The sharp pickoff move had gone unnoticed by everyone until just now.
The baseball suddenly appeared in the second baseman's mitt as if it had flashed there out of nowhere.
The American players representing their region were already the best and most outstanding in their age group.
Although they didn't have the rigorous training system like Japan, which subjects a wide range of players to harsh training,
Baseball was extremely popular in America, and many of them had loved the sport since childhood.
For them, hard training was not bitter at all—in fact, it was a kind of joy.
By now, the top-level players representing America in this age group had basically learned to let their bodies react faster than their brains.
In other words, barring any accidents, the moment they saw Sawamura's reaction, their bodies would immediately respond—
Diving toward the base.
This had been trained into a conditioned reflex.
But just now, during Sawamura's throw, the runner on the American base was completely frozen in place.
He only "unlocked" his body and reacted after Japan's second baseman caught the ball.
By then, it was already too late!
The baseball had already appeared in the second baseman's mitt. When he blocked all the runners' paths back to the base, his Out was inevitable.
After the American player scored, everyone thought the Japanese team would face an enormous challenge.
They might decline, and the situation would become increasingly difficult.
No one expected that at such a critical moment, Sawamura would display such exquisite pickoff skills.
His pickoff move could even be described as masterful.
The commentator, upon witnessing it, was stunned for three or four seconds, unable to find a fitting adjective.
In the end, he could only say excitedly,
"Japan team refuses to fall behind. After conceding a run, they use exquisite pickoff skills to force out the American player."
His tone was very excited, loud, and even a little trembling.
But the adjective he came up with felt somewhat weak and insufficient.
The commentator simply couldn't find the words to describe his surging excitement.
It was incredible!
Although it was known before that Sawamura from Japan had the nickname "Great Demon King," rumored to be a terrifyingly powerful player who often caused despair in his opponents, such praise felt somewhat exaggerated for anyone who is not familiar with him.
Young players with excellent skills were not rare.
But could it really be as Japan's promotion claimed?
If such a player truly existed, was he still human?
Those on the dugout who didn't get to play felt a bit sour at this moment.
Japan team performed excellently, so of course they were happy. But along with the happiness came some sour feelings.
Sawamura Eijun was simply too capable!
They had known this early on, but seeing it in person still left them with mixed feelings.
"I remember this guy rarely succeeds with pickoff moves. I didn't expect the American players to be so weak that this guy could easily pull off a pickoff!"
Narumiya voiced his dissatisfaction.
Indeed, whether in Tokyo or national matches, Sawamura's pickoff throws rarely directly resulted in pickoffs.
"When facing the Great Demon King, who dares to leave the base? Those who do are usually among the top runners. They don't dare to steal bases lightly against Sawamura. Plus, with his reputation, everyone is cautious and walks on thin ice. Under these circumstances, it's naturally hard for Sawamura to pick off runners."
Sanada said hesitantly.
Just thinking about Sawamura's performance felt surreal.
It was hard to imagine what kind of nightmare it must have been facing such an opponent.
They were born in a very unfortunate era.
If it were the past, with their skills, how could they have missed out on Koshien?
But no choice—they ran into the rising Seidou, and Sawamura's Seidou at that.
"His pickoff throw is like a ninja's shuriken—silent and unseen until it's too late. If you're not focused on his body and only watch the ball, you might not even know how you died."
Hoshitaru also recalled the moments facing Sawamura.
To be honest, those were not pleasant memories.
Every time they thought of facing Sawamura, it felt like a nightmare, especially the guys in Tokyo.
Fortunately, the nightmare is now over!
"Don't be pessimistic, leave this guy for our Kohais to worry about. We've graduated, no need to deal with these messy things."
Amahisa was more laid back.
He was always an oddball, not fitting in, always coming up with strange ideas.
Everyone just chose to ignore him.
Kuramochi listened proudly beside him.
Now, the dugout was filled with half of Tokyo's star players.
Honestly, these guys were the strongest in Tokyo. Sawamura was not among them.
But even without Sawamura here, the legend of Sawamura still spread among them.
Unconsciously, his Kohai in the dorm was no longer the strongest rookie. His strength was among the top, even among Tokyo's star players.
For a long time to come, Sawamura's name would remain a psychological barrier for them.
Miyuki couldn't help but recall the first time he saw Sawamura.
That was truly a nostalgic story.
Before joining Seidou, due to the duels with senpai third-year players, people had great expectations for his strength.
There was a thought circulating long ago in Seidou: everyone believed Sawamura Eijun's joining would bring enormous opportunities to Seidou High School's baseball team.
In fact, his joining indeed brought unprecedented great opportunities.
So far, Seidou has won three consecutive Koshien championships.
With Sawamura now still a second-year player, Seidou's glory will likely continue.
There are many strong players nationwide now, plus the original star players.
Though many great players have retired, the remaining players are no pushovers.
Their strength is equally formidable.
Seidou will still face many challenges.
But as long as Sawamura is there, those challenges are just challenges.
Seidou remains the most hopeful team to win the championship, and their legend will continue.
As for Sawamura himself, just look at today's game: Japan can no longer contain this great warrior.
At least, not at the high school level!
His level has truly reached a world-class level.
"We're really on the same team as an incredible monster."
…