'Damn!'
Seeing this, Sawamura could only curse silently in his heart.
Besides the occasional curse, he had no other outlet now.
He could only curse silently.
He didn't dare say it aloud.
The "Great Demon King" was a celebrity representing his hometown and Tokyo.
If news of him cursing broke out, it wouldn't just embarrass him.
It would disgrace his home country and the brands he represented.
Being famous had its drawbacks.
Compared to ordinary people, they had less freedom and spontaneity.
Luckily, Sawamura had predicted this situation from the start and felt calm.
But now, seeing Benjamin's pitching, the originally composed Sawamura suddenly found himself unable to remain calm.
Under this special state, Sawamura's eyesight was several times better than usual.
With such vision, he saw the truth behind Benjamin's pitching.
Just as Sawamura had imagined, Benjamin's pitching indeed had a method.
To be honest, his pitch movement was not many, only two kinds.
One was a drop, the other a lateral movement.
One was a curveball, the other a slider.
These two pitches, though complex-sounding, were actually the most basic breaking balls.
Generally, pitchers practiced their breaking balls to maximize the movement.
But Benjamin, whether naturally or through later training, kept his break movement very small—almost negligible.
It should be known that, except for a few players, most pitchers' breaking balls only move a few centimeters anyway.
Benjamin took this minimal movement to an extreme.
His breaking balls moved at most two or three centimeters.
Most were less than a centimeter.
Without close attention, people would hardly notice.
Because the movement was so slight.
People might wonder: Is such a small movement good or bad?
Small movement usually makes it easier to hit, which is bad.
But at this degree, it might actually be beneficial.
These pitches had at least two advantages.
First, such a small movement meant less energy loss during pitching.
So, even breaking balls could be thrown with nearly the same speed as fastballs.
On the surface, this might seem unimportant, but upon reflection, it was terrifying.
Especially combined with Benjamin's pitch speed.
His speed was neither too fast nor too slow.
Too fast, and the slight movement might be drowned out by the power of the throw, turning the breaking ball into a fastball.
On the other hand, his speed was not slow, almost as fast as a fastball, making it harder for opponents to notice.
This perfect balance made Benjamin's pitching powerful.
Batters found it hard to detect subtle changes in his throws.
Even if they noticed the ball veering, they couldn't determine why.
And since many factors could cause slight deviations, it was hard to pinpoint the truth behind Benjamin's pitches.
Sawamura was shocked upon seeing Benjamin's true pitching.
Such slight-break breaking balls were not easy to throw.
It wasn't true that a smaller break meant easier pitches.
They were totally different things and could not be equated.
And then add his Changeup to the mix, and you are in front of a National Level Baseball weapon.
Truly terrifying!
On the field, Sawamura kept an eye on his opponent.
He knew how strong Benjamin was and what he could do now.
Balls count: one Strike, one Ball.
For the previous two balls, whether inside or outside the strike zone, Sawamura made no move on the baseball.
He calmly stood in the Batter's Box as if refusing to swing unless he got the pitch he wanted.
Not only Japan team's players but also the American players clearly felt this.
They thought, 'How naïve!'
Though they admired Sawamura's ability, they couldn't help but think this guy was daydreaming too much!
Did he really think America would self-destruct by throwing a hittable ball now?
That possibility was nonexistent!
Not even Benjamin would be so reckless.
This was the sentiment of almost all American players.
Yet Sawamura remained calm, or rather confident.
As if the baseball he awaited was destined to come.
And sure enough, that baseball was thrown.
When the baseball flew out, all the American players' eyes widened.
'How could it be?'
'How could they throw such a pitch at this time?'
They couldn't understand why Benjamin would do this.
'Was he crazy?'
Under everyone's incredulous gaze, Sawamura swung his bat slowly and steadily.
PAAAAAAKKKK!!!!!!
The baseball was hit solidly and flew away.
The ball kept flying!
American outfielders kept retreating.
Until finally, one of them hit the wall.
But the ball showed no sign of stopping and flew out of the field.
The baseball flew under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands.
It soared into the stands!
At the Batter's Box, Sawamura seemed to have anticipated this moment. He let go of the bat in his hands.
With one fist clenched, he struck heavily toward the sky. At the same time, he began to run the bases.
Throughout this process, he showed no intention of wasting time.
He clearly understood the immense pressure the players from Japan were currently under.
Their form had significantly declined, and their stamina was heavily drained.
From a logical standpoint, Sawamura could have taken this opportunity to let his teammates rest.
But after hitting the home run, Sawamura had no such plan at all.
He knew very well that Japan's players were indeed under tremendous psychological pressure.
This was a very important moment in their baseball career.
Any major mistake and they would be in huge trouble.
But equally, the American players were no better off.
In their minds, they were also bearing enormous pressure. Moreover, after Sawamura hit another home run, the score on the field had become 2-0.
At this time, the American players needed time to make timely adjustments even more than they did.
If Sawamura delayed at this point, the American coaches and players would also use the time to strategize.
Sawamura, holding the advantage, was unwilling to let that happen.
The baseball field is like a battlefield!
Showing mercy to the enemy on the field is cruelty to oneself.
This was very clear in Sawamura's mind.
So, without hesitation and at all costs, he wanted to deliver the heaviest blow to the opponent right now.
Not only did he quickly return to home plate to help his team score another run, but the fans in the stands, especially those hardcore supporters who came all the way from Japan, one by one, had their eyes reddened.
Sawamura's brilliant performance on the field once again proved to the whole world:
Who is the real "Great Demon King"?
Sawamura Eijun.
Judging from his performance in today's game, this young man's skill has long surpassed high school level.
Even just based on the basic stats in front of them, he's qualified as a very powerful professional batter.
For Sawamura's supporters, this moment felt as sweet as honey.
Everything before their eyes seemed like a dream.
Not long ago, Sawamura's fame was limited to Japan only.
Because he came from a rural area, he played softball.
So Sawamura was always excluded from the national team.
Now, as Captain, leading a brand-new team, they had fought their way to this point.
Even though they faced irresistible forces along the way, the team's spirit and morale remained intact.
To be honest, that was incredibly rare.
…