13 - Back in the Majors

Source: Crunchyroll
Translator:
Editor:
Timer:
QC:
(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.)
SIGN    Back in the Majors
[01:59] bon
    September.
[02:00] bon
    After four months away,
    I'm finally back in the majors.
[02:06] ann
    Slipped through! The Spiders
    have the winning run on base!
[02:10] ann
    The cool winds of May have given way
    to the unforgiving heat of summer.
[02:15] ann
    And all this time, for four
    long, long, long months,
[02:18] ann
    I've been out of action!
[02:21] ann
    Including today, we have
    twenty-three games left in our season.
[02:25] ann
    Three Central League teams are
    in a dead heat for the pennant.
[02:29] ann
    In first place, the Osaka Tempters.
[02:31] ann
    In second, the Bunkyo Mops.
[02:33] ann
    And us, the Jingu Spiders,
    are one game out, in third.
SIGN    Central League Standings
[02:37] ann
    And I probably should have said this earlier,
[02:38] bon
    but my name is Bonda Natsunosuke!
SIGN    Bonda Natsunosuke
[02:41] bon
    Recruited out of high school, I've spent
    eight years as a middle relief pitcher.
SIGN    In his eighth year as a middle relief pitcher
SIGN    Contract: 18 million
[02:44] bon
    I make 18 million yen a year!
[02:46] bon
    What? Why was I out of the
    action for four months, you ask?
[02:49] bon
    I didn't hit a slump and drop to minors,
    if that's what you're thinking!
[02:54] bon
    As a matter of fact, I'd been having
    an amazing season since game one!
[02:58] bon
    I had twenty appearances through late May!
[03:02] bon
    For a middle reliever, your
    appearance stat is everything.
[03:05] bon
    I started thinking I'd get sixty
    appearances this season,
[03:08] bon
    with a corresponding massive pay increase!
[03:11] bon
    But right at the end of May...
[03:19] (Flashback) ino
    I think we'll play today, but the
    weather report's not promising.
[03:22] (Flashback) mae
    It'll be a struggle to get to the 5th and
    make this count as an official game, huh?
[03:30] (Flashback) hako
    Manager. Call from Nagoya.
[03:33] (Flashback) tan
    Yes? Tanabe here.
[03:35] de
    Manager, bad news!
[03:37] de
    Akiba has a fever!
[03:39] (Flashback) tan
    What?!
[03:40] (Flashback) de
    I have him resting right now,
[03:42] (Flashback) de
    but I don't think he'll able to start tomorrow.
[03:48] (Flashback) ko
    Akiba, who we sent to Nagoya
    a day in advance?
[03:51] (Flashback) ko
    He needs to take better care of his health!
[03:54] (Flashback) tan
    This is trouble...
[03:55] (Flashback) ko
    What will you do?
[03:59] (Flashback) tan
    Given the weather, we'll be
    lucky to make it to the 5th...
[04:02] (Flashback) tan
    So we can probably get by
    with just a reliever or two.
[04:06] (Flashback) tan
    Hey, Sakota, phone the clubhouse.
[04:08] (Flashback) tan
    Tell Natsunosuke: "Get changed
    and go jump on a shinkansen."
[04:14] (Flashback) tan
    "Tomorrow, you're starting!"
[04:15] (Flashback) sako
    M-Manager...
[04:17] (Flashback) tan
    It'll shock the hell out of
    the Nagoya Wild Ones.
[04:21] (Flashback) tan
    They'll be expecting Akiba,
    the right-hander, to start.
[04:25] (Flashback) sako
    And then we send out the lefty, Natsunosuke?
[04:28] (Flashback) tan
    They'll be scrambling to cope
    just before the game starts.
[04:30] (Flashback) tan
    And Akiba has a fever,
    so they can't really blame us!
[04:33] (Flashback) tan
    Sakota, do it!
[04:34] (Flashback) sko
    B-But...
[04:36] (Flashback) tan
    What is it?
[04:37] (Flashback) sako
    I'm not on board with this.
[04:40] (Flashback) tan
    What?
[04:41] (Flashback) sako
    It's not fair to Natsunosuke
    to use him this way.
[04:45] (Flashback) sako
    He's a valuable left-handed relief pitcher.
[04:49] (Flashback) sako
    We should use him the way
    he's meant to be used.
[04:52] (Flashback) ko
    Sakota...
[04:53] (Flashback) tan
    Look, I see what you're getting at,
[04:56] (Flashback) tan
    but part of this is about wanting
    to give Natsunosuke a chance.
[05:02] (Flashback) sako
    A chance?
[05:03] (Flashback) tan
    This season, he's gotten his usual one-man outs,
[05:06] (Flashback) tan
    but he's also done some long relieving.
[05:08] (Flashback) tan
    He even played a game as a spot starter!
[05:10] (Flashback) tan
    We've been using him as a handyman,
[05:14] (Flashback) tan
    but your run-of-the-mill
    pitcher can't do all that.
[05:18] (Flashback) tan
    The fact that he can fill all those
    roles is a sign of his skill.
[05:22] (Flashback) ko
    It's true that he's been
    pretty versatile this season!
[05:26] (Flashback) ko
    He's been in the zone, I guess.
[05:28] (Flashback) tan
    Natsunosuke is twenty-six years old this year.
[05:31] (Flashback) tan
    I doubt he's abandoned the dream of
    being in the pitching rotation, right?
[05:35] (Flashback) sako
    I-In the pitching rotation?
[05:37] (Flashback) sako
    Natsunosuke?
[05:39] (Flashback) tan
    I've been thinking that if someone
    in the rotation lost steam,
[05:42] (Flashback) tan
    I'd put Natsunosuke in there instead.
[05:49] sako
    Natsunosuke!
[05:51] sako
    Get going to Nagoya!
[05:56] bon
    I'm starting tomorrow?!
[05:58] bon
    Don't blame me if it's a disaster!
[06:05] (Flashback) shi
    Hey, Natsunosuke! You made it!
[06:07] (Flashback) bon
    Shiina-san!
[06:09] (Flashback) shi
    Akiba's in the room next door.
    Support Staff Manager Degawa's with him.
[06:12] (Flashback) shi
    Oh, but don't go visiting Akiba's room.
    We can't have him getting you sick.
[06:16] (Flashback) bon
    Right!
[06:17] (Flashback) shi
    Well, come on in!
[06:21] (Flashback) shi
    I can't believe our manager sent you
    all the way out here with no notice.
[06:25] (Flashback) shi
    I'm pitching in the second game,
    but that's a six-day break.
[06:28] (Flashback) shi
    He could've just moved me up a day.
[06:31] (Flashback) shi
    Seems to me he's giving you
    a starter test, Natsunosuke.
[06:38] (Flashback) shi
    Well, you've been pitching great all season.
[06:42] (Flashback) shi
    It might be about time for you to join us!
[06:45] bon
    "Join us..."
[06:46] bon
    The starters, he means?
[06:49] (Flashback) shi
    This might come off as rude to say,
[06:52] (Flashback) shi
    but you're seriously underpaid right now.
[06:55] (Flashback) shi
    I think you deserve to make more.
[06:57] (Flashback) shi
    Which means you need to be a starter.
[07:00] (Flashback) shi
    If you manage to fill in
    like this and get results,
[07:03] (Flashback) shi
    you'll earn the management's
    trust in a major way!
[07:08] (Flashback) shi
    So a little advice on your start tomorrow...
[07:11] (Flashback) shi
    When playing the Wild Ones, you must keep
    their first and second hitters off base.
[07:15] (Flashback) bon
    Their lead-off is Fuyuki-san,
    twenty-nine years old.
[07:18] (Flashback) bon
    He's thought to be the best
    outfielder playing right now.
[07:22] (Flashback) Salary
    Contract: 110 million.
[07:24] (Flashback) Salary
    Batting second is Demura-san,
    twenty-eight years old.
[07:27] (Flashback) Salary
    Similarly, he's said to be the best
    second baseman in the league,
[07:30] (Flashback) Salary
    and he makes 98 million a year.
[07:32] (Flashback) Salary
    And waiting in the wings after them
[07:34] (Flashback) Salary
    is the man who makes
    exactly ten times what I do,
[07:36] (Flashback) Salary
    the left-handed slugger making
    180 million a year, Sekiya-san!
SIGN    Sekiya
SIGN    Contract: 180 million
[07:41] (Flashback) shi
    Fuyuki and Demura are right-handers,
[07:44] (Flashback) shi
    so I bet you haven't faced them much.
[07:46] (Flashback) bon
    That's true...
[07:48] (Flashback) bon
    I think maybe once this season?
[07:51] (Flashback) bon
    They're tricky players with major legs.
[07:54] (Flashback) bon
    We call them the do-anything pair.
[07:56] (Flashback) bon
    Whether or not they get on base will vastly
    affect your chance of giving up runs.
[08:02] bon
    Every middle relief pitcher wants to
    reach the starting rotation someday.
[08:07] bon
    So after what Shiina-san said,
[08:09] bon
    I can't deny that I felt even more pressure
    to make the most of this chance.
[08:16] bon
    Then, the next day...
[08:19] (Flashback) ann
    This is Bonda's second start this season.
[08:22] (Flashback) ka
    I know Akiba has a cold,
[08:24] (Flashback) ka
    but this is less like a substitute
    and more like an ambush.
[08:27] (Flashback) de
    Hey, it's no big deal.
[08:29] (Flashback) fuyu
    There's nothing we'd like better
    than a sidearm southpaw.
[08:34] seki
    You're here, Bonda.
[08:36] seki
    I always knew the day would come
[08:38] seki
    when I would face you as a starter.
[08:43] ann
    Batting first: right fielder, Fuyuki.
[08:51] (Flashback) ump
    Play ball!
[08:55] bon
    Will I go from handyman
    to starting rotation pitcher?
[08:58] bon
    It's the do-or-die moment!
[09:09] (Flashback) ann
    Fuyuki starts off with a bunt for a hit!
[09:13] fuyu
    Yes!
[09:28] (Flashback) ump
    Safe! Safe!
[09:30] (Flashback) ump
    He really set the tone with that first hit, eh,
    Color Commentator Yamamoto Masa-san?
[09:34] (Flashback) ump
    He's probably really shaken them.
[09:36] (Flashback) ump
    That's how Fuyuki rolls.
[09:38] (Flashback) ann
    Batting second is the second baseman, Demura.
[09:42] (Flashback) col
    How's he going to approach this?
[09:44] (Flashback) col
    Demura won't settle for a sac bunt.
[09:48] col
    Fuyuki and Demura getting on base will
    increase your chance of giving up runs.
[09:52] (Flashback) ko
    That's Fuyuki for you.
[09:54] (Flashback) ko
    Up against an unfamiliar starter,
    but he went right for the kill.
[09:57] (Flashback) tan
    Fuyuki probably looks down on Natsunosuke.
[10:02] (Flashback) tan
    With the Demura-Fuyuki lead-off pair,
    you can really expect anything.
[10:06] (Flashback) tan
    A stolen base, a hit and run,
    or a sacrifice bunt, of course.
[10:09] (Flashback) tan
    The sacrifice bunt is
    the least likely scenario.
[10:13] (Flashback) tan
    Because they look down on him.
[10:14] (Flashback) tan
    The most likely is a steal.
[10:16] (Flashback) tan
    He'll probably just go for it,
    despite Natsunosuke being a southpaw!
[10:22] (Flashback) tan
    Natsunosuke, I think this
    might be a starter test for you.
[10:26] (Flashback) tan
    Ace it and come join us, okay?
[10:32] fuyu
    Demura.
[10:33] fuyu
    He must be expecting a steal.
[10:36] fuyu
    We'll use that and...
[10:39] dem
    A bunt hit-and-run?
[10:41] fuyu
    You'll make it to first, too.
[10:43] fuyu
    We'll have runners on the corners.
[10:46] kase
    When Fuyuki gets on base in early innings,
    I let those two decide the gameplan.
[11:08] (Flashback) ump
    Out! Out!
[11:14] (Flashback) ann
    He totally had him, but the first
    baseman dropped the ball!
[11:16] (Flashback) ump
    Safe! Safe!
[11:19] (Flashback) ann
    Fuyuki got a major break there.
[11:21] (Flashback) cc
    It was a great pick-off, yeah.
[11:24] (Flashback) kas
    He's not half-bad...
[11:25] (Flashback) tan
    Come on, first baseman!
[11:28] (Flashback) kos
    So close!
[11:37] (Flashback) ann
    Looks like Demura's bunting for a hit, too!
[11:40] (Flashback) dem
    The pitcher again?
[11:42] (Flashback) dem
    It's turning out exactly like Fuyuki-san's bunt!
[11:48] (Flashback) ump
    Safe! Safe!
[11:51] fuyu
    Okay, he avoided the tag!
[11:53] fuyu
    He's safe on first, but...
[11:58] fuyu
    Oh no!
[12:01] fuyu
    Wait, that was a feint?!
[12:04] (Flashback) ann
    Bonda's got him cornered
    with the ball in hand!
[12:07] (Flashback) cc
    He should probably just throw it
    instead of chasing him down.
[12:11] (Flashback) saka
    Natsunosuke, don't hold the ball any longer!
[12:13] (Flashback) saka
    Throw it here!
[12:14] bon
    Demura-san is heading for second!
[12:17] bon
    If Fuyuki and Demura don't get on base,
[12:19] bon
    you can keep down your
    chances of giving up runs.
[12:25] (Flashback) kat
    Natsunosuke, you don't have
    to go for the tag out!
[12:33] bon
    He's out!
[12:34] (Flashback) ump
    Out! Out!
[12:36] (Flashback) kat
    Natsunosuke!
[12:38] bon
    I'm going for the tag out!
[12:41] (Flashback) shi
    I-Idiot!
[12:43] (Flashback) shi
    Don't do it, Natsunosuke!
[12:44] (Flashback) shi
    That isn't the starting pitcher's job!
[12:51] (Flashback) tan
    Natsunosuke...
[12:52] (Flashback) kos
    You don't have to do everything yourself!
[12:55] (Flashback) seki
    Chill out, man...
[12:57] (Flashback) ump
    Out!
[13:00] (Flashback) shi
    N-Natsunosuke!
[13:03] (Flashback) ki
    Is Bonda okay?
[13:05] (Flashback) ki
    He's on the ground and not getting up.
[13:07] (Flashback) cc
    You think he's okay?
[13:09] bon
    I had broken my right wrist.
[13:11] bon
    That was just before the
    start of interleague play.
[13:27] bon
    It took two months to heal.
[13:33] bon
    They said I wouldn't get back in
    the game for three to four months.
[13:37] bon
    I'd been going full blast with
    my pitches this season,
[13:40] bon
    as if to say, "I'm your
    ace middle reliever, right?"
[13:45] (Flashback) bon
    It might be about time for you to join us!
[13:48] bon
    For a pitcher, joining the starter
    rotation is a serious promotion.
[13:53] bon
    It would increase my contract, too.
[13:54] bon
    I guess I was desperate
    to make that chance count,
[13:59] bon
    but I screwed up.
[14:00] bon
    There should've been a way to
    do that without getting injured!
[14:03] bon
    I was a loser who got a big opportunity
    and failed to see it through.
[14:08] bon
    After the rains came and went, as summer
    hit its peak, I was finally discharged.
[14:12] bon
    I did my rehabilitation exercises
    in the clubhouse training room.
[14:21] (Flashback) toku
    Hey, Natsunosuke.
[14:23] (Flashback) bon
    Toku-san!
[14:24] (Flashback) toku
    You sure you should be running?
[14:26] (Flashback) bon
    Doing color commentary today?
[14:28] (Flashback) toku
    No, actually.
[14:30] (Flashback) toku
    Looks like the thing I was most
    worried about happened.
[14:34] (Flashback) bon
    Y-Yeah... I messed up.
[14:37] (Flashback) bon
    I guess great heights come with great falls.
[14:39] (Flashback) toku
    No, Natsunosuke. That's not quite right.
[14:42] (Flashback) toku
    Whether you're in the heights or the depths,
[14:44] (Flashback) toku
    being a baseball player means
    you get out there and play.
[14:48] (Flashback) toku
    I'm saying that when
    you're in an intense sport,
[14:50] (Flashback) toku
    playing hard goes without saying.
[14:52] (Flashback) toku
    But this is the first real injury you've had
    in your entire pro career, right?
[14:58] (Flashback) bon
    That's true. I've never been injured before.
[15:00] (Flashback) toku
    I actually only realized once it happened.
[15:05] (Flashback) toku
    Seven years as a pro,
    and you'd never been injured.
[15:09] (Flashback) toku
    As a rule, throwing a ball is
    an activity that invites injury.
[15:13] (Flashback) toku
    That's a natural part of being a pitcher.
[15:16] (Flashback) toku
    This is a sign that you were
    gifted with a hardy constitution.
[15:21] (Flashback) toku
    "The best ability is availability."
[15:23] (Flashback) toku
    You may have your own
    amazing talent, in a way.
[15:26] (Flashback) toku
    Be grateful to your parents.
[15:28] (Flashback) bon
    But I got injured this time!
[15:31] (Flashback) toku
    That happens with fifty-fifty plays.
[15:33] (Flashback) toku
    But outside of unforeseen
    disasters like that,
[15:36] (Flashback) toku
    you might have a physique that resists injury.
[15:40] bon
    Did Toku-san come here to cheer me up?
[15:43] (Flashback) toku
    Anyway, about that running...
[15:46] (Flashback) toku
    It's not irritating the break, is it?
[15:49] (Flashback) bon
    It might be a little...
[15:51] (Flashback) bon
    But I think it should be okay.
[15:54] (Flashback) toku
    Look, don't be in such a rush right now.
[15:57] (Flashback) toku
    You've gotta rest the break, okay?
[16:00] (Flashback) bon
    Yes, I will!
[16:02] bon
    Toku-san was right to warn me.
[16:05] bon
    The swinging upset the bone setting.
[16:08] (Flashback) doc
    You should avoid running
    for a little while longer.
[16:13] bon
    I'd set my major league
    comeback back by ten days.
[16:16] bon
    I finally lost the cast at the end of July.
[16:20] bon
    In August, I visited the minor
    league Toda Stadium in Saitama
[16:24] bon
    for a little practice in real games.
[16:28] (Flashback) sako
    Our team's managed to hang on
    at the top of the pack,
[16:31] (Flashback) sako
    but our pitching staff's in a bad way.
[16:33] (Flashback) sako
    Come back to us soon, okay, Natsunosuke?
[16:37] (Flashback) bon
    Right! I'll do my best!
[16:40] bon
    Sakota-san was right.
SIGN    Osaka-Bunkyo-Jingu
SIGN    Central League Dead Heat
[16:42] sign
    Even by August, the Central
    League's top three teams
SIGN    Spiders Hanging in There!
[16:45] sign
    were in a dead heat for the pennant,
    and we were hanging in at third!
SIGN    Holding on to Third!
[16:48] (Flashback) soki
    But when you return,
    you're back on middle relief.
[16:55] (Flashback) bon
    I'm back to being a handyman?
[17:00] (Flashback) bon
    It makes sense, I guess.
[17:02] (Flashback) bon
    I messed up my chance to be a starter.
[17:06] (Flashback) sako
    Well, don't feel too bad.
[17:08] (Flashback) sako
    First things first:
    get yourself back in the game.
[17:11] (Flashback) sako
    Train yourself for both
    one-man-outs and long relieving.
[17:16] (Flashback) sako
    The top three teams still
    have thirty games left,
[17:21] (Flashback) sako
    but the manager expects things
    to stay deadlocked for a while.
[17:25] (Flashback) sako
    So in the late season when
    the pennant's at stake,
[17:29] (Flashback) sako
    that's when we'll really need you.
[17:31] sako
    The pennant...
[17:33] (Flashback) sako
    The manager is counting on you
    as his ace middle reliever.
[17:38] (Flashback) sako
    That full-blast effort you put in
    before you got injured.
[17:41] (Flashback) bon
    Y-Yes, sir!
[17:47] (Flashback) bon
    My first beer in two and a half
    months... It tastes so good!
[17:51] (Flashback) ono
    Three more from the tap!
[17:53] (Flashback) ono
    Just help yourself, okay, Senpai?
[17:56] (Flashback) ono
    Shibuya-senpai and I will pick up the tab!
[17:59] (Flashback) bon
    Yes, yes, yes!
[18:00] (Flashback) bon
    Don't mind if I do!
[18:05] (Flashback) shi
    You were so depressed when
    they first sent you to the hospital.
[18:08] (Flashback) shi
    It's a relief to see you back in good form.
[18:10] (Flashback) shi
    Right, Yukio?
[18:12] (Flashback) ono
    Yes. You were totally inconsolable back then.
[18:16] (Flashback) bon
    You bet I was!
[18:18] (Flashback) bon
    I'd made twenty appearances
    from the season opener to May!
[18:21] (Flashback) bon
    I thought I was gonna get to sixty this year!
[18:24] (Flashback) bon
    Then all of a sudden, I'm out of the game!
[18:26] (Flashback) bon
    It was like dropping from heaven to hell!
[18:28] (Flashback) shibu
    But now you're back to playing real games.
[18:31] (Flashback) shibu
    It's a great thing!
[18:34] (Flashback) bon
    It is!
[18:35] (Flashback) bon
    Anyway, Akira...
[18:37] (Flashback) bon
    They keep skipping over you in the rotation.
[18:39] (Flashback) bon
    You're not getting rusty, are you?
[18:41] (Flashback) shi
    Like hell! I'm not rusty!
[18:43] (Flashback) shi
    Are you drunk already?
    Don't start picking fights!
[18:47] (Flashback) bon
    Just get yourself back in the
    rotation and win a game or three!
[18:51] (Flashback) shi
    Butt out! I'm doing my best, okay?
[18:54] (Flashback) bon
    You too, Yukio! Get that
    batting average up by .020!
[18:57] (Flashback) bon
    That'll get you to .300!
[18:59] (Flashback) ono
    Yeah, yeah. I'm doing my best!
[19:01] (Flashback) ono
    I just need to do my best, right?
[19:03] (Flashback) ono
    Though .020 might be out of reach...
[19:07] (Flashback) ono
    You know, we did this to encourage you,
    but you're trying to fire us up instead.
[19:10] (Flashback) bon
    Anyway, do your best, both of you!
    For the sake of the team!
[19:14] (Flashback) bon
    And for me!
[19:17] (Flashback) bon
    I mean, if we keep this up,
    we've got a real shot!
[19:24] (Flashback) bon
    At the pennant!
[19:26] (Flashback) shi
    That's right!
[19:27] (Flashback) shi
    We've come this far!
    We've gotta get that pennant!
[19:30] (Flashback) ono
    Yes! This is our big chance!
[19:33] (Flashback) ono
    Let's do it! Let's grab that pennant!
[19:35] (Flashback) bon
    Yeah, that's the way!
[19:37] (Flashback) bon
    Can't get that pay increase
    unless we get the pennant!
[19:40] (Flashback) bon
    C'mon, eat up, you guys! Don't hold back!
[19:43] (Flashback) shi
    Yeah, eat up!
[19:45] (Flashback) bon
    Right!
[19:46] (Flashback) bon
    Bring more, more!
[19:47] (Flashback) ono
    Yes!
[19:48] (Flashback) ono
    Excuse me! Repeat for three!
[19:52] bon
    I pitched a few games in the farm.
[19:58] (Flashback) sako
    Manager, we have word from Toda.
[20:00] (Flashback) tan
    How did things go?
[20:02] (Flashback) sako
    He pitched three innings,
    three up and three down.
[20:05] (Flashback) ko
    Oh, wow!
[20:07] (Flashback) ko
    That's eight straight perfect
    innings in four games!
[20:10] (Flashback) tan
    Okay, looks like he made it in time.
[20:13] (Flashback) tan
    He's been out of the action for four months.
[20:16] (Flashback) tan
    He needs to make up for lost time.
[20:18] (Flashback) tan
    Starting tomorrow, bring
    Natsunosuke back to the majors!
[20:21] (Flashback) sako
    Right!
[20:23] bon
    In the unforgiving heat of September,
[20:25] bon
    I'm back in the majors
    after four months away.
[20:29] bon
    I got lucky.
[20:30] bon
    Akira and Yukio didn't especially
    distinguish themselves,
[20:33] bon
    but the team worked hard and
    are still in the race for the pennant.
[20:37] bon
    I said it before, but for a middle reliever,
    your appearance stat is everything.
[20:41] bon
    At best, I'll get to play ten games in
    the twenty-two we have remaining.
[20:46] bon
    I got twenty appearances
    before I broke my wrist,
[20:48] bon
    which will give me a season total of thirty.
[20:51] bon
    That won't get me much of a raise.
[20:54] bon
    But...
[20:55] sako
    Hey, Natsunosuke.
[20:57] sako
    I might need to send you
    out in an inning or two!
[21:00] sako
    Warm up that shoulder!
[21:01] bon
    Yes, sir!
[21:02] bon
    I'm finally back!
[21:05] bon
    We're a mere one game out of first place.
[21:08] bon
    Any of the top three could
    still snag the pennant.
[21:12] bon
    If I can contribute to the win
    in this deadlock situation,
[21:15] bon
    I might win brownie points
    with the management.
[21:17] bon
    Now, the real test is coming!
[21:20] bon
    That's right, there's money
    buried under the pitch!
[21:27] bon
    Money pitch!
[23:01] bon
    Natsunosuke here!
[23:03] bon
    There's another player who
    came up to the majors with me.
[23:06] bon
    Itsuki Roppa.
[23:07] bon
    He's my age, an outfielder recruited out
    of college, in his fourth year as a pro.
[23:10] bon
    His contract: 6.5 million.
[23:12] bon
    But he's got that archetypal
    grass-lot baseball attitude.
[23:15] bon
    He's married, and his wife is
    five months pregnant.
[23:18] bon
    He's a great guy who's a blast to have around,
[23:21] bon
    but he's lacking a lot of that pro fire!
[23:24] bon
    Next time: "The Softy"
[23:25] bon
    Seize tomorrow's success and today's money!
SIGN    The Softy
[23:28] bon
    Money Pitch!