Chapter 74: You Can Do It!

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"

It wasn't just Kuramochi Youichi. The second batter, Kominato Haruichi, had exactly the same fate. He was quickly struck out.

For the teammates of the Seidou baseball team, it wasn't really a big deal that Kominato Haruichi was struck out. After all, Haruichi was particularly bad at handling such violent pitchers. Now, Allen had the highest pitching speed of all players his age in the world. When it comes to throwing power, no one in the world could surpass him. At least no one among players of his age could beat him. It would be incredibly difficult for Haruichi to hit his pitch.

Among the players on the Seidou High School team, even those with a lot of power couldn't handle him, let alone Haruichi. So it wasn't surprising that Haruichi was struck out.

What surprised them was the way Haruichi got Out. Haruichi was the most skilled hitter on the team.

For him to be struck out was one thing, but for him to not even be able to touch the ball—wasn't that a bit too unbelievable?

'Had Allen, the Ace of the Dream Team, really become that strong?'

Just thinking about it made the teammates of Seidou High School break out in a cold sweat. They already felt desperate when facing Allen, but now it felt like things had gotten worse.

In the Seidou High School dugout, Miyuki took a deep look at the still-standing Sawamura, then said in a low voice:

"This next part is crucial!"

Though his words lacked context, Sawamura instantly understood what he meant. The game was about to reach a very critical point. Or rather, it was the most critical point.

In the top of the seventh inning, the Dream Team was up to bat.

The first to step into the Batter's Box was the third batter of the Dream Team. Their shortstop, Brandon Ortiz.

Ortiz wasn't one of the three top guns of the Dream Team. He didn't possess elite dynamic vision. But if you underestimated him just because of that, you might end up not even realizing how you lost.

His skills were strong; otherwise, he wouldn't be the third batter for the Dream Team. His troublesome nature showed as soon as he entered the Batter's Box.

As soon as he stood in the Batter's Box, he assumed a bunt stance, his eyes darting slyly at Sawamura. It was obvious he was hiding some tricks.

Miyuki frowned slightly and gave Sawamura a subtle look.

'Ortiz's actions were strange, and it was necessary to understand them better.'

Sawamura nodded ever so slightly, agreeing with Miyuki's idea. Truth be told, he also sensed that the guy named Ortiz had something up his sleeve.

But no matter how cunning his trickery might be, in the end, they were just tricks that didn't hold much weight. To deal with such a person, there could be no mercy at all.

The only way was to crush him with overwhelming strength. Only then would he admit defeat.

Having formed a plan in his mind, Sawamura assumed his pitching stance and prepared to pitch. He had a variety of pitches at his disposal.

If the opponent had an elite dynamic vision, Sawamura's array of breaking balls would be limited. But if the opponent lacked that skill, Sawamura had an endless number of options. Any one of them would be enough to get the batter Out.

Even if Ortiz was showing bunt, Sawamura was completely unconcerned. Several of his breaking balls were perfect for handling a bunt threat.

"You have to perform well!' Sawamura said earnestly, watching Ortiz from the mound. The Dream Team was the toughest opponent the Seidou High School baseball team had faced so far.

The pressure Sawamura carried in this game was immense. But he didn't see it as a problem at all.

At first, when playing against the Dream Team, Sawamura had been a little nervous. Though he had seen the top players in the world before his regression, he had never faced opponents of such caliber in this life.

This made his skin tingle with excitement.

As time went on, Sawamura gradually calmed down. Now, as he played against these famous American players, his mindset had relaxed.

He was enjoying the game. Enjoying the challenge against these top players from the Dream Team.

It felt like he had returned to the MLB. Back to the place he had often dreamt of.

'It's really intoxicating!' Sawamura thought to himself, then decisively pitched the ball. His movements were quick and precise, giving the batter no chance to react.

The baseball shot through the air like a laser, crossing over the distance in an instant and reaching the batter's hands.

Ortiz, who had been ready for a bunt, had no choice but to retract his bat. He had thought that his fake bunt would make Sawamura hesitate and waste some time, giving him a chance to strike.

But unfortunately for Ortiz, Sawamura had remained completely unfazed and did not give him any opportunity to exploit.

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

In the blink of an eye, Sawamura had already earned two Strikes.

On the first pitch, Ortiz had feigned a bunt. But by the second pitch, he hadn't even had time to react. He could only watch as the baseball zipped into the catcher's Mitt.

Ortiz trembled as he saw this. As the third batter of the Dream Team, Ortiz's abilities were well-known.

Yet in this battle between pitcher and batter, he was being led around by Sawamura.

The battery seemed to have completely seen through his plans and gave him no chance at all. This feeling made Ortiz extremely frustrated, but he couldn't think of a way to vent.

Just as Ortiz was stewing in his frustration, Sawamura's third pitch came faster than he had imagined.

But what other choice did Ortiz have? He had been cornered and could only swing his bat.

However, by the time his bat finished its swing, he still couldn't make contact with the baseball.

Snap!

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

The baseball had arrived just a fraction of a second too late.

The players of the Dream Team are currently feeling like they're on a roller coaster.

Anxious and uneasy!

Sawamura Eijun successfully struck out the Dream Team's third batter, Ortiz, and got the first Out of the 7th inning.

This was an extremely shocking event for everyone present.

No one is a fool.

There's no need for any professional commentators to explain it, even the ordinary fans know that the offense and defense in the 7th inning will directly determine the outcome of the game.

At this moment, Sawamura used a regular Changeup to strike out the Dream Team's third batter.

Sawamura's ability has reached an incomprehensibly powerful level.

But more importantly, it also indicates something else.

That is, the players of the Dream Team are now extremely nervous.

Ortiz, the third batter of the Dream Team, although not possessing top-tier dynamic vision, is in the third position in the batting order, which already shows that his strength is greater than that of Jack.

Given his ability, could he be fooled by Sawamura's Changeup?

Even if he didn't manage to hit Sawamura's Changeup, he shouldn't have swung prematurely.

In other words, he should have been able to at least make contact with the ball.

But now?

He's acting like a fool, completely fooled by Sawamura on the pitcher's mound.

The players of the Dream Team have already begun to panic.

They are losing their composure.

At this crucial moment, they made a mistake that should never have happened.

The Dream Team may very well crumble from here.

This was undoubtedly something that greatly invigorated the players of the Seidou Baseball Team.

They were all full of energy like they'd been injected with adrenaline.

After this Out, they just needed eight more Outs to finish the game.

On the pitcher's mound stood Sawamura.

"Maybe we really can win!"

Win!!!

Without realizing it, the players of the Seidou High School Baseball Team started to become more confident.

They began to look at their opponents with a hint of challenge in their eyes.

They could do it; they were sure of it.

Their opponents were just ordinary humans too, with no special powers or tricks.

They didn't believe they couldn't handle them.

On the other side, in the Dream Team's dugout, the atmosphere was gloomy.

Although the game was far from over, based on the current trajectory, the possibility of failure for the Dream Team was looking grim.

Even if Allen, the prodigy, managed to strike out all the batters of the Seidou High School Baseball Team in the following innings, given that they were already trailing by one run, the final result would definitely not be optimistic.

"Boss!"

"Mr. Walter!"

"Coach?"

The players and assistant coaches all turned their gaze to Walter.

They couldn't wait to hear a strategy from him.

When the Dream Team first rose to prominence, they faced many challenges.

Each time, these challenges had been overcome by the Dream Team.

The reason they managed to overcome them was partly because the Dream Team had so many star players. As long as one of them exploded with performance, the situation on the field could change.

The other reason was because of their Coach, Walter.

No matter what kind of trouble they faced, Walter had always come up with solutions.

Although Walter had been recruited by the Major Leagues and was no longer with the New York team, the players' respect for him had never wavered.

"As your Coach, I must unfortunately tell you that I am out of ideas. The opposing team has a well-established system, and our preparation was clearly insufficient."

Walter candidly admitted this.

The players of the Dream Team all lowered their heads.

Though they had done some research before, to be honest, none of them had given their all. They had never expected that the Seidou Baseball Team would truly pose a threat to them!

It was almost unbelievable.

Now that it had really happened, they were caught off guard.

Moreover, the preparation work wasn't done by Walter, and in today's game, Walter didn't come up with any good strategies, which wasn't surprising.

It was like pulling someone who hadn't studied at all to take an exam.

Even if they had learned the material before, after years, who would remember the details?

Walter was almost in this situation.

The players of the Dream Team all drooped their heads, speechless.

At this moment, they couldn't come up with any excuses.

If they lost this game, the blame would fall entirely on them.

Walter looked at his defeated players, shaking his head with a smile.

The intention behind his words was not to dampen his players' morale.

Boosting others' confidence while lowering one's own would only make things uncomfortable for himself. Walter wouldn't make such a foolish move.

The reason he spoke like this had a different purpose.

"I am your Coach, and I was once your manager. To put it more plainly, I am your teacher, at least in the realm of baseball, I am your teacher!"

"How should a teacher instruct his students? Every teacher has their own style. Many try to fill others' minds with their own knowledge, like pouring water into a container."

"But I didn't want to do that. I didn't want you to be like machines, just doing my orders. What I wanted you to do is to make the right decision at the difficult times. Times were no one around you to guide you!"

"You have now grown, and every one of you is going his own way, and I can no longer guide you. But I also know that you don't need it."

"All of you are a very capable player with the skills, talent, and experience to back it up. You all have the necessary tools to climb this mountain, all of what you need is to apply it."

"You don't need my help anymore, you can do it, you are that strong!"

Walter's words fired up the players of the Dream Team.

Their adrenaline surged, and they looked at Walter with admiration.

They will overcome this mountain, all of the time they have been training wasn't for nothing.

They can do it!!

…