Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. We report to you now from the first round of the summer tournament, where the top-seeded team and last year\u2019s winners Tosei are facing off against the largely unknown Nishiura, whose roster appears to consist of largely freshmen players. Predictions weren\u2019t calling for much of a competition today, but you know what, I gotta hand it to these Nishiura newcomers \u2013 whether it\u2019s Tosei\u2019s star pitcher Takase showing some nerves or whatever you\u2019d call it, the freshmen are really putting up a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019re now at the top of the second inning, with Nishiura once again mounting a strong offensive in the face of Takase\u2019s pitching. That said, the <\/span>real<\/span><\/i> story of this game might well be Nishiura pitcher Mihashi Ren, who knocked Nishiura out of the first inning in six pitches flat. Could that simply be beginner\u2019s luck, or are we witnessing the first prelude of a new dynasty? Regardless, it\u2019s turning into an all-out slugfest as both teams grapple for first blood. Let\u2019s get back to it!<\/span><\/p>\n Episode 16<\/b><\/p>\n Alright, don\u2019t worry, I won\u2019t be pulling that crap for the whole article. But seriously though, Big Windup! is proving itself such a tactically grounded production that it actually does reward a tactics-interrogating play-by-play, the sort of breathless Robert E.O. Speedwagon-style commentary that inspired my twitter profile. You all know I love themes and character analysis (and Big Windup! certainly rewards plenty of psychological interrogation), but I also appreciate a show where the physical conflicts are so \u201ccrunchy,\u201d so intelligently sculpted within a coherent field of battle and mechanical ability, that you can actually follow them not just as emotional exchanges, but as genuine articulations of game design and strategy<\/span><\/p>\n What I\u2019m talking about is something fans assign to a lot of stories that don\u2019t really reward such an approach \u2013 most shonen battles resolve because one or another side was written to win, not because they tactically outplayed their opponent. You basically just get it in Hunter x Hunter and the occasional sports drama, alongside weird outliers like Girls und Panzer (which is itself basically a sports drama). This is because writing such a conflict demands not simply saying \u201cthe characters engaged in a fierce battle of wills,\u201d but actually<\/span> writing a fierce battle of wills<\/span><\/i>, complete with genuinely clever gambits and counterplays that the audience can understand as inspired without the author simply telling them so, as well as firm <\/span>limitations<\/span><\/i> on the abilities of the contestants. It\u2019s quite a high standard of mechanical conflict writing, and only really applicable to narratives that hinge on mechanical, \u201cgamified\u201d conflicts in the first place, making it a rare treat that I\u2019m always happy to enjoy<\/span><\/p>\n Anyway, Big Windup! We open right where we left off, with Mihashi making a squawking bird-faced fool of himself between first and second base, giving Hanai a chance to steal home. As ever, Mihashi\u2019s ridiculous faces are this show\u2019s most absurd visual flourish<\/span><\/p>\n Hanai is safe! Nishiura takes the first run of the game!<\/span><\/p>\n As both the show in general and this game in particular have emphasized, each run in baseball is a major trial and major accomplishment. Seeing fictional games decided by back-to-back grand slams is sort of the baseball equivalent of how fictional poker games always involve royal flushes \u2013 they\u2019re going for flashiness to create a greater sense of impact, but the actual meat of play mostly involves desperately pushing runners forward and attempting to engineer individual runs. And of course, the only way to make that exciting is to ground it, to first teach the audience all the rules and factors at play, and then to use that education to construct tactically satisfying exchanges. It\u2019s a laborious narrative approach, but the advantages of mechanically coherent, parsable conflict over pure bombast and showmanship are a prize worth seeking<\/span><\/p>\n Granted, it\u2019s also no crime to seek pure bombast \u2013 and frankly, even tactics-oriented dramas still choose their own ways to \u201ccheat\u201d and simplify certain things. There is no one right way to illustrate conflict, this just happens to be a particularly compelling variant for a particular type of viewer<\/span><\/p>\n Tosei pitcher Takase is in disbelief, turning back to the scoreboard just to affirm what happened. This will presumably be a serious wake-up call, which is what Nishiura was always expecting \u2013 that this game will get harder as it proceeds, as Tosei\u2019s superior training and eventually ability to read Mihashi\u2019s pitches take over<\/span><\/p>\n Yep, Takase takes it in stride, with Mihashi\u2019s ridiculous face getting him laughing and loosening him up. With a run already lost, there\u2019s less pressure to be perfect, and now he can play his kind of baseball. Nishiura are in trouble<\/span><\/p>\n These opening innings have created a nice ominous tension and sense of anticipation; it\u2019s been so manageable for Nishiura that those in the know are just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and their undeniably better-trained opponents to lock into fighting form<\/span><\/p>\n Takase also notes that the first base coach seemed to read his pitching motions, facilitating easier steals. Nishiura\u2019s secret weapons are swiftly being discovered<\/span><\/p>\n Yeah, thought so \u2013 hearing this much dialogue from Takase made it clear he\u2019s Noriaki Sugiyama. His Emiya Shirou voice is just too noticeable<\/span><\/p>\n Over in the Nishiura dugout, they\u2019re making sure Mihashi didn\u2019t hurt himself during his multiple fumbles. Mihashi\u2019s recklessness is a danger to his whole team \u2013 if he hurts his arm pulling some stunt running the bases, that\u2019s game over for everyone. Of course, it is very like Mihashi to not value his own body highly enough; he still needs to be assured of his worth by others, generally several times a day<\/span><\/p>\n Returning to the field, he sees an unusual sight \u2013 the crowd cheering for <\/span>him<\/span><\/i> specifically. The distance between anchor and underdog isn\u2019t actually that great<\/span><\/p>\n Momoe and the dugout crew worry that Mihashi might be running a fever, while Abe laments that they don\u2019t have the leeway to run any pitching tricks in this brutal portion of the batting order. Having your pitcher go from running the bases immediately back to pitching is rough \u2013 for professional teams, a designated hitter will generally replace the pitcher in the batting order, preventing this sort of issue<\/span><\/p>\n Next up is Aoki Takehiko, who was so good he actually played on Tosei\u2019s competitive team even as a freshman, meaning he was the only freshman to reach Koshien (the hallowed stadium where the final games take place). And he\u2019s risen in position since then, now occupying the vaunted cleanup hitter position, which is generally assigned to whoever is most likely to send runners home. Clearly a dangerous player<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be greedy! We can allow him a base hit.\u201d If the threat of a particular batter getting an outright home run is high enough, it can be worth it to explicitly aim for easier-to-hit but harder-to-maximize pitches. The enemy\u2019s greatest batter is frequently less dangerous on the bases than with a bat in hand<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe thing to watch out for is how hard he swings. On the flipside, his RBI has never been impressive.\u201d Yep \u2013 so he doesn\u2019t connect that often, but he really makes those connections count<\/span><\/p>\n This combination is emphasized with his next swing \u2013 he fouls the ball off to the side, but he fouls with such power that it actually flies over and beyond the stadium seating. That much power aimed in the right direction would be devastating<\/span><\/p>\n Sports anime certainly have a leg up in this sort of grounded conflict, in that they are based on activities where the parameters of possible and effective play have already been plotted out. They don\u2019t have to invent a coherent rule set, the rule set already exists<\/span><\/p>\n As ever, Abe attempts to see the positive interpretation of this power \u2013 if he swings at anything, he can always be beaten<\/span><\/p>\n Mihashi finishes him off with a screwball. First out!<\/span><\/p>\n Next up is Kawai, the catcher, who will presumably use this at-bat to gather as much information as possible<\/span><\/p>\n Yep, he\u2019s not even hitting, he\u2019s just watching the ball all the way to the catcher\u2019s mitt. If he can solve Mihashi\u2019s pitches, that\u2019s worth far more than the opportunity cost of one at-bat<\/span><\/p>\n Nonetheless, both he and the following batter are struck out without incident, leaving Tosei with only the impression that they haven\u2019t practiced against sufficiently <\/span>slow<\/span><\/i> pitches to be ready for Mihashi. This game is an information war, and Abe did a fine job of revealing only as much as was necessary to get through the inning<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll watch for one more inning, then we\u2019ll take action in the middle stretch of the game.\u201d Because the game\u2019s so information-based, plotting your point of opportunity and taking advantage of it is essential. Tosei\u2019s coach plans to catch up aggressively once Mihashi is solved, while Abe knows well that they have to score heavily now, before Mihashi\u2019s various sinking balls have been analyzed and adjusted to<\/span><\/p>\n First up in the third is Abe. As the first to cross with a warmed-up Takase, he is surprised to see the data of the first two innings is useless \u2013 Takase is now in top form, and nothing that worked previously is effective now<\/span><\/p>\n Abe resolves to at least keep the momentum on their side before totally whiffing. Sorry dude, batting is not your strong suite<\/span><\/p>\n Back in the dugout, Mihashi offers him a heartfelt thanks for how well the previous innings have gone. He admits that his skills haven\u2019t really changed, but the results have \u2013 and because of Abe\u2019s strategies, he is able to take pride in his own skills. And for the first time, Abe actually internalizes this, his shocked face and immediate participation in an on-base cheer demonstrating that he has accidentally, unthinkingly become a genuine part of this team, a component of a greater organism that fundamentally cares about the fortunes and feelings of his teammates. Mihashi\u2019s sincerity has broken through \u2013 the team has finally domesticated Abe<\/span><\/p>\n Abe attempts to counter this emotional distraction with a mountain of strategic thinking, overanalyzing Mihashi\u2019s current mentality to avoid thinking about his own feelings. It\u2019s pretty adorable, an extremely Abe riff on tsundere convention<\/span><\/p>\n The momentum remains on Nishiura\u2019s side \u2013 even with Takase in fighting form, Suyama takes a base hit. It seems like, having shaken off their self-defeating doldrums, Tosei must now reckon with the plain fact that Nishiura are way better than they were expecting<\/span><\/p>\n The real test of their new dynamic comes when Tajima takes the mound \u2013 Nishiura\u2019s best batter against a revitalized Takase<\/span><\/p>\n But Tajima is outwitted by Tosei\u2019s mix of sinking and fastballs. Nishiura seem to be winning the larger positioning metagame, but when it comes down to the batter versus the battery, Tosei are still hard to beat<\/span><\/p>\n Mihashi\u2019s cousin Ruri arrives, who apparently refers to him as \u201cRen-Ren.\u201d Don\u2019t let the boys hear that, Mihashi<\/span><\/p>\n The moms are hungry for girlfriend gossip, but willing to accept Ruri as a cousin instead<\/span><\/p>\n Brutal private assessment from Ruri when explaining why she\u2019s here. Her own school has an upperclassmen game, but Ruri quite sensibly assumed that, like always, Ren would get knocked out in the first round, and thus this would be her only chance to cheer for him<\/span><\/p>\n Her reflections on Mihashi\u2019s changing attitude towards spectators illustrate his psychological growth. This was the first time in years he didn\u2019t discourage her from attending one of his games<\/span><\/p>\n And Done<\/b><\/p>\n With that, Mihashi earns his seventh strikeout, and leads the team out of the third inning! An impressive streak for Mihashi, and an obvious boon to his confidence \u2013 but of course, confidence constructed purely out of positive results can easily vanish when fortunes change. The window is closing for Nishiura, as their opposing batters learn to contend with Mihashi\u2019s accurate yet unexpectedly slow pitches, and Takase locks into fighting form with fastballs at the ready. I remain impressed with how well Big Windup is articulating the complex tactical negotiations of baseball, and delighted at how directly that is translating to tense, clearly defined active drama. You better get some more runs before Mihashi\u2019s figured out, boys!<\/span><\/p>\n This\u00a0article\u00a0was\u00a0mad<\/a><\/em>e possible by reader support<\/a>. Thank you all for\u00a0all that you do.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wrongeverytime.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/January20103624.jpg?resize=584%2C329&ssl=1\")
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<\/p>\nLike this:<\/h3>\n