ちかいの魔球 [Chikai no Makyu] [Chuba's Magical Ball]

In the early 1970s, Akita Shoten published this seven-issue series from writer Fukumoto Kazuya and artist Chiba Tetsuya, a short but energetic baseball story infused with a touch of the supernatural. It follows a young pitcher whose "magical ball" becomes the key to overcoming rivals and personal limits. While brief, the collaboration of these two seasoned creators makes it a noteworthy, period-specific entry in the sports-manga genre.