1 - My Workplace / Spot Starter

Source: Crunchyroll
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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[00:03] nar
    Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to inform you
    that I make 18 million yen per year.
[00:08] nar
    I'm twenty-six years old and single.
[00:10] nar
    What's that? "You don't look
    like a big shot to me," you say?
[00:13] nar
    Hey, I can't help how I look...
[00:16] nar
    I earn most of my money at night,
[00:19] nar
    though I sometimes work during
    the day on weekends.
[00:23] nar
    Don't get the wrong idea!
    My job isn't anything unsavory.
[00:26] nar
    Ladies and gentlemen,
    I'm sure you've caught on by now.
[00:31] nar
    That's right!
[00:32] nar
    I'm a...
[00:36] nar
    ...professional baseball player!
[00:39] nar
    Here in Jingu Stadium, it's the third game
    of the series against the Osaka Tempters.
[00:44] nar
    He grounds it to the shortstop
    for a 6-4-3 double play!
[00:48] nar
    And just like that, the Tempters
    are back to square one!
[00:50] nar
    What do you think,
    guest commentator Manaka-san?
[00:53] man
    That's gotta be a load off of Shibuya's mind.
[00:55] man
    That was a tricky spot that could have
    shifted the balance of the game completely.
[00:59] man
    The momentum's back on their side now.
[01:05] bon
    My name is Bonda Natsunosuke.
[01:07] bon
    I'm a left-handed middle relief
    pitcher for the Jingu Spiders.
[01:12] sako
    Natsunosuke. Back to the bench.
[01:14] bon
    Huh? But I've only thrown ten pitches...
[01:17] sako
    I think it's too early.
    Come back out next inning.
[01:21] bon
    Right.
[01:22] bon
    This is Sakota-san, the bullpen coach.
[01:25] bon
    He watches how the game unfolds
    and decides who to warm up when.
[01:29] bon
    That's right. This is my workplace.
[01:32] bon
    Of course, I spend time on the mound, too,
[01:34] bon
    but I spend the vast majority
    of my time right here,
[01:38] bon
    in the bullpen!
[01:40] bon
    When I'm not pitching, I talk with
    the guys while we watch the game,
[01:43] bon
    or research my opponents
    in the player directory.
SIGN    Latest Edition Professional Baseball Player Directory
[01:47] bon
    I might look at players I expect
    to face off with today, for example.
[01:50] bon
    I'm often brought in to
    get a single left-handed hitter out,
[01:54] bon
    so I'll check all the left-handers
    on the bench in advance.
SIGN    Pinch Hitters Tanaka | Oyama Fujii | Takekawa Nakamura | Motosugi
[01:57] bon
    I'll pay closest attention to the guys
    who just came up from the minors.
[02:00] bon
    Takekawa, huh?
[02:02] bon
    What part of their profiles
    am I looking at in particular?
[02:04] bon
    Of course, I look at their career numbers
    and how they performed the previous year...
SIGN    Salary: 9 million
[02:08] bon
    But most important is their contract!
[02:10] yama
    Okay, ready to go.
[02:12] bon
    Right, right!
[02:13] yama
    Murai.
[02:15] bon
    22 million!
[02:16] bon
    Oh, just missed it! It's 22.5 million!
SIGN    Salary: 22.5 million
[02:20] bon
    Missed the decimal point, huh?
[02:23] ida
    Okay, next one... Narita?
[02:26] bon
    Think he broke the top ten in
    batting average last year, so...
[02:29] bon
    42 million!
SIGN    Salary: 42 million
[02:30] ida
    You got it! Points for speed.
[02:32] yama
    Bonda-san, you really are incredible.
[02:35] bon
    This is our "contract quiz,"
    and I've got the best record in the club.
[02:39] bon
    We're surprisingly interested
    in others' contracts.
[02:42] bon
    Well, less "surprisingly"
    and more..."extremely"?
[02:46] bon
    In a way, it's everything to us.
[02:49] bon
    The money is what makes you a pro.
[02:51] bon
    We end up seeing those with
    bigger contracts as above us,
[02:54] bon
    and those with smaller ones as below us.
[02:56] bon
    If you get right down to it,
    that's what it means to be a pro.
SIGN    1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th
[04:32] ugu
    The Tempters will be making a substitution.
SIGN    My Workplace
[04:36] ugu
    Takekawa will be hitting for Ushima.
[04:40] bon
    There he is! 9 million!
[04:43] sako
    Okay, Natsunosuke. You're in.
[04:46] bon
    Right!
[04:47] ana
    Manager Tanabe of the Spiders
    is stepping out of the bullpen.
[04:50] ana
    He's probably going to bring out a southpaw.
[04:52] ugu
    The Spiders will be making
    a pitching substitution.
[04:56] ugu
    Bonda will be pitching for Kishida.
[04:59] ugu
    Jersey number 39.
[05:03] bon
    Once again, Bonda Natsunosuke
    heads for the mound.
[05:06] bon
    Plus one in the "games pitched" column.
[05:08] bon
    A middle reliever's salary will reflect
    his number of games pitched.
SIGN    Listen up, Bonda-kun.
SIGN    The world of pro sports is a harsh one.
SIGN    A single injury, and it can be all over.
SIGN    Take my advice: don't touch that signing bonus until you retire.
[05:31] bon
    That's what my scout, Yasuda-san,
    told me when I went pro.
[05:37] bon
    So I haven't touched one red cent
    of my signing bonus.
[05:41] bon
    As the last pick in the draft,
[05:43] ---
    my signing bonus was a crummy 15 million!
[05:45] bon
    Your average family man
    could earn that in three years!
[05:53] bon
    Baseball is a job where your years
    are limited once you cross thirty.
[05:58] bon
    And only a fraction of us land a coaching
    or commentating gig after we retire.
[06:03] ---
    I've known many whose income dropped to
    seven digits the year after they retired.
[06:09] bon
    So while I'm twenty-six, the age when
    baseball pros are supposedly at their peak,
[06:13] bon
    I can't be earning just 18 million per year!
[06:17] bon
    I need to earn more, or I won't have
    enough for the rest of my life!
[06:22] bon
    "There's money buried under the pitch."
[06:24] bon
    That's a phrase you hear a lot.
[06:26] bon
    It's true, too.
[06:28] bon
    Those words play in my mind
    as a constant refrain.
[06:33] bon
    There's money buried under
    the pitch. Money Pitch!
[06:36] ana
    Hey, we've got more action
    on the Tempters' bench!
[06:39] ko
    A pinch hitter for their pinch hitter?
[06:41] tana
    Now they're bringing out a righty.
[06:43] tana
    I thought they'd hold on
    to him a little longer.
[06:44] ugu
    The Tempters are announcing
    a change of hitter.
[06:48] ugu
    Doi, jersey number 50,
    will be hitting for Takekawa.
[06:49] bon
    Now I must pitch to a right-hander,
    a matchup that puts me at a disadvantage.
[06:55] bon
    But it's common enough.
[06:58] bon
    This hitter, Doi...
[07:00] bon
    Four years as a pro,
    with a 7 million contract.
[07:04] bon
    When he joined the Tempters,
[07:06] bon
    he got a lot of press for being
    a rookie with two kids.
SIGN    From amateur to pro! The 26-year-old rookie!
[07:12] doi
    Hey, now!
[07:15] bon
    Doi-san, I know you just came
    up from the minors today.
SIGN    Yusuke
[07:18] bon
    Still, I need to beat you.
[07:22] bon
    What's more,
[07:23] bon
    if it turns out you couldn't
    hit a left-hander like me,
[07:26] bon
    you'll probably
[07:27] bon
    be dropped back to the minors right away!
[07:33] bon
    A bunt?!
[07:35] bon
    That's right! He's fast, too!
[07:38] bon
    Catch!
[07:41] bon
    I got it!
[07:42] tera
    Natsunosuke!
[07:43] bon
    I got it! I got it!
[07:45] bon
    There's money buried under the pitch...
[07:48] bon
    Money... Pitch... Money... Pitch...
[07:50] bon
    Why am I so desperate to catch this foul ball?
[07:55] bon
    Doi can't want to go back
    to the bench on a foul fly either.
[07:57] bon
    Money... Pitch...
SIGN    Yusuke
[08:00] bon
    Money... Pitch... Money... Pitch...
[08:05] bon
    Money... Pitch...
[08:07] bon
    Money... Pitch...
[08:10] bon
    Money Pitch!
[08:22] ump
    Out!
[08:24] matsu
    Nice play!
[08:33] bon
    Crud. I ended up saying
    "Money Pitch" out loud.
[08:36] tera
    Okay, Natsunosuke. Nice play.
[08:39] bon
    I won.
[08:42] bon
    I chose not to watch Doi walk away.
[08:48] bon
    The next day, Doi really
    was sent back to the minors,
[08:55] bon
    based on one failed at-bat.
[09:05] bon
    And his demotion was also an implicit
    statement on my lack of worth.
[09:13] bon
    "As a right-hander, he had an advantage,
[09:16] bon
    yet he couldn't get a hit off this
    18 million-a-year pitcher.
[09:19] bon
    A hitter like that wouldn't stand a chance
    against an ace earning hundreds of millions."
[09:24] bon
    That was the judgment call.
[09:26] bon
    Our world is unforgiving.
[09:29] bon
    Sometimes, I really want to run away from it.
[09:32] bon
    But I can't run away.
[09:35] bon
    Because baseball is all I have.
[09:41] ---
    I'll fight here again tonight.
[09:43] ---
    To earn myself a tomorrow, a future!
[09:47] ---
    Money Pitch!
SIGN    Latest Edition Professional Baseball Player Directory
[10:08] bon
    I'm twenty-six years old,
    with an annual salary of 18 million.
[10:11] bon
    usually brought into the game
    to get a single left-hander out.
[10:16] bon
    Tonight, my work entails
SIGN    Spot Starter
[10:19] bon
    a tied game at the top of the 9th.
[10:21] title
    A situation where one hit could win the game.
[10:24] title
    And I'm facing their cleanup,
    a hitter with a 200 million contract.
SIGN    6th 7th 8th 9th
[10:28] bon
    If he hits a home run, we'll end up
    two runs behind in the 9th.
[10:33] bon
    This is where a guy in my job earns his keep.
[10:36] bon
    It's a ton of pressure, though...
[10:42] bon
    Third!
[10:43] mori
    Got it!
[10:46] mori
    I've got this!
[10:47] bon
    In a key moment, an 18 million earner
    can take out a 200 million earner!
[10:52] mori
    This is my job.
[10:54] mori
    Games like these
    are what improve my standing
[10:57] mori
    during the off-season assessments!
[11:07] toku
    Great work today.
[11:11] toku
    Hey, Natsunosuke.
[11:12] bon
    Toku-san! Great to see you!
[11:15] toku
    What you did today will earn
    you major points in the assessments.
[11:18] toku
    It's an extra 300,000 per year, no problem.
[11:20] bon
    O-Oh, I don't know about that...
[11:23] toku
    I think it really had an impact.
SIGN    Today's Game Result
[11:25] toku
    It primed you guys to walk off
     in the bottom of the ninth.
[11:28] bon
    Shucks!
[11:30] bon
    Doing research today?
[11:31] toku
    Yeah, I'll be on color commentary
    two days from now.
[11:34] bon
    Take it easy on me if they
    do send me out, okay?
[11:37] toku
    Well, we'll see.
[11:39] toku
    So, Natsunosuke, want to grab a bite?
[11:41] bon
    That sounds great! Let's do it!
[11:44] toku
    Roppongi.
[11:46] un
    Right.
[11:47] un
    Oh, it's Bonda.
[11:49] bon
    I've heard Toku-san's color
    commentary from the bullpen before.
[11:52] toku
    Wow, that swing had a nice "whoosh" to it!
[11:55] bon
    It might not be nice to say,
[11:57] bon
    but I never thought Toku-san
    would become a commentator.
[12:00] bon
    He was a real entertainer type,
    gregarious, and pretty popular...
[12:06] bon
    But he was a mediocre pitcher
    who racked up less than fifty wins.
[12:11] bon
    But being friends with the director of
    Otowa Radio gave him a lucky break,
[12:15] bon
    and soon after retiring, he landed
    a commentary gig that'd just opened up.
[12:22] toku
    The truth is, this week and next week
    are radio's "special weeks."
[12:26] bon
    "Special weeks?"
[12:28] toku
    Weeks when they research our listener ratings.
[12:32] toku
    In two days, when I'm on deck...
[12:35] toku
    I want to rack up the numbers.
[12:39] toku
    I mean, I want numbers, of course.
[12:44] toku
    But I also want to do commentary
    people will like...
[12:49] toku
    The match in two days...
    The Carnavits' starter will be Nishida.
[12:52] toku
    There's no doubt about that.
[12:54] bon
    Annual salary: 26 million!
SIGN    26 million yen
[12:56] toku
    It's the Spiders I don't know about.
[12:59] toku
    You're going to have a spot starter that day.
[13:01] toku
    You don't have a rotation pitcher available.
[13:07] toku
    Do you know anything?
[13:08] bon
    Wait, did you just ask me that?!
[13:11] toku
    Yeah. Even if you knew,
    you couldn't tell, I'm sure...
[13:15] bon
    I really don't know, though.
[13:17] bon
    I'm sorry.
[13:19] toku
    If you don't know,
    does that mean they haven't decided?!
SIGN    Today's Recommended Dishes
[13:23] toku
    Potential starters right now would be...
[13:26] toku
    Ida, Yamasato, Mogami...
[13:29] toku
    They really haven't decided?
[13:31] bon
    Give me a break!
[13:33] toku
    It would be easy to look up
    basic data on those three.
[13:37] toku
    But I'd like to get more information
    and weave it into my commentary.
[13:41] toku
    Should I investigate all three?
[13:42] toku
    No, that'd dilute my knowledge
    of each one... I don't have time!
[13:45] toku
    Maybe I should just pick one
    and go all-in on the research...
[13:46] bon
    Toku-san's really freaking out about this...
[13:49] toku
    That's it! That's what I'll do!
[13:52] toku
    I'll narrow it down to one!
[13:54] bon
    Did the station manager say something to you?
[13:57] toku
    N-No, not particularly...
SIGN    Toku-chan, I'm sorry about this.
SIGN    I managed to rope in Kuwata-san for the first ratings week!
SIGN    What are you talking about?
SIGN    A special color commentator!
SIGN    You mean you're skipping me?
SIGN    Yeah.
SIGN    And our last ratings period,
SIGN    your days pulled the worst numbers...
SIGN    Your commentary is kind of seat-of-the-pants.
SIGN    Maybe instead of just calling out sound effects,
SIGN    could you do a little more data-based commentary?
[14:36] toku
    That's the situation I've found myself in!
[14:39] toku
    But I don't want to tell that to my junior!
[14:43] bon
    A second round, please.
[14:45] bon
    More of the same.
SIGN    The Next Day
[14:54] toku
    Well, well?
[14:56] toku
    Have you gone fishing lately?
[14:58] mo
    Huh? I don't remember you
    being into fishing, Tokunaga-san.
[15:01] bon
    Looks like Toku-san narrowed it down
    to Mogami, the youngest of the lot,
[15:01] toku
    Of course I am! Did you forget?
[15:05] bon
    but they're not friendly enough
    to have a private chat.
[15:06] mo
    Getting married in the off-season, huh?
[15:09] mo
    Where'd that come from?
[15:10] toku
    Don't play dumb. I know all about it.
[15:12] toku
    Which female anchor is it?
[15:14] bon
    Toku-san was a superstar
    back in our prefecture.
[15:14] mo
    It's not like that!
SIGN    Hey! Yamanashi Tsurumigawa High.
SIGN    It'll be great working with you!
[15:23] bon
    He taught me a lot about technique,
[15:25] bon
    and about life, too.
SIGN    Listen up, Natsunosuke.
SIGN    The money you earn as a pro won't last long.
[15:32] bon
    He'd say that, but then he'd treat
    me to these crazy nights out.
[15:35] bon
    Even though his own salary
    wasn't all that high.
SIGN    Don't fall into the trap of earning money to support your lavish spending.
[15:42] bon
    In his ten-year pro career,
[15:44] bon
    there was only one year his
    salary exceeded 30 million yen.
[15:48] bon
    Not only was he loose with
    his spending, taxes also took a lot.
[15:51] ---
    He was probably broke by the end.
[15:54] bon
    His last year in baseball,
    he had the same salary I do now.
[15:58] bon
    In other words, 18 million yen.
[16:00] ---
    The next year, when he got his
    job as a radio commentator,
[16:03] ---
    some posit that his salary was
    less than 3 million per year.
[16:09] bon
    Even the local superstar I admired so much
    was in dire straits after he retired.
[16:14] bon
    I really want to earn more
    while I'm still in the game!
[16:18] bon
    You never know how long
    your baseball career will last.
[16:23] bon
    My best years will be as a player.
[16:25] bon
    Will I be able to find
    employment after I retire?
[16:29] bon
    Radio commentator is still
    a pretty good post-retirement career.
[16:33] bon
    I know so many...
[16:35] bon
    So many people who entered the game
    before me, at the same time, or after me,
[16:39] bon
    who retired to find
    salaries less than 1 million.
[16:43] bon
    If I really made a name for myself,
    I could be a pitching coach!
[16:46] bon
    That's for the true elites!
[16:48] bon
    It's a guaranteed yearly salary of 10 million!
[16:53] seko
    Natsunosuke?
[16:56] bon
    When an athlete living what should
    be a breezy life in the majors
[16:59] bon
    spends it thinking about
    his plans after retirement,
[17:02] bon
    it's anything but breezy!
[17:04] bon
    But that's what it means to be a pro!
[17:08] bon
    That's my motivation to work even harder!
[17:12] ann
    Go! Go! Spiders!
[17:17] toku
    N-No way...
[17:19] toku
    If they're starting tomorrow,
    they would've left the bullpen by now.
[17:24] toku
    But all three of them are there!
[17:25] toku
    I missed the mark on all three!
[17:28] toku
    Have I no predictive powers
    as a commentator whatsoever?
[17:32] toku
    Just who could tomorrow's starter be?
SIGN    The Day of the Match
[17:39] matsu
    Toku-chan! Toku-chan!
[17:40] matsu
    Here's today's lineup!
[17:42] matsu
    Look at the Spiders' starting pitcher!
[17:44] toku
    Who is it?
[17:46] toku
    Yowza!
[17:48] matsu
    Toku-chan, what's wrong?
[17:49] toku
    Matsumoto-san!
[17:52] toku
    Tonight's commentary is gonna be great!
[17:55] ugu
    Now announcing the Spiders' starting battery.
[18:00] ugu
    Pitcher: Bonda.
[18:02] Pitcher
    Jersey number 39.
[18:02] man
    Bonda?
[18:03] man
    You're kidding...
[18:05] ana
    Catcher: Terasugi. Jersey number 2.
[18:09] toku
    Y-Y-Yes...
[18:12] toku
    There he is! Bonda Natsunosuke!
[18:15] toku
    I know everything about that guy!
[18:18] matsu
    Toku-chan's way too amped up.
[18:21] matsu
    Well, isn't this a surprise?
[18:22] matsu
    The reliever Bonda-san is starting today!
[18:25] matsu
    What do you think,
    Color Commentator Tokunaga-san?
[18:27] toku
    Well, the thing is...
[18:29] toku
    A rotation pitcher needs to be able to
    pace themselves through several innings.
[18:33] toku
    But a reliever tends to give it
    all they've got in short bursts.
[18:38] toku
    And this pitcher, Bonda...
[18:40] toku
    Sadly, he couldn't make it in the pros
    without going 120 percent on each pitch.
[18:47] toku
    He's the archetypal middle reliever!
[18:49] bon
    There's no way I can pace myself!
[18:53] tou
    He won't last three innings.
    That's my prediction.
[18:58] tou
    But I happen to know a way to tell whether
    Bonda Natsunosuke is in the zone or not.
[19:04] matsu
    Oh? I'd love to hear what it is.
[19:06] toku
    Sure.
[19:07] toku
    The moment he releases the ball,
[19:10] ---
    if his wrist is upright,
    his pitches will be lively.
[19:14] toku
    On the other hand, if his wrist is down,
    his pitches will get hammered.
[19:18] matsu
    Which is it today?
[19:20] toku
    Today...
[19:25] toku
    It's up!
[19:28] an
    Strike!
[19:29] toku
    I take back my statement that
    he won't last three innings.
[19:32] toku
    I say he'll make it to the fifth.
[19:35] hagi
    Toku-chan's really changed up his style!
SIGN    1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
[19:46] matsu
    Starting pitcher Bonda Natsunosuke
    is taken out in the fifth inning!
[19:49] hagi
    Amazing! Just like Toku-chan predicted!
[19:53] bon
    Forty-nine pitches thrown.
[19:55] ---
    Four and two-thirds innings lasted.
    Four earned runs.
[19:59] bon
    In that moment, this 18 million pitcher
    had but one thought.
[20:04] bon
    "I-I made it to the fifth!
    I'm freaking amazing!"
[20:08] ko
    He did well for a spot starter.
[20:11] tana
    Yeah, he kept us in the game.
[20:17] bon
    Perhaps my efforts paid off,
[20:19] bon
    because we turned things around,
    and I got a no decision in the game.
[20:23] hagi
    Toku-chan, your commentary was great today!
[20:29] hagi
    Work hard for your next appearance, okay?
[20:32] toku
    Okay!
[20:34] bon
    Looks like Toku-san and I both
[20:36] ---
    got through a dicey night
    by the skin of our teeth.
[20:40] bon
    Of course, I'm not going to become
    a rotation pitcher based on tonight.
[20:45] bon
    A spot starter is only a spot starter.
[20:47] bon
    A middle reliever is
    a middle reliever to the end.
[20:52] bon
    If I really want to make money as a pitcher,
[20:54] ---
    I need to become a starter some day.
[21:09] bon
    "There's money buried under the pitch."
[21:11] bon
    That's a phrase you hear a lot.
[21:14] bon
    It's true, too.
[21:16] bon
    We're doing everything we can to dig it up,
[21:19] bon
    for as long as we're pros.
[21:21] bon
    It really is an unforgiving world.
[21:24] bon
    But it's still my job.
[21:28] bon
    Money Pitch!
[23:01] bon
    Natsunosuke here!
[23:02] bon
    Wow, I just realized something crazy.
[23:06] bon
    The hitters below my 18 million yen
    salary have a hard time against me,
[23:10] bon
    but the hitters above
    me hit against me all the time.
[23:14] bon
    I can keep the 50 million
    ones at bay pretty well, but...
[23:17] bon
    What's that? What happens if I face
    someone with the same salary?
[23:21] Next time
    It's a double-header with
    "Tendency" and "Buddies."
[23:24] Next time
    Seize tomorrow's success and today's money!
SIGN    Tendency Buddies
[23:28] Next time
    Money Pitch!