Chapter 50: Chaos Unleashed

The American team has replaced their pitcher with a long-haired, giant pitcher.

Originally, the players from the Tokyo representative team did feel off from this sharp-looking young man in front of them. His aura screamed danger, making him seem like a strong competitor.

Of course, experts can immediately tell the difference.

When Conrad took his stance on the mound, the players from the Tokyo team already had a pretty good idea that he wasn't going to be an easy opponent.

He was a left-handed sidearm pitcher.

Such pitchers are very rare among all pitchers.

Because they are so rare, batters don't encounter them much.

In other words, it was likely that Conrad would throw some pitches the players hadn't seen often.

How unlucky!

Narumiya inwardly sighed.

The previous pitcher, though still throwing with power, had clearly lost his rhythm after taking a few hits. He was easier to deal with.

The reason why the Tokyo team had been able to keep hitting was partly due to the amazing strength of their cleanup hitters, but there was another reason worth mentioning.

That reason was that Weede, the previous pitcher, no longer had the ferocity he showed at the beginning of the game.

Simply put, he was no longer able to showcase his full pitching power, making him like an old tiger without its claws.

Naturally, the players found it much easier to deal with an opponent like that.

Now, however, it was his turn to bat, and his opponent had immediately brought in someone who was clearly much stronger.

This had disrupted his hopes of performing well on both sides of the game.

'What bad luck! Truly bad luck!'

But only someone like him, who is destined for greatness, would accept such a fate and test himself this way.

'Earlier, that brat Eijun had hit a home run off Weede when he faced him for the second time.'

Now, having switched to a similar situation, it was only right that he also made his mark.

In today's game, Narumiya was in an almost wild state.

He couldn't hold back the flame inside him, nor could he control his desire to show off.

Although his mind wasn't entirely clear, there was no doubt that he was enjoying every moment of it.

In a game full of attention, battling against a sufficiently strong opponent, this passionate feeling was something Narumiya was addicted to.

Some people enjoy the challenge, and Narumiya was certainly one of them.

Those players who got nervous in big situations, or those who couldn't play to their usual level, simply weren't suited for big competitions.

Even if, after a while of grinding, they managed to get onto the field, the level they could perform at would definitely be diminished.

On the other hand, those who could enjoy the game often performed even better in crucial moments.

At this point, Narumiya was no longer just playing at his usual level. In this game, he performed far beyond his usual strength.

Despite the American Coach changing pitchers, if the new pitcher didn't perform well, there was still a chance for Narumiya to tear him apart.

At this moment, Narumiya felt relatively more at ease. After all, they were already six runs ahead, so if he hit a single, it would just be the icing on the cake.

'Come on, throw your best pitch.'

'I'll hit it out for sure!'

Narumiya was full of confidence.

And as for his opponent, the long-haired American pitcher wasn't going to back down either.

He took his stance and released the baseball from his hand.

This long-armed, long-legged guy was using a left-side throw.

A left-handed pitcher already feels awkward to a batter.

But Conrad's pitch multiplied that discomfort.

Firstly, he was a sidearm pitcher, making his pitches even trickier than a regular left-handed pitcher.

Secondly, due to the length of his arms, the ball seemed to fly from behind a left-handed batter's head.

And lastly, the speed of his pitches!

When this pitch left his hand, everyone in the stadium was stunned.

Weede's fastballs were already impressive.

Although there was no professional radar gun, from what people could see, his pitch speed was probably around 150 km/h. (193 mph)

This was a terrifying speed in the entire country.

But compared to Conrad's speed, it was nothing.

Conrad's pitches were at least a level faster than Weede's.

That's at least five km/h faster! (155 km/h = 196 mph)

ROAAAR!!!

BOOOM!

"S-STRIKE!"

With such speed and Form, even Narumiya, despite his fighting spirit, had no countermeasures.

ROAAAR!!!

BOOOM!

"STRIKE!"

He swung his bat again and again, but every time, the bat missed the ball, and neither managed to make contact.

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

Not only Narumiya but also Nagata, the ninth batter of the Tokyo team couldn't make contact.

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"

They were all out!

The scene was quite awkward, and there was complete silence in the Tokyo team's dugout.

The score was 6:0, and it seemed like the Tokyo team had already secured the victory.

But no one in the stands was thinking that way.

Conrad's pitching seemed to be showing them with actions that the reason the Tokyo team had such a large lead before was simply because the opposing team hadn't taken them seriously.

Once they did, the situation on the field would be completely different.

"The American players have finally started taking things seriously!"

Miyuki adapted to the current situation very quickly.

He actually had this premonition earlier.

If these players from Wind Youth Academy didn't have any real skills, why would they travel so far across the ocean to embarrass themselves?

That would only bring discomfort to themselves, right?

So, Miyuki had always felt that the American players were definitely not as they had appeared before.

Now that he saw the American players really starting to give their all and quickly gaining the upper hand in the game, Miyuki was not surprised at all.

For the Tokyo representative team, this was when the real game had truly begun.

It was as though both teams were now standing at the same starting line again.

Even Narumiya, although frustrated after being Struck Out, was not very surprised by this outcome.

He had a solemn look on his face.

The USA was known as the holy land of baseball, home to the country's most famous league. In that league, the majority of the players were Americans.

There were very few players from Asia who came over and made a name for themselves.

If the foundation beneath them wasn't solid, how could the beautiful and professional Major League Baseball have so many local players?

"How fast is that pitcher's speed?"

"Conrad from the Wind Youth? I don't think I've heard of that name before."

"Don't act like you know it all, how many young American players do you actually know?"

"At least I know the players from the Dream Team, alright?"

"America isn't just the Dream Team, aren't these players from Los Angeles really strong too?"

"How do they compare to the Dream Team?"

"Well, they probably can't compare!"

The audience was discussing fervently.

Whenever the States was mentioned, the topic of the Dream Team lingered in everyone's ears, refusing to stop.

Compared to the Wind Youth Academy from Los Angeles here, the legendary Dream Team certainly left a much deeper impression on people.

However, the audience had to admit that even these Los Angeles players were extremely skilled.

With that in mind, many people shifted their focus to Sawamura Eijun.

If it weren't for his and the two pitchers' excellent performances, the current situation in the game wouldn't have been like this.

It was even uncertain if the Tokyo representative team would still be leading right now.

But that was a bit of an overestimate!

Sawamura did bring a strong offensive power to the Tokyo team, there's no doubt about that.

But, honestly, the true strength of Weede was not that much—without Sawamura Eijun, the Tokyo team's "monsters" would have likely already figured out Weede's weaknesses.

Beating him was just a matter of time.

Let's get back to the action on the field.

The long-haired Conrad who had just stepped up to the mound had shaken the Tokyo team's players and fans with his power.

The atmosphere at the entire stadium subtly shifted.

"He's really not an easy opponent!"

Narumiya gazed at Weede's figure, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

He had already witnessed the opponent's strength.

To be honest, it was quite shocking for him.

He finally got a glimpse of the shocking world beyond the ocean!

But did that mean Narumiya had lost his confidence in facing the pitcher?

Not at all!

Using his bat to hit Conrad's pitches—Narumiya certainly wasn't confident about that.

After all, he had very little time, and without any information support, it wouldn't be easy to hit that kind of pitch.

But when it came to pitching...

Narumiya was absolutely confident that his skills were not inferior to this long-haired Conrad.

"Let's see what you've got."

Narumiya was filled with ambition as he stepped onto the pitcher's mound. The shadow of being struck out earlier was gone from his heart.

This was especially evident when he began to pitch.

Narumiya swung his arm, and with a mighty throw, his baseball shot out.

As he pitched, it felt like a cannonball being launched.

Roaar!

Before anyone could blink, the baseball came whizzing toward the batter, catching him off guard.

Now, the batter in the hitting zone was Carlisle, the cleanup hitter.

After Conrad's excellent performance, the American team's morale had risen.

Carlisle was the representative of this renewed confidence.

Once he stood in the Batter's Box, he was also eager to hit the ball out of the park. In Carlisle's mind, this was the best opportunity to do so.

The Tokyo team seemed to still be immersed in Conrad's pitching from earlier.

This was a great chance for them. If the opponent showed any opening, Carlisle was confident he could seize the opportunity.

In fact, some of Tokyo's defensive players had indeed relaxed their focus.

From Carlisle's perspective, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He prepared to aim for that gap and strike.

But when he saw the incoming baseball, all his desires were extinguished in an instant.

The baseball seemed to have a guided trajectory, like a missile aimed directly at him.

When it got close, it suddenly veered off-course.

Carlisle had seen breaking balls before, but he had never seen one with such a large movement and a speed that still stayed over 149 km/h.

'That Slider is simply unfair!' Carlisle exclaimed in his mind.

On the first pitch, Carlisle couldn't resist and swung at it.

But in the end, he didn't even manage to touch the ball.

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

For the next two pitches, Carlisle failed to even make contact with the ball.

Faced with this, Carlisle couldn't help but feel anxious.

He was the fourth batter for the team, and all the players were watching his performance.

If even he couldn't hit, it would be very difficult for the American players to break through the Tokyo team's defense.

So no matter what, he had to make contact with the ball.

With this obsession in his mind, Carlisle unknowingly exerted even more force.

Facing the final pitch, he swung his bat with all his might.

But the baseball suddenly dropped.

'A Splitter!'

In Carlisle's eyes, disbelief flashed.

The pitch's dramatic movement, the sudden drop of the Splitter, and the devilish change in speed.

Combined with Narumiya's blistering fastball.

This combination was truly unbeatable.

This player, who looked like a middle school student, was unexpectedly powerful.

It even made people feel hopeless!

Though he failed to hit the ball, his body didn't stop moving.

He had used so much force in his swing that when the motion ended, he had no way of stopping himself.

His body spun a full 360 degrees as he swung, and by the time he had finished spinning, he inevitably collided with something.

Bang!

A crash sounded from behind his head.

By the time Carlisle realized what had happened, he hurriedly turned around.

The scene had descended into chaos!

…