Despite Japan having scored two runs, their fans, especially Sawamura's supporters—
Still could not relax.
Not because they doubted Sawamura's strength.
That was impossible. As his die-hard fans, they already considered Sawamura's skill to be beyond ordinary.
He was a living legend!
An unbeatable existence.
Of course, baseball is not a sport played by one person alone.
No matter how strong Sawamura was, he couldn't win the game by himself.
Japan's supporters understood this well.
It was because they understood this that they felt worried.
Although Renji was one of the top catchers in the country, and not much worse than Miyuki, the problem was that the two had very little cooperation.
How little? Actually, they had barely worked together before, let alone now.
Up to now, Sawamura's highly advanced breaking balls could not be used conveniently.
American players had sensed this.
Not to mention Sawamura's hardcore fans.
They all knew it clearly.
The "Great Demon King" currently on the mound was still the one they supported, but Sawamura's actual performance level had not yet reached his peak.
In other words, the man on the mound now was not the fully-fledged Great Demon King.
But even so, Sawamura's strength was still very frightening.
No one knew when he would suddenly explode.
In this situation, all his actions needed to be limited.
Even though Japan was now leading by two runs, their worries had not eased at all.
In fact, they only grew stronger.
As the score gap widened, they always felt that the American players might pull off something big.
Of course, they didn't want that to happen.
Whether as fans of Japan or players themselves, they each had their own stance.
Emotionally, they supported Japan.
But how things would actually unfold would not go according to their expectations.
Life is full of disappointments, more often than not.
That's roughly what it meant.
Sawamura quickly returned to home plate, helping the team score.
The total score: 2-0.
Seeing this, Owada Akiko, a reporter from Baseball Kingdom magazine in the stands, felt some regret.
"He actually could have slowed down, letting other players rest."
America vs. Japan.
The battle between the two teams had entered a fierce stage.
Though Japanese players trained hard, compared to the American players, their physiques were no match.
Not nonsense, but an objective reality.
This was clearly reflected in the teams from America and Japan.
In this game, the American players bore more pressure.
But judging only by sweat, energy loss, and fatigue on their faces, Japan looked more battered.
That's why Owada thought Sawamura should take this chance to let his teammates rest.
Fujio had a different view—actually, his opinion aligned with Sawamura's.
"The field is a battlefield; opportunities vanish in a flash!"
The current Japan team's overall strength was actually less impressive, especially compared to the Americans—they probably had no advantage.
Not only no advantage, but Fujio himself felt Japan might even be at a disadvantage.
In such a case, if they just went head to head, or both took time to adjust, it would actually be worse for the Japanese players.
Don't be fooled by their lead—if the match continued fairly, the stronger Americans could very well overturn the game.
Japan's potential was already at its limit.
If nothing unexpected happened, problems would definitely arise late in the game.
In this context, Sawamura thought it best to press the attack!
Especially after hitting two home runs.
With those two home runs, the Japanese players gained the courage to continue standing against America.
That courage was very important!
Because in the previous match, the damage to Japan was larger than anyone expected.
Not only the injured Mima, but even those left on the field were deeply hurt mentally.
They instinctively felt conflicted, wondering if fighting for the world championship deserved all of that.
Expectation and responsibility toward their team and country exist strongly, but also their efforts and the future that awaited them.
All of that was like a war going on inside their heads, making all of them conflicted.
Many players, even standing on the field, had low morale.
They thought they had no need to play hard, as long as they put on a good fight. If they win, that's good. If they lose, then there is nothing they can do!
But was it really okay like that?
Of course not!
The current situation said it all: Japan was leading by two runs.
Though the lead was almost entirely created by Sawamura's artistry, never forget, Sawamura himself was a player from Japan.
Because of such a leader, Japan's spirit had not completely collapsed.
Judging from Sawamura's performance, he was indeed a very qualified leader.
Who would have thought he had two at-bats and hit home runs both times?
Benjamin was definitely not a pushover.
Anyone with a bit of sense could see that with their own eyes.
Actually, the guy named Benjamin was quite strong, otherwise, he wouldn't have shut down all Japan batters except Sawamura.
But how strong exactly? Fujio had no fixed judgment.
But from his own feelings, Benjamin was definitely a top-class pitcher for their age group.
Compared to other Japanese pitchers except Sawamura, His strength was definitely not inferior, possibly even superior.
This wasn't to boost someone else and diminish their own strength, but a realistic analysis of the gap.
According to Fujio, the gap between the two sides was that large!
Maybe even bigger than everyone thought.
In this situation, during the match, Sawamura alone had hit two home runs, suppressing the American team's players rather than being suppressed.
If they could continue like this, Fujio was still very optimistic about the Japanese team.
They might even create a miracle.
That's what Fujio thought.
But the rest of the match was much tougher than he imagined.
Right after Sawamura, Renji came in but showed no performance and was taken Out.
Everyone thought the man who was hit for two home runs in a row would show some flaw under Sawamura's pressure, but in reality, he didn't show any.
It was as if the home runs weren't even made off his pitches.
At this moment, Fujio and other Japanese supporters had to sigh: the opponent truly had a strong heart.
How strong? They had no way of knowing.
But one thing was clear: today's game would be harder than they imagined.
Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.
Sawamura was up to pitch.
The American players were very wary of Sawamura's 100% home run power.
They had no choice but to be cautious.
Currently, the American team was trailing by two runs, all thanks to Sawamura's home runs.
He almost single-handedly suppressed all the American players.
Facing such an opponent, if the American players didn't stay highly alert, wouldn't their reactions be too slow?
Not only when Sawamura was batting, now also when he was pitching, the American players were extremely vigilant.
Afraid that something might go wrong, causing Sawamura to erupt naturally.
That would be unacceptable!
This might seem unbelievable, but it was completely normal.
Because Sawamura's presence was overwhelmingly strong!
No American player could ignore him.
Now, no matter what Sawamura did, all American players had their eyes on him.
Their gaze was like hungry wolves scrutinizing Sawamura.
It felt like they wanted to tear Sawamura apart alive.
"Again like this!"
Others might be unfamiliar with such scenes, but Sawamura wasn't.
In fact, as his fame grew, the probability of facing this had become very high.
Almost all his opponents would give him this kind of treatment.
…
T/N: Well, That's it for now.
Thank you all for reading!
Have a good day!
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