The first pitch of the first game of the Fuchu municipal tournament is struck by the left-handed pitcher, and the narrator wonders if he can hit the pitch. He wonders if the pitch is too slow for him to hit, and he wonders whether the batter is running too fast. He thinks that the batter should have swung harder at the pitch, but the pitcher has struck him out. The narrator decides that the best thing to do is to try and get the first run on the board as quickly as possible.