Chapter 74: Mysterious Cutter!

"Sawamura!"

"Sawamura!!!"

"Demon King!!"

"Demon King!!!"

In the stands of the Jingu Stadium, the fans who were fired up by Sawamura's performance were screaming his name and nickname with passion. It felt as if they were trying to transmit their energy to Sawamura.

The momentum in the stadium was one-sided. Even though the Seidou High School baseball team was still trailing by one point and the game was entering the later stages, the atmosphere did not reflect that they were losing at all.

Sawamura, standing in the Batter's Box, was calm and collected. His stance was balanced, neither too forward nor too backward.

The bat in his hands was raised and gently swayed, while his eyes were fixed firmly on the pitcher's mound.

His center of gravity slightly sank, and his grip on the bat was relaxed, without any tension or force...

These signs all indicated that Sawamura was completely unaffected by the atmosphere in the stadium. His focus and composure had remained unchanged from the start.

The catcher, Tadano, watching Sawamura's calm performance, couldn't help but admire him.

They say a person's reputation precedes them.

This saying applied perfectly to Sawamura. If it were anyone else who had just broken the strikeout record in West Tokyo, their pride would likely have soared.

But Sawamura was unaffected in the slightest; he kept a level head as he prepared for this challenge.

'Could it be that Sawamura wasn't aware of the predicament Seidou High School was facing?'

'No!'

'That can't be true!'

The young Sawamura, famous as he was, wasn't just an ace pitcher. He was also the acting coach of the Akagi Middle School baseball team at the time.

Sawamura's understanding of baseball was likely far superior to that of most high school players.

With his experience, how could he not realize the predicament Seidou was in?

Sawamura hadn't been overwhelmed by his recently won honors, nor was he intimidated by the current difficulties.

Despite the unexpected circumstances, Sawamura maintained his composure, facing the opponent and the challenge with calmness.

Such a level-headed performance left Tadano no choice but to admire him even more.

'Sawamura was truly formidable. No wonder he was the best player in high school right now!'

"Hu!!!"

Tadano sighed deeply, forcing himself to calm down and prepare for the confrontation with Sawamura.

Here it comes!

Though Tadano had immense admiration for Sawamura, he wasn't about to give up just like that.

Every star player has their own pride, and Tadano was no different.

No matter who the opponent was, as long as he stood on the opposing side, he would fight with all his might for victory.

On the pitcher's mound, Narumiya Mei had clearly already made up his mind.

Without hesitation, he set up and threw the pitch. Throughout the delivery, his energy was overwhelming.

It felt as though he was going to devour his opponent alive.

Sawamura in the Batter's Box could clearly feel this pressure.

This feeling unmistakably told Sawamura that Narumiya wasn't going to Walk him this time. He was going to face him head-on.

The opponent was giving their all, so Sawamura wasn't about to hold back either.

He carefully adjusted his batting stance, ensuring that every muscle in his body was fully stretched.

Then, his eyes were locked on the approaching baseball. The moment it entered his strike zone, Sawamura was ready to send it flying.

Roaar!

It seemed like it took a moment, but in reality, Narumiya's pitch was already racing towards Sawamura as soon as he saw the throw.

The pitch was fast and fierce, and in the blink of an eye, it was right in front of him.

To Sawamura, however, it was a completely different sight.

It felt as though time had slowed down. The baseball approaching him was crystal clear in his vision.

He could see not just the direction of the pitch, but also the rotation of the ball.

'The pitch is inside, low!'

Sawamura's grip tightened on the bat, and he was ready to send the ball flying.

To be honest, such a pitch isn't easy for most batters to hit. Generally, it's difficult for hitters to fully unleash their power when hitting a pitch in this location.

But Sawamura wasn't like most batters.

Although it was tough to hit with perfect form from this angle, with his flexible body, Sawamura wasn't incapable of making contact.

Even if he didn't hit a home run, he was confident he could make solid contact and get a long hit, whether it was a double or triple.

Sawamura was confident that he could reach home plate, no matter the result.

Although the players from Inajitsu High School had successfully prevented Seidou from scoring last time, Sawamura believed things wouldn't go as smoothly for Inashiro this time.

He was very confident, not only in himself but also in his teammates.

So, even though the pitch location wasn't perfect, and hitting a home run was unlikely, Sawamura wasn't about to let it go. He was ready to swing.

'No, Wait!'

Sawamura suddenly stopped himself, realizing that the pitch wasn't quite where he expected.

He hadn't noticed it initially, but halfway through, Sawamura suddenly woke up!

The pitch hadn't actually entered the strike zone; it had missed!

If Sawamura had swung, it would have been another Foul ball, and Seidou would have given away another strike.

His originally prepared swing was halted.

Sawamura chose to let the pitch go.

SNAP!

"BALL!"

SNAP!

"BALL!!!"

Sawamura didn't swing at a single Ball out of the zone.

His gaze was fixed on the pitcher's mound, staring at Narumiya, who felt unfamiliar to him now.

Sawamura couldn't help but wonder if the Narumiya he knew was really the same man standing on the mound.

The baseball prince he knew was proud beyond measure.

He could accept his head being cut off, or bleeding to death, but to give up willingly is unbearable.

Being Walked in a formal game was worse than death for him.

The previous Walk was forced by the situation with Inashiro.

As a member of Inashiro's baseball team, Narumiya had no choice but to do it.

But this time, the situation was different.

Narumiya wasn't in a desperate position. There were no runners on base.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a showdown. With his personality, how could Narumiya let it go?

Sawamura couldn't understand this. It felt strange and unreasonable.

The crowd started booing.

Even the fans couldn't tolerate it, displeased with Inashiro's hesitation and Narumiya's repeated Balls. They expressed their dissatisfaction in the most direct way.

In such a situation, even if Inashiro's baseball team won, their reputation would suffer.

The media would surely spin a story about how Inashiro, after careful planning, stole victory from the mighty Seidou.

Of course, the players from Inashiro wouldn't mind. As long as they won, what did it matter?

They were only after victory.

As for the rest, they'd worry about it after beating Seidou.

In this situation, though, the Inashiro players seemed unaffected.

Narumiya, from the pitcher's mound, continued to deliver his pitch.

Meanwhile, Sawamura was considering his next move.

What if Narumiya decided to Walk him?

What should he do once he's on base?

With a runner on first, the batter would be Miyuki...

How should they score in this situation?

While Sawamura was calculating, the baseball was suddenly thrown.

And it was a strike!

Under Sawamura's intense focus, every change in the ball's flight was visible to him.

The ball was on the outside corner but still within the strike zone.

It was a good pitch, a real Strike.

Sawamura's heart skipped a beat. Finally, the pitch he had been waiting for had arrived.

Now that the Strike was here, Sawamura wasn't about to hold back.

He swung with all his might at the flying ball.

As he swung, his sharp eyes noticed something—a sudden movement on the ball.

In his heightened state of focus, Sawamura's observational skills were incredibly sharp.

He could tell with 100% certainty that Narumiya's pitch had undergone an unseen break.

The change was subtle, so it could easily be mistaken for a fastball.

But Sawamura knew for sure that the ball had cut, and if he didn't adjust his swing, it would likely be caught.

This was something Sawamura couldn't accept.

So he quickly adjusted his swing. He had originally planned to hit the ball into the field, but now, he changed his mind.

He was going to send it Foul!

Had Sawamura not already swung, it would have been too late for regrets.

He wouldn't even have taken a swing.

Paak!

The ball was hit and soared high into the air, flying out.

It clearly veered off the third-base line, even further from the foul line, and falling toward the stands.

Sawamura, in the Batter's Box, gave a cold smile.

He hadn't expected Narumiya's secret weapon to be a mysterious cutter.

If Sawamura had to rate it among his own breaking balls, this cutter would be about level 3.5.

Narumiya's best pitch was the fast forkball, and his winning shot was the Screw Changeup.

These two pitches had power on par with Sawamura's level 3 breaking balls.

'But this new Cutter...'

From Sawamura's judgment, it was a notch above Narumiya's other breaking balls.

No wonder he had always been Sawamura's toughest rival.

'This guy had already taken his inhuman journey further and further.'

At least, Sawamura hadn't fallen behind!

Next time, if Narumiya threw this pitch again, Sawamura would definitely send it flying.

With a grin, Sawamura stood in the Batter's Box.

On the pitcher's mound, Narumiya gritted his teeth in frustration.

He hadn't succeeded in getting Sawamura out, which clearly didn't meet his expectations.

Just as the umpire was about to call for another pitch from the catcher, someone suddenly ran from the field.

The person made their way to where the ball was falling, extending his mitt into the stands.

And in front of tens of thousands of stunned spectators...

He caught the ball cleanly in his mitt.

Snap!

"OUT!"

A catch from the stands!

The crowd had been so focused on the two monsters on the field that many hadn't realized what had happened.

Only when the umpire signaled the Out did the spectators understand.

Shirakawa had somehow reached the ball's position and caught it before it hit the net.

This catch completely changed the previously clear momentum of the game.

Though Inashiro had been leading by one point, Seidou was expected to catch up and overtake them.

But after Sawamura was Out, a surprising analysis showed that the situation wasn't as expected.

The momentum of the game had shifted drastically.

Seidou High School, which had been dominating, now might not score in this inning.

If they don't score this inning...

Then the outcome of this game was really uncertain!

The mighty Seidou High was in danger!!!

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