"Summer Koshien, 3rd round, 6th match. The Seidou High School baseball team faces off against the Kanetsu-Norin Agriculture High School baseball team, and the final winner is Seidou!!!"
The commentator passionately expressed his excitement, as if without this level of enthusiasm, he wouldn't be considered a professional commentator.
However, it's unfortunate that the focus of people's attention wasn't on the commentator.
In the top of the ninth inning, Sawamura's home run.
Even now, it's still hard to forget.
Those who truly knew Sawamura well would know his weakness.
If we really talk about it, it's not so much a weakness, but more of an aspect where Sawamura is not as outstanding compared to his other attributes.
This is about power!
Every time Sawamura faces a power-type pitcher, he struggles a bit.
Though he is steadily overcoming this hurdle, this weakness has still been acknowledged.
According to previous impressions, Sawamura's hitting power seemed a bit lacking.
Even though he often hits home runs, professionals analyze that it's because he consistently hits the sweet spot of the ball.
In such cases, even if the batter's power isn't strong, there's a high chance of sending the ball out.
So far, it seems Sawamura hasn't forced the ball out using sheer strength.
Not being able to do that means he doesn't quite fit the label of a power hitter.
As for Hoshitaru,
From his previous performances, the audience has already drawn conclusions.
Though his fastball isn't the fastest, and his pitching ability can only be considered among the top pitchers,
He's definitely not #1.
But his pitch power, especially the force behind his fastball,
Among all the high school students in the country, he should be at the top.
Currently, it seems that he's the only one able to suppress Sawamura using just his fastball.
Power Pitcher!
From this perspective, he has an advantage over Sawamura.
In fact, during their previous encounters,
Even though Sawamura, the Great Demon King, kept getting the upper hand, he didn't show a clear superiority over Hoshitaru.
If it were a pure power contest, he might even lose!
This is the rational judgment made by the audience.
With this in mind, they naturally believed that, at least in today's game, It would be hard for Sawamura to hit a home run.
It's not that they didn't want to believe in Sawamura, but this was the objective reality right before their eyes.
They couldn't just ignore the facts, could they?
Almost everyone thought so.
But when Sawamura and Hoshitaru faced off for the last time, the Great Demon King unexpectedly hit another home run!
The imposing figure at the Batter's Box now mirrored many of his previous appearances.
It reminded people of what his fans always bragged about!
Never easily conclude about Sawamura Eijun.
The result of doing so might end up with you having to eat your own words.
Even the spectators who were just there to watch couldn't help but get fired up, let alone Sawamura's hardcore fans.
They cheered ecstatically, expressing their excitement.
In this atmosphere, Hoshitaru wasn't intimidated; instead, he smoothly took care of the remaining two batters, including Miyuki.
As for his pitching performance today,
He excelled at fulfilling the tasks his team assigned to him.
Today, it wasn't Hoshitaru who lost, it was Kanetsu-Norin.
If Hoshitaru's team wasn't Kanetsu-Norin but another powerhouse team,
How would the game against Seidou have played out?
No one could say for sure.
Back in the Seidou dugout, Miyuki couldn't escape his teammates' teasing.
"You really are useless when there are no runners on base!"
Earlier, Miyuki had managed to hit Hoshitaru's winning shot to the outfield.
But now, he was again defeated by a similar pitch.
It was as if he had tripped over a stone he had already passed.
How embarrassing!
"The opponent is really bold. Miyuki had already successfully hit that type of pitch from him, yet this time, facing Miyuki, the opponent dared to use it again."
While teasing Miyuki, his teammates didn't hold back on praising Hoshitaru.
This opponent was really impressive and deserved their respect.
Not many opponents had earned such respect from the Seidou team.
At this point, they could count on one hand how many had.
Hoshitaru had become one of them.
Miyuki didn't take his teammates' teasing seriously.
"Well, we've come this far. I just threw some easy ones!"
These words were clearly not believed by anyone.
"I've noticed that since you became the Captain, your skills haven't grown much, but your skin has certainly gotten thicker."
Even his partner, Sawamura, couldn't help but make a jab.
Of course, this was a joke.
In fact, since becoming Captain, Miyuki has developed a much stronger sense of responsibility and a higher level of skills.
This mindset had elevated his own abilities as well.
He was already impressive before, but as Captain, he had become even better.
Now, he was one of the best players in high school and the number one catcher.
Amidst the cheering, Sawamura Eijun showed off his skills in the final moments.
He set a new strikeout record with 22 strikeouts.
The crowd erupted!
They had witnessed the birth of a new record, one that seemed unparalleled now and likely to remain unmatched.
It was fantastic!
Anyone who made it to Koshien had some level of skill.
To get 22 strikeouts in a single game against such a team was incredibly difficult.
And because it was so difficult, it showcased how extraordinary Sawamura was.
"Incredible, truly incredible!"
At this point, people looked at Sawamura the same way they'd look at a real-life legend.
He was just that impressive!
Not just Sawamura's hardcore fan clubs, but even the neutral spectators couldn't help but start applauding.
It seemed that if they didn't, they'd be out of place with the atmosphere around them.
The commentator passionately announced, "Seidou High School wins 4-0 and advances to the top 8."
Typically, fans would give the commentator the respect they deserved.
For example, during the announcement, the crowd would usually remain silent and not speak much.
It was only after the announcement that they'd officially begin celebrating.
But now, the fans in the stands clearly couldn't care less.
They celebrated wildly, shouting Seidou's name.
Many of them even shouted Sawamura's name directly.
In this lively atmosphere, the commentator's words had no impact.
They became nothing more than background noise to the applause and cheers.
The game ended, Seidou High School won 4-0 and advanced to the top 8.
Before the game, no one expected this outcome.
They originally thought that Kanetsu-Norin, the dark horse, had already run out of steam.
Their previous match against Seijitsu had drained all their potential and tactics.
How could they compete against Seidou High School with such a fatigued team?
Once the game began, no one expected this outcome either.
Kanetsu-Norin High School's baseball team performed excellently during the game, especially in their defense.
Even the mighty Seidou team couldn't get the better of them.
They even managed to strike out more than ten of Seidou's batters.
If not for the Great Demon King, Sawamura, Hoshitaru would have been the MVP of this game.
Amazing!
Even with someone like Sawamura on the same field, Hoshitaru's presence wasn't completely overshadowed.
The national team's Coach, Takeda, greatly admired his performance.
Several scouts from professional baseball teams were also very interested in this rising star.
If he decided not to go to university after high school and instead joined professional baseball,
He would definitely get offers from many teams during the draft.
For a high school player to reach this point,
It was already a remarkable achievement!
The game is over!
For the members of the Kanetsu-Norin High School baseball team, the entire sky no longer appeared bright.
Although the sky was clear, to them, it seemed overcast with dark clouds.
In the rest area.
Hoshitaru looked up at the sky.
A golden sun, with no clouds in sight.
This was rare, beautiful weather.
But in such weather, he couldn't feel a single ounce of warmth.
It's over!
Three years of high school effort have come to an end.
Although the goal they had set earlier, which was to reach Koshien, had already been accomplished, Hoshitaru just couldn't accept it. He felt incredibly unwilling.
He felt like he could have done better.
He even selfishly hoped that one day in the future, he would continue competing against Seidou, against the great rival.
But, that's already impossible.
He's in his third year. His high school baseball career is over.
There will be no more chances…
"Really, I just can't accept it!"
His teammates all gathered around him.
They looked at Hoshitaru with concern.
Even the chubby Coach came over.
At this moment, their hearts were tightly connected.
Perhaps in the future, they would all have grown up, each with their own thoughts and lives.
They would no longer be as innocent as they are now.
But whenever they thought of this moment, their hearts would still be the softest.
"Sorry…"
Hoshitaru murmured.
As he spoke, the tears in his eyes could no longer be controlled, and they flowed down.
His emotions infected every teammate around him.
They thought back to the little things of the past three years, and the imminent separation.
All of them started crying.
They cried uncontrollably, like children.
Two of the more fragile ones even collapsed to the ground in tears.
At this moment, no one would laugh at them.
The youth of these boys was always passionate, just like their emotions.
In the Kanetsu-Norin rest area, it instantly became a sea of tears.
Hoshitaru felt sorry for his teammates. If he had been stronger, perhaps Seidou wouldn't have been able to score so many runs off of them.
If the game had dragged on, maybe they wouldn't have had any chances at all.
If their skills weren't enough, they could have relied on their stamina.
Hoshitaru didn't realize that, fortunately, he hadn't done that.
Had he chosen that route, Hoshitaru would never have known how they would have been defeated.
In terms of skills, many of Seidou's players, because of their talent and high-spec training and efforts, were indeed better than Hoshitaru.
There was nothing they could do about it; some things are innate.
But in terms of awareness and stamina, Seidou's players had never been afraid of anyone.
Let's not forget their slogan.
They sweat more than anyone, and they cry more than anyone.
If Seidou's players dared to shout such a slogan, it meant they were confident that in this regard, they wouldn't fall short of anyone.
In terms of skills and coordination, Kanetsu-Norin could still somewhat compete with Seidou.
But in terms of stamina and awareness, they were utterly crushed.
"It's not that you owe us, it's that we owe you."
"Yeah, Hoshi. Without you, how could we have gotten this far?"
Koshien is the stage where so many passionate boys dream to be.
Not everyone gets the chance to step onto it.
If they hadn't joined Kanetsu-Norin with Hoshitaru,
with their own abilities, they would never have made it this far.
To be honest, if they had to rely on their own skills to reach Koshien,
the chances of that would definitely be less than winning the lottery.
After all, winning the lottery, in a way, is fair to everyone; everyone has the same chance.
But getting to Koshien is different.
In addition to luck, there's also strength.
If you don't meet the necessary standard of strength, you don't even have the right to think about it.
The chubby Coach, watching the players cry uncontrollably, was deeply moved.
These kids were his pride.
His previously dormant heart had been revived because of them.
"You don't need to be sad. Look at the stands."
Hearing their Coach's words, the Kanetsu-Norin players looked around.
What's this?
The entire audience stood up.
"Clap, clap, clap!!!!"
They gave the players on the field the warmest applause.
Amid the applause, they could faintly hear the audience's blessings for the Kanetsu-Norin players.
"Don't be discouraged1"
"You played very well!"
"Being able to fight the king Seidou like this, you've done great!"
"Hold your heads up high and return!"
"Your hometown will be proud of you!"
The fans in the stands applauded both teams.
It seemed that if they didn't do this, they wouldn't be able to express their passionate feelings.
On the other side of the field, as staunch supporters of the Seidou High School baseball team, many people also praised Seidou's players.
"Great job!"
"Just as expected from you!"
"Sawamura is the strongest, Sawamura is the strongest, Sawamura is the strongest!! Saying it three times because it's that important."
"We'll come to the next match too."
The Seidou players were happy as well.
After the game ended, they didn't forget to high-five each other in celebration.
This small detail shows that Kanetsu-Norin really gave Seidou quite a bit of trouble in this match.
Otherwise, just beating a dark horse wouldn't have been such a big deal.
"Stop dilly-dallying and stand in line!"
Coach Kataoka instructed.
The players who received the instruction stood up with refreshed spirits and lined up.
They saluted the Kanetsu-Norin players.
"THANK YOU FOR THE MATCH!!"
"THANK YOU FOR THE MATCH!!"
After the game, there was a brief exchange.
"You really are strong, we didn't get a single chance the whole game."
Hearing the Kanetsu-Norin players' sentiments, Seidou's players humbly replied from the bottom of their hearts.
"You guys played well too. You caused us a lot of trouble. Especially that pitcher, it was like he was cheating."
"Hoshitaru? That guy really was like he was cheating. But speaking of cheating, your Ace is even scarier."
"True!"
Sawamura smiled throughout. When people congratulated him, he politely responded.
When it was Hoshitaru's turn, Sawamura smiled brightly at him.
"You're really something else Senpai."
Receiving the compliment from Sawamura, Hoshitaru seemed both flattered and surprised.
"You're the real deal. We had no chance at all."
Had they not used the bunt play, how many strikeouts would Sawamura have had by the end?
Twenty-seven?
Hoshitaru had no doubt Sawamura had that kind of skill.
In fact, even until the very end, the Kanetsu-Norin players couldn't adapt to Sawamura's pitching.
"Let's have another match next time."
Sawamura smiled slightly, sincerely saying.
This match with Hoshitaru also made him realize some issues with his own play.
That was Sawamura's biggest gain from the match.
He hoped to have more matches like this.
"I'm already in my third year!"
Hoshitaru said with a somewhat downcast tone.
"So what? Don't you plan to join professional baseball?"
"Eh? Of course, I do!"
"Then we'll meet there. The world of baseball is big, but also small. As long as you keep climbing, one day you'll meet us. We'll meet in professional baseball!"
Hearing Sawamura's words, Hoshitaru, though a year older than Sawamura, couldn't help but be embarrassed.
He nodded heavily.
"Yeah…let's meet in professional baseball!!"
The wheels of fate are so wondrous; they start turning when no one is looking.
The next day, the headlines of major media outlets went wild!
…
T/N: Well, That's it for now.
Thank you all for reading!
Have a good day!
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