This chapter begins with a flashback to the beginning of the previous chapter, in which the protagonist asks the protagonist to strike out the opposing team's batters in order to make the protagonist less anxious. The protagonist laments the fact that the team has a strong arm and that the pitcher is a rookie. He wonders why the team is gambling on the outcome of the first game, and wonders if the pitcher can even catch a fly ball. He also wonders why they are risking everything on the first pitch of the game. He is afraid that the pitch will be too hard for the team to handle, and he wonders if they will be able to score a run on the defense. He asks if the coach told the pitcher to carry the entire team on his back just because he is the starting pitcher, and the protagonist replies that he does not need to do so, as he has the power to do what he pleases. He then wonders if he has ever seen a pitch like the one he just saw, and worries that the pitching staff is not up to the task of facing such a formidable opponent. He resolves to switch the focus of the defense to the strike zone.