"Play Ball!"
With a command from the umpire standing behind home plate, the game officially began.
Top of the first inning, Waseda Jitsugyo's leadoff batter is Shigetsugu Shinjiro——as the leadoff batter, his task today is heavy, not only to hit the ball out but also to provide more information about the opponent pitcher's style to his teammates behind him.
Therefore, Shigetsugu Shinjiro didn't plan to make a move at the start; instead, he was determined to first observe Shimabukuro Hiroshi's status in this at-bat.
The first pitch, Konan High School's catcher Yamakawa Daisuke called for a low inside fastball——while the game just started, finding the inside pitch feel for their pitcher would greatly help in the later games.
