Chapter 43: Tempered Confidence

"You've said a lot of big words before, just don't embarrass yourself when you step up."

Before Sawamura went up to bat, Shirakawa whispered to him.

It sounded like an impolite remark, but those who are familiar with Shirakawa knew that he only spoke like this to players he thought highly of. Now, speaking to Sawamura this way, he wasn't treating him as an outsider.

"Don't worry!"

Sawamura said confidently, "I'll definitely hit it."

Sawamura could assess Weede's skill with about 80-90% accuracy.

This guy looked tough, but honestly, he wasn't all that impressive.

The reason Carlos and Miyuki had been at a disadvantage while batting was simply because they didn't really understand American baseball.

Watching Major League games on TV or the internet and actually facing off with players of that caliber were two completely different things.

The Major Leagues truly raised violence and power to the level of art.

The baseball style that came from there was naturally unique. And that could already be seen in Weede and other semi-professional players.

For Miyuki, Shirakawa, and the others, these unfamiliar tactics in baseball were not the case for Sawamura.

Compared to baseball in Japan, Sawamura knew much more about Major League baseball.

As soon as Weede threw the first pitch, Sawamura could pretty much gauge this guy's skill level and style.

He was very confident that he could hit the ball!

This was based on his abilities from before his regression.

Compared to before his regression, Sawamura wasn't entirely sure whether his pitching had surpassed his previous level. Despite his fastball having increased by about 5 km/h, and all aspects seeming to surpass his peak performance from before his regression, Sawamura knew deep down that he wasn't yet certain he could reach his before his regression pitching level.

Before his regression, Sawamura had developed a pitching system all his own.

It was a very mature system, unlike the semi-finished system he had now.

Maybe once Sawamura completely integrated everything he was learning in this life, he could confidently claim his pitching surpassed his peak Major League self.

But for now, he couldn't say that yet.

Sawamura's current goal was to integrate everything he had learned to its fullest.

Before entering professional baseball, at least he wanted to have a basic system.

As for a complete system, that would have to wait until after he joined the pros to refine.

In high school, Sawamura didn't have the time or enough strong opponents to practice his pitching to its peak level.

Pitching was different from hitting. Sawamura could confidently say that his hitting ability now far exceeded his Majors time's peak level.

To be honest, his hitting before regression had already impressed him. During tough times when his pitching wasn't working, his hitting kept him in the team.

He never got demoted to the second team!

This is an achievement Sawamura is very proud of even now.

At that time, Sawamura thought his hitting had reached its peak.

He thought his meager batting talent was fully developed.

Maybe with more grinding, it could improve a little, but that would be minimal.

Until he entered Seidouu again, his hitting abilities surged, even reaching a level comparable to his pitching talent. That's when Sawamura realized his hitting talent was far stronger than he had thought when he was in the Major League.

The reason he hadn't reached this height before was largely because, during his growth, he had neglected to practice his hitting.

Now, his pitching may not have surpassed his peak MLB self's level, but his hitting abilities were definitely far ahead.

Even though his swing seemed simple and didn't appear that powerful, Sawamura's confidence in his hitting grew with each game and each confrontation with tough opponents.

Before, he had been confident he could hit Weede's pitches.

Now, with his significantly improved abilities, he had even more confidence.

When Sawamura told Shirakawa he was confident he could hit the ball, he wasn't joking.

He really had that confidence.

"That's great if that's true!" Shirakawa nodded.

If it were anyone else saying this, Shirakawa, who liked to nag and trash talk, would have come up with a lot of counterpoints.

But since it was Sawamura who said it, Shirakawa couldn't find any reason to argue.

Sawamura's name held a certain power.

It was as if everything he said, he could do. Even though Shirakawa didn't think it was that simple.

But since Sawamura was the one saying it, Shirakawa didn't dare to say with 100% certainty that Sawamura couldn't pull it off.

As Sawamura stepped into the Batter's Box, his eyes coldly fixed on Weede on the mound.

This guy seemed to recognize Sawamura. His stare was different from how he looked at the others.

His eyes were bloodshot, almost like a cockfighting rooster.

'Interesting!'

Sawamura smirked, showing a curve to his lips.

He didn't know why Weede was looking at him like that. Maybe it was because Sawamura was the cleanup hitter, or maybe because Weede had seen something during their game against Tokyo University yesterday.

No matter the reason, Sawamura didn't care too much.

All he wanted was simple: to hit the ball coming toward him.

As for how the pitcher was feeling or what his intentions were, Sawamura wasn't interested.

Bring it on!

Sawamura took his stance, ready for the ball to come.

WHRROOSH!!

Without making him wait, the baseball came flying at him with a sharp, whistling sound.

'So strong!'

The pitch wasn't particularly fast, at least not outside of Sawamura's range. But the power behind it felt overwhelming, as though it wanted to swallow him whole.

This was a typical American pitcher. Sawamura had faced many like this in Majors.

He couldn't even count how many times he'd encountered pitchers like this.

What kind of movement could this pitch have? How should he approach it?

Sawamura's mind was as clear as a mirror.

It was like he had practiced this over a thousand times. As soon as Weede threw the ball, Sawamura took his swing.

Paak!

The bat and ball met as if they had planned it.

Whoosh!

The baseball let out a loud cry and flew away.

"It went through!!!"

The cheers at the Hachioji stadium echoed continuously.

From this, it was easy to see how surprising the moment was for the spectators.

Even the players from the All-Tokyo team felt this intense reaction.

Sitting on the bench, Shirakawa stood up in excitement.

"This brat really wasn't bragging!"

Earlier, when Sawamura spoke so confidently, Shirakawa had a feeling this might happen.

But to see him hit the ball so cleanly and easily get a hit still surprised him!

Miyuki, too, looked at Sawamura with a smile.

They came from the same school, and Miyuki was still the cleanup batter for the Seidou High School baseball team.

No one could understand the true thoughts in Miyuki's heart at that moment.

"At least I don't have to worry about the lineup after I retire."

That was the most honest thought in Miyuki's mind at that moment.

As for anything else, there was nothing else.

No Outs, with a runner on second base.

While the whole field was in shock, the Tokyo players didn't stop their attack.

The fifth batter was Kengo Inui, as Nagata was moved to the end of the lineup to support it.

But unfortunately, Inui hit a Pop fly ball.

Clearly, he couldn't adapt to Weede's pitching in such a short time.

Though the fly ball was caught, Sawamura seized the opportunity and advanced to third base.

Seeing his quick movements, the American Superintendent's scalp tingled.

'Not only was his batting strength outstanding, but his awareness on the field and ability to read the game were not something ordinary people could match.'

"I didn't expect there would be such an all-around player here," the American Superintendent muttered in surprise.

As he was pondering this, an even more surprising scene unfolded.

The sixth batter, who clearly appeared to be a power hitter, was up.

With one Out and a runner on third base, he decisively went for a bunt.

Paak!

His bunt wasn't particularly impressive by the American Coach's standards.

It was barely acceptable...

What was truly impressive was the coordination between him and the runner.

While Weede was pitching...

Sawamura left third base without missing a beat and sprinted toward home plate.

His sudden move caught even Carlisle, the catcher, off guard, and he was too slow to react.

Just as the pitcher had thrown the ball.

When Carlisle was about to catch it...

A bat suddenly appeared in front of him.

Carlisle could only watch as the ball was hit right in front of him, helpless.

"SAFE!"

Thanks to the self-sacrifice of the sixth batter, the All-Tokyo team successfully scored their first run.

…