Mihashi, Ren
Summary
Ren Mihashi serves as the protagonist of the series, a nervous individual plagued by a severe lack of self-confidence. This timid demeanor appears to stem partly from his father, who shares similar mannerisms, but it intensified during middle school. There, he faced bullying from his baseball teammates, who resented his selection as a pitcher due to perceived favoritism linked to his grandfather’s ownership of the school. While the team believed their reserve pitcher, Kanou, was far more talented, Mihashi refused to relinquish the mound. He continued pitching in every game, even when his teammates stopped trying and the catcher refused to call signs. Eventually, he transferred to Nishiura for high school. Although he felt guilty for ruining his junior high team’s enjoyment of the sport and initially vowed never to play baseball again, he inadvertently revealed his pitching background and was recruited into the high school club, which lacked another pitcher. Despite believing he lacks talent, Mihashi has trained rigorously since elementary school. His new teammate, the skilled catcher Abe, is astonished by Mihashi’s pinpoint accuracy. Mihashi visualizes his target in nine sections, a level of precision surpassing that of professional pitchers who typically use four. He possesses four types of breaking balls and an unusual fastball that confuses batters. While his pitches are initially slow, his velocity improves significantly later in the series under Momoe’s training. The battery relationship between Mihashi and Abe is often tense, as Abe is quick-tempered and Mihashi fears angering him. Nevertheless, Mihashi deeply respects Abe and acknowledges that without Abe’s ability to read opponents and call pitches, he could never record strikeouts. Abe, in turn, values Mihashi’s dedication and control. With Abe’s help and the support of his teammates, Mihashi’s confidence grows slightly, though he remains convinced his success relies entirely on Abe. In response, Abe promises to stay healthy and uninjured for their three years of high school to catch every one of Mihashi’s pitches. Mihashi maintains good relations with most of his teammates, particularly Tajima, who understands him despite Mihashi’s stuttering. He shares a childhood bond with Hamada, whom he calls 'Hama-chan,' having lived in the same apartment building until Mihashi moved away. He is also close to his cousin Ruri, with whom he lived during middle school, though he dislikes her nickname for him, 'Renren.' Additionally, he is friends with Ruri’s neighbor, Kanou, his former middle school rival for the pitching position. Despite initial formality driven by guilt, they have reconciled, and Mihashi now refers to Kanou as 'Shuu-chan.' Kanou has always considered Mihashi the superior pitcher. Beneath his low self-esteem, Mihashi is remarkably stubborn, refusing to leave the mound even when exhaustion causes his control to falter. He becomes distressed at the thought of the team needing a substitute pitcher. He is easily misled, enjoys eating, and harbors a fear of dogs. His academic grades are poor, requiring significant effort to secure his place at Nishiura. His passion for baseball is intense; his mother notes that he holds a ball even while sleeping.
