Catching the ball thrown by captain Ichihei Fukushima was a little easier than Li Yuanrang imagined. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

Although compared to Yabe's pitch, Fukushima's straight ball is faster and heavier. But as long as Li Yuanrang's gloves are there, Fukushima can shoot the ball without leaving ten.

There were several balls, and Li Yuanrang caught the incoming ball directly without moving the position of the glove at all.

And this is the real weapon that Issei Fukushima, as a pitcher, can suppress opponents on the court - "ball control".

"Next up is the change ball."

Fukushima, who was on the pitcher, said in the direction of Li Yuanrang.

"It's a curveball."

Fukushima raised his right hand as he spoke, allowing Li Yuanrang to see clearly where he was holding the ball with his index and middle fingers. Then I simulated the trajectory of the curveball with my hands.

The ball was thrown, and the ball drew an arc and fell in the direction of Li Yuanrang's right hand.

Because of Fukushima's advance explanation just now, Li Yuanrang had already prepared. Caught the ball steadily.

"Next up is the slideball."

Fukushima once again showed how the fingers hold the ball and how it flies. Fukushima's slide ball was not top-notch, and it would start to turn right before it hit base. However, in the game at the college level, it can be barely used with a straight ball.

"And then the forkball."

Fukushima raised his right hand, which held the baseball between his index and middle fingers. was about to show it to Li Yuanrang.

"It's better not to let the rookie catcher catch your knuckle ball."

Not far away, Akio Yabe, who was practicing swinging his bat, shouted at this side.

"I'll just give it a try."

After saying that, Fukushima threw the ball. The ball made a change in its fall. But directly on home plate. After rebounding, it leaked between Li Yuanrang's legs.

"I'll just say it."

Yabe in the distance gloated with a grim face.

"It's good that it didn't bounce too high......"

Li Yuanrang turned around to pick up the ball with palpitations, and then threw it back to Fukushima.

The practice continued, but Fukushima no longer challenged knuckles. Other balls are no longer announced by shouting.

Instead, he raised his right hand and used the way and gestures to hold the ball to inform Li Yuanrang.

After throwing more than 20 shots, Fukushima walked down the pitcher mound and came to Lee Wonrang.

"Don't continue practicing?"

Li Yuanrang asked.

"I think it's almost time to talk to you about the code."

"Cipher?"

"It's the code between the catcher and the pitcher when pitching. You should have seen it. If you want to be a catcher, you always have to learn how to play codes. ”

Li Yuanrang still knew about the matter of the casting partner communicating through the code, but he really hadn't observed it carefully before.

"Probably?"

Li Yuanrang made a good posture of squatting and catching, and then imitated the practice of seeing other catchers before, and compared a number with his right hand.

"That's probably the case, but there are a few things to be aware of. For example, if you put your right hand in the center. That way, if there is a runner on first base, it will be seen. Place your hand on the right side so that your right leg blocks the opponent's view......"

"But in that case, wouldn't it be clear if there was a runner on third base?"

"So when you play the code, you should use your left hand to block the view in the direction of third base."

"What about second base?"

The runner on second base was directly across from the catcher, and it was difficult to prevent the other party from seeing the code anyway.

"Second base, then you can only rely on cipher encryption. Before that, let's talk about how to play the code......"

Fukushima motioned for Li Yuanrang to stand up. Then move on to the explanation.

"The most basic way to do this is to compare the numbers with your hands. For example, one finger is a straight ball, two are curved balls, three are sliders, and so on. ”

"It's just a ball, no pitching position?"

"The average amateur pitcher is like this, and the position is roughly determined by the position of the glove pendulum...... However, if necessary, you can use a code in addition to the ball to represent the pitching position. ”

Kazuhei Fukushima is still a little confident in possession, so if the catcher plays a specific position, he is also confident that he can shoot.

"However, if you divide the good ball into a nine-square grid, the fingers of one hand are not enough."

Li Yuanrang has seen the target of the baseball club's pitching practice. It is to divide the good ball into a nine-square grid for aiming. In addition to this, similar things are also seen at the percussion driving range in front of the station for enthusiasts.

"In actual combat, there won't be many people who will vote according to the nine-square grid."

Although being able to divide the good ball area into a nine-square grid is the goal of many pitchers. But very few people can actually do it.

Most pitchers can only play the ball in the outside or inside corners. A pitcher like Ichihei Fukushima, who is confident in ball control, will only agree with the catcher to score four points in the good ball area, such as high inside corner and low outside corner.

Fukushima then went on to explain the various gestures. In addition to the ball path, there are also codes such as good and bad balls, pinning down each base, or guarding against stealing bases.

And, of course, there's the way to encrypt the cipher during the game.

"If there is someone on second base, the code becomes a different set. Each team's approach is different. Like the practice of the Peace Academy, it is to turn the code into a multiplication ......"

The first time three fingers are stretched, the second time is five. The result is fifteen. In this way, the pitchers on the pitcher's mound will understand the meaning of the code according to the pre-game agreement.

"It's good that I can memorize the ninety-nine multiplication table well."

Li Yuanrang said.

"It doesn't hurt to be smart as a catcher, it's just basic. Playing with the ball is the more mind-wracking thing. ”

"Then if I'm squatting in an official game, I'll have to figure out the ball."

In the last practice match, when Lee Won rang played as a catcher, the matter of matching the ball was completely handed over to Yabe, who played as a pitcher.

Yabe's ball speed is not fast, and with the help of dynamic vision and reflexes, Li Yuanrang can basically receive the ball accurately even if he does not know the pitcher's ball path in advance.

But in the case of official competitions, this will definitely not work.

Captain Ichihei Fukushima can still reach more than 130 kilometers if he goes all out at ball speed. At this speed, relying solely on instant reflexes to catch the ball would be too risky.

"In an official match, if you play a particularly outrageous code, I can shake my head. But in the end, you have to learn how to match the ball. You can ask Yabe more, but aside from his physical condition, I haven't seen a catcher of this age who has more ideas than him......"

Kazuhei Fukushima doesn't praise people publicly, but he never hides his appreciation for Akio Yabe.

The growth of a catcher requires a lot of practical experience, and the ability to match the ball cannot be simply quantified with data. Most college-age catchers are more likely to show their strength with the strength of their shoulder passes or the certainty of their catches.

And Akio Yabe, who is short in stature and highly short-sighted, is an outlier among catchers of the same age. As early as his junior high school days, when he briefly formed a shooting partner with Fukushima, Yabe showed his distinctive style of using his brain.

To have a teacher like Yabe to learn the experience of playing ball. It can also be regarded as a kind of luck on the road of baseball by Li Yuanrang.