Akiyama Koji pondered for a moment, as if he had made some kind of decision, and then spoke with a hint of finality:
"Before the game, we said 100 pitches, so it will be 100 pitches—unless we can widen the point difference to the point where the opponent can't catch up, as long as the pitch count isn't up to 100, he will keep pitching!"
"Mr. Oishi, haven't you noticed yet? If he just wanted to fulfill the usual duties of a starting pitcher, Guanglai could easily give it his all, steadily finishing six to seven innings, then exit the game with honor. Even if we lose in the end, he wouldn't be the one criticized after the game; but he chose to pitch like today, clearly conserving energy to cover more innings."
