In the baseball serial on Kakuyomu, the protagonist faces the fourth inning during the season finale against the Penguins at Jingu Stadium, where an extra-base hit ends a long-running hitless streak.
Jingu Stadium Season Finale Underway
The matchup marks the final game of the regular season for the Penguins at Jingu Stadium, where the protagonist took the mound as the scheduled starting pitcher. Operating under manager Date’s instructions to break the opposing hitters’ confidence ahead of the upcoming first stage of the postseason, the pitcher allowed a fly out to the first batter, then struck out the next eight batters—including third-hitter Kinyshima—consecutively. The stretch included an immaculate inning in the second frame, lowering pitch counts and fueling expectations for a potential perfect game or a new strikeout record before the fourth-inning disruption.
Fourth-Inning Breakthrough by Kinyshima
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Kinyshima capitalized on a circle changeup, driving the ball cleanly into the left-center gap for a standing double. The hit brought an immediate end to the pitcher’s hitless streak, which had persisted since the late stages of the first half of the season.
Reflecting on the sequence from the dugout, the pitcher noted that the prolonged passive approach by the Penguins’ hitters had created an overly repetitive pitching pattern. While Kinyshima celebrated the extra-base hit with a light fist pump toward the bench, the pitcher managed to escape further damage by striking out the ensuing foreign cleanup hitter with an elevated fastball.
Pitcher Agrees to Aggressive Zone Attack Strategy
Following the fourth-inning exit, the pitcher conferred with catcher Bessho in the dugout regarding the Penguins’ offensive strategy. Bessho suggested that the opponent’s prolonged wait-pitches, frequent bunt stances, and base-runner checks were methodical attempts to drain the pitcher’s stamina and exploit any lapses in concentration.
Acknowledging that mid-game focus remains an area requiring urgent personal improvement, the pitcher agreed to maintain the aggressive zone-attack philosophy rather than nibble at the corners and play into the batter’s hands. With the postseason stage looming, the battery resolved to lean into fastballs and challenge the Penguins’ hitters directly through the remainder of the contest.
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