Big Windup!

- Season 1

(2007)

Most guys can't wait for the start of baseball season. But not Mihashi. For this young pitcher, the crack of the bat is the sound of yet another failure.

Mihashi wants to be an ace, but he's got no confidence. That's where Abe comes in. Every pitcher needs a good catcher, and Mihashi's new teammate is magic behind the plate.

Mihashi still doubts himself, and Abe always has to be the boss. If the Nishiura nine want to beat Mihashi's old team, pitcher and catcher must learn to trust each other.

Mihashi takes the mound, but he's shaking in his stirrups. His old teammates weren't his biggest fans, and they can't wait to take some vicious cuts against him.

The game is scoreless through three innings, and Mihashi's locked in a pitcher's duel with his old backup. As usual, Abe is at the center of all the action.

Mihashi's mowing down batters until an error by the left fielder gives his old team new life. With their lead cut in half, the Nishiura players start to tense up.

Abe and Mihashi get back on the same page, but not before giving up the lead. As the game enters the final innings, Mihashi must trust his teammates.

Mihashi should be fired up about beating his old team, but instead he's obsessing over Haruna - the star pitcher at Abe's old school.

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Team Nishiura is stoked about playing in the prestigious summer tournament, but there's a catch - they have to play Tosei, the defending champs, in the first round.

They may be facing the toughest game of their lives, but the Nishiura nine aren't gonna roll over and die. This team has plenty of fight left in it!

The summer baseball tournament is about to begin, and the players are itching to get on the field. Now, if only Mihashi can just stay cool.

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A Nishiura rally in the second puts runners in scoring position, but it means Mihashi's gonna have to step into the batter's box - the one place Abe can't help him.

Despite a base-running blunder, Nishiura draws first blood! Staked to a one run lead, Mihashi just has to keep the other team in check.

A close game quickly becomes a chess match with both coaches anticipating the other's next move. Mihashi's hitting his spots, but the opposing team's strategy leads to crowded base paths.

Tosei put some serious pressure on Mihashi in the bottom of the fourth, but stingy defense and Tajima's instincts help them escape without allowing a run.

He's pitching a good game, but Mihashi's starting to wear down. Tajima and Abe have noticed he's not quite right, and Tosei's getting closer to figuring out his pitches.

When a pitcher doesn't have great stuff, he has to be crafty. But even with Abe's game plan, the momentum shifts to Tosei in the bottom of the seventh.

Tosei rallies to take the lead, but Tajima comes to the plate determined to put his team back on top.

Tied 3-3 in the last of the eighth, Tosei will do anything to avoid losing to a bunch of first years - even they have to bunt their way home.

As the final inning begins, things look bleak for Nishiura. They've fought and clawed and left everything they've got on the field, but Tosei leads by a run.

Heading into the bottom of the ninth, Nishiura clings to a one run lead, and Mihashi and Abe are ready to bring the victory home!

While his teammates celebrate their amazing and unexpected victory, poor Mihashi can only sleep and sleep and sleep some more.

Abe wasn't a fan of Haruna, but there's a lot to like about the guy. He's tall, good-looking, has a one-in-a-million arm, and he wants to win no matter what.