The entire stadium fell into a brief silence.
Actually, the atmosphere had already become particularly quiet the moment the batter Raichi swung his bat.
The spectators, wide-eyed in disbelief, looked at the man in the Batter's Box.
Is this guy really a high school student?
It's no wonder that the fans from Taiwan were so surprised.
In fact, just this spring, when Raichi made it to Koshien, his style of swinging the bat, which seemed like he was going to knock the whole world out of existence with his terrifying force, shocked countless fans in Japan.
Now, it was simply a turn of fate.
It was now the fans of Taiwan who were stunned.
In the Japanese team's dugout, several players were talking, and their words were tinged with a hint of envy.
"This guy's presence on the field is really impressive!"
"In terms of batting strength, he's probably top three in our generation, right?"
"It's a shame, though. His brain isn't exactly his strong suit..."
The players in the dugout felt a mix of emotions.
Raichi might not be an idiot, but among these cunning players, his intelligence could be considered to be in a constant state of deficiency.
He was lacking something in his mind.
This wasn't just one person's opinion. In fact, nearly every player felt this way.
The players on the Japanese national team looked at Raichi with a bit of a condescending attitude.
But this very guy, once he stepped onto the field and into the Batter's Box, displayed a level of strength that made them both envy and even feel jealous.
"KEHA-HA-HA! IT IS AWESOME!! KEHA-HA-HA-HA!!!"
After hitting a home run, Raichi's laughter was still loud to hear.
It took quite a while for the spectators to react, and then they immediately erupted into loud applause.
Clap, clap, clap!!!...
"That guy is really something..."
"Who is he?"
"From Japans, Thunder Beast Raichi!!"
It's often said that one battle can make you famous, but someone like Raichi didn't even need a single battle to become legendary.
Right now, all eyes in the stadium were on him.
People were watching him as though they were seeing a future superstar.
Batters face far less risk compared to pitchers.
In other words, unless there's an extremely rare and unexpected accident,
This guy's future is limitless!
Fans from Taiwan, watching Raichi in the stands, were looking at him as if they were seeing a rising star.
Sawamura and Raichi both ran back to home plate,
Helping their team secure two points.
Adding to the previous point that Sawamura had earned, in the first inning, the Japanese team had gained a lead of two points.
Fans in the stands, seeing this scene, were extremely enthusiastic.
They gave the players on the field the most sincere applause.
Regardless of their stance, the players' performance was just too impressive.
Such an exciting game, how could they hold back their praise?
Sawamura and Raichi, amidst the applause, waved to the fans around them.
At the same time, they gave each other a high-five in celebration.
Coach Takeda had set the goal for them to score in the first inning.
Now it seemed that their task was complete.
After all, in the first inning, they had cleanly secured three points.
The score was now 3:0.
The supporters from Japan, especially Sawamura's fans,
We're extremely excited.
They knew their big ace very well!
Since Sawamura became famous, apart from the early days of his middle school era,
When his teammates weren't strong,
Sawamura had suffered a few tough losses and allowed more than two points.
But ever since his teammates became reliable, Sawamura had never allowed more than two points in any game.
Now, with the three points secured in the first inning, and the big ace Sawamura standing on the mound,
Even though the game had just started,
To Sawamura's fans and to all the fans in Japan,
They already felt that victory was guaranteed.
Fans watching through TV or online streams were just as ecstatic.
At this moment, who knows how many people were high-fiving each other in celebration?
The performance from Cuba had been good before, which made many people worried about potential trouble in a clash with Cuba.
It wasn't that they feared losing, but they didn't expect an easy fight.
Before facing the American team, they definitely didn't want to go through such a battle.
But unexpectedly, this game was going so smoothly; from the start, they had such a huge advantage.
It seemed like all the suspense was being taken away.
They had won, it was almost guaranteed!
With this belief, the applause and cheers grew even more passionate.
At home plate, Sawamura gave Raichi a high five.
He had also faced the pitching of Katro before.
Although it wasn't impossible to hit off him, hitting well, or even hitting a home run, was not easy.
Even in an exceptional state, Sawamura barely managed a double.
Now, Raichi had hit a home run.
Putting himself in Raichi's shoes, Sawamura knew he wouldn't have been able to do it.
At this moment, he could only sincerely admire it.
Nice job!
Once Raichi put down his bat, the terrifying aura he had in the Batter's Box disappeared.
He turned red in the face and became that shy young man again.
Actually, Raichi had already made great progress compared to his previous self.
In the past, he would blush even when talking to someone.
Now, at least he could communicate with others.
For example, the high-five with Sawamura before, in the past, Raichi would never have done that.
Now, he had really changed a lot.
Outsiders could hardly appreciate this change.
Far away in Tokyo, watching the game on TV, Mishima's eyes were red!
The World Championship, with billions of viewers.
Such a meaningful game, and he didn't even get to participate.
'Takeda, that old fool really couldn't see real talent.'
But that guy was as scary as ever.
Mishima, on the outside, was joking around, but inside, he was quite proud.
However, when it came to Raichi, he had no words to say.
His abilities could only compare with those of people like him.
But someone like Raichi, Sawamura, those kinds of players,
Had probably already surpassed the limits of humanity!
Comparing with them was just setting himself up for frustration.
'But the great Mishima-sama will never give up!'
The entire stadium was in high spirits.
The Japanese team had already secured a 3-point lead, and their momentum was unstoppable.
By contrast, Cuba at this point seemed completely wilted, like frostbitten eggplants.
They looked at the Japanese players with bewildered eyes.
The gap was just too big!
Even though they were reluctant to admit it, this was the reality.
The difference between the teams was far greater than Cuba had expected.
Though not everyone felt this way, at least three or four players had already given up on winning.
They didn't think they had any chance of a comeback.
At this point, their only goal was not to lose too embarrassingly.
If all the Cuban players kept this mindset,
The game would practically be over already.
But sadly, not everyone on the Cuban team thought this way.
At least some of them still had different thoughts.
Their eyes still burned with fire, filled with fighting spirit.
They hadn't given up.
Especially the man on the mound, although his appearance wasn't impressive, his eyes shone with a brilliant light.
"So, this is Japan? This is the world's number one? Amazing! Haha, this is what I'm talking about! This is what makes it fun."
3:0.
The game had just begun!
…
T/N: Well, That's it for today.
Thank you all for reading!
Have a good day!
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