Chapter 24: Their Last Chance

Returning to his room, Sawamura fell into deep thought.

For the self-critique, he genuinely had no idea what he was supposed to reflect on.

Sawamura couldn't find anything to critique about himself in this game.

He didn't think there was anything unforgivable in his performance in the previous match.

However, when it came to the team, there were certain areas that could be critiqued.

In that match, the teammates couldn't be said to not have tried hard!

In fact, they did everything they could to end the game early, but whenever it came to crucial moments, they just couldn't seal the deal with the score.

This was undoubtedly fatal.

Was it because their skills weren't up to the task?

'No.'

If that were the case, then there would be nothing to reflect on. In fact, in the game against Minori Shigeru, there were still opportunities for Seidou High School players to end the game early.

'Was it their mindset that caused the problem?'

Also, their understanding of the game and their analysis and attention toward their opponents.

There were significant shortcomings…

To give a simple analogy.

If the Seidou High School baseball team were to face Minori Shigeru High School again right now, the least possible result would be the game ending in the 7th inning. If all went well, the game might even end in the 5th inning.

Why such a difference when comparing the two games?

'In that match, Seidou's baseball team didn't fully showcase their strength due to various reasons.'

The Boss's real intention was to get the players to identify and overcome these problems themselves.

'No wonder Boss got so furious earlier!'

'It was because our current mindset was too dangerous.'

Originally, the Seidou High baseball team players were quite good, appearing humble, and never talking nonsense in interviews.

This made the Boss and the coaching staff feel at ease.

They thought their players wouldn't have such issues.

But clearly, they were wrong—dead wrong!

Previously, Seidou's players were relatively restrained. Though they had won the Spring Tournament championship, they didn't have the arrogant attitude of thinking they were the best.

They didn't look down on other teams just because they won the Koshien Championship.

Overall, their mindset was still quite good back then.

They faced each opponent positively and tried to use their abilities to defeat them.

However, after their match with the American Dream Team, their mindset changed drastically.

That was the American Dream Team! In this era, they were almost like legends.

Even though they had once won the Koshien Championship, the players never imagined that they could compete on even terms with such a legendary team.

That match gave Seidou's players unparalleled confidence.

For the first time, they truly felt like the strongest players of their age, believing no one could surpass them.

With this mindset, they started to view their West Tokyo opponents differently.

They naturally began to feel as if they were standing on top of Mount Fuji, looking down at everything below!

'Because of this mindset, their game against Minori Shigeru was disastrous.'

Otherwise, if they really wanted to deal with Minori Shigeru, Seidou's team could have done it easily.

To give a simple example, how did Minori Shigeru's Ace pitcher go down?

He was worn out! He threw too many pitches in one game and couldn't last until the end.

In simple terms, even with Hanayama's skills, they weren't enough to sustain a full game against Seidou.

But this wasn't something Seidou's players deliberately caused.

It was simply because their offense was too aggressive, and Minori Shigeru couldn't handle it!

This led to the outcome.

If Seidou's players had started that way from the very beginning, Hanayama would have probably been exhausted by the 5th inning, definitely by the 7th.

Without sharp breaking balls, insufficient pitch power and speed.

Seidou's players could have easily sent his pitches out of the park.

Why didn't Seidou's team do that from the start? Why wait until the later innings to do so?

'It was all due to our mindset.'

They thought of themselves as Kings, as the best players of their age.

With their abilities, using such tactics felt beneath them…

This was the main reason Seidou's team played so terribly in that match.

And it was exactly why Boss Kataoka was so angry.

He could allow his players to make mistakes!

After all, people are not machines, and it's impossible to do something without making any errors.

But he absolutely wouldn't allow the Seidou players to go into future matches with this mindset.

If a team like Minori Shigeru—who couldn't even compare to Seidou—could play like that, what would happen when they faced teams that could go toe-to-toe with Seidou?

The result would be heartbreaking!

The players were frustrated and carefully examined their issues.

Fortunately, they weren't stupid. A slight nudge from Coach Kataoka made them realize where they had gone wrong.

Thinking back on the match, they were increasingly frustrated with themselves.

Ever since officially making the first team or having their numbers assigned, they seemed to have lost their drive.

It might be hard to imagine, but the truth was, that Seidou's players felt that way.

They felt like they had already won the Koshien Championship!

Only now did they suddenly wake up to the realization.

Getting on the first team and receiving their numbers wasn't the end.

It wasn't even the beginning!

Winning the Koshien championship wasn't something they could just think about while lying in bed and expect it to fall from the sky.

They needed to fight for it with their own hands!

Coach Kataoka's words had the effect of a sudden epiphany.

With the self-critique already submitted, the fourth-round opponent in the big tournament was announced—Seidou's next opponent was…

Fukuoka High School!

Just hearing their name sounds intimidating.

They say their strength is equally intimidating. They won all three previous rounds with early finishes, a very formidable underdog team.

Their scores were:

First game: 11-0! (Five innings)

Second game: 9-2! (Seven innings)

Third game: 8-1! (Seven innings)

Their performance was as intimidating as any top-tier team.

When they got the opponent's information, even Watanabe was shocked.

He had no idea that there was such a powerful team in the West Tokyo region.

Immediately, he started a detailed investigation into them.

When the Seidou players gathered to analyze their opponents, Watanabe focused on their ace pitcher, Taiga.

"Taiga doesn't have much to offer in batting," he said.

"But his pitching is extraordinary."

It's said that his pitching speed is very fast, though no one has officially measured it, so there are no exact figures.

Watanabe analyzed his footage and estimated that his pitching speed was likely above 140 km/h. (87 mph)

Although he's not from a powerhouse, his outstanding performance has caught the attention of professional scouts.

This was extremely rare.

Even in Seidou's baseball team, despite having two National Championships and a draw against the American Dream Team, only a few players have attracted professional scouts' interest.

This made it clear how difficult and valuable his abilities were.

With this in mind, the next opponent for Seidou's baseball team is Fukuoka High!

Their style is very diverse, with powerful batters and tactical hitters.

In summary, their overall strength is impressive and definitely enough to challenge Seidou's team.

When the Seidou players saw this, they no longer felt the calmness they had before.

After suffering such a big loss and embarrassment in the first match, they now realized how serious they had to be.

Especially the third-year players!

The Summer Tournament was their final chance in high school!

They initially thought the first match would be easy, so they lacked motivation.

Even when they realized their opponent was stronger than expected, their mindset remained one of wanting to teach them a lesson.

They never truly acknowledged their own mistakes.

Now, they had fully understood.

Time was running out for them, and they couldn't afford to make any more mistakes.

This was the feeling after winning a Championship.

For Seidou's players, even if they weren't the main players in the previous year's team, they had represented Seidou in the Spring Koshien and won an award.

It felt like someone who already had billions, still wanted to pursue more wealth.

They wanted it, but the urgency wasn't the same as someone who was struggling.

It wasn't until Coach Kataoka pointed out their flaws and made them reflect that they truly realized how wrong they had been.

They were wearing the Seidou High baseball team uniform, representing not just themselves, but also those who couldn't participate in the tournament.

Now, facing Fukuoka High, a team that wasn't weak, they were determined not to underestimate their opponent.

With their current mindset, they were absolutely not going to let their guard down against any new threats.

~~~

July 15th, clear weather!

The fourth round of the Western Tokyo Tournament is about to begin, where the Seidou High School baseball team will face off against Fukuoka High School.

In the dugout of Fukuoka High School.

A middle-aged man dressed in a suit looked around with a sense of nostalgia at the full stands of spectators.

In Japan, baseball is the most popular sport. Especially high school baseball, which has reached the level of world-class status.

The legend of Koshien is not only famous in countries where baseball is prevalent; even in places where baseball isn't as popular, there are occasional whispers about it.

However, despite this, the stands for the Summer Tournament are usually not filled to capacity.

This country has a large number of sports fans, but they are also spread out among various sports.

Some people like basketball, others like soccer, some like Tennis, and some enjoy cycling...

Even though baseball fans are the largest group among all sports, it doesn't mean that every game of baseball will have a large crowd.

In fact, in most games, aside from the team's own supporters, there are only a handful of spectators.

This is the current reality of high school baseball.

Unless it's the finals, or the tournament reaches Koshien, scenes with packed stands are rare.

It's a bit frustrating, but also very realistic.

This is the situation of high school baseball.

Fukuoka High School hasn't reached the pinnacle of baseball.

They are not weak, but they aren't particularly strong either.

The main reason they've made it this far in the tournament is that they haven't faced any truly strong teams.

The middle-aged man understood this clearly, which is why he didn't dream of defeating the Seidou High School baseball team.

Defeat is inevitable; as long as the result isn't too humiliating, that will be enough.

This was the middle-aged man's mindset.

Of course, he didn't share this thought with his team.

These rebellious kids were not easy to deal with. If he told them his thoughts, they would likely rebel.

Not to mention that the team's morale was sky-high!

Three consecutive victories had made the players almost overconfident.

They probably thought their strength was on par with traditional powerhouse teams, and they were determined to go all out and have a life-or-death match with Seidou High School.

Although the middle-aged man didn't think it meant much, he didn't stop them.

When coaching the players, he never discouraged them from doing what they thought they should do.

Because in the end, they are the ones responsible for their own lives.

…

T/N: The Disastrous First Match has ended.

And now it is time for these overconfident boys to redeem themselves!

Anyway, Thank you all for reading!!

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