As the game entered its final phase, the players of both teams were basically evenly matched.
Japan team held the advantage in score, leading by 2:1 — one point ahead of their opponent.
However, the American team's players were no pushovers; they dominated in momentum.
Even their number of hits surpassed Japan's by one.
With the current situation developing this way, it was still very uncertain who would ultimately win.
Japan team had basically exhausted most of their potential. Next, it all depended on whether America's pitcher would face Sawamura in a third direct confrontation.
In the third showdown, could Sawamura continue to perform his magic as usual and hit three consecutive home runs?
Compared to Japan's weak offense, the American team's offensive power had yet to be fully unleashed.
Right now, Sawamura was tired, having thrown many pitches in a row without breaking 150 km/h in speed.
Anyone with clear eyes could see his pitching power had diminished. Although the decline was subtle, the fact remained that his strength had weakened.
Under these circumstances, it was possible for the American team to rally and catch up or even overtake the score.
With Japan struggling offensively, the outcome of the game largely depended on whether Sawamura, as the pitcher, could hold out until the end.
Could Japan hold onto their one-point lead?
This would undoubtedly become the key and the critical point.
In the top of the 7th inning, Sawamura faced America's fourth batter.
This was a thrilling showdown, the result of which would directly affect the subsequent course of the game.
Everyone watched intently, unwilling even to blink.
They feared missing any of the exciting plays by blinking.
"We've really been backed into a corner!"
Since joining Seidou High School's baseball team, honestly, Sawamura hadn't encountered such a situation for a long time.
The outcome of the game now completely depended on his pitching.
Whether he could defend the lead had become the decisive factor for winning or losing.
It was truly frustrating.
The pressure felt like a massive mountain pressing down on Sawamura's shoulders.
His teammates in the field probably sensed this and voiced their support for him.
"Let them hit it!!"
"We'll definitely stop it!"
"We're still one point ahead!!"
"No Need to Hesitate!"
"Pitch boldly."
Don't be fooled by how shaky their defense positions looked now.
That was mainly because the opponent was lucky enough, and they took advantage of the gap, using it to score.
Against an ordinary team, this might not be feasible, but against an elite team like America, at the first sign of a gap, they will punish you.
That was why Sawamura had allowed so many hits.
These thoughts flashed through Sawamura's mind briefly.
He shook his head, pushing away these useless thoughts, and concentrated fully on the opponent before him.
America's fourth batter had a style typical of American players: clean, decisive swings.
Sawamura was very familiar with this type of player. They had honed their skill through countless swings and relied heavily on instinct.
They could generally predict or sense the approximate pitching location.
Sounds impressive, right?
On the surface, they even seemed invincible.
But in reality, that was far from true.
This instinct was developed through practice and could only roughly predict a general location.
Against balls that weren't especially tricky or completely unexpected, it was effective.
They should be able to make contact.
Plus, with their clean, crisp swings, even if they didn't hit the sweet spot, they could still send the ball flying far.
However, when facing extremely tricky breaking balls with big movement that disrupted vision and instinct...
American players usually lost their direction.
Compared to Japan's professional league, Major League players in America struck out more often.
This is closely related to their batting style and America's overall approach.
Because of their developed instincts and habits, they missed more swings.
Of course, with losses come gains.
America compensated for this with their long hits and home runs.
For Sawamura, American players were exactly the kind of opponents he was best at facing.
If he could freely use high-level breaking balls, striking out American batters wouldn't be difficult.
Months ago, Sawamura and his Seidou High teammates went to America seeking a breakthrough.
In the final game against America's Dream Team,
Sawamura went all out, flexibly using high-level breaking balls, and eventually achieved that brilliant record.
Although this team in front of him was formidable, it still had a big gap compared to the Dream Team.
Fortunately, although the American players were strong, their coordination was poor.
Because of this, Sawamura could lead Japan's team in a desperate fight without falling behind, even leading by one point.
This American team wasn't the Dream Team Seidou had faced before,
and Japan's teammates were no longer Sawamura's old teammates.
How to fight under such conditions?
If someone else were on the mound, they might have helplessly shrugged.
If you don't have tools or ingredients, how can you guarantee the dish will be delicious?
But Sawamura was no ordinary person!
To others, this was a desperate situation. But to Sawamura, as long as the last out wasn't made and the game still had a chance,
It wasn't over.
Baseball wasn't like basketball or soccer with strict time limits.
Even in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, if the difference was 1000 points,
theoretically, the trailing side still had a chance to come back.
So Sawamura's belief had always been: as long as the game wasn't truly over,
No matter how bad the situation, the trailing side could catch up.
In such a situation, why give up the game?
With that mindset, no matter what difficulties the game faced, one should never give up easily.
Sawamura had come this far partly thanks to experience,
but more importantly, because of this mindset.
Without it, could he have made it this far? Could he be like this now?
It was hard to say.
No breaking balls allowed, so he could only rely on fastballs to decide the outcome!
Though risky, Sawamura had no other choice.
He could only use fastballs to fight.
Fortunately, his fastball wasn't ordinary—if used well, it could also bring enormous surprises to the opponent.
Renji, the catcher, saw the subtle signs Sawamura gave and immediately understood his plan.
Sawamura realized that the ordinary method had limited effect and planned to change tactics.
This approach wasn't necessarily bad, just a bit riskier.
Renji hesitated.
Now, Japan is only leading by one run.
In this case, was it really good to take such a risk?
He glanced at Sawamura on the mound, then at the teammates behind him.
Finally, Renji gritted his teeth and decided to support Sawamura.
At this stage, retreating made no sense. Now was the time to take the initiative and strike back.
Showing weakness would only encourage the opponent.
If so, better to make your stance clear from the start, leaving no opening for the enemy.
Renji resolved to fight alongside Sawamura.
'Take a chance and change the game.'
'Come on!'
'If you have that confidence, throw your fastball.'
…