Sawamura found himself in a rather awkward situation.
An American team player successfully reached first base.
It's not that no American players had reached base before. Back then, although Japan team's players were worried, overall they felt confident.
They believed that even if an American player got on base, he wouldn't accomplish much.
But now, the situation was different.
At that time, the Japanese team not only led in the score but also held a considerable advantage in momentum and the overall situation.
In general, they didn't believe the American players could pull off any surprises.
However, now, although Japan team still led, the on-field situation had changed.
Japan team could no longer firmly control the game's initiative; instead, the American players seemed to have stronger momentum.
Having already been strong in spirit, and now making a breakthrough in the situation, for the American players not to want to make something happen would be unthinkable.
If they didn't try, it would be a sham.
As long as the American players were not suddenly foolish, they would certainly want to do something. They would never let this opportunity slip by.
Not to mention, standing at first base was Francis.
This American pretty boy had quite a formidable overall ability. His defensive skills ranked among the top, and his batting ability was also within the top three in his team...
Most importantly, of course, was his unparalleled speed.
Data showed this guy could run 100 meters in under 11 seconds.
Especially his short-distance explosive power and base-stealing speed were astonishingly fast.
Having a player like him on base was an obvious threat.
Before pitching, Sawamura couldn't pay much attention to the American second batter in the Batter's Box.
Most of his focus was on the restless Francis.
The young man was very brazen, already more than three meters off first base.
This distance was far enough beyond the allowed safe distance.
If Sawamura ignored this, it was easy to imagine that during his pitch, the opponent would make a break for it.
Having left base so far before the pitch, even if he coordinated with Renji to try to stop Francis, it wouldn't be easy.
Keep in mind, this guy wasn't just stepping off the base casually.
There was also his unmatched speed...
"What a troublesome guy!"
Sawamura muttered, but his body showed no change, not even a turn.
The small baseball seemed magically flying, curving around the side of his body, and suddenly flying towards first base.
Because Sawamura didn't do any preparatory motion, the baseball seemed to suddenly appear.
Many people at the scene didn't even notice the ball's movement.
Even the first baseman connected to the ball was stunned for a moment before realizing what had happened.
Snap!
The mitt caught the baseball. Although Japan's first baseman's mind momentarily froze, as a nationally ranked star player, he had practiced extensively in private. Even if his brain didn't react in time, his body naturally responded.
Though not very fast, it was smooth enough.
He ducked and tagged with his mitt.
Faster than the mitt was the American player Francis in the blue uniform.
Nobody knew when the young man had dashed out.
His hand had already touched the first base bag in advance.
"SAFE!"
The umpire hesitated a moment before announcing.
Only then did he understand what had just happened.
'It was incredible!'
As an umpire, he had seen countless games, not only junior high and high school but also many college and professional games.
He had never seen a pickoff move like Sawamura's.
The baseball appeared almost instantly—simply unbelievable.
Silent and sudden, with a bit of a ninja assassin's style.
Francis, lying on the ground, was sweating cold sweat.
'That Was Close!!'
Previously, American players had heard many rumors about Sawamura.
But originally, they hadn't taken them too seriously.
Since the American Dream Team played against Seidou High School's baseball team, people seemed to have overpraised Sawamura.
They described him as a rival to Allen, and in some ways even better.
To the well-known American players, this sounded like a joke.
Allen was a once-in-a-decade American super talent, comparable to Michael Jordan in basketball.
Where did this Sawamura come from, to be put on the same level?
Maybe in some games, their performances were evenly matched, but that depended heavily on each player's condition and environment at the time.
In terms of true strength and foundation, they didn't think Sawamura was worthy of being compared to Allen.
Of course, they admitted that since Sawamura could pitch like he did in that game, he certainly had some strength.
That was why those well-known American players were willing to challenge Sawamura.
Francis had the exact same thought before the game; he even planned to give Sawamura a good lesson.
But when he actually faced Sawamura, he realized their previous judgments had been too hasty.
This seemingly harmless guy harbored an incomprehensibly powerful strength.
Up until now, Sawamura had firmly controlled the game's momentum.
Although the American players tried hard to break through, they never succeeded.
Sawamura was like an invincible, terrifying boss standing in front of them.
During the match, Sawamura hardly gave them any hope. Worse, he personally pushed the American team into the abyss.
So far, Japan's two home runs, and thus their two points, were all thanks to Sawamura.
He almost single-handedly suppressed the entire American team.
Now, his pickoff move was equally astonishing.
Completely different from American style, Sawamura's pickoff had its own unique flair.
Because the previous attack was stopped like this, Francis had been prepared beforehand.
But even so, during his confrontation with Sawamura, he nearly fell into a trap.
This man was just too strong!
In the past, people said Sawamura could be compared to Allen, but Francis never admitted it out loud, though he was extremely unconvinced inside.
He knew well how powerful Allen really was.
Not only compared to high school players, but even against minor league or major league players, Allen held his own.
That was a true prodigy!
Francis never believed anyone could compare to Allen, especially among players his own age.
But now, looking at Sawamura, he deeply doubted his previous judgment.
Maybe such a person really did exist.
Like Sawamura standing right before him.
Speaking of pitching, Sawamura's pitching style was definitely not inferior to Allen's; they were equally skilled in different ways.
Francis didn't think he was exaggerating at all.
Knowing Sawamura was heavily limited in strength yet still made the American players spin around, it was hard to imagine what would happen if he fully unleashed his power.
Francis couldn't guess, but instinctively thought Sawamura wouldn't be worse than Allen.
That was the minimum.
It was the most important measure of an ace pitcher.
By this standard, the two were roughly even.
But in other aspects, they were very different.
Against Benjamin's pitching, Sawamura had already hit two home runs.
Trying to explain this away as a coincidence seemed weak.
Without a doubt, this showed Sawamura's batting strength.
Allen's batting was also good, but compared to the current Sawamura, it wasn't quite realistic to say he was better.
Just these two points alone suggested Sawamura might already have surpassed Allen in overall strength.
And that wasn't all. Look at Sawamura's recent performance: his pickoff moves and crisis management far exceeded expectations.
He seemed almost omnipotent; all difficulties before him were solved effortlessly.
He was called the "Great Demon King"!
Previously, American players, including Francis, had all looked down on him.
But now, they viewed this opponent with calm, objective eyes.
Francis and all his American teammates had to admit with pride:
Amazing!
Besides this word, they couldn't think of any other way to describe him.
Last Boss!
Sawamura deserved this title.
The opponent was strong!
Francis deeply realized this, feeling the huge pressure from Sawamura.
He instinctively believed this was an extraordinary figure.
Not waiting for the future, even the current Sawamura was already a remarkable figure.
The opponent was strong!
This was an objective reality; no need to find ridiculous excuses.
But this didn't discourage Francis.
The stronger the opponent, the more it stirred his desire to conquer.
Sawamura was clearly seen as a stumbling block to his dreams.
No matter how tough this block was, he had to overcome it and soar.
After standing up, Francis seemed unaffected, continuing to adopt an aggressive stance.
Eager to steal a base.
On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura was helpless in this situation.
Since his sudden move didn't get Francis out, trying a pickoff again was meaningless.
This guy's reaction was too sharp, giving him no time or space.
So he had to think of other methods.
During the following confrontation, the American second batter indicated a bunt.
Sawamura paid little attention, instead pitching at his own pace.
As for previous matters, he acted as if he hadn't seen them.
None of the previous events affected Sawamura's pitching.
"So mature!"
Not only did the senior baseball journalist Fujio think this, but many of his peers held the same opinion.
Although it was too early to see any results from Sawamura's performance, from a maturity standpoint, it was definitely commendable.
Faced with a major crisis, most people's emotions and condition would be affected.
Some pitchers who had performed well suddenly got blasted in a game.
That was normal and not surprising.
Renji gave Sawamura a signal not to worry about the runners; if they tried to steal, he would handle it.
Sawamura just needed to focus on pitching.
Even knowing this was just reassurance, Sawamura felt warmed inside.
Actually, without Renji's reminder, Sawamura himself no longer focused on the runners.
Once realizing that pickoff moves couldn't stop Francis, he gave up on that idea.
As long as Francis didn't leave the three-meter range, there was almost no danger.
If he stepped beyond that, then any move would be ruthless.
Unable to deal with the opponent for now, he put that aside and focused on the batter.
Sawamura gave up on Francis!
Francis felt a lightness on him, almost like flying.
As Sawamura started pitching, Francis immediately moved.
Nobody expected such decisiveness.
No hesitation, just straight up running.
'Dream on!'
Seeing this, Renji clenched his fists.
Since the opponent came looking for trouble, he wouldn't be polite.
Did the opponent think his pickoff was slow?
Before the baseball entered his mitt, Renji was already half standing, and was going to throw to second base the moment he got the ball.
But before he could, Renji suddenly noticed a bat appear in front of him out of nowhere.
'Was this a bunt?'
Renji's suspicion rose.
But soon he dismissed the thought.
It wasn't that simple.
What exactly did the American players want to do?
Hit and run!
This tactic was easy to guess—actually very simple.
Just different from America's usual style.
Nobody expected such an outcome in the end.
PAAAKK!!!
The baseball was hit and sent flying.
...
T/N: Now, the countdown is starting.
As always, Thank you all for reading!!
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