The largest baseball stadium in Taipei, Taiwan.
The entire stadium was in an uproar.
Although there had been many dangerous situations before,
Nothing truly serious had ever happened.
So, everyone's feelings were still relatively calm.
When discussed in normal conversations, most people would say that Cuba's ace pitcher, a guy named Katro, had somewhat of a slippery hand when throwing the ball.
He often used dangerous pitches to intimidate opponents.
He relied on this kind of bluffing tactic to compete against players from Japan.
Although the methods were not exactly graceful, they were indeed effective.
But using tricks was one thing; actually injuring someone was another matter entirely.
"That guy didn't do it on purpose, did he?"
"I wonder how that player is doing? Even though we didn't see much of his performance before, as the third batter from Japan, he should be one of the core players, right?"
"Who can say otherwise!"
"He probably didn't do it on purpose. The pitch toward the opponent's head was just a strategy, aimed at scaring them off. Such inside pitches are common, right? It's just that Japan player had a very stiff attitude and didn't choose to back off..."
Taiwanese fans were actually somewhat puzzled by Mima's decision.
Wasn't it dangerous to face such a pitch without backing off?
Even if you wanted to get hit by the pitch, at least check where it's going, right?
If it's hitting your body, like your back or your butt,
you can just tough it out!
But the head... that's no joke!
How could you just let that little baseball fly straight at your head?
"Couldn't he dodge it?"
"It shouldn't be too hard, right? That pitcher, Katro, has thrown several of those kinds of balls before. Players from Japan have mostly dodged them. Those pitches shouldn't be too hard to avoid. Or maybe his main goal wasn't even to hit anyone!"
But to force the batter to step back!
The analysis from the Taiwanese fans was basically the general opinion on the matter.
Although Mima, as the victim, got hit on the head and then left the field, causing a lot of confusion and a pause in the game,
almost no one thought that Katro from Cuba did it on purpose.
According to their analysis, there were only two possible reasons for such a dangerous situation.
One was that Mima didn't back off.
Another possibility was that Katro wasn't in a normal state.
After he was hit by Carlos and Walked Sawamura, fans could clearly see that Katro wasn't in top form.
In his compromised state, he threw that pitch.
It might not have been on purpose.
Because it wasn't a deliberate pitch, Mima couldn't dodge it.
This was a possibility as well.
But no matter what, these possibilities were just speculations, and they couldn't be confirmed.
Although many players from Japan didn't have much of a relationship with Mima, they were still comrades in the same trench.
Now that one of their own had been bullied, how could the others just stand by and watch?
The game had to be paused.
The players from Japan were glaring daggers at Katro.
The umpire and several assistants rushed in to separate everyone.
There was a tense, silent standoff.
The players from Japan seemed to have fire in their eyes.
Katro looked deeply apologetic.
"Pause, return to your own dugout," the umpire said with professionalism.
Although he also felt Katro's actions were questionable,
the fact was that the pitch could only be considered a normal hit-by-pitch.
Sawamura and Miyuki were following the doctor to check on Mima.
"Breathing normal, pulse steady, no signs of confusion in his eyes."
"The initial check suggests a brief concussion. There don't seem to be major issues for now. However, considering that he was hit on the head with a baseball, we recommend going to the hospital for further evaluation."
The Taiwanese doctor explained in detail.
"Okay, okay, let's go now!"
Coach Takeda personally escorted Mima to the hospital for further tests.
On Japan's side, they had no choice but to face Cuba without their Coach.
"These damn guys need to be taught a lesson!" Kuramochi said, cracking his knuckles.
Not just him, other players from Japan were also in a similar state.
Katro had already used dangerous pitches before.
Now, he had injured someone!
They needed to teach him a lesson and show Katro that his petty tricks wouldn't work on anyone.
The previous pitch was ruled a Dead Ball, allowing the batter to advance to first base.
The runner on base was pushed to the previous base.
With that, Carlos advanced to third base, and even Sawamura was walked to second base.
No Outs, bases loaded.
After a brief moment of chaos, the game resumed.
The result of the previous pitch was that Cuba had only thrown a hit-by-pitch.
It wasn't intentional.
Even though players from Japan were unhappy with this ruling, the umpire had made his decision.
No one could change it.
The game resumed, and Miyuki stepped into the Batter's Box.
No Outs, bases loaded.
This was a perfect situation, especially for Miyuki.
He was famous for being unstoppable when there were runners on base.
Once a runner was on base, especially in scoring position, his focus, hitting power, and previous performance were all brilliant.
At this moment, no one was more reliable than he.
He would hit a home run!
"HIT IT OUT!!"
"HIT IT!!"
"YOU CAN DO IT!!"
From the dugout and a corner of the stands of Japan, angry shouts echoed.
Even if they didn't use their fists, they would use their bats to show the Cuban players that their antics were pathetic and ineffective.
Whrroosh!
Katro, the Cuban pitcher who had just injured a player, now pitched without any signs of being affected.
When Japan's players saw Katro throw, their faces turned grim.
If Katro had indeed been out of form when facing Mima earlier, that was one thing!
When you walk the riverbank long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.
Long-term baseball players know that injuries are inevitable.
Even though players from Japan were young, they had played for a long time and were well aware of this reality.
So if that was the case, they could understand.
But now, the ball Katro threw had no issues at all.
What did this mean?
An already crumbling pitcher wouldn't suddenly get better just because he hit someone and made them leave the field, would he?
Japan players were veterans, and they had seen all kinds of players throughout their careers.
They were able to make their own judgment about Katro's current actions.
'That guy did it on purpose!'
The players from Japan had no problem thinking the worst of Katro.
They were sure that Katro did it on purpose.
If it wasn't on purpose, then everything happening here had no reasonable explanation.
"This damn guy!"
The players in the dugout were furious.
In the Batter's Box, Miyuki didn't swing at the first pitch.
Although he did this, it didn't mean he wasn't angry inside.
Miyuki, who always believed in solving conflicts with baseball, had given up his naive thoughts after seeing Katro's despicable side.
His approach worked against players with no malicious intent.
It could even spark interest and make them love baseball even more.
But against scummy players like Katro,
this method probably wouldn't have much effect.
To deal with such a guy, you needed to fight fire with fire.
Whrroosh!
When Katro threw the second pitch, Miyuki suddenly moved.
He used all his strength to hit the little baseball hard.
Paak!
The ball flew out, not high or low, directly toward Katro on the mound.
Sawamura, on second base, immediately got into the game when he saw Miyuki's move.
He found Miyuki's state very strange and decided to pay close attention.
In Sawamura's eyes, Miyuki hit the ball straight toward the pitcher.
The ball's speed was much faster than the pitch that was thrown earlier.
On the surface, it looked like it was flying straight at the pitcher.
But in Sawamura's vision, the ball didn't actually hit the pitcher.
It was about half a meter away from him.
At the crucial moment, Miyuki didn't lose his mind.
He still chose to hold back.
But while holding back, he also made a calculated move.
The ball flew past the pitcher's back!
In this case, the Cuban players probably wouldn't have time to react.
As long as they couldn't catch the ball in time, it would fly straight into the outfield.
Then it would be an open field for Japan's players to score.
Sawamura envisioned it to be perfect, but reality didn't go as smoothly.
In Sawamura's view, the seemingly defenseless guy, at the critical moment, made an unexpected move.
SNAP!
Katro, using the hand with the mitt, caught the flying ball tightly.
With a snap, the entire stadium fell silent!
…