The final of the World U18 Invitational Tournament. The two strongest teams met without too many setbacks.
The game between them attracted the attention of the whole world.
In today's era, many star players have emerged, with the majority coming from America and Japan.
Taiwan and South Korea, as well as other parts of the world, have seen a few star players emerge. However, due to the small number of them, they can't form a strong team, and their impact is nowhere near as significant as that of America and Japan.
The ones causing the most stir, and becoming the topic of the era, are America and Japan.
The American team started with the "Son of Baseball," Allen, and the "Dream Team."
The Japanese team started with the "Demon King" Sawamura, as well as the legendary "12 Rising Talents."
The confrontation between these two teams has naturally become the center of attention.
Almost all seasoned baseball fans want to see what kind of performance these future stars can deliver. They may still be a bit immature now, but as superstars, they have already reached an extraordinary level in many aspects.
Forget comparing them to players of their age; even when compared to professional players, they are not at a disadvantage.
At this point, the only ones who can dominate these young talents are the stars of the major leagues.
Other than that, even the star players of Japan's professional baseball league would likely struggle against the likes of Allen and Sawamura.
Such a group of rising stars is bound to attract attention.
In the largest baseball stadium in Taipei, the match between the two teams is nearing its end.
Top of the 9th inning.
The score on the field remains 2:1. The best scoring opportunity for Japan came when Sawamura was at bat.
If the American players hadn't avoided a direct confrontation, there was a chance that Sawamura could have hit the third home run of the game.
However, in the end, the American players were clever. Without confidence, they chose to intentionally Walk him instead of facing him directly.
Sawamura Eijun only managed to reach base with an intentional Walk.
After that, the Japanese team's offense was basically neutralized.
It looked like they were unlikely to score again.
On the other side, the American team's situation wasn't very optimistic either.
Their players were full of momentum and a strong desire to score. If given the chance, they would never give up on attacking.
But their time was running out!
Sawamura's dominance on the mound was obvious to all.
He had perfectly shut down the American offense, giving them very few opportunities.
So far, the American team had only scored one run.
And even that run wasn't entirely due to their strength; luck played a large part in it.
Although Sawamura looked tired, he showed no signs of collapsing.
Given his impressive track record, it was natural for him to continue pitching until the very end.
Now, it was the final inning.
Unless there was extra time, hoping for Sawamura Eijun to collapse was pure fantasy.
At this point, whether Sawamura had any stamina left or not, even if he had none, he could grit his teeth and push through. He could make it to the end.
In fact, the more he was pushed to the limit, the more terrifying his outbursts became.
As long as he could get three Outs, Japan could secure the victory, regardless of Japan's offense in the bottom of the 9th.
For Sawamura, getting three Outs? What difficulty could that pose?
It would be strange if it were difficult!
Even those who knew Sawamura and were aware of his past feats wouldn't think it would be hard for him to secure three Outs.
It was simply too easy.
As long as he could maintain his composure and unleash his strength, getting the outs shouldn't be an issue.
The only real challenge now was the opponent he was about to face.
The American players had already gone through three rounds of batting.
Francis was stepping up to bat for the fourth time.
Within the American team, this pretty boy's performance had really caught people's attention.
It was his excellent performance that allowed the American team to close the gap by one run.
Long confrontations are disadvantageous for pitchers. This guy had previously gotten a run off of Sawamura's pitching; would their fourth showdown cause any trouble?
This was a very important question.
If he caused trouble, Sawamura would have to come up with some strategies...
Before taking the field for defense, Coach Takeda gathered all the players for a motivational meeting.
He addressed many players in one go, including the indispensable Sawamura.
Japan had shown the possibility of victory, and now, with only three Outs left, the victory was within their reach.
Coach Takeda and the Japanese team were now completely committed.
No matter how the situation played out, they were ready to go all in.
What if they won? The championship would drop right into their laps.
Even if they lost, the players had mentally prepared themselves for that outcome.
With this mindset, why not give it their all?
"Pitch boldly, get the Outs one by one."
Coach Takeda, experienced and savvy, knew that for Japan's players, the most important thing now was to play steadily and showcase their abilities.
If they got too emotional, the score that could have been achieved might end up being wasted.
That was absolutely unacceptable!
They had to stay calm, step by step, changing the situation on the field, and once the situation had completely turned, they could go for broke.
"One step at a time, but don't let your guard down."
As the end of the game neared, they couldn't afford any mistakes.
Before heading to the field for defense, the Japanese players gathered and shouted loudly:
"YEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!"
Everyone was united, ready to win the game.
Sawamura Eijun, at this moment, was also not idle.
Standing on the mound, he glanced at the electronic scoreboard before pitching.
The score was 2:1, and they were still leading by one.
Three outs remained before the game ended.
The Japanese team had accumulated three effective hits, and by the time they reached the 9th inning, it was Francis, their leadoff batter's turn.
Although privately, Sawamura had never said anything, when the players cheered, he joined in.
But deep down, he wasn't as optimistic as the coach and his teammates.
The American players weren't so easy to deal with.
Especially their top batters, who were among the best in America.
Now, it was the fourth time he was facing them.
If everything went according to plan, it would be fine, and he could handle them. But if the plan wasn't perfect, there was a chance they could string together hits and make a comeback.
Sawamura Eijun had a bad premonition in his mind.
He even hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should suggest to Coach Takeda and the assistant coach to make a substitution, bringing in Narumiya or Hongou for a surprise attack.
Of course, the premise was that they would be able to perform perfectly as soon as he stepped on the field.
If they couldn't fully unleash their power from the start, these hungry American players would likely take advantage and make them pay.
This wasn't a joke—it could very well become reality.
After some hesitation, Sawamura ultimately decided not to speak up.
On one hand, he didn't know whether, after speaking up, Hongou and Narumiya would be able to show his full strength.
Although they had a big heart and tended to perform better under bigger situations, there were always exceptions. What if this were the exception?
Also, at his core, Sawamura was the Ace. Since he was the Ace, he certainly wouldn't voluntarily give up the mound.
As long as his teammates still trusted him, even if it meant gritting his teeth, he would push through.
…