White Mountain High School Baseball Field.

In the pergola on the first base side.

Tetsu Nishino and Hiroki were resting and communicating.

Hiroki asked: "Zhejun, starting from today, I will train you as a catcher. Is that okay?"

"No problem, senior."

So Hiroki took Tetsu Nishino to the warehouse next to the stadium.

Hiroki took out several sets of catching equipment from the box. Although the equipment was a bit old, it could be seen that it was well maintained.

"Sorry, Zhejun, these are catcher's equipment purchased by the school before. They are a bit old. If you mind, you can buy a set yourself. I will apply for a subsidy from the school for you."

Hiroki was worried that Tetsu Nishino would mind and was a little sorry.

Tetsu Nishino didn't think there was a problem, "I can wear it if there's no problem."

"That's good."

They each grabbed a set of catcher's equipment and walked to the pitching practice field, commonly known as the "bullpen."

When passing by the stadium, Hiroki shouted: "Yamamoto-san, come here and help me. Kazuya, come here too!"

"Yeah." Yamamoto Sakuya nodded and followed.

"Hey! Are you practicing catching? It's coming, it's coming."

Nishino Kazuya was more excited, "Hey, Azhe, try my pitching right now!"

"Okay, let's go quickly, why don't you take the equipment!" Tetsu Nishino complained.

"You can take it yourself." After saying that, Nishino Kazuya quickly ran into the bullpen.

"..."

Tetsu Nishino and the others also entered the bullpen.

Hiroki put down the catcher's equipment, "Kazuya, help Tetsu-kun put on his protective gear. Yamamoto, help me."

"Um."

"Hehe, no problem."

Tetsu Nishino put down his catcher's equipment and started studying it.

First of all, the catcher's helmet is very different from the helmet worn when hitting.

The helmet worn when hitting is roughly a sphere, which protects the entire head. There is a protruding brim in the front to slightly block the sun, and there are ear protection on both sides to protect the ears when being hit by the ball.

The front half of a catcher's helmet is round and has no protruding brim. The rear half forms a protrusion, like a shuttle. The purpose of this protrusion is to be hung by the mask strap.

The mask is made of strong material, forming a grid frame with ear protection on both sides. When the ball hits, it can bounce the ball away. Otherwise, if the baseball hits the face directly, it can kill the person directly.

"Zhejun, the first thing a catcher must learn is to protect himself."

Hiroki said while putting on protective gear.

"This mask is the first step for many catchers to build confidence. Try it and see. After all, not everyone has the courage to face the flying baseball."

After hearing what Hiroki said, Tetsu Nishino put on the catcher's helmet and hung up the mask as well.

"It's true! Senior."

When he was only wearing the helmet, Tetsu Nishino felt nothing. After putting on the mask, he instantly felt a sense of security.

Although after putting on the mask, the field of view suddenly became much narrower, and the grid in front cut the picture into pieces, which was a bit uncomfortable, but it was these grids that gave Tetsu Nishino a sense of security.

If you get hit, the mask can block it.

Tetsu Nishino thought to himself, hoping that the material of the mask could withstand it.

After taking off the mask, Tetsu Nishino continued to wear protective gear. The upper-body protective gear protected his entire chest and abdomen, while the lower-body armor protected the entire body from his knees to his feet.

Moreover, the catcher's crotch is also lined with cushioning material inside the uniform, which can effectively block the impact of the baseball.

After Kazuya Nishino helped him buckle the straps of the armor, the entire catcher's protective gear was put on.

"How do you feel?" Hiroki asked.

"It's okay," Tetsu Nishino replied, "It's just that the vision on both sides will be a little blocked, and I'm afraid the mask will fall off if I move."

"Haha, this problem can be solved like this. Zhejun, let me teach you a little trick!"

As he said that, Hiroki used his right hand to hold the bottom of the mask, quickly lifted it up and back, and swung it to the side and back. The mask was thrown to the ground by him.

"..." Tetsu Nishino.

"This way you can quickly get rid of the trouble of the mask, get the best field of view, and not be affected by the mask. The disadvantage is that you have to pick it up."

"..." Tetsu Nishino.

"Really, we catchers often do this during games," Hiroki also smiled a little, "I'm not kidding!"

"Forget it, let's start practicing catching the ball. Kazuya, come over and throw a few balls with me to demonstrate. Yamamoto, you will throw with Tetsu-kun later."

Hiroki didn't care about that and started teaching catching the ball directly.

"Eh? I thought I was the one pitching to Azeh." Nishino Kazuya stood on the pitcher's mound.

Kazuya Nishino on the pitcher's mound is completely different from his usual playful smile.

Slowly, Nishino Kazuya's expression became serious.

"Senior, I'm going to throw a straight ball in the red!"

"Well, come on."

The words just fell.

Kazuya Nishino suddenly stepped forward and threw the baseball with his left hand!

"Snapped!"

Hiroki stretched his left hand forward and caught the white ball steadily.

"Good shot! Kazuya." Hiroki said, "How about it, Tetsu-kun, would you like to try it?"

Nishino Tetsu just saw Hiroki's movements clearly and felt that he should be fine.

So he walked to another place behind home plate and squatted down.

"Senior, I want to give it a try. I'm sorry to trouble you, Yamamoto-senpai."

After joining the club for so many days, Nishino Tetsuya knows Yamamoto Sakuya. Yamamoto Sakuya is currently the team's main pitcher and has good ball control.

"Well, I'll try my best to hit a straight ball." Yamamoto Sakuya stepped onto the pitcher's mound and responded in a gentle tone.

"Do you know the strike zone? Tetsu-kun." Yamamoto Sakuya asked.

The strike zone refers to an area vertically above home plate, with the batter's elbow as the upper boundary and the knee as the lower boundary.

During the game, if the pitcher's pitch passes through the strike zone, it is counted as a strike. If the pitcher's pitch does not pass through the strike zone and the batting player does not swing the bat, it is counted as a ball.

"I know." Nishino Tetsu nodded and replied.

Looking at Sakuya Yamamoto, who was about 18 meters away, Tetsu Nishino adjusted his breathing.

"call"

The straight ball in the red should be easier to catch. Tetsu Nishino thought to himself.

Tetsu Nishino wore a catcher's glove on his left hand, stretched forward a few times, and simulated the action. Make sure he followed the action Hiroki just demonstrated.

"Are you ready?"

"Get ready, Yamamoto-senpai!"

Yamamoto Sakuya turned slightly sideways, holding the baseball in his right hand, and slowly raised his left foot.

Suddenly he stepped forward suddenly, leaned his upper body forward continuously, flicked his arm, and threw the baseball with all his strength!

"So fast!"

But Tetsu Nishino still captured the trajectory of the white ball!

Tetsu Nishino quickly stretched forward his left hand wearing the catcher's mitt.

However,

"Crack!"

The white ball bounced off the outside of the catcher's glove.

"..."
Chapter completed!