The story begins with Hiromichi Kojima, the top hitter for the imaginary Lycaons baseball team in Japan's Pacific League, traveling to Okinawa, a southern island, to undergo training in order to end his losing streak. During his time there, he comes across Toua Tokuchi, a famous baseball gambler with incredible throwing speed of 134 kilometers per hour and who is the unequivocal champion in "One Out." Upon Kojima's urging, Tokuchi agrees to join the Lycaons under a unique contract that stipulates he will receive five million yen (or approximately $46,000 USD) for every out he makes but will forfeit fifty million yen (or $460,000 USD) for every point conceded.