On the large screen at Koshien, the slow-motion replay of the previous play was shown.
Sawamura adopted a swinging stance, gently swaying, and with that slight motion, he sent the small baseball flying.
The baseball, once hit, seemed to follow a set trajectory. Though it didn't fly fast, the distance it traveled was vast.
It flew nearly 50 meters before finally landing outside the infield.
It was supposed to be a bunt, but the ball had been hit so far!
It felt like a magic trick, leaving the audience in awe.
"IS THAT A BUNT?!"
"WHAT KIND OF BLUE MAGIC IS THAT!"
At this moment, Kuramochi had already activated his cheetah-like speed, crossing third base and returning to home plate.
He had helped the Seidou High School baseball team score their first run, a crucial one.
Wouldn't they be thrilled to see him create classic moments on the court?
At that moment, fans even wanted to wave anything they could and cheer for Sawamura with all their might.
The atmosphere in Koshien was easy to get swept up in.
Led by Sawamura's fans, the surrounding spectators couldn't hold back their overwhelming passion. They too began chanting his name.
"SAWAMURA!"
"SAWAMURA!!!"
The cheers from Koshien could be heard clearly even from several kilometers away.
The nearby residents frowned in dismay.
"That annoying kid again!"
"It seems like his name keeps popping up lately."
"I wonder what kind of play gets this much attention?"
They were nearly brainwashed by that loud, piercing voice.
In contrast, Kuramochi, having already accomplished his mission, was now being ignored.
"This Damn Kid!!!"
It was one thing for him to have so many fans, but even when he scored, people were chanting Sawamura's name.
How was he supposed to live with this?
On the stands, Owada Akiko from Baseball Kingdom Magazine excitedly snapped photos.
"This is so thrilling!"
Fujio had originally turned to remind his partner to take photos, but Akiko had already started.
It seemed that after completing her internship, she now became a reliable reporter.
She had keenly realized this moment was worth capturing.
"The reigning champions, Seidou High School, have scored a run! The players from Kanetsu-Norin High School must be feeling quite bewildered. They probably don't understand why Seidou High School's Ace, Sawamura, would so decisively go for a bunt. Takeda-san, what are your thoughts on this?"
Koshien games always had professional commentators.
This time, in addition to the media commentators, they had invited former national team coach Takeda.
It was rumored that Takeda had been appointed as the head coach of the national youth team.
Players who performed well at Koshien were often invited to the national team.
This time, as a commentator, Takeda probably had similar intentions.
If a national team for players under 18 was established, there were certainly many players from Seidou High School who would be invited.
At the very least, their ace pitcher and catcher would be irreplaceable choices.
As the Ace pitcher and fourth batter, Sawamura had previously been busy in the Softball League, and last year was still a rookie.
Thus, he had never been called up to the national team.
This might be his first selection, and the commentators were eager to hear Takeda's evaluation of him.
It was also somewhat a matter of proving a point!
As the number one player in the country, Sawamura had never once been selected for the national team before. Even though there were reasons, the Coach responsible for selecting national players faced some doubt.
Were they blind?
"This is Seidou High School's style! Kataoka-san is a man with strong ideas, and his Coaching reflects this. Seidou High School's previous results weren't great, and they hadn't reached Koshien for several years. People often felt sorry for them, and even questioned his management.
But in reality, many of the players who entered professional baseball after leaving Seidou High School have shown great potential. Even now, many of the main players in various teams are from Seidou.
Their style may not be as glamorous as other schools, but it is practical. They know how to win a game. This isn't just something the coach believes, but also something the players fully agree with. As long as it benefits the team, even if it's awkward, they'll do it without hesitation."
In simple terms, Sawamura's bunt was a product of this philosophy.
It was all for the win.
As long as it wasn't against the rules, any strategy was fair game.
Seidou High School simply chose the most reliable tactic.
As he spoke, Takeda's gaze shifted to Kanetsu-Norin High School's players.
This was a really strong team, one that truly embodied the spirit of Koshien.
A group of passionate young people who had joined a small school together to pursue their dreams, working hard to reach Koshien.
This was the kind of story often seen in baseball manga.
It may not be very realistic, but it often touches the deepest parts of the heart.
Especially their Ace pitcher, Hoshitaru.
He was truly an impressive player!
Seeing Hoshitaru in front of him was like seeing a different version of Sawamura.
In fact, when Sawamura was still a middle school student, the national team had already taken notice of him.
They couldn't help but take notice. At that time, the nationally famous Narumiya was unable to beat Sawamura.
Wasn't Sawamura's potential clear to everyone?
But a player like that, as brilliant as he was, would likely face a fleeting destiny. Overuse of one's potential leads to burnout.
Even though middle school games were only seven innings long, Sawamura's pitch count back then had already reached a frightening level.
So many people believed that Sawamura's early retirement was inevitable.
In his hometown's middle school, if he burned out, no one would be surprised.
They'd simply sigh when they thought of him.
But being recruited into the national team was a different story...
If a player already in the national team burned out from too many pitches, those coaches would face enormous scrutiny.
Couldn't they see he was being overworked?
How would they explain it later? Who could they turn to for support?
After much hesitation, they ultimately did not send Sawamura an invitation.
But the kid was like a prodigy, having pushed his potential to the limit and yet not burning out.
On the contrary, after entering high school, Sawamura's achievements grew even more remarkable.
Even the Coaches couldn't help but watch with interest.
Actually, they are in a bit of a dilemma here.
It was an embarrassment that Japan, one of the countries where youth baseball is highly popular and developed, hadn't won a youth championship.
Meanwhile, Kuba, America, Taiwan, and South Korea had been alternating championships for years, leaving Japan to watch from the sidelines.
Even with the amazing last year team, they failed at the final step.
Now, whether due to external pressure or for practical reasons, the national team couldn't stay silent any longer. They had no choice but to extend an olive branch to Sawamura.
They hoped he would join and take on the role of the Ace.
Takeda was aware of this, but he couldn't say anything.
Fortunately, the Seidou High School team was strong, and Sawamura's pitching intensity was nowhere near what it had been in middle school.
Even if he were brought into the national team now, the coaches didn't have much to worry about.
They just hoped that Sawamura would maintain the level of performance he showed at Seidou when he went national.
'This shouldn't be a problem, right?'
After all, Sawamura had already played national-level games before. Didn't they face off against the legendary American Dream Team?
The result of that game had been quite good.
Sawamura seemed to adapt particularly well to the American game pace, and his performance in that game even exceeded what he showed at Seidou.
If Sawamura knew what was going through Takeda's mind, he would surely be shocked.
These old guys were incredibly sharp.
They could notice such small details.
Indeed.
Compared to the pace in Japan, Sawamura was better suited to America's pace.
After all, his time playing there had been much longer, almost ten years.
At this moment, Sawamura had no idea about the national team's intentions.
He was fully focused on playing the game against Kanetsu-Norin High School.
Standing at first base, he was far from idle.
When there were no runs, they were content with just one.
But now that they had already scored that one run, they had to start thinking about the bigger picture.
'Getting a few more runs couldn't hurt, right?'
…
T/N: Well, That's it for now.
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