"Kobayashi, did you see that? 18 strikeouts, 18 strikeouts!"
Obayashi, who had already entered middle age, was as excited as a child.
Kobayashi, standing beside him, had nearly the same expression.
They always knew that Sawamura wouldn't stay down forever; sooner or later, he would create new records, new history.
Although they had known this day would come, when it finally arrived, the excitement they felt didn't diminish at all.
Moreover, according to their analysis and thoughts, they didn't expect the surprise to come so early.
The pitching arrangement for the Seidou High School baseball team was clearly well-planned. In simpler games, their Ace, Sawamura, wouldn't be put on the mound. And if he did pitch, the opponent wouldn't be a weak one.
This way, Seidou High's pitching squad would get maximum training. This was, of course, a good thing for the team, but not necessarily for Sawamura, who was focused on breaking records.
If he doesn't play, how can he break records? But once he's on the mound, with such a tough opponent, breaking records becomes difficult.
Teams like Inajitsu High School's baseball team, if they had specifically targeted Sawamura, wouldn't have been able to get so many strikeouts. He might not even have half of those strikeouts.
For today's game, it was unclear why Inashiro's coach made the odd decision of having their players face Sawamura, head-on.
If it weren't for that, even if Sawamura's performance was excellent, it would be hard to get so many Strikeouts.
Inashiro's players would likely have used bunting or precise hitting to disrupt Sawamura's pitching rhythm.
They couldn't just let him pitch like that.
This is why some people said that Sawamura breaking this record was due to the perfect timing, favorable conditions, and teamwork.
Indeed, it was the perfect combination of timing, conditions, and teamwork.
First, the situation in today's game, with pitchers from both sides fiercely competing and neither yielding, was the perfect timing.
Second, Inajitsu's baseball team, for some unknown reason, didn't interrupt Sawamura's pitching rhythm. From a strategic standpoint, this was a case of favorable conditions.
Third, Sawamura himself was strong enough to achieve this feat.
No matter how good the other conditions were, if Sawamura didn't have the strength, he couldn't have achieved this result.
"SAWAMURA!"
"SAWAMURA!!"
"MAOU!"
"SAWAMURA!"
In the stands of Jingu Stadium, tens of thousands of fans chanted in unison. Not only were they Seidou High fans and Sawamura's supporters, but even the originally neutral fans and those from Inajitsu High School's baseball team couldn't help but join in.
It wasn't that they were cheering for Seidou High; rather, they were showing respect for Sawamura.
After all, it was Sawamura who allowed them to witness the birth of a record.
The best part? This wasn't the end; it was only the beginning.
The game had only reached the seventh inning, with two innings remaining.
Sawamura had already accumulated 18 strikeouts. Could he increase this number in the remaining two innings?
Each additional Strikeout would set a new record.
Watching as old records were broken and new ones were made, how could the fans not be excited?
In Inajitsu's dugout, the assistant coach was on the verge of tears.
He had sensed it long before Sawamura reached double-digit Strikeouts.
He had a feeling that Sawamura might continue to rack up strikeouts and potentially break the record.
If the fans saw this scene, their excitement was impossible to contain.
Just like now, Inashiro's team had become the villains, while all the fans seemed to cheer for Seidou High.
It felt as though Inashiro was against the world.
They couldn't compete with the momentum of Seidou's team.
He didn't understand why Coach Kataoka had made such a decision.
"Coach!"
The assistant coach looked at Kunitomo, hoping he had a plan.
Although Coach Kunitomo had never let them down before, the assistant coach still couldn't help but have doubts this time.
Things had already reached this point—how could Coach Kunitomo turn things around?
"Aren't we leading?" Kunitomo replied.
"But the next batter is Sawamura! If he hits a home run, we'll be done for. Narumiya's pitch count is 1.5 times that of the opponent's, and Akamatsu can't handle this kind of intense game..."
The assistant coach's point was clear: if the game went into the ninth inning, Inajitsu's baseball team would surely lose.
Even if Sawamura didn't hit a home run, just getting on base as the first batter would give Seidou a high probability of scoring.
If Seidou caught up with the score, Inajitsu's chances of winning would be gone.
So, the assistant coach of Inajitsu's baseball team felt that they had already lost.
Yet, Coach Kunitomo seemed unfazed, acting like he had already predicted everything and had a solution ready.
"Don't rush. Let's see what happens. Have confidence in our Ace!"
The assistant coach was bewildered by Kunitomo's calm demeanor.
He couldn't understand what Kunitomo was thinking. He wanted to trust Narumiya, but was that underestimating Sawamura?
Sawamura had pitched 7 innings, using only 65 pitches.
Narumiya had used more than 90 pitches in 6 innings.
The difference was so large—Narumiya's endurance might be a little better than Sawamura's, but it couldn't be that much better, right?
After all, Sawamura's strongest point was his all-around excellence.
Pitching! Defense! Reading the game! Even his endurance.
Sawamura possessed all the qualities needed to be the best in the nation.
How could they compete physically with such a monster?
The assistant coach really wanted to ask his head coach, where did that confidence come from?
The assistant coach of Inajitsu was anxious like a bug on a hot pan.
Meanwhile, the fans were pumped up.
They were witnessing the birth of a history, and seeing it broken—how cool was that? It was ridiculously awesome!
Just thinking about it, the fans felt like they were on fire with excitement.
They eagerly awaited the game to resume and for Sawamura to hit a home run.
As for who would win the game?
Was there really any question? With Seidou High's strong performance, how could they lose?
Even if they were one run behind, even if the score was 1-0.
Didn't they see that Sawamura was the first one to step into the Batter's Box?
Even if Narumiya pitched around Sawamura again, so what?
Seidou High was excellent at battling in these situations.
In the past, Seidou High had defeated strong teams by forcing them into these situations, and now those teams had long been forgotten.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Inashiro had won the last round against Sawamura; that was a fluke.
Fans still had full confidence in Sawamura and Seidou, and they were certain Seidou would catch up with the score. The victory was theirs.
This was the momentum Sawamura had built with his strikeouts, which made the entire stadium feel as though Inashiro was the one losing, not Seidou.
But on the cold electronic scoreboard, those two numbers hadn't changed.
1:0!
Inajitsu High School led Seidou High by one point.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the first batter to step up to the plate was Sawamura.
His expression was relaxed, but he meticulously adjusted his helmet, gloves, and bat before taking his place at the plate.
Before the game resumed, Sawamura had already set his goal.
He had to get a hit!
No hesitation.
Despite the fans' confidence in Seidou, Sawamura was clear-headed.
If he could get on base, or even hit a home run, Seidou still had a chance.
If not, the consequences would be unthinkable.
...