hologram of Seiryu's ace, Kaito Ogawa, on the mound. Shun had the perspective of the batter's box, watching intently as Seiryu's ace began pitching. In fact, his focus was almost entirely on Kaito's glove.

One pitch, two pitches, ten pitches... Shun carefully studied all the nearly 80 pitches Kaito had thrown during the game against Tsubasa. He closely analyzed the trajectory and movement of all three of Kaito's pitches. However, what Shun paid the most attention to was Kaito's pitching mechanics, specifically, the preparations he made before each pitch.

"He's tipping his pitches with his glove." - Shun said confidently, looking at the ghostly silhouette of the old man.

"Hahaha, not bad, kid! You're right, he's tipping his pitches. But it's so obvious, you took too long to notice..." - The old man replied with a playful and amused smile. Shun didn't seem bothered by the old man's teasing, as his mind was consumed by what he had just uncovered.

When Kaito positioned himself on the mound, he would step up and align his body parallel to the pitcher's rubber. He would then raise his glove to chest height and place the ball and his pitching hand inside the glove to adjust his grip for the upcoming pitch. It was during this moment that Shun identified a tell that revealed what pitch was coming.

Whenever Kaito placed the ball in his glove, he adjusted it to achieve the correct grip for the pitch he intended to throw. This act of adjusting the ball caused slight movements in his glove, which was normal. However, the problem Shun identified was that Kaito didn't adjust his grip every time. Specifically, whenever Kaito threw a fastball, he already had the grip ready before placing the ball in the glove, resulting in no movement at all.

This meant that Shun, or anyone armed with this information, could determine what pitch was coming while in the batter's box. If Kaito's glove didn't move, it would be a fastball. If it did, it would be one of his secondary pitches. For any batter, this information was immensely helpful. But for great batters, it was practically a guarantee that some balls would be launched off their bats.