# 18 - Lonely Season
Source: [Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GRVDWZZ4R/gurazeni-money-pitch)
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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.)
***SIGN*** Lonely Season
**[01:39] bon**
* The teams that don't participate*
* in the Japan Series*
**[01:41] bon**
*have a fall camp of sorts.*
**[01:47] bon**
*We Spiders get about fifteen days in Shikoku.*
**[01:50] bon**
* The ones chosen to go*
* are invariably youngsters—*
**[01:53] bon**
*promising youngsters, at that.*
**[01:56] bon**
* The truth is, I've never once*
* been chosen to go.*
**[02:00] bon**
* Probably because I've never*
* qualified as "promising."*
**[02:07] bon**
* While I'm twenty-six now,*
* being selected would be a badge of honor.*
**[02:11] bon**
* And considering I took*
* four months off this season,*
**[02:13] bon**
*I* do *want to get back in shape...*
**[02:17] ko**
Hey, Natsunosuke!
**[02:19] bon**
Hey, Coach Kozato.
**[02:21] ko**
You should stay here.
**[02:23] ko**
You really went all-out during the
pennant race at the end of the season.
**[02:29] ko**
There's no reason for you to go
all the way to Shikoku
**[02:32] ko**
and beat up on yourself any more.
**[02:35] bon**
Got it.
**[02:36] bon**
*Does that mean they approve of the job I did?*
**[02:42] bon**
*Well, whatever.*
**[02:43] bon**
*I'll do my best here in Tokyo.*
**[02:47] bon**
* That said, some of our regulars train*
* at the indoor practice facility at Jingu.*
**[02:52] bon**
* The other players train at the minor*
* league Toda Stadium in Saitama.*
**[02:57] bon**
* Incidentally, the veteran pitchers*
* who pitched the entire season*
**[03:01] bon**
*also train at Toda.*
**[03:04] bon**
*Sekijima.*
***SIGN*** Sekijima (23 years old) (No wins as a pro)
**[03:06] sign**
*Shohno.*
***SIGN*** Shohno (25 years old) (No wins as a pro)
**[03:08] sign**
*Korekawa-san.*
***SIGN*** Korekawa (27 years old)
(22 wins as a pro)
**[03:10] sign**
* The four of us were grouped together*
* with the same practice regimen.*
**[03:17] seki**
Okay, let's swap.
**[03:19] seki**
Man, this is rough!
**[03:21] bon**
Boy, you guys sure are young!
**[03:25] bon**
*But that night...*
**[03:27] bon**
What? Sekijima got released?
**[03:29] kore**
*Yeah...*
**[03:31] kore**
He just called me.
**[03:33] bon**
*I...*
**[03:34] bon**
I see...
**[03:38] bon**
*Recruited out of high school five years ago,*
**[03:41] bon**
*and never once made it to the majors.*
**[03:44] bon**
*It's sad, but inevitable.*
**[03:48] kore**
Looks like we're down to three.
**[03:51] bon**
*Then, that night...*
**[03:53] bon**
What? Shohno got let go, too?
**[03:56] kore**
I just ran into him, and he told me.
**[03:59] bon**
*Recruited from an amateur league,*
**[04:01] bon**
* he spent five years with less*
* than ten mound appearances.*
**[04:05] bon**
* It's sad, but that's the*
* professional world for you.*
**[04:08] bon**
Just us today, huh?
**[04:10] kore**
With the Climax Series over,
we're into release season.
**[04:13] kore**
I'm sure you won't be affected, though.
**[04:15] kore**
I guess I'm next in line.
**[04:18] bon**
Cut that out, Korekawa-san.
**[04:20] bon**
Don't jinx yourself like that.
**[04:26] bon**
* Korekawa-san is an incredible pitcher,*
* recruited out of college,*
**[04:29] bon**
*who rocketed to ten wins in his first year.*
**[04:33] bon**
* He stagnated in his second*
* year with seven wins.*
**[04:36] bon**
* In his third year, he had some*
* bad luck with just five wins.*
**[04:39] bon**
* His fifth year, he got hurt and didn't*
* make any major league appearances.*
**[04:43] bon**
* This year was his fifth,*
* and he made it back to the majors,*
**[04:46] bon**
* but started only two games*
* and was knocked out early in both.*
**[04:50] bon**
* The highest his salary ever went*
* was 34 million in his third year,*
**[04:54] bon**
*and this year, he played for 23 million.*
**[04:58] kore**
I haven't done the team
any good in two years.
**[05:01] kore**
I might get the call sometime
during this fall camp.
**[05:06] bon**
I'm telling you, that won't happen!
**[05:11] bon**
* Maybe it's natural that Korekawa-san*
* would start thinking that way,*
**[05:16] bon**
*but the next day came and went,*
**[05:19] bon**
* and so did the day after that,*
* and he didn't get the call,*
**[05:23] bon**
*so we kept up our daily practice.*
**[05:26] bon**
*But...*
**[05:31] bon**
*One evening...*
**[05:33] kore**
Natsunosuke.
**[05:34] kore**
I finally got the call from Support
Staff Manager Takeoka-san.
**[05:39] bon**
Huh? Wh-What did he say?!
**[05:41] bon**
I... I'm being traded.
**[05:43] bon**
Traded?
**[05:45] bon**
Yes, to the Kobe Oxen.
**[05:47] bon**
Kobe?
**[05:50] bon**
Who'd they trade you for?
**[05:52] bon**
Apparently, they're still discussing
whether it'll be for players or money.
**[05:57] bon**
Hey, are you sure it's going through?
**[06:00] kore**
The trade itself is set in stone.
**[06:02] kore**
The Japan Series is going on right now.
**[06:04] kore**
Apparently, they want to
announce it as soon as it's over.
**[06:08] bon**
B-But... Korekawa-san,
**[06:10] bon**
I'm sorry to say this,
but at least it's just...
**[06:13] kore**
Yeah, I'm glad.
**[06:16] kore**
At least it's just a trade!
**[06:18] kore**
The words "free agent" kept
bouncing around in my head.
**[06:23] bon**
Yeah, that's right.
**[06:24] bon**
A trade means you're still needed, at least.
**[06:27] kore**
Yeah.
**[06:28] kore**
And anyway, Kobe is my home town.
**[06:31] kore**
I'm happy with that.
**[06:32] bon**
A-Also,
**[06:34] bon**
a trade means you still
have your current contract.
**[06:38] kore**
Hey, cut out that money-minded talk.
**[06:41] kore**
I'm just happy I get to keep playing baseball.
**[06:46] bon**
Sorry...
**[06:47] kore**
You're right, of course.
**[06:51] bon**
Okay, then! Korekawa-san, let's go drinking!
**[06:54] bon**
It'll be my treat, to celebrate the good news!
**[06:57] kore**
I'm not sure I'm quite in the mood.
**[06:59] bon**
Then food! Let's get some food, at least!
**[07:02] ore**
Food, eh? Well, whatever you want.
**[07:07] bon**
*W-We're in...*
**[07:09] bon**
*We're in Shibuya.*
**[07:12] bon**
*We're right next to Ebisu, where* she *works...*
**[07:16] bon**
Okay!
**[07:18] bon**
Here, here!
**[07:20] bon**
As you can see, it's not a very fancy place.
***SIGN*** Kitchen Ajihei
**[07:23] kre**
That's fine by me.
**[07:25] bon**
* The last time I came here was*
* right after I made it back to the majors.*
**[07:28] bon**
*It's been two months!*
**[07:38] ann**
*Safe!*
**[07:39] ann**
*He's safe by a hair!*
**[07:43] ann**
* In the bottom of the 6th,*
* the Tempters have bridged the gap!*
**[07:46] ann**
*It's tied, five to five!*
**[07:49] ann**
*It's the Japan Series in Koshien!*
***SIGN*** 4th 5th 6th Total
**[07:50] ann**
* Neither the Tokorozawa Jaguars nor*
* the Osaka Tempters are giving an inch!*
**[07:54] bon**
*What's with this place?*
**[07:56] bon**
*Everyone's rooting for the Tempters...*
**[07:58] yuki**
Yes! Yes!
**[08:01] bon**
*She's here! Yuki-chan!*
**[08:04] yuki**
Thanks for coming by! Right over here!
**[08:07] yuki**
Welcome!
**[08:09] yuki**
Let me know the minute you decide.
**[08:13] bon**
Everything on the menu here is great.
**[08:16] kore**
I love places like this.
**[08:18] kore**
It's been a while.
**[08:20] bon**
This fried chicken 'n' rice is my favorite.
**[08:23] kore**
I always get the ginger
pork at places like this.
**[08:28] kore**
Man, I'm stuffed!
**[08:31] kore**
Thank you for the meal.
**[08:32] bon**
Tasty, huh?
**[08:34] kore**
Yeah, it was great.
**[08:35] bon**
Hey, Korekawa-san,
**[08:37] bon**
you sure you don't want one off the tap?
**[08:41] kore**
Just one, then.
**[08:47] bon**
*Anyway...*
**[08:49] bon**
*She's been so wrapped up in the Japan Series.*
**[08:53] bon**
* I knew she was a Tempters fan,*
* but this is something else.*
**[08:57] man**
Yeah! Go, Tempters!
**[08:58] bon**
* The other regulars are rooting*
* for the Tempters to humor her.*
**[09:09] bon**
* It's obvious they're just to trying*
* to get on her good side, of course.*
**[09:14] bon**
*But as usual, she's so pretty...*
**[09:20] bon**
*You know I'm the main one responsible*
**[09:22] bon**
* for putting your beloved*
* Tempters in the Japan Series!*
**[09:30] (Flashback) ann**
Reliever Bonda throws his
seventh pitch with a full count!
**[09:34] (Flashback) ann**
It's a ball!
**[09:36] (Flashback) ann**
He walks him in!
**[09:37] (Flashback) ann**
The Tempters put the game's
first run on the board!
***SIGN*** 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
**[09:41] bon**
* I got the rest of the order out*
* in that inning*
**[09:44] bon**
*and pinned my hopes on our hitters, but...*
**[09:47] bon**
* Would you believe it, they were*
* shut out by the Tempters' pitchers!*
**[09:52] (Flashback) ann**
The Tempters win!
**[09:56] bon**
* But you don't even know that*
* I'm a pro baseball player.*
**[10:03] kore**
Great job, Tempters!
**[10:06] kore**
I've been a hell of a Tempters
fan since I was a kid!
**[10:11] kore**
Hey, miss, another beer!
**[10:13] yuki**
Right!
**[10:15] yuki**
Pour another from the tap!
**[10:16] bon**
Korekawa-san, you said you'd only have one!
**[10:20] kore**
It's because the Tempters
are in the Japan Series.
**[10:24] kore**
I wanna cheer them on!
**[10:25] yuki**
Here you are!
**[10:28] kore**
Hey, miss, I've been watching you.
**[10:31] kore**
You seem like one hell of a Tempters fan.
**[10:33] yuki**
Oh, could you tell?
**[10:37] kore**
You were born in Kansai, right?
**[10:39] kore**
Whereabouts?
**[10:40] yuki**
Straight from Osaka!
**[10:42] kore**
Oh! See, I hail from Kobe!
**[10:45] kore**
Wouldn't it be great if the Tempters win?
**[10:48] yuki**
The Tempters'll totally win today!
**[10:52] bon**
*They're talking!*
**[10:54] bon**
*K-Korekawa-san and Yuki-chan...*
**[10:57] bon**
*I-I...*
**[11:01] bon**
* I've been visiting this place*
* for over a year now,*
**[11:04] bon**
*and I've never talked to her once!*
**[11:24] kore**
Delicious!
**[11:25] kore**
When I was little, my dad would
take me on the Hanshin Line
**[11:28] kore**
to catch games at the Koshien.
**[11:30] yuki**
Our house was on the Hanshin Line.
**[11:34] yuki**
I got taken to lots of games, too.
**[11:36] kore**
When I was in grade school,
the Tempters were perpetual losers.
**[11:41] kore**
How about you?
**[11:42] yuki**
They became champions once when I was a kid!
**[11:45] yuki**
It was just the craziest!
**[11:48] kore**
I was in high school then.
**[11:50] kore**
I went to Dotonbori and saw
the guys jumping in the river.
**[11:55] yuki**
My dad did the beer dunk... on himself!
**[11:59] man**
*Who's that guy?*
**[12:01] man**
*He sure is getting chummy with Yuki-chan.*
***SIGN*** 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th
**[12:08] ann**
*Tano's clutch hit sends Sasa home.*
**[12:10] ann**
*The Tempters take a one-run lead!*
**[12:16] yuki**
The Tempters took the lead!
**[12:21] yuki**
Yes!
**[12:30] man**
*Yuki-chan's aura of joy!*
**[12:33] man**
*It makes me happy, too!*
**[12:36] yuki**
Sir, the Tempters are going to win!
**[12:40] kore**
Yeah, since the teams came
into this one three to three,
**[12:44] kore**
and this is the deciding game.
**[12:47] bon**
*I'm sure all the regulars are thinking,*
**[12:49] bon**
* "I want to see her moment*
* of joy when the Tempters win."*
**[12:53] bon**
*And... Wait, if this keeps up...*
**[12:56] bon**
*Will I end up seeing it, too?!*
**[13:00] ann**
*The Tempters are the best in Japan!*
**[13:04] yuki**
*Oh, we won!*
**[13:08] bon**
*I-I'll say it again... in my mind, anyway...*
**[13:13] bon**
* It was the walk I gave up that sent your*
* beloved Tempters to the Japan Series!*
**[13:20] bon**
* The Osaka Tempters came in*
* second in the Central League...*
**[13:23] bon**
*Now they're going to be the best in Japan.*
**[13:26] bon**
*I don't need to see her moment of joy, do I?*
**[13:31] bon**
* There's no way I can stay*
* here until the 9th inning!*
**[13:35] yuki**
I wish I could fly to the Koshien right now!
**[13:39] bon**
*Oh, come on!*
**[13:41] kore**
Koshien...
**[13:43] kore**
Koshien's a great stadium, isn't it?
**[13:46] kore**
Hey, have you ever eaten the
Koshien's famous grilled squid?
**[13:50] yuki**
You bet I have! I just love it!
**[13:54] kore**
I've eaten it a lot, too.
**[13:57] kore**
They put those grills in the
most random hall, huh?
**[14:00] kore**
They redid it recently! Now it feels
like a proper fast food restaurant!
**[14:06] kore**
I know.
**[14:07] kore**
I think they cleaned it up too much.
It lost its atmosphere.
**[14:10] kore**
Back in the day,
when I was taken to the Koshien,
**[14:13] kore**
I was always in the bleachers
or the nosebleeds.
**[14:17] kore**
If you ended up behind the floodlight
pillars, it was hard to watch the game.
**[14:21] yuki**
They've taken out the big pillars now,
so that doesn't happen anymore.
**[14:26] kore**
I know that, too.
**[14:28] yuki**
They also removed the Ginsan roof's supports,
so it's a lot easier to see!
***SIGN*** Before
**[14:33] kore**
True enough.
***SIGN*** After
**[14:36] yuki**
They also made the seats bigger,
which makes watchin' a lot more comfortable!
**[14:42] kore**
Though that makes the corridors narrower.
**[14:44] kore**
The Koshien...
**[14:47] kore**
It might have packed you in like sardines,
**[14:50] kore**
and obstructed your view of the
game with floodlights and such,
**[14:57] kore**
but I liked that old-fashionedness.
**[14:59] kore**
I liked the chaos of it.
**[15:03] kore**
That's how the Koshien's
floodlights should be.
**[15:10] kore**
Rather than trim and tidy fast food,
**[15:13] kore**
the grimy stalls were better, weren't they?
**[15:17] bon**
K-Korekawa-san, do you have
a problem with the new stadium?
**[15:22] kore**
No, I don't.
**[15:23] kore**
Oh, but...
**[15:26] kore**
I thought the wideness of foul territory
was one of the Koshien's defining features.
**[15:31] kore**
Now it's the size of a normal stadium.
**[15:34] kore**
And the stands jut out over the pitch.
**[15:37] kore**
The larger the foul territory,
**[15:40] kore**
the easier it is for a pitcher to get outs
with fly balls, which I really enjoyed.
**[15:44] yuki**
Huh?
**[15:46] kore**
Natsunosuke...
**[15:48] kore**
You never pitched at
the old Koshien, did you?
**[15:52] bon**
*Korekawa-san!*
**[15:54] yuki**
P-Pitched... at the Koshien?
**[15:58] kore**
Having some distance between
the catcher and the backstop
**[16:01] kore**
also makes pitching a little harder, though.
**[16:05] kore**
The longer the distance,
the slower your pitches feel.
**[16:10] yuki**
Um... Have you two ever
played ball at the Koshien?
**[16:15] bon**
N-No, of course not!
**[16:18] yuki**
Of course not!
**[16:20] yuki**
It's not like they rent it out
for grasslot baseball...
**[16:26] bon**
*She talked to me for the first time!*
**[16:32] an**
* The Jaguars' Bourbon hits a*
* three-run homer to take the lead!*
**[16:40] ann**
*It's eight to six in the top of the eighth!*
**[16:42] ann**
*Are the Jaguars about to win this thing?!*
**[16:45] man**
The Tempters are done for.
**[16:47] man**
Now, we don't know that yet.
**[16:49] man**
But those three runs really hurt.
**[16:51] man**
We only just took the lead...
**[16:56] yuki**
D-Don't cry, sir! We ain't lost just yet.
**[17:01] bon**
Korekawa-san.
**[17:03] kore**
Actually, I was just humoring you before
because you're so pretty.
**[17:09] kore**
I thought that if I said
I was a Tempters fan,
**[17:11] kore**
we could get worked up about it together.
**[17:15] bon**
K-Korekawa-san... Wh-What are you saying?
**[17:19] bon**
*You're just like the other customers.*
**[17:21] kore**
No, it's true that I was a Tempters fan.
**[17:25] kore**
I loved them when I was a kid.
**[17:27] kore**
But there's another team I love better.
**[17:31] kore**
The Jingu Spiders!
**[17:39] yuki**
Even though you're from Kansai?
You love a Tokyo team?
**[17:43] kore**
I can't really explain
my circumstances to you.
**[17:47] kore**
Here, miss. Keep the change.
**[17:49] kore**
Natsunosuke, please let me pay.
**[17:52] bon**
N-No, I said I'd pay...
**[17:54] yuki**
Really, I'll bring your change!
**[18:00] kore**
Everyone!
**[18:05] kore**
I've taken her heart!
**[18:11] man**
What?!
**[18:12] man**
Y-Yuki-chan...
**[18:13] man**
What's he doing to her?!
**[18:15] man**
Natsunosuke, let's beat it!
**[18:20] man**
Thanks for the meal!
**[18:26] man**
What was all that?
**[18:33] bon**
Hey, Korekawa-san!
**[18:34] bon**
What are you doing?
**[18:36] bon**
Korekawa-san!
**[18:37] kore**
Boy, she really was a looker!
**[18:41] kore**
Natsunosuke, you've got
your eye on her, right?
**[18:46] kore**
Come on, I can tell.
**[18:48] kore**
That's why I wanted to tease you a bit.
**[18:52] kore**
It'll be harder for you
to go there now, right?
**[18:56] bon**
Korekawa-san!
**[18:57] kore**
You just used me as your excuse!
**[19:00] kore**
You should go by yourself!
**[19:01] bon**
No, that's not...
**[19:04] kore**
I really hate you, you know?
**[19:06] bon**
What? Are you drunk already, Korekawa-san?
**[19:10] kore**
I hate you.
**[19:13] kore**
Because you get to stay
with the Jingu Spiders.
**[19:19] kore**
That's why I messed with you.
**[19:21] kore**
Korekawa-san...
**[19:24] kore**
Those five seasons I spent with
the Spiders out of college...
**[19:26] kore**
I came to love the team.
**[19:31] kore**
I'm a huge Spiders fan now!
**[19:35] kore**
After I heard I was being traded...
**[19:38] kore**
As time passed, I started feeling really sad.
**[19:44] kore**
But today convinced me that
I can't stay as I am now.
**[19:49] kore**
Because even after all I said to that girl,
**[19:52] kore**
she didn't realize I was
a pro baseball player.
**[19:58] kore**
Just a warning, but that means
you've got a long way to go, too.
**[20:04] kore**
Hey, the Tempters came back to win it!
***SIGN*** The Tempters Rally for the Win
**[20:07] sign**
I bet she's happy.
**[20:16] bon**
* That day, the Tempters beat*
* the Tokorozawa Jaguars*
**[20:21] bon**
*and earned the title "Best in Japan."*
**[20:26] bon**
Yuki-chan-san, was it?
**[20:28] bon**
Well, I'll be rooting for you to
win her heart someday.
**[20:33] bon**
From all the way off in Kobe.
**[20:35] bon**
Good luck to you.
**[20:36] bon**
Korekawa-san...
**[20:42] bon**
*Farewell,*
**[20:44] bon**
*Jingu Spiders.*
**[21:02] bon**
Korekawa-san!
**[21:05] bon**
Couldn't we hit up one more place?
**[21:09] kore**
Yeah... Sure.
**[21:17] bon**
* The next year, Korekawa-san didn't manage*
* one appearance with the Kobe Oxen.*
**[21:24] bon**
*That same year, he retired.*
**[23:01] bon**
Natsunosuke here.
**[23:02] bon**
The world of pro baseball
can be pretty harsh, huh?
**[23:06] bon**
Our catcher Tohko-san got declared DFA,
**[23:09] bon**
and he has to go through tryouts.
**[23:12] bon**
But he'll have to face the 38-year-old
pitcher with a total 115 wins, Nishigouchi,
**[23:19] bon**
who was also declared DFA from
the Sapporo Purple Shadows!
**[23:22] bon**
Next time: "Declared for Assignment."
**[23:25] bon**
Seize tomorrow's success and today's money!
***SIGN*** Declared for Assignment
**[23:27] bon**
Money Pitch!