The first match of the semifinals in the West Tokyo District competition, where the Seidou High School baseball team faces off against the Inashiro Industrial High School baseball team, is about to begin.
When two reporters from Baseball Kingdom magazine, Owada Akiko and Fujio, arrived at the stands of Jingu Stadium, they were stunned by the shocking scene in front of them!
The entire third base side of the stands was completely occupied by fans of Sawamura Eijun.
They were wearing two-toned outfits, mostly black, with a few white pieces.
The black clothes formed the background color, and the white clothes spelled out four big characters.
"Demon King, Invincible!!"
Even Fujio, who had seen it all, was left speechless as he gazed at the enormous formation made up of over ten thousand people, with those characters at its center.
Having worked for Baseball Kingdom for most of his life, Fujio had always interacted with high school baseball players. He had seen many prodigies that inspired countless fans to follow them. Yet, he had never seen anything like this—fans working together in perfect unity like Sawamura's supporters.
In the world, Fujio knew, such a phenomenon had never occurred before.
Sawamura was the first and, so far, the only one.
"This era belongs to Sawamura!"
Though they hadn't seen the future when Sawamura would join a professional team and begin winning, just this scene in front of them was enough to make Fujio marvel.
The future achievements Sawamura might achieve in professional baseball were still unknown.
But in terms of high school baseball, Sawamura had already achieved something unparalleled.
At the front of the formation was a large drum.
This was the battle drum of the Brotherhood Red Heart, Sawamura's earliest group of supporters.
It complemented the formation of over ten thousand people perfectly.
"Several matches ago, Sawamura only pitched one inning. I thought his fans might act a little more passive," Owada Akiko remarked, still in awe.
Clearly, she had never imagined such a grand spectacle either.
After all, Sawamura hadn't pitched in several matches.
Fans are often quick to forget; if you don't perform spectacularly in just one or two games, they may forget about you. Even if they don't forget, they may grow indifferent.
But this rule didn't apply to Sawamura.
His loyal fans had never forgotten him.
It wasn't just the Baseball Kingdom reporters who were shocked by the scene.
Many people were pointing cameras and taking pictures of the Demon King's Guard formation, clicking away to capture this precious moment.
Though it wasn't the first time they had done this, the scale of this one was unprecedented.
But of course, this didn't affect the two teams about to play.
In the Inashiro Industrial High School team's resting area.
Carlos glanced at the massive formation in the opposing stands that filled the entire section.
Then, he turned his head to see the Seidou High School fans in their own section. Though the number of fans was large, they seemed like an unorganized group compared to the Seidou supporters.
"It's a stark contrast!" Carlos muttered.
In the past, the Inashiro players would have been unwilling to admit they were lacking compared to Seidou.
Whatever Seidou had, they had too. The players in the same positions were definitely not worse.
But now, they had to admit, the one thing they lacked compared to Seidou was Sawamura.
The entire stand opposite was filled with fans supporting Sawamura Eijun.
It was insane!
Especially for the star high school players themselves.
No one felt the weight of this gap more than them.
Beside him, Shirakawa also showed a hint of annoyance.
Back when they were in the exchange match against America, Shirakawa and Sawamura had formed the best partnership, working together in perfect harmony.
From that point on, their relationship had been pretty good.
After the exchange match, they continued to stay in touch via texts.
From Shirakawa's perspective, Sawamura was now his friend.
But even so, upon seeing Sawamura's supporters, Shirakawa was determined to teach him a lesson in this match.
Seidou High School had previously dominated Koshien twice.
It had already become the hottest team in the nation.
But at that time, everyone was still quite calm. Other top teams looked at Seidou as their equal.
Even though Seidou was a bit stronger, luckier, and had won Koshien twice, they were all on the same level.
No one really thought of Seidou as superior.
That all changed when Seidou went to America for the exchange match.
Before that, everyone was on the same level.
But after Seidou's team tied with the world champion American Dream Team, they had now become a legendary team that could stand on par with America's Dream Team.
Their prestige had skyrocketed.
Before, all the top teams were similar in strength. Even though Seidou was slightly better, they were all equal.
Now, Seidou had taken a huge leap forward.
Today, they have even reached a divine status in Japan.
Even the Inashiro Industrial High School team had to look up to Seidou.
This was something the proud players of Inashiro couldn't accept.
So, their first goal in this match was to bring Seidou's team down from their pedestal.
Carlos would never forget how energetic Coach Kunitomo was when analyzing their tactics back then.
"From the games we've played against the Seidou High School baseball team, we can clearly draw one conclusion. The number of hits we've managed to get from Sawamura or to put it simply, from his hands, is very small. After so many games, we've only gotten a handful of hits from Sawamura, not even in the double digits. On average, that means we've managed less than three hits per game!"
"And that was before he developed this new breaking ball! Now that he has it, how many hits will we be able to get from him? One or two?"
The players of the Inashiro Industrial High School baseball team hung their heads, unwilling to look at their coach.
They had to admit that Coach Kunitomo's analysis was flawless.
No matter their past records or the facts before them.
It was clear that the hits they could get from Sawamura were minimal.
This was the harsh reality, and there was no denying it.
However, Coach Kunitomo didn't say this to demoralize his players.
"Getting one or two hits is not guaranteed, and we may not even get a single one. If the situation becomes dire, Sawamura will undoubtedly use his breaking ball without hesitation, especially with his defensive skills. Although the strength of our team and Seidou's may seem similar, the truth is that our chances of winning are slim."
"Even if Narumiya can hold out and not allow any runs, we're still at a disadvantage in a prolonged battle. Up until now, Sawamura has never thrown a full game, and his stamina is likely on par with Narumiya, if not better. Not to mention our bullpen, which isn't as strong as Seidou's."
Last year, at the start of the spring tournament, people said Seidou's pitching staff was lacking.
Now, it felt almost surreal.
Seidou High School's baseball team had turned into the Kingdom Of Pitchers.
No other team could compare to Seidou in terms of pitching strength.
The only team that could even come close, Komadai Fujimaki, had pitchers who were still far inferior to Seidou's.
The players of Inashiro Industrial High School had initially been very confident about the upcoming match.
They didn't even know why they were so confident, but they believed they could beat Seidou.
But after Coach Kunitomo's analysis, they realized just how terrifying their opponents were.
No wonder they could compete evenly with the legendary American Dream Team.
Seidou High School's baseball team was indeed powerful, and their strength was formidable.
"What's wrong? Lost confidence?"
Coach Kunitomo returned to his usual cold demeanor, glaring at his players.
The Inashiro players shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, feeling as though they were sitting on needles.
"If you've lost confidence, I can request to forfeit the match."
This wasn't something the Inashiro players could accept.
They immediately pounded their chests, vowing to give their all and defeat Seidou.
Coach Kunitomo was mostly satisfied with their response.
As long as the players didn't lose their confidence and faced reality correctly, there was still hope in their match against Seidou.
"I've gathered everyone to discuss a strategy for victory. So, what we need to focus on now is not how strong Seidou's baseball team is, but how to beat such a strong team."
Coach Kunitomo's words shifted the focus, and the Inashiro players felt a sense of relief.
When the problem was no longer about Seidou's strength but about how to win, they felt the pressure lighten considerably.
Although they still couldn't figure out how to score off Sawamura, the shift from being passive to active in their mindset made them feel less burdened.
"To beat the opponent, we must first understand what they have and what we have. We should use what we have to attack what they don't have or target their weaknesses with our strengths while avoiding direct confrontation with their strong points!"
Coach Kunitomo revealed the core idea of his strategy.
Know yourself, know your enemy, and exploit your strengths while avoiding weaknesses.
Once the strategic idea was determined, the next step was to figure out how to execute it.
"First, we need to figure out under what circumstances Sawamura won't use his high-level breaking ball. Or, what conditions would make him least likely to use it?"
"Sawamura and Miyuki are both incredibly talented players, and their skills are already at peak level among high school students. Their understanding of baseball is even comparable to that of professional players..."
"But even they are not invincible. For example, players with high talent and confidence tend to have one common trait: they never waste their trump cards! They won't easily use their killer pitch unless absolutely necessary. They see it as a sword hanging over the enemy's head, to maximize its effect..."
"On the flip side, this means the probability of them using such a pitch in the first inning is the lowest. At least for Sawamura and Miyuki, the chances are minimal. They don't need to use it; other pitches can easily secure Outs. And this is our opportunity!"
The players of Inashiro understood Coach Kunitomo's words well. The chances of Sawamura using a high-level breaking ball in the first inning were indeed the lowest.
The main reason was that it wasn't necessary.
Even without the high-level breaking ball, Sawamura's other pitches could still handle the opponents.
It was this confidence that made him reluctant to use the new pitch early.
"Let's say we can only get one hit in this game. When would be the best time to get that hit?"
"Next, we need to think about how to create favorable conditions for that!"
When Sawamura leads with two Strikes, the probability of him throwing a Strike on the next ball is 84%.
The probability of him throwing a winning shot is 75%!
This was data from Inashiro's previous stats—an incredible number.
Normally, after a pitcher gets two Strikes, they might throw a Ball to test the batter.
What if the batter swings?
Then, they would have earned it.
But Sawamura didn't do that. His approach was straightforward and challenging.
He would throw a decisive pitch to finish the batter off.
With an 84% probability, this was his usual tactic unless something unexpected happened.
And the pitches Sawamura would use for a decisive Strike were limited in number.
Typically, there were no more than three types.
Cutter ball Kai!
Forkball Kai!
And Straight Fast Balls!
When breaking down Sawamura's breaking balls into different levels, aside from his newly honed pitch, these three were the highest.
After gaining a clear advantage, Sawamura would use one of these three pitches to finish off the opponent.
When it's the first inning, his chances of doing this would increase by a few percentage points.
Summing all this up wasn't difficult.
The real challenge was figuring out which pitch Sawamura would throw for the decisive Strike.
And how to hit that pitch.
Since Sawamura used these pitches as his ultimate weapons, they were undeniably hard to hit.
Even making contact was a challenge.
In a few seconds, these thoughts flashed through Carlos' mind like a movie reel.
As the baseball flew towards him, the last question remained in his mind:
"If you were the opponent, what pitch would you least want to face?"
'Cutter ball Kai!'
That pitch that disappeared right before the hands, Carlos had suffered many times from it.
Even now, just thinking about it makes him frustrated.
He should have been more willing to hit this pitch.
But the reality wasn't so simple...
Carlos felt uneasy about the pitch Sawamura would throw, and it had left a psychological scar.
If Coach Kunitomo hadn't asked him this question and they were having a normal confrontation, he wouldn't have relied so heavily on this pitch.
Although he hated it, Carlos had hit that pitch before.
It had been almost a year, but during last year's match, when Inashiro beat Seidou, it was thanks to Carlos hitting the Cutter ball.
Theoretically, Sawamura shouldn't throw this pitch to him again.
"Let's bet the outcome on the pitch you least want to face!"
"Coach, this is gambling. If we lose, we may have no chance left."
"You need to trust your opponent, they know you better than you know yourself."
So, the pitch Sawamura and Miyuki would throw in the end would be the one Carlos feared the most.
Whrroosh!
The small baseball whistled through the air and suddenly curved as it approached the strike zone, flying toward the inside corner.
Cutter ball Kai!
Carlos, who had been led by the nose until now, didn't swing at the first pitch and missed the second pitch.
But it seemed he had already predicted Sawamura's pitch trajectory, and without hesitation, he swung.
Ping!
The small baseball made contact and flew past the shortstop.
Carlos dropped his bat and sprinted to first base.
"SAFE!"
Before Toujou could throw the ball to first base, Carlos had already stepped on the base.
No Outs, runner on first.
It was exactly the same situation as last Fall when Seidou lost to Inashiro.
The King, Sawamura, had allowed a hit in the first inning.
On the mound, Sawamura and the catcher Miyuki exchanged glances, and both saw the same surprise in the other's eyes.
Coach Kunitomo of Inashiro really was a monster.
He had guessed it again!
…
T/N: The Game Starts! And Inajitsu came prepared!
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