CHAPTER 59: CHAPTER 59: KOSHIEN’S SACRED DIRT

When the Waseda Jitsugyo players lifted their heads confidently, singing their school song with smiles on their faces, in front of the Kurashiki Commercial players’ section on the first base side, the dust swirled in the air.

Unlike the fields where the players usually train, and even unlike most professional baseball fields, the soil of Hanshin Koshien Stadium is meticulously maintained by specialized horticulturists and is a precious symbol imbued with spiritual significance.

The black soil of Koshien is a unique mixture of black soil from Okayama, Mie, and sandy soil from Fujian, China. Horticulturists adjust the sand-soil mix according to the climate to ensure the field is always in optimal condition.

Of the 49 teams that come to Koshien, only one can return home carrying the national championship flag; for those "losers," the soil of Koshien is a memento of their presence—a tradition formed over nearly a century of Koshien’s history.

The players who lose, especially those third-year students who are making their final appearance at Koshien, prepare bags beforehand to scoop up a handful of soil after their loss, as a keepsake, or to give to parents, friends, or lovers.

On the first base side, the players of Kurashiki Commercial took out their pre-prepared bags, kneeling in a line in front of the players’ section, digging into Koshien’s soil with their hands while tears flowed continuously from their eyes—a rare moment when these boys, embodying the Showa era’s high school baseball spirit, are allowed to shed tears openly.

After collecting the soil, the Kurashiki Commercial players quickly packed up their belongings, saluted the fans who came to support them, and then left the field directly through the players’ passage. Tonight, they would check out of their hotel rooms and quickly start their journey back home.

Over at Waseda Jitsugyo’s players’ section, the battery partners Suzuki Kensuke and Tsuchiya Ryota were led away for an interview by an Asahi Shimbun reporter, as high school baseball often likes to hype up the bonds between the battery and the double-play combinations, a sight that no longer surprises anyone.

The remaining team members in the players’ section quickly packed up their game gear—as there were still two games today, they had to swiftly clear the field for the next teams.

Lin Guanglai, carrying his luggage, walked into the players’ passage, noticing that one of the next teams, Hokusho High School from North Hokkaido, was already standing at the entrance to the field, led by Matsuno Shima, one of the most notable players of this tournament.

When adapting to the field before the main competition began, Lin Guanglai had befriended him; to his surprise, Matsuno Shima already knew of him, which quickly led to some camaraderie between them.

"Guanglai, congratulations on Waseda Jitsugyo breaking through the first round, it was an exciting game." Matsuno Shima walked towards Lin Guanglai, extending his hand.

Reaching out to shake Matsuno Shima’s hand, Lin Guanglai touched his head a bit sheepishly, "Not at all, it was thanks to the seniors playing well, as I didn’t even get to play today."

Matsuno Shima shook his head, rebutting him, "I think it’s quite normal, considering the intensity and short period of Koshien matches, rotating pitchers to maintain their condition is really important—it’s only prestigious schools like yours that have such a luxury."

After a chuckle, Lin Guanglai bid farewell to Matsuno Shima and wished him luck in his match before leaving.

—Yet, Hokusho’s match turned out to be unexpectedly strenuous, leaving Lin Guanglai in disbelief as he watched the live broadcast after returning to the hotel.

Without even considering the pre-match ratings, Hokusho’s strength ranked high among the B-level teams, and their opponent, Nagasaki University, was rated the weakest at C Level;

Judged by some of the starters’ abilities, Hokusho’s side was clearly a few levels above their opponents:

Pitcher Matsuno Shima, number 1, right-handed, standing at 185 cm tall, weighing 80 kg, with a top pitch speed of over 140 km/h, particularly adept at sliders, forkballs, and curveballs, and having hit 33 home runs throughout his high school career;

Main player and catcher Nishida Akira, number 3, right-handed, capable of long-distance throws of up to 110 meters, with a 50-meter dash time of 6.5 seconds, and a second-base throw in just 1.8 seconds, a bona fide super catcher;

Shortstop Ono Masaya, number 6, right-hander and left batter, became the team’s starting main player by the second year, with a batting average over 50% for the tournament, and a 50-meter sprint time of just 6.2 seconds.

But right from the start, this paper-heavy team fell behind: in the bottom of the first inning, Nagasaki University’s first batter Shimabukuro Shoukai hit a home run, sending the baseball straight out of right field.

Though Matsuno Shima piled on in the top of the fourth with a solo home run over left field to equalize the score, in the bottom of the fourth, Nagasaki University’s seventh batter Takao Sonichiro hit the match’s third home run with two outs and a runner on first, flipping the score once again.

In the end, with a scorching hot batting performance, Nagasaki University pulled off the biggest upset on the third day of the tournament, sending North Hokkaido representative Hokusho High School packing in the first round.

Watching his senior Matsuno break into tears on the television, Lin Guanglai was incredibly shocked:

If the two sides played ten times, Hokusho might win the remaining nine—but this is Koshien, where the brutal single-elimination format can topple any team, no matter how strong they are on paper; as a strong team, even knowing they are far superior in strength, they must never underestimate any opponent.

The harsh reality of Koshien taught Lin Guanglai another lesson.

Following closely after Hokusho, the team that appeared was North Hokkaido’s Asahikawa Industrial High School—a team built around two pitchers of completely different styles:

Pitcher Suzuki Junpei, number 1, a left-handed left batter, a control pitcher of the type scarce in high school baseball, with a top pitch speed barely reaching 140 km/h, yet combined with his sharply dropping curveballs and screwballs, batters struggle to react in time;

In stark contrast to Suzuki, Asahikawa Industrial’s pitcher Naruse Koutarou, number 11, is an uncompromising fastball right-hander: with a supple shoulder and top pitch speed of over 145 km/h, occasionally mixing in sliders to easily induce swings and misses.

With these two pitchers present, Asahikawa Industrial dominated the North Hokkaido tournament, and once they gained a lead, it was hard for opponents to come back.

But things didn’t go as planned; according to the Daily Sports report, Suzuki Junpei experienced arm pain after the North Hokkaido tournament finals—from the end of the tournament to two days before the match, he hadn’t pitched a single ball.

This created a significant gap in Asahikawa Industrial’s tactical deployment, heavily affecting their morale.

On the fourth match on the third day, Suzuki Junpei, forcibly returning, pitched four and one-third innings, giving up 9 hits and 4 runs; Asahikawa Industrial also had to swallow the bitter loss at 1:5.

When the draw was first seen, many spectators hoped to see the two Hokkaido teams battle it out in the second round, yet just one day later, both teams were collectively eliminated from Koshien, shocking both experts and fans alike.

Such is the Summer Koshien, where even the most professional sports commentators can’t predict the daily outcomes—perhaps even the supposed weak team Naruto might just topple the Senbatsu High School Baseball Tournament champions, Konan High School?