Furuya Satoru | |
---|---|
Seidou High School - No. 11 | |
Pitcher | |
Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
Kanji | 降谷 暁 |
Nickname | Monster (怪物君 Kaibutsu-kun) Monster Rookie (怪物ルーキー Kaibutsu Rūkī) |
Characteristics | |
Gender | Male |
Age | 15 (debut) |
Date of birth | 1 July |
Place of birth | Tokyo[4][5] |
Bloodtype | O |
Height | 183 cm (6' 0") |
Weight | 65 kg (143 lbs) |
Family | Furuya Eiji, 降谷 英司 (Grandfather) |
Status | |
Education | 1st Year High School (debut)
2nd Year High School (Chapter 412) |
Class | 1-B (former) 2-B |
Skills | 154km/h Fastball[6] |
First Appearance | |
Manga | Act I - Chapter 8 |
Anime | S1 - Episode 4 |
Cast | |
Voice Actor | Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese) |
“ | I'll pitch as much as I need to. It's the ace's job to pitch. | ” |
— Furuya in The Final Lesson
|
Furuya Satoru comes from Tomakomai, Hokkaido[7] and is a second year student of Seidou High School. He was formerly the Ace of the Seidou Baseball Club since the Fall Tournament of his first year until the Spring Tournament of his second year. Currently, he wears No. 11 starting the Summer Regional Tournament.[8] He is Sawamura Eijun's rival and classmate and is roommates with Ono Hiroshi and Yui Kaoru, replacing the graduated Saitou.
Appearance
Furuya is a slim and tall teenage boy. He has medium-length black hair and brown eyes (grey in the anime). Furuya is almost always seen with a sleepy look on his face.
Character
Furuya has a stoic, introverted personality and is weak at communication. He has an expressionless face that makes it difficult for his teammates to understand his feelings. However, when provoked, he often exudes a fiery 'aura' as a visual representation of his passion. He was isolated by his friends and teammates in middle school due to his pitches being too powerful, so much so they didn't like playing with him. Furuya hates to hold back either in pitching or training and is very competitive. As he try to put the most effort into his pitching, he expects the catcher to also do the same and not disappoint him.[9] He shows respect to those that can catch his pitches such as Miyuki but on the other hand, will decline to work with ones that have trouble catching for him like Yui.[10][11]
Over the course of the series, Furuya comes to love the Seidou team as it is the first time that he has ever been accepted by his teammates. As the series progress, his respect for the team grows and he is thankful for the guidance and acknowledgement he received from his peers. However, he gets bored easily, disliking it when he cannot play in a match, and will often fall asleep when he isn't playing or when he wants to ignore someone. Furuya loves to pitch and always seeks to play for more innings. He has occasionally shown irritation when he is ordered to switch out or when his peers tell him he has no stamina. Furuya's character changes throughout the course of the story. He can both be humble at times such as the instance he said he doesn't think he is a better pitcher than Sawamura and when he expressed gratitude to the team for helping him grow; on the other hand, he was also shown be conceited as well where he disregarded Miyuki's order and tried to fight Umemiya head-on, and his attempt to pull off a seemingly impossible play to showcase his determination in the practice game against Hakuryu.[12][13][14]
Furuya takes a lot of pride in receiving the No.1 jersey after Summer Koshien. As a consequence, his desire to become a part of the team only becomes further entrenched as shown by his thought of wanting to be more essential to the team.[15] His strong will allows him to pull through tough situations such as continuing to play even while injured.[16] However, as his self-awareness of responsibilities grows, he expects more from himself causing him to place too much strains and pressure on his mind and body. This was shown to have severely affected Furuya's pitching and mentality and eventually led to him suffering a slight back injury as a result.[17]
Although he appears to be somewhat of an airhead as evidenced by his poor academic performance and the tendency to get spaced out, he is quite perceptive when it comes to teammates' injuries possibly due to his frequent injury experiences. He was the first person to suspect Miyuki's condition after the Seikou game [18] and was the first person to notice Kawakami's elbow discomfort after the Sousei game.[19]
History
Furuya often watched his neighbors play baseball without ever joining in. This later changed when Furuya's grandfather, an ex-baseball player himself, coaxed him to try joining. As he grew in both ability and strength, however, Furuya was soon ostracized by his teammates due to his overwhelming strength. As a consequence, they referred to him derogatorily as a 'monster' and refused to play with him, leading Furuya to train by himself by pitching into a wall. Though he still loved pitching, he was unhappy with baseball itself.
After he heard about a miraculous catcher at Seidou High School, he applied and was accepted to the school through normal testing.
Act I
Furuya sees Sawamura playing by himself and offers to play catch with him. Furuya soon realizes that there is something wrong with Sawamura's pitches and asks him to throw properly, because his pitches are 'disgusting'. He then asks if he could throw a little harder and manages to blow Sawamura's glove away. Seeing the dumbfounded face of Sawamura, Furuya reveals that he only came to Seidou because of Miyuki. He hopes that Miyuki is able to catch his pitches, because nobody could do that in junior high. This is the moment were their battle for the status of the ace begins.
Soon after a match between the first years and their upperclassmen takes place and Furuya proclaims that he won’t let anyone hit his pitches the day before the exhibition. With just one pitch, which hits coach Kataoka directly in the face, Furuya is quickly promoted to the first string while the other first years are struggling.[20] He then asks permission to leave to practice by himself. Miyuki asks if this is okay and Furuya answers that the game is already over because baseball isn't so simple that one person can change the game. He then witnesses from afar how Sawamura is able to change the mood of the team, units them and brings back their fighting spirit.
After the exhibition Furuya teams up with Miyuki during practice and they form a battery at the Kantō Tournament, where Furuya gets to show his awe inducing fastballs. In Seidou's match against Teito High, he tells Furuya to return to the dugout after Furuya's finger bleeds due to the strength of his own pitches. He then isn't allowed to pitch for two whole weeks.
Training Camp
During the practice match against Osaka Kiryu High Furuya gives up 11 runs in four innings. Furuya asks for a time-out and Miyuki quickly goes to him, thinking that Furuya has reached his limit.[21] Furuya, however, asks Miyuki for advice on how to not give up runs and admits that he's not pitching well, but doesn't want to leave the mound pitching poorly. Miyuki advises Furuya to start pitching while having faith in his teammates and Isashiki tells him to stop playing baseball on his own.[22]
Later Furuya accidentally throws a split-finger fastball that drops right at the batter's box. This surprises Miyuki who fails to catch the pitch. Furuya then strikes out the next batter. Seeing his teammates cheering for him makes Furuya feel happy and he manages to hit a homerun during Seidou's offense. He gets replaced by Sawamura in the sixth inning and goes to the left field.
West Tokyo Tournament
Preliminaries
Furuya is the starting picher when Seidou faces off against Maimon West High. He plays for three innings and helds his ground formidably. Back at Seidou Takigawa Chris YuuChris and Rei observe practice and the latter says that they'll need Furuya to win the Summer, calling him the "ace" until Tanba's return. On the third round of the tournament, Seidou faces Murata East and Furuya gets the start again. He's even more pumped after what Rei had told him and together with Kawakami they win the second round.
During their next match against Akikawa the opposing batters try to tire Furuya with bunts. Sawamura tells Furuya not to get flung around by the batters bunting stance. Furuya then strikes out the batters with sheer force and is tiring himself out even more. Sawamura is about to replace him but Furuya doesn't budge. Miyuki tells Furuya that if he continues pitching, he'll only drag the team down. Sawamura says to leave the rest to him and Furuya silently hands the ball over, but the team understands his feelings.
Quarterfinals
Again Furuya is Seidous starting pitcher and faces some difficulties from the get go because Yakushi's batters aim to only hit his fastballs. Seidou's infielder gather on the mound and Miyuki tells Furuya that he'll be centering plays on the splitter but his fastball will still be his best weapon. In the second inning Furuya holds Yakushi to zero runs and is up to bat first. Wanting to make up for his pitching, he hits a home run. Kataoka lets Furuya and Miyuki know that the switch will be done sooner. However, it will be done after Furuya squares off against Yakushi's eighth and ninth batters; then Furuya will be sent to the left field in place of Sakai. Sakai offers Furuya his outfielder's glove. On top of the third, Sawamura replaces Furuya after the latter strikes out the eighth and ninth batters.
Semifinals
Seidou faces Sensen Academy and the starting pitcher is Tanba. Furuya doesn't get a chance to play in the semifinals, but he manages to pump up Sawamura by going to the bullpen.
Finals
The starting pitcher is Furuya, who thanks his teammates in advance should his pitches get hit while he bows his head, surprising everyone. Furuya explains that because they're behind him he can pitch with ease. Inashiro's batters find it difficult to time Furuya's fastballs and try to make Furuya pitch as many as they can. His pitch count is 56 after three innings. At the dugout, Sawamura offers Furuya a drink and tells him "Nice Pitch", to Furuya and Miyuki's surprise. His teammates think that Furuya is looking reliable.
When Furuya's pitch count reaches 68, Kataoka switches Furuya with Tanba at the bottom of the fifth and Furuya is sent to left field. With the switch, Narumiya declares a win over Furuya. Sakai and Kadota wish Furuya good luck. Furuya does a good job defending and scores a run during their offense but Seidou still loses. At the line-up, while his teammates shed tears, Furuya is one among four (Yuuki, Sawamura and Miyuki) who don't.[23][24]
Aftermath
Shortly after their loss against Inashiro Furuya tells Sawamura that he'll be the "Ace" of the team. During their scrimmage with Saitama Sakai Furuya pitches at full power and explains to Miyuki that he does it on purpose to improve his stamina. After 7 innings however, Furuya tires and Sawamura takes on the mound.
For the scrimmage against Yakushi Furuya asks Kataoka's permission to pitch for the entire game, which Kataoka declines but is willing to give Furuya more innings depending on his performance. Furuya performs at his best and Kataoka tells him that he's got high expectations from him then sends him to the left field. After Sawamura's breakdown Furuya gets to pitch again. He goes to the mound and asks for the ball, saying that there's no need for two pitchers on the mound. Sawamura apologizes for passing on the baton in a pinch.
In Seidou's first official match for the fall, Furuya wears the ace number and shines in both pitching and batting. In the third round of the group selection, Seidou faces Seisho High. Furuya gives away a free run with balls and Furuya himself is confused why since he feels good. Seidou gather on the mound and Miyuki asks if Furuya is trying to play baseball by himself then reminds him to look around. The game resumes but Furuya continues to give free runs. Kataoka calls for Kawakami and sends Furuya to the left field.
During the scrimmage against the third years Furuya finds out about Kataoka's resignation. Furuya thinks that he is yet to be acknowledged by the coach. Miyuki then instructs Furuya to go all out not worrying about pacing, surprising the pitcher. Miyuki explains that it's hard to out the third years, thus they'll take them down with force. Furuya follows the plan, successfully striking out the batters.
Fall Tournament
First Round
Furuya is Seidou's starting pitcher and shuts the batters out with pure force. The rain becomes heavier and Furuya faces some difficulties. The game is put on hold temporarily at the bottom of the fifth due to heavy rain. Miyuki notices that Furuya is sleeping and lets him know that he's relaxing too much while he wished that the game hadn't been suspended at that point when Furuya has drive. On top of the sixth, Furuya again faces difficulties and while Miyuki thinks of what he can do to fix it, Sawamura is sent to replace Furuya.
Second Round
During their match against Nanamori Academy Furuya is playing left field and rather displeased. Sawamura pitches the whole game, thus Furuya doesn't get a chance to stand on the mound.
Third Round
Before the game Miyuki discusses a strategy with Furuya on how to deal with Umemiya. While Miyuki sticks to the plan, Furuya however, recalls that Umemiya had told him not to run away and disobeys Miyuki's lead resulting in giving Ugumori an early lead of 3 runs. Miyuki scolds him, saying that he should get off the mound if he is unable to follow his lead and that the weight of the ace number on his back is heavier than he thinks. As a result Furuya gets his head back in the game finishing the inning strong.
Everyone is impressed with Furuya's tenacity. Kataoka sends a messenger to the mound during the eighth inning let's Furuya know that he entrusts the inning to him. Furuya throws a pitch faster than the batters swing for the strike out, and his teammates are delighted with his competitive spirit. Sawamura steps on the mound in the ninth inning, replacing Furuya. Later that day, Furuya's teammates notice that he has hurt his right foot during the game. A checkup reveals that Furuya's sprain is a first degree tear on the lateral collateral ligament[25], and will need to rest for one to two weeks.
Quarterfinals
Kataoka announceds that he doesn't plan on using Furuya during this game to focus on healing his injury, thus Sawamura is the starting pitcher. Furuya is frustrated about not being able to pitch, while Sawamura pitches the whole game. A few days before the semi-finals Furuya asks Ochiai to teach him a breaking ball. The next day Furuya throws a vertical slider during pitching practice, surprising Miyuki and everyone else. Sawamura and Furuya later exchange information about their newly learned breaking balls and Furuya admits to Sawamura that he was frustrated when all he could do is watch Seidou's match against Ouya. He hadn't realized Sawamura to be catching up so fast but is glad that he came to Seidou. Sawamura irately says he doesn't feel exactly the same, surprising his rival.
Semifinals
Furuya is Seidou's starting pitcher. After a batter successfully gets on base, the rest of them swing forcefully and fiercely at everything in the strike zone and not focusing on one a specific pitch, affecting Furuya's pitching. Furuya also feels pressure from the fourth batter's swing but after Miyuki called for the time out, Furuya calms down. At the top of the fifth, Ogawa hits a solo home run but Furuya stays focused and Miyuki compliments Furuya for his performance.
Furuya then stops a hit to center with his body and manages to out him on first. At the top of the eighth, Sawamura is sent to the mound. After Ogawa collided with Miyuki, Furuya suspects that Miyuki is injured, because of his irregular panting and excess sweating.[26] He suggests Miyuki to accompany him to the hospital after the match, which Miyuki refused and said there was no reason. Furuya didn't express his concerns to anyone afterwards.
Finals
At the bottom of the ninth, Sawamura who performed well, asks Kataoka to let him pitch. The day before the doctor informed Kataoka that Furuya can only play an inning at most and Kataoka decides to give this last inning to the ace. The crowd cheers and so does Sawamura who impress both Miyuki and Furuya with his attitude. Furuya cleanly closes out the match before Raichi gets to bat, ending the match with Seidou's win.
Act II
Spring Koshien
First Round
Furuya starts the match for Seidou, scoring 10 strike outs while given up only 1 run in the 6th inning.[27] Seidou led Houmei High by 4 - 1 in the 7th inning, where Sawamura is subbed in to replace Furuya where he got too excited and tripped on the mound. Houmei High took back 1 run in the 8th inning. Seidou scored another run in the top of the 9th inning and maintained their lead by 5 - 2 and Sawamura closed out the game in the bottom of the 9th inning. Furuya is mentioned by numerous newspaper articles the day after.
Second Round
Furuya is again the starting pitcher for the match. He recorded one of his fastest pitch in the very first inning, hitting 154 km/h.[27] On top of the 4th inning, after Miyuki's 2 base hit, Furuya landed a 2-runs homerun to open the score for Seidou. Continuing his top form, Furuya held Nihou Shouno to 1 run by the 6th inning and Seidou is up by 3 runs. Kawakami is then subbed in by the 7th inning to replace Furuya to keep him fresh as the coaches considered the possibility of the looming 3rd round match against Komadai, Furuya is then moved to the left field. Kawakami lost 2 runs against Nihon Shouno but with Seidou batters repeatedly able to widen the score gap to 7 - 3 by the 9th inning, he regained composure and closed out the match. Furuya is again featured in newspapers for his power fastball and ability as a slugger.
Third Round
Taking into consideration Furuya's top form during the Tournament, he would be selected the starting and only pitcher for the match. Before going to the mound, Sawamura cheers Furuya on, telling him to get out one by one and Furuya nods. However, Furuya's 153 km/h fastball was beautifully struck and Komadai quickly went up 2 runs, fully capitalized on his opening game weakness. Despite losing 2 early runs, Furuya was able to bring out his best pitching to date in a pitcher duel against Hongou where both went toe to toe with each other while racking up strike outs. Hongou however was the more consistent pitcher and he delivered Seidou a complete shutout game with Komadai winning 2 - 0 over Seidou. After the match, Furuya extended his hand to Hongou for a hand shake; however, the Ace of Komadai disregarded the gesture and walked away.
Spring Tournament
With their success and deep run in the Fall Season, Seidou was seeded for the Tournament and was bypassed to the 3rd round. Seidou's first opponent was Eigen High.
Third Round
Kawakami was selected to be the starting pitcher for the first match of the Tournament for Seidou while Sawamura is in reserve and Furuya playing outfield and batting 5th. He contributes to the game with his batting, hitting a double. After 6 steady innings, Seidou led Eigen high by 11 - 1. At the bottom of the 7th inning, the audiences were expecting to see a switch to Furuya; however, Sawamura was called in to relief Kawakami. Sawamura got 3 consecutive strike outs and quickly closed out the inning. With Seidou leading by 10 runs, the game was called after the 7th inning.
Fourth round
Furuya is the starting the only pitcher for the match. Different from his impressive form at Senbatsu, Furuya struggled to control his pitch throughout the match and having to pitch under pressure after walking runners on base. With big helps from the fielder, Furuya was able to scrap through the game with minimal loss namely 2 runs within the 2nd and 3rd inning. Seidou batting line up continued to connect successfully throughout the game and Houdai Ichi was taken down in a called game by the 7th inning. There were Ichidaisan High's scouts watching from the stands and reported afterwards that Furuya pitching had power but his control was not up to par and that because he has such highs and lows he is a very unstable pitcher which is where Ichidaisan can aim to exploit. This is something that would come into play later in the Semi Final match between Ichidaisan and Seidou. Miyuki notes after the match that Furuya pitching has somehow became strained after coming back from Senbatsu.
Quarterfinal
Kataoka chooses Sawamura as the starting pitcher, for the first time in the Tornament, to counter Kasuga Ichi's left-handed batters core line up. At the same time, he tells Furuya not to slack off with his warm-up since he will have to pitch the later half of the game, he also notes Furuya won't be playing in the outfield and stresses the pitcher should focus on pitching. Sawamura demonstrated a stellar pitching performance with his new arsenal, the "numbers" and closed out 5 innings with impressive stats, given up no run and 0 hit. [28] Furuya comes to replace Sawamura in the 6th inning. Furuya struck out 3 batters in the 6th inning and after retiring 2 batters in the 7th, he struck out another batter to end the inning. Ochiai and Miyuki noted that Furuya is still straining his shoulder too hard and he was still unable to pitch to where Miyuki wants to but he was more successful compare to the previous match and that perhaps this was one of his better day. Miyuki notes that it seems after coming back from Senbatsu, specifically after the match against Hongou of Komadai, Furuya have reverted back to his fixation over his pitches like in his early first year again and wonders whether will this be a an encouraging or disruptive change. On the bottom of the 7th inning, before Furuya could come to bat, Yuki Masashi scored a 2 runs game-ending home-run earning Seidou yet another called game victory over their opponent and moving on to the Semi Final.
Semifinal
Seidou's opponent in the Semifinal was Ichidai High, one of Seidou's long time established rival in the same block. Seemingly wanting to test Furuya's resolve after reading Furuya's note where he express his desire to become the No. 1 pitcher in Japan, Kataoka choose him as the starting pitcher, much to the surprise of both Ochiai and Ichidai's coach Tahara whom expected Sawamura to be a more sensible starter as Ichidai's core lineup is also filled with left-handed batters like Kasuga Ichi. Seidou batters scored 2 early runs from Amahisa in order to help ease up Furuya when he pitches. However, Furuya walked runners on base and had to pitch under pressure facing the clean up crew. Furuya's breaking pitches were in poor condition so Miyuki had to emphasize Furuya's fastball usage to overpower batters and managed to close out the inning.
Both Amahisa and Furuya continued to grind through to 5th inning without losses thanks to large contributions from fielders from both sides. However as Amahisa's pitching started to stabilized on top of the 5th inning, Furuya was still struggling to command his pitches. Ichidai mounted their come back in the bottom inning after Furuya walked batters on base by winning back 1 point and then 2 points from Amahisa's hit which Yuuki Masashi committed a fielding error on. Fully capitalized on the swinging momentum and Furuya's struggle to command his pitches, Ichidai continued landing consecutive hits and quickly widen up their lead to 5 - 2 over Seidou. Seeing no action from Kataoka, Ochiai had to tell him that they need to switch pitcher otherwise the game is beyond saving. After walking yet another batter, Furuya was subbed out to Sawamura. Facing the 4th and 5th batter, with base loaded, Sawamura quickly scores 2 strike outs to close out the inning, effectively stopping Ichidai's momentum. Sawamura maintained his flawless pitching, giving up no hits until the 8th inning. However, Seidou managed to score only 1 more run in the 9th and Zono was retired on a blooper and Ichidai won the game. Seidou is eliminated and failed to qualify for the Kantou Tournament.
Post Spring Tournament
Furuya played matches throughout the Golden Week Period and despite scoring a high number of strike-outs, his performance left much to be desired according to Kataoka and Rei.[29][30] In the game against Hakuryu High, trying to showcase his determination, instead of getting an easy double on his long hit, Furuya attempted a straight run to 3rd base and was awkwardly tagged out. This prompted Kataoka to immediately switch him out with Asou in the very next inning and tells Furuya that the team does not need a player that cannot distinguish between selfish conceited play and positive assertiveness.[31]
After the Golden Week expedition, Kataoka reviewed the team performances and returned the feedback he wrote in the notebooks to the players. The feedback Furuya received, ranging from brute-force reliant pitching, high number of walk and fragility of mindset with runner on base were mostly discouraging. Kataoka however, encourages Furuya to reflect on his mindset towards baseball and think about what he should be doing on a daily basis to achieve his goals.
Following Kataoka's advices, Furuya tried to gradually work on his pitching and mindset while learning to appreciate the supports he receives from his teammates. However, in one of the bullpen session he practiced with Ono, Furuya had a flashback of Hongou which suddenly prompted Furuya to over-strain and over-throw a pitch, hurting his shoulder as a result. The Doctor checkup revealed the injury was not a major one; however, he stress that it is a warning sign of that his pitching form is flawed and if Furuya carrying on pitching the same way he has been doing; eventually, even his elbow and shoulder will potentially be injured as well.[32] Ochiai reflects that he has indeed noticed the signs of the building pressure has broke down his form and led to this injury. Furuya is then prohibited from pitching for the following 2 weeks while Ochiai helps fixing his mechanics and planning a special training regimen for Furuya to work on for his recovery.
Vs. Yamamori High
After 2 weeks, he pitched his comeback match in one of the 2nd string practice game and bats 4th in the lineup. On June 1st, Furuya paired up with Ono to start the practice match against Yamamori High, a Koshien regular. He was able to establish a fine opener; however, accident struck in 2nd inning and Ono was struck by a pitch that ricocheted off the bat of one Yamamori's batter, breaking his fingers as a result. Yui was then called in to replace Ono. The incident may have disrupted Furuya's rhythm as he walked a batter and then lost the first run on an RBI in the same inning. The same thing happens in the 5th inning and Furuya lost another run after walking another batter and given up another RBI.[33] By the 6th inning, Kataoka tells Furuya that he'll switch him out after the bottom of the 6th since he has a pitch count of 100 pitches in mind for Furuya. Despite being able to get 2 quick outs, Ochiai assesses that his pitching is getting monotonous as he has stopped being able to locate his breaking pitches inside the zone, noting it may be time to switch him.[34] Furuya then walks the next batter and conceded a hit on a hit-and-run play. He was then switched out to Kaneda who was able to close out the inning. Despite their best effort of trying to catch up with Yamamori, Seidou ended up losing the game which broke their 19 matches winning streak since Spring.[35]
Vs. Kashiwagi and No. 11
Furuya was selected to start one of the Double Header games against Kashiwagi after the Summer Training Camp. Miyuki notes that Furuya pitches are not looking to be in good shape so Furuya suggested he should be pitching to contact with 70% of his power but he will unlock the limiter depending on the situation. Miyuki compliments him for coming up with a mature plan but notes that he should not think too far ahead but instead should focus on the height of his pitches instead of the location. Furuya finished 7 innings with 3 run lost with Seidou winning by 9 - 5. During the weekday following the training camp, the coaches discuss who should be entrusted with the Ace number and despite recognizing Sawamura's stellar and consistent performances, Ochiai suggests Furuya should be entrusted with the Ace Number instead as he believes stripping Furuya off his former title may prevent his future growth meanwhile arguing that Sawamura is a man who can grow under extreme pressure. Kataoka however, shot down Ochiai's suggestion stating that Sawamura has been the person pulling Seidou team while Furuya was out of shape which the whole team should recognize. He also adds that to promotes further growth from both of them, switching their status is important which is why he decided to entrust Sawamura with the Ace number instead for this Summer.[36]
On July 5th, the Opening Ceremony for the Summer Regional Tournament of Tokyo Prefecture is held. Various schools notice Seidou team as they walk by. They started talking about how Seidou have been winning a lot of their practice matches and how strong they are looking. As the crowd notices Furuya and wonders how he would be the center of attention of the Tournament, they were surprised to realize that on his back was jersey No. 11; meanwhile Sawamura, who was walking right by him, has Seidou's jersey No. 1.[37]
Summer Regional Tournament
Vs. Hachiya Ouji
Furuya's control isn't perfect but he doesn't miss the mark that much nevertheless. It's 2 outs quickly and despite Kawabata landing a hit to the center field, he is retired due to a nice play from Kuramochi and Haruichi. Miyuki feels like Hachi Ouji's batter targeting Furuya's fastballs only.
On top of the 3rd inning, Miyuki switches up his tactics, because he realised Hachiya Ouji's plan to ignore all the low flying breaking balls and got 3 strike outs on the splitter, closing out the inning. In the dugout Sawamura and Furuya go thru their usual banter. Sawamura then aks the batters if they really want to leave things so uneventfull on their end now that Furuya has demonstrate some nice pitching (after a loooong while)
Top of the 5th inning, Furuya reaches his top velocity – even setting a personal speed record with 155 km/h with one of the pitches - and is still shutting out Hachiya Ouji's batters, getting his 10th strikeout and closes out the 5th inning unscathed. Sawamura looks happy to see a revived Furuya.
Top of the 7th inning Kawabata lands the first hit for Hachiya Ouji and fires up his whole team. Both Furuya and Miyuki are determined to shut them down.
Vs. Sousei High
Top of the 1st inning, Seidou is on defense first. Miyuki notices the lead off batter Kikunaga stands as far back as he can. To find out if they are watching out for breaking balls Miyuki orders a fastball first. Kikunaga suddenly wents after the first pitch and takes it deep to center field, surprising Miyuki. 2nd batter Gotou too is not overwhelmed by Furuya's fastball. Miyuki now wants to find out if they only target the fastballs or something else too. He asks for a vertical slider. 3rd batter Nanatsuki swings at it, surprising Miyuki (again). It seems they try to make contact even with a breaking ball from the first pitch, but don't budge an inch when the ball is high, leaving Miyuki clueless about what they really are targeting.
Nanatsuki works for a walk and then Nara comes up and hits a pitch to the inside corner into right field and gets on base. Sousei now has runners on 1st and 2nd. The 5th batter is up at bat and at this point Miyuki seems rather distressed because he can't figure out what exactly Sousei is targeting. While he contemplates about which pitch to call for, Sawamura calls out from the dugout to hype up Furuya and the fielders, giving them a moral boost. Miyuki then stops second guessing himself and decides to go with Furuya's fastballs as he believes they are his best weapon. Furuya throws a powerful fastball (155kmh) and manages to strike out the 5th batter.
A skip to the bottom of the 2nd inning. 1 out with Miyuki on 2nd, gives Seidou an opportunity to score. Sousei's battery however takes out both Furuya and Toujou in succession and closes out the inning. Toujou comments about Nagira's good control and that his fastballs pack more power than he would've thought.
Top of the 3rd, Miyuki knows that Sousei's line up is targeting something but he still hasn't figured out what it is. Gotou watches 2 fastballs in a row, but then swings on Fururya's Splitter and misses. Miyuki doesn't get this logic at all. With that said, Seidou's battery manages to close out the inning without losing any run.
The 5th inning Sousei connects a hit to right field after two strikes, leaving Miyuki to wonder what exactly they're up to and what pitches they're aiming for exactly. As it turns out, their strategy relies on each batter aiming for the pitch they feel more comfortable with and swinging aggressively. The ball is sent to second base where Haruichi catches it for the third out. It seems the match has been reduced to a pitchers' duel, while Nagira is determined to shut everyone in the stands who doesn't believe Sousei can win.
Bottom of the 5th, Furuya is on second base with one out. Masashi is up to bat. Nagira sends out a fastball despite having gotten it hit by a home run last time, but this time Masashi connects a foul. Chris points out Nagira began mixing pitches since the last inning. Masashi connects a foul. As it turns out, Nagira's fastballs have an additional effect from bending the wrist, making them harder to hit. Masashi strikes out, and Kanemaru steps up, waiting for a fastball so he can connect a homerun and send Furuya home for two runs. However, the ball heads straight for Nagira who catches it for the third out.
Top of the 6th, Nanatsuki gets a hit between right and center field and and reaches second base. Nara steps up with Nagira in wait. From the bullpen, Okumura realizes that each batter is aiming for different pitches, while Miyuki is worried that the fourth batter is coming up. Nara recalls his previous defeat against Inashiro last year, and how nobody expected anything from him or Sousei at all, which fuels his resolve to prove them wrong. Furuya gets a strike with a splitter, but the next pitch is a ball, putting the count 2-1. Furuya sends another splitter, but Nara makes contact and sends the ball to third, where Kanemaru is unable to catch it. Kuramochi manages to get it, but Nara's legs are much faster and he gets to first safely, and now Sousei has runners on first and third bases with no outs. Nagira now steps up to the batting box. Seidou's outfielders move in closer and prepare for a close play. Furuya sends out a splitter that results in a ball, and a second that results in a strike. Two more splitters put the count 3-1, and Nagira, realizing they won't throw a fastball, decides to swing, making contact. The ball slips past Furuya and bounces off Haruichi's glove right back at Kuramochi. Sousei scores one run but Seidou succeeds in getting a double play and no runners, leaving the game tied. Furuya then strikes out Nakazawa with consecutive fastballs for the third out.
Bottom of the 6th, Furuya steps up to bat, sending a fly ball to the centerfield, but Miyuki scores another run. K
Top of the 7th, Furuya strikes out all batters in quick succession. Skip to the bottom part, Seidou has runners on first and third with two outs and Miyuki steps up to the batting box.and hits to the centerfield, scoring one more run for Seidou. Skip to the top part of the 8th, Kikunaga got a hit and managed to get to second, Furuya strikes out Nara with his fastballs. His pitching count by the bottom part of the 8th is at 113, with his fastballs averaging 145 km/h.
Vs. Ichidaisan High School II
Seidou begins defense with Sawamura as the starting pitcher. With Nori out it's on him and Furuya to pitch this game.
Relationship with other Characters
Miyuki Kazuya
Miyuki is the reason why Furuya came to Seidou in the first place. After seeing a magazine article about Miyuki's prowess as a catcher, he purposefully tested into Seidou in the hopes that Miyuki would be able to catch his pitches. Since Miyuki turned out to be able to catch Furuya's pitch at full power, Furuya has a particular respect for him. It appears that Furuya tends to ignore Miyuki especially when the latter comments on his lack of stamina, but in reality Furuya does listen to Miyuki's criticisms and works on what he lacks.
Sawamura Eijun
They are friendly rivals and have the habit of checking and openly commenting on each others' faults. They recognize each other's ability, even if they are loathe to admit it, and although their rivalry is a healthy one, both are known to display signs of envy and resentment when the other is on the mound. As the story progresses, they become friendlier with each other and exchange advice on how to throw breaking balls. Furuya also positively acknowledge Sawamura as real rival, saying he was glad he came to Seidou and smiling when Sawamura openly challenges him for the ace title.[38]
“ | I not even once thought that I'm better than him. | ” |
— Furuya about Sawamura[13]
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Ochiai Hiromitsu
It doesn't take long to realize that Ochiai sees great potential in Furuya. He would prefer letting Furuya pitch a whole game, so that he can gain more game experience. He also suggests they sacrifice the team solely for Furuya and his growth. Later on, when Furuya asks to be taught breaking balls, Ochiai says that if Furuya could learn some and combine them with his fastball, he could become the number one pitcher in Japan.[39] He then teaches Furuya the vertical slider.
Skills
“ | Fire it! Your bazooka of awakening! | ” |
— Sawamura Eijun about Furuya's pitching
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Despite being rather thin, Furuya is a hard thrower and hard slugger who can occasionally hits HR and is one of the best at distance hitter even at Seido.[40] There are many times when, even if he hands the mound over to other pitchers, he is moved to left outfield to make use of his batting power. Furuya can catch fly balls and throw them back to home plate from way out-field thanks to his strong throwing arm. When not pitching, he often plays left field. Thus he is fairly well-rounded as a player and his pitching skills have given him celebrity status within high school baseball, complimentarily dubbed as the "Monster Rookie".
Pitching
Furuya has strong arms and shoulers and specializes in throwing heavy fastballs, dubbed as "the bazooka" by Sawamura. He is seemingly the hardest throwing pitcher in the series and his fastest pitch thus far has reached the 155 km/h mark. He puts all of his weight on his fingertips while he throws, resulting in sharp throws. He has occasionally shown to be capable of varying the strength of his pitches, and his control has continued to gradually improve. His hunger to keep pitching, however, keeps him highly ambitious and combined with his lack of stamina often makes him unable to go the distance and has to be subbed by mid-game early in his career. If Furuya is forced to pitch from stretch with runner on base, his pitch velocity would drop.[41] Despite being able to somewhat mitigate this by learning the Slide-step, this would result in higher pitch count and walks for Furuya as batters have more chances to look at his pitches at lower velocity. This also signifies the importance of his secondary pitches to supplement his fastball.
Splitter
Furuya learned the Splitter early in the series when Miyuki taught Furuya the grip for the pitch. The Splitter is a type of fastball that looks like a Straight and breaks down half way to the plate capable of effectively induces swing and miss and is often used by many as an off-pace pitch to increase the effectiveness of the straight fastball. Furuya's Splitter rarely sees usage in a game because the pitch hitting the dirt, making it a risky pitch to throw with runners on base due to the chance of a passed ball but against an opposing lineup that can challenge Furuya's fastball, the Splitter becomes a surprise effective option that makes batters thinks twice about sitting on Furuya's fastball after seeing the Splitter.
Slider
Furuya was also taught the Slider by Ochiai during the Fall Tournament. Furuya throws his Slider similarly to a how one throws a football. Furuya's Slider is fast and has a big sweeping Vertical and Horizontal break. The pitch is referred to as a Vertical Slider since it has more downward break than sideways break and is more similar to a Slurve instead of a conventional Slider (which tends to have more Horizontal/sideways break). Since Furuya's Slider comes really fast and has big sweeping break, it is difficult for both catchers to catch this pitch as well as Furuya to control this pitch properly. As Furuya continues to develop his Slider, it has became more of a staple secondary pitch for him, getting more calls from Miyuki in a game compare to the Splitter, as he can attack the zone with his Slider.
Weaknesses
“ | When he's on his game, batters can't lay a finger on him but when he's off, he's completely useless...in a tournament where one loss means you're out for good, such inconsistency is lethal. | ” |
Stamina
One of Furuya's core weaknesses as a player is his lack of stamina. As a consequence, he hasn't been able to register a full match in the first year of his High School and only able to do so since Spring Senbatsu. This may mostly be due to the fact that Furuya comes from Hokkaido, which has significantly cooler weather than the rest of Japan all year round. In addition, Furuya was isolated and did not play much with his team in Hokkaido so he may lack physical training compare to other players. As a result, unused to the hot and humid summers of Tokyo, he is prone to heat exhaustion and often gets tired to the point of being unable to stand without support.
Inability to Hold Back
Coupled with his low stamina, his inability to hold back his pitches produces another weakness which causes him to fatigue quickly. By being unable to hold back and pace himself throughout a game he stands a chance of being subbed out early and is therefore prone to making more mistakes while trying to recover. His tendency to over-strain somewhat increases through time after he receives the ace number, as it provides yet another source of pressure as he becomes more conscious about the higher level of expectation from his position. Constant over-straining his body has ultimately caused him to suffer a slight back injury after the Spring Tournament.[32]
Control
Furuya's pitch command can fluctuates drastically during and between Tournaments or even within a game such as the game against Teito where Furuya performed well in the early game but lost focus after coming back from a rain delay and suddenly struggling to control his pitches.[43] Similarly, Furuya performed exceptionally well during Senbatsu, but during the Spring Tournament, the control issue has resurfaced. Furuya's command on his breaking pitches in particular is considerably poor perhaps due to the fact that he doesn't use those often in games. It can also take Furuya a while to find his groove within a game as his pitching speed and control may not be up to par in the early game whenever he opens as he has been consistently prone to walking batters on bases or losing runs in the early innings. As Furuya continues to improve his pitching, he has gradually became more stable in the game opener.
Pitcher's Data
Pitcher's data | ||||||||||||||||
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Note that this data is based on the official guidebook!
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Player Statistics
Player Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Note that this data is based on the official guidebook!
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Trivia
- Furuya ranked 5th for the first Official popularity poll [44]
- Furuya likes fishing, naps, and reading (mostly illustrated books about animals).
- He is a bit envious of Sawamura who is optimistic and can easily talk to anyone.
- He moved to Tokyo seeking trustworthy teammates and a place to belong.
- During the first Spring Tournament featured in the manga, he wore jersey No. 18. During the following Summer Koshien, he wore jersey No. 11.
- The greatest number of innings Furuya has pitched during a game:
- His initial motivation for baseball came from his grandfather.
- Furuya's fastball is frequently depicted as a "rising" fastball.[20]
- He moved to Hokkaido in 3rd grade.
- Rankings from the guidebook:
- Defense: Ranks second in Shoulder Strength (behind Isashiki Jun).
- Pitching: The speed of his pitches ranks first.
- Favorite food : Kanitama (crab omelette)
- Favorite subject : Geography, Biology
- He has respect for polar bears.[40] According to the mangaka, it is because they seem resistant to loneliness.[47]
- His fastballs can travel more than 120 meters in distance. [48]
- He is scared of injections, from evidence in episode 19 in the second season when he is told he will have to go to the doctor.
- In his second year he's still having a hard time consuming so much food
- Name Etymology
- Furuya (降谷) - Descending Valley
- Satoru (暁) - Daybreak
Quotes
- "A single man can't lead the team to victory."[49]
- "I won't hand the mound over to anyone anymore. I'll become the ace of this team."[50]
- "There's no need for two pitchers on the mound. I know it must be frustrating but ..." - to Sawamura [51]
- "Even though I was given this jersey number, I am still not trusted as the ace. [I want to achieve] the level of pitching that doesn't let anybody complain about either the results or the substance, pitching that is acknowledged by everyone."[52]
- "I believe I was able to grow because I came here and that there is still a lot of room for me to grow. Here at Koshien, I'll be pitching so that we can continue to fight for even just one match longer, so I'll be in your care tomorrow as well." [53]
- "Shine even brighter. Surprise me even more. Let's go see what lies ahead together." - Miyuki [54][55]
- "There is no shortcut to glory. A player that cannot distinguish between assertiveness and arrogance play is not needed by the team" - Kataoka[56]
Gallery
References
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 40
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 61
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 141
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 313
- ↑ Furuya was born in Tokyo but later on moved to Hokkaido where he grew up.
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 2
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 3
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 141
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 17
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 17
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 32
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 8
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Act I - Chapter 36
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 71
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 369
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 339
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 82
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 349
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 220
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Act I - Chapter 12
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 46
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 47
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 191
- ↑ S1 - Episode 63
- ↑ The lateral collateral ligament is a thin band of tissue running along the outside of the knee. It connects the thigh bone to the calf bone, which is the small bone of the lower leg that turns down the side of the knee and connects to the ankle.
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 349
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Act II - Chapter 2
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 29
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 65
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 78
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 71
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 Act II - Chapter 82
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 115
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 117
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 119
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 140
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 141
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 328
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 317
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 Official Guide Book - Omote
- ↑ Anime - Episode 53
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 62
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 247
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 51
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 286
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 9
- ↑ Terajima's Twitter - 2014 May 29
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 9
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 13
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 194
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 217
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 222
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 4
- ↑ Act I - Chapter 408
- ↑ S2 - Episode 50
- ↑ Act II - Chapter 71
v - e | Seidou High School | |
---|---|---|
Players | Third Years | |
Miyuki Kazuya • Maezono Kenta • Kuramochi Yōichi • Kawakami Norifumi • Asou Takeru • Nakata Ataru • Ono Hiroshi • Higasa Shōji • Seki Naomichi • Yamaguchi Ken • Kijima Rei • Kawashima Kengo | ||
Second Years | ||
Sawamura Eijun• Furuya Satoru • Kominato Haruichi • Kanemaru Shinji • Tōjō Hideaki • Kaneda Tadahiro | ||
First Years | ||
Yui Kaoru • Yūki Masashi • Okumura Kōshū • Mogami Takeshi • Asada Hirofumi • Seto Takuma • Kuki Yōhei
| ||
Former players | Yūki Tetsuya • Tanba Kōichirō • Kominato Ryōsuke • Masuko Tōru • Isashiki Jun • Miyauchi Keisuke • Sakai Ichirō • Kadota Masaaki • Kusunoki Fumiya • Takigawa Chris Yū • Azuma Kiyokuni
| |
Managers | Fujiwara Takako • Umemoto Sachiko • Natsukawa Yui • Yoshikawa Haruno
| |
Staff | Kataoka Tesshin • Ochiai Hiromitsu • Takashima Rei • Kazuyoshi Oota |