Seeing Katro, he glanced at Carlos on second base to keep him in check.
Sawamura Eijun couldn't help but smile inwardly.
The opponent really was a naive, cute little kid. Did he think he could stop Carlos like that?
How could that be possible!
Even Sawamura Eijun, when dealing with Carlos, sometimes found it very troublesome.
Carlos, when playing, sometimes used his head, sometimes didn't.
He was unpredictable.
To say Carlos had no brains at all would certainly be inaccurate.
When talking to him or watching him play, it was clear this guy was very clever, always thinking a lot, and understood baseball well.
But his actions, many times, weren't bound by his thoughts.
For example, when Sawamura Eijun faced Carlos, he had already predicted Carlos's move and thought he could deal with him thoroughly.
With Miyuki's help, Sawamura thought it wouldn't be difficult to achieve this.
Miyuki could easily see through a person's thoughts, and Carlos was no exception.
Sawamura's strength, combined with Miyuki's insight, made it seem like solving Carlos should be an easy task.
But in fact, it wasn't that simple.
During the previous match between the Seidou High School baseball team and Inashiro High School, most of the runs that Sawamura Eijun allowed were closely related to Carlos.
Strong batting power, rich batting skills, and unparalleled speed – this person was simply a natural-born baseball genius.
What was most terrifying was that this genius didn't follow conventional rules.
Many unwritten rules didn't work on Carlos at all.
As a result, Sawamura Eijun, this seasoned professional, had suffered quite a few setbacks when facing Carlos.
He was too good!
This was Sawamura's most honest evaluation of Carlos.
Even though his strength surpassed that of Carlos, every time he faced Carlos, Sawamura felt a huge headache.
Previously, when he had confronted Carlos, Sawamura had been the one with the headache.
Now, seeing Carlos torture the opposing team, Sawamura felt somewhat relieved.
Sure enough, he wasn't a nice guy after all!
The pressure he put on the opponents was immense.
So much so that when Katro threw the baseball, he didn't even fully showcase his unique traits.
In the Zone, Sawamura could see Katro's pitches clearly.
The rotation of the baseball, its trajectory, and the direction in which it was thrown – all were clear to him.
Originally, Sawamura planned to swing his bat in the most comfortable position and hit the ball that Katro was best at.
That way, when he hit the ball, it would definitely strike Katro with double the impact.
If Katro were in good form, perhaps he would have indeed pitched the ball precisely to Sawamura's favorite spot, just as Sawamura had anticipated.
But unfortunately, his state wasn't great.
Because of Carlos's interference, Katro had focused too much attention on second base and became distracted when throwing the ball.
'You are done for!'
If the fans in the stands knew what Katro was doing, they would surely shout those words at him.
Didn't he see who he was facing?
Acting out of wishful thinking?
He was simply digging a grave.
In Sawamura's eyes, Katro posed no real threat at this moment.
However, his unstable pitching state was causing Sawamura a lot of trouble.
The position of Katro's pitch was exactly at the corner.
It was a tough spot to swing at.
Even though Sawamura could see the ball clearly, and despite his naturally flexible body, which allowed him to swing at many tough pitches others couldn't, this one was just too far off!
Though it barely landed in the strike zone, the location was really bad.
There had already been a Strike! If he didn't swing now, it would be two Strikes, and he'd be in a difficult spot.
Sawamura didn't want to get into such a difficult situation.
If he reached that point, his choices would be very limited.
He really didn't want that to happen.
To avoid that scenario, even though the pitch wasn't ideal, Sawamura resolutely swung his bat.
Even though he knew that if he chose to swing, it would likely be difficult to make solid contact with the ball.
But it didn't matter. For the sake of the team, this decision was perfectly fine.
The most urgent thing for the Japanese team right now was to score.
As long as Sawamura achieved that, everything else didn't matter.
Shuuuuuuuu!!!!!
The bat in his hand sliced through the air.
Almost at the same moment, Sawamura swung, and Carlos started running.
He stole third base from second!
In the Cuban team's dugout, the substitute players, including the coach, were all wide-eyed in astonishment.
Their opponent's move was incredibly bold, wasn't it?
This wasn't just about Sawamura hitting the ball beautifully and then realizing the defense couldn't catch it.
It was a steal!
Carlos's action clearly showed one thing – he trusted the batter in the Batter's Box.
He believed that as long as the batter swung, the ball would definitely be hit.
And when the ball was hit, it would definitely land.
Carlos firmly believed this and trusted it completely.
Miyuki, in the dugout, sighed with emotion.
The person who understands you the most isn't necessarily your family or friends, but your enemy.
If Miyuki were in Carlos's shoes, even if he dared to run forward blindly, he would still feel some unease in his mind.
But Carlos, whether running or at other times, had perfectly displayed himself.
At this moment, he showed his trust.
He completely believed in Sawamura's hitting ability, and he was confident Sawamura would hit the ball.
So, he charged forward without hesitation.
"Hit and run!"
"This strategy is so daring!"
"The key is, will the batter be able to make contact and hit the ball?"
On the stands, the fans from Taiwan were clearly not expecting such an exciting clash.
The clash between these two teams was incredible, especially Japan.
Their displayed strength was enough to make anyone fascinated.
Even though their first game against Italy didn't feature such daring maneuvers, today's match against Cuba was much tougher, yet Japan seemed to be playing with ease.
They never took their opponents lightly and showed off dazzling plays and exceptional skills.
You could clearly sense their advantage.
Not just in strength, but also in their tactical choices, which left people in awe.
Take the hit-and-run strategy, for instance.
Many baseball fans in Taiwan were quite professional, with remarkable interpretations of baseball games.
But before Japan made their move, not one of them guessed what Japan was up to.
They thought Carlos's speed was excellent, but his actions were too risky.
After all, Sawamura hadn't even hit the ball yet!
The ball's landing spot was still uncertain.
Carlos was gambling on an uncertain outcome.
Thankfully, the result wasn't too bad.
PAAAAKKK!!!!
In the Batter's Box, Sawamura, with a cold expression, nonchalantly swung his bat.
He solidly hit the incoming baseball.
The baseball soared into the air.
"Outfield!"
Katro's voice changed.
The ball flew far, with incredible speed.
He couldn't even be sure that the ball wouldn't go over the wall.
If it went past the wall, it would be a home run.
That would make the score 2:0.
In a pitcher-dominated game, if Japan led 2:0, it would be hard for Cuba to turn the game around.
At this moment, he could only pray.
He prayed that the baseball wouldn't fly too far, and that it would land just over the outfielder's head.
When Katro turned his head, he saw what he feared.
The baseball fell like a shooting star.
The Cuban outfielder desperately ran to catch it.
But Sawamura had aimed for the gap, and it was too late for them to reach it.
Moreover, the ball Sawamura hit was falling at an incredibly fast speed.
The baseball bounced off the ground, and the Cuban outfielder couldn't make it in time.
"A HIT!!!"
The fans in the stands gasped.
It was such a beautiful hit that no one could help but be amazed.
In Japan's dugout, everyone reacted calmly to Sawamura's brilliant hit.
They had faced Sawamura too many times before.
No one in the world understood Sawamura better than they did.
He was the true Last Boss!
Sawamura had clearly proven himself among so many star players of his age.
Cuba's players, or rather, Cuba's coach and staff, hadn't prepared for the match properly. They had completely treated Sawamura as just another star player.
Whether it was pitching, defense, or dealing with Sawamura's attacks or defenses, they were all too immature!
They were as naive as newborn children, cute in their innocence.
That's not a bad description if you were talking about a newborn.
But when describing a group of teenagers, especially the national team representatives, it was a serious problem!
Baseball is about strategy and skills.
What happens if one side's thinking is naive?
The result speaks for itself.
With Sawamura's incredible long hit, Carlos easily returned to home plate.
His original action was very well executed, but unfortunately, under Sawamura's super long hit, his steal was just a small, clever trick.
It didn't matter whether it worked or not.
Sawamura could have easily reached second base, even without Carlos's speed or stolen base skills.
Just walking would have brought him home.
The game started with Japan scoring first.
The total score became 1:0
And that wasn't the end. Japan's offense wasn't finished yet.
No Outs, a runner on second.
Sawamura reached second base.
Though he didn't have Carlos's speed or the base-stealing techniques of others, if he stood on the base and you ignored him, you might not even realize how he'd score.
Sawamura, when he first became famous, wasn't known just for his natural talent and ability.
It was his comprehensive baseball skills and deep understanding of the game.
Even if he wasn't fast, he could still make magic happen on the bases.
Right now, Cuba had just given up a run, and they were in turmoil.
Sawamura wasn't going to miss the opportunity; he moved quietly to the next base.
On deck was Mima.
His focus was razor-sharp.
He adopted Ichiro Suzuki's standard batting stance unconsciously.
In the past, people said he was intentionally imitating Ichiro Suzuki.
But when that was pointed out, he abandoned that stance. The truth was, he didn't do it on purpose; he was just concentrating like this.
Even without that stance, Mima's success rate was formidable.
But when he is that absorbed, the difference is huge.
Now, facing Cuba...
Carlos and Sawamura had both delivered great hits and helped their team score.
Mima, too, had the same competitive spirit.
If Carlos could do it, if Sawamura could do it...
'Then I Can Do It Too!!'
At this moment, Mima was fully immersed in the joy of the competition.
His opponents weren't just the pitcher on the mound.
They were his teammates, Sawamura and Carlos!!
…
T/N: Well, That's it for now.
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