This episode shows how intelligent and experienced Aoba is and how amateurish Kou is. Kou has a lot of uncontrolled power but he lacks a lot of experience. I'm impressed with the way Aoba pinpoints out the weakness of every player in the first team. So far, Kou has impressed everyone with his fast straight balls. However, they have only finished three innings and there are six more to go. I wonder if he has enough stamina and power to play till the end. Will he be pitching throughout the game? Usually in a real game, there are more than one pitchers pitching as it's real tiring to pitch throughout the game. As for Yuuhei, there's no doubt that he's a really good batter and I think it's his turn to shine in the next episode.Mini SummaryThe prefab team bats first. Senda surprisingly starts well and he manages to get three players out, and it's the first team's turn to bat. Kou also starts well and after he gets two players out, the Acting Principal asks Coach Daimon who he is but Coach Daimon has no idea. Yuuhei interrupts their conversation and answers that he's Kitamura Kou. The third batter manages to get a hit and it is the fourth batter, Yuuhei's turn to bat. Yuuhei asks Akaishi if he gets the batting data of all the first team players from Aoba. Akaishi feigns ignorance and the play continues. According to Aoba's data, Yuuhei has no weakness. Kou pitches. Akaishi catches the ball and immediately throws towards the first baseman and this thwarts the first team's plan to hit and run. This play is called pitchout.In the second inning, Senda gets the fourth batter out. It's finally fifth batter, Kou's turn to bat and the plan is for him to get a hit and land on first base, then the sixth batter, who is a good bunter will get him to second base, and after that, Akaishi and Nakanishi will get him home. However, things turn out better than planned as Kou gets a homerun. At the end of the second inning, the first team is down by three runs. Daimon is furious with Senda and kicks him off the first team. Since a player in the prefab team happens to be suffering from food poisoning, Maeno substitutes Senda in as a shortstop for the prefab team.It's the first team's turn to bat. First up, it's Yuuhei. According to Aoba's data, the only way to beat him is for Kou to throw low outside pitches. However, despite Akaishi's signal for low outside pitch, Kou throws right in the middle. Yuuhei manages to hit Kou's third pitch and it's a homerun. For the rest of the second inning, Senda shows off his shortstopping skills and Kou also displays his ability to throw curve balls.In the third inning, Kamikawa takes the pitcher position. Though his pitches are not especially fast, he's tough because his pitches change all the time. He lives up to his expectation and in the third inning, the prefab team makes no run. It's the first team's turn to bat again. The eighth batter is bad at curve balls. Kou manages to throw a curve ball, however, during the second pitch, Kou fails and the batter manages to get a hit. Kou is starting to feel tired but he composes himself to face ninth batter, Kamikawa. While Kou is facing Kamikawa, Yuuhei notices that Kou's control and power are both unsteady. Despite being tired, Kou pitches a fast ball and gets Kamikawa out. When Kamikawa returns to the bench, Yuuhei tells him that is the kind of straight he wants to see him throw. At the end of the third inning, Kou comments that it's tiring to be a pitcher.PicturesI wonder who this ojiisan is. I suspect he's the Real Principal of the school.Senda looks so uncool as a pitcher!Kou looks cool!!Akaishi's pitchout plan works.Kou hits a homerun! Kou should be a good batter since he has been batting at Tsukishima family's batting cages since he's 3 years old.I love to see Coach Daimon and the Acting Principal's shocked faces.Senda screws up and he's being kicked out of the first team.Kou vs YuuheiYuuhei hits a homerun.Kou can throw curve balls too but he hasn't quite fully mastered it yet.Kou's hand is bruised and he's starting to feel tired.Kou manages to get Kamikawa out.Yuuhei wants Kamikawa to throw the kind of straight Kou is throwing.Kou looks so cute when he's tired.
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Episode: Cross Game Episode 9
