Chapter 54: One After Another

Tokyo, Hachioji Stadium.

A gust of wind blew through, and despite the scorching heat, the Tokyo representative team players broke into a cold sweat.

They couldn't quite explain why.

Out of everyone on the team, only Sawamura Eijun had managed to everyone's acknowledgment.

From the start of the batting test, Sawamura was far ahead.

Even among all the monsters of Tokyo, Sawamura's ability was top-tier.

This fact was almost universally accepted after yesterday's and today's matches.

Whether in pitching or hitting, Sawamura had reached this point.

But now, Sawamura had been easily dealt with.

"A pop fly!"

"Even Sawamura?"

The players had no choice but to reassess the opponent on the mound.

"How strong was this player?"

"Conrad!"

How terrifying was his strength?

The surroundings fell silent, so quiet that a pin could be heard falling.

After all, this was Tokyo's home turf, and the fans were all supporting the Tokyo team. It was already very respectful that the American players' performances were met with quiet cheers instead of loud boos.

Expecting the Tokyo fans to cheer for the American team was unrealistic.

The American players weren't expecting such a thing either.

At this moment, the American players were filled with excitement.

They had been completely suppressed by Sawamura in today's game, but now seeing him struggle, excitement flickered in their eyes.

It was incredibly satisfying, almost like a triumphant moment.

"YEAH!!"

"Nice Conrad!"

"This Is The Drive!"

The American players had temporarily forgotten their shortage on the scoreboard, cheering passionately.

This was in sharp contrast to the atmosphere in the Tokyo representative team's section.

Sawamura returned to the dugout, feeling thoroughly ashamed.

He felt like he had lost a lot of dignity, especially with the complicated and unspoken looks of his teammates.

If Sawamura had genuinely failed to hit the ball, there would be nothing to say.

It would simply be that he was outclassed!

Sawamura accepted this reality. After all, there were always more talented people in the world, and this vast world had countless skilled players.

He knew that there might be hidden, powerful players in some obscure corners.

As someone who challenged legends, his mission was to witness those peaks and then knock them down one by one.

Only then could he reach legendary status.

With this mindset, a few mistakes shouldn't have been enough to defeat Sawamura. But the problem was that this mistake was just too avoidable.

Because Sawamura had spent a lot of time with Conrad in the Major!

He had a deep impression of Conrad's pitching.

This impression was still vivid, almost like it had been etched into his mind.

So when Sawamura saw Conrad pitch, he instinctively swung the bat according to his previous habits.

But now, Conrad was at a completely different level compared to his peak form when they were both in the Major League. Sawamura's swing timing was off.

This led to the high fly ball, which was easily caught and resulted in his out.

When the ball left his bat, Sawamura felt an overwhelming regret.

It was as if a university student returned to elementary school to take a simple 1+1 test and mistakenly solved it as the Goldbach Conjecture.

Although the answer was still correct, it was entirely different from what it should have been.

It was frustrating and extremely irritating.

As he returned to the dugout, he hung his head low in shame, his hands covering his face, not wanting to speak to anyone.

He didn't even realize that his batting failure had greatly impacted the morale of the Tokyo team. Facing Conrad, they began to develop a mental shadow.

The fifth and sixth batters both made mistakes.

When the fourth batter fails to hit the ball, this can easily affect the entire team.

His teammates instinctively began to believe that Conrad was just on a completely different level.

The Tokyo team had fallen into this trap.

They looked at the American pitcher's mound with a trace of dread in their eyes.

They believed Conrad must have terrifying strength to have dealt with Sawamura like that.

This situation had a greater impact on the Tokyo representative team than Sawamura had imagined.

As he hid his face, his teammates were quickly getting out one by one, and in no time, they had accumulated three Outs.

Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.

And so, in a daze, Sawamura returned to the mound.

This was already the top of the seventh inning.

The game was nearing its end without anyone noticing.

The score on the field was still 6-0, clearly showing a big difference, and it seemed the Tokyo team had the game in hand.

But those watching the game at the scene probably didn't feel this way. The reason was that after Conrad, the ace pitcher from North America came in,

The Tokyo team's magical offense had completely stalled.

After Conrad entered, no one from the Tokyo team had made it to base.

Conrad's excellent performance gave the American players a tremendous boost in confidence and shock.

It turns out that it wasn't that they were incapable, but that Weede was not in his top form, which allowed the Tokyo team to exploit the gap.

Otherwise, if they really got into an intense pitcher duel, they might not lose.

Having this thought made all the difference.

The American players began to move around like soldiers on the battlefield, each one of them frantically acting.

They were uneasy inside, feeling as though if they didn't act immediately, they might be the ones who died and lost this war.

Moreover, once they realized they weren't actually losing on the skill side, they could no longer accept the current score.

6:0 was a blatant a blatant disgrace on their side.

No matter what, they had to score some runs back!

Otherwise, the score would be too embarrassing.

It wasn't just the players. Even the American Coach felt the same way.

At this moment, the American coach made a decisive move.

He replaced the batter scheduled to step up in the top of the seventh inning.

This new player was truly a miracle within the American team.

His height was only around 160 cm, and he didn't look like a high school student at all.

"Do we have any information on that guy?"

Things were suspicious, and Coach Kunitomo wasn't one to ignore it. Looking at the American team's reaction, he quickly guessed that this situation was far more complicated than it seemed.

"His name is Johannesburg, and he's only 15 years old."

15!

Sure enough!!!

When Kunitomo saw the opponent's figure, he had already started suspecting something.

But even when the result was revealed, he still found it hard to believe.

15 years old, which meant he was in his first year of high school.

Not all the players on the American team were third-year students.

Since it was a training team, it naturally included players from various age groups.

'What kind of skill must one have to surpass players from two grade levels and be chosen to replace a third-year player at the plate?'

Kunitomo couldn't help but feel his mind race.

The outside observer is clear, but the person involved is confused.

While Kunitomo had realized the danger, Sawamura Eijun didn't feel anything yet.

It wasn't his fault, though. Whenever an American player stepped up, Sawamura naturally judged by a quick glance.

This one he knew, that one he didn't.

Having spent over ten years in the Major League, Sawamura was very familiar with almost every player in his age group who had achieved something in the Major League.

There were only so many Major League teams, and with the hundreds of games played each year, players couldn't help but get familiar with each other.

And for those Sawamura didn't know, while their skills might not be poor, they likely weren't outstanding either.

Otherwise, why didn't they make it to the Major League? Why weren't they famous in the Major League?

In America, a land full of dreams, Major League players were always highly regarded.

Anyone with that kind of talent would typically enter professional baseball.

The player who had just been substituted was the type Sawamura didn't recognize.

Although Sawamura was also aware that to be trusted and substituted by the American Coach, this player must have some skill.

But without extraordinary talent, just being decent wouldn't help against Sawamura's pitching.

Sawamura was not the same as he used to be.

If he didn't use all of his skills, even touching his pitching was out of the question.

'Keep the rhythm, keep pushing!'

Having partnered with Sawamura for a long time, Miyuki could easily sense Sawamura's determination.

Since the Ace pitcher was so motivated and wanted to suppress the opponent with just his fastball, then, of course, Miyuki was all in.

'Aim it here!'

Sawamura quickly got into position and decisively threw the baseball in his hand.

WHRROOSH!

Because the release point was unseen, Sawamura's pitch appeared even faster from the batter's perspective.

The American player who had just stepped up clearly couldn't adjust to Sawamura's pitch.

After seeing Sawamura's throw, the player stood motionless on the field.

SNAP!

"STRIKE!"

The smooth rhythm meant Sawamura didn't feel any sense of crisis. He got ready for the second pitch.

Just as the baseball left his hand, an ominous premonition suddenly rose in Sawamura's mind.

'No, Something's Off!'

He felt as though something was overlooked. He turned his head to think but couldn't remember what it was.

And just as Sawamura's mind wandered, the baseball had already flown out.

The young player, who looked completely dazed in the Batter's Box, suddenly had a flash of light in his lifeless eyes.

He muttered two words to himself.

"Too slow!"

The batter lifted his bat and, without hesitation, swung at the incoming baseball.

PAAK!

The baseball was hit and landed in the defensive gap.

During this sequence, the Tokyo players didn't even have time to react.

They watched as the baseball flew over, and it wasn't until it landed that they realized what had happened.

"It got through!"

This series of sudden changes caught everyone completely off guard.

Sawamura couldn't help but frown.

"Burg!"

"Johannes!"

"Johannes!!!"

The American players in the dugout couldn't contain their excitement and shouted the name of the player on the field.

'JOHANNESBURG!!!!!'

Upon hearing their calls, Sawamura immediately realized.

'So that's why he felt so strange earlier…'

'It was another familiar face!'

'Kyle Johannesburg, the strongest pinch hitter for the Chicago Cubs.'

He was also one of the most intimidating batters Sawamura faced in the Major League.

Sawamura never expected to face him so soon.

What Sawamura didn't anticipate was that Johannesburg in his memory was a tall wide guy with blonde hair.

He had a bold, flamboyant appearance.

This current, small boy was nothing like the Johannesburg he remembered.

…

T/N: That's it for Today.

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