Chiben Wakayama Prepares for Rematch Against Yokohama at Koshien
Listen to the story
Chiben Wakayama is a high school baseball team from Japan.
The team will play Yokohama in a big semi-final game.
Last spring, Yokohama beat Chiben Wakayama in the final.
Yokohama has a strong pitcher named Shoki Oda.
He can throw the ball very fast, up to 174 km/h.
Chiben Wakayama used a special pitching machine to practice.
The machine threw balls at 174 km/h, just like Oda.
This helped the players get ready to hit fast balls.
A player named Rinko Yamada wants to win this time.
He said, 'I want revenge.'
The game is part of a big tournament called Koshien.
All the tickets for the semi-final are sold out.
Another semi-final will be between Tenri and Kendai Takasaki.
Four schools are getting ready for these two big games.
Many fans want to watch these exciting matches.
Vocabulary5 words
- semi-final
- a game just before the final; one of the last two matches
- pitcher
- a player who throws the ball to the batter
- pitching machine
- a machine that throws balls for practice
- revenge
- doing something to make up for losing before
- tournament
- a big competition with many games
Quiz
Answer key
1. Yokohama 2. 174 km/h 3. Yes
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Chiben Wakayama is a high school baseball team from _____.
The team will play _____ in a big semi-final game.
Last spring, Yokohama beat Chiben Wakayama in the _____.
Yokohama has a strong pitcher named _____.
He can throw the ball very fast, up to _____ km/h.
Chiben Wakayama used a special pitching _____ to practice.
A player named Rinko Yamada wants to win this _____.
He said, 'I want _____.'
The game is part of a big tournament called _____.
All the _____ for the semi-final are sold out.