Actually, when thinking from another perspective earlier, Sawamura had already come to this conclusion in his mind.
Even if the atmosphere at the scene was heated up, it didn't really affect the situation for both sides all that much.
From the other side's style of play, what they could do, they would do, and what they couldn't do, they wouldn't be able to do.
Though they had been aggressive from the start, taking out the first and second batters of the Seidou High School baseball team one after another.
A big part of that was because Yakushi High School used an unexpected strategy.
Both Kuramochi and Haruichi were facing for the first time and were not familiar with Tomobe's unique characteristics.
So, Tomobe managed to get through without much trouble.
This is similar to the experience many pitchers have when they first start out. Often, they perform perfectly and seem invincible at the beginning.
Especially during their first season, because the opponents aren't familiar with them, they tend to dominate the field.
However, as time goes on, when they face this new player again, the result will likely be completely different.
That's when the real competition begins.
As for now, it's mostly just a feeler test.
This method might work against Kuramochi and Haruichi.
But it absolutely would not work against Sawamura.
Sawamura's terrifying aspect isn't just his pitching.
He is equally intimidating when it comes to batting.
Looking at his past batting records, it's not hard to see that there is hardly any pitch or style that can suppress him.
Would a calm and thoughtful pitcher, after realizing this, continue to face Sawamura head-on?
The answer is obvious: the opponent definitely wouldn't do that.
So, Walking Sawamura was the most natural choice.
Even though there were already two Outs, this was the best opportunity to face off with the opponent.
They still absolutely didn't want to take that risk.
Snap!
"BALL!"
"Walk To Base!!"
And just like that, Sawamura was naturally Walked to first base.
From the stands, there were boos echoing from the crowd, as it seemed like people were dissatisfied with the pitcher's choice.
It wasn't very manly.
But deep down, they actually understood why the pitcher had done this. If the opponent had been anyone else, they could have fought it out till the end.
But when the opponent was the Sawamura, knowing that they were outclassed, walking him was the only reasonable option.
This was clear from the volume of boos.
Among the tens of thousands of fans in the stadium, a lot of them were there specifically to watch Sawamura play. Even though the boos weren't as loud as the roar of thousands, it was still a significant sound.
But actually, the boos weren't as loud as they seemed. They definitely didn't reach the point where 10,000 people were booing in unison.
With two outs and a runner on first base, it was now Seidou High School's cleanup hitter, Miyuki's turn to bat.
Before stepping up to bat, Miyuki took a quick look at Eijun on first base.
'The pitcher had no hesitation, and immediately walked Sawamura to first base.'
How would the opponent approach him, and how would they face off with him?
Miyuki was very curious about this.
Tomobe on the mound didn't make Miyuki wait long and immediately threw the ball.
Without any evasion, it was straight down the center of the strike zone to settle it.
Eijun on first base had originally tried to apply pressure, intentionally running a bit of distance from the bag, about four meters away.
But Tomobe seemed to not care at all and threw the pitch without acknowledging Sawamura.
With Eijun so far from the base, naturally, he had to be on guard for a sudden pick-off, so his body weight was shifted toward first base.
Yet, Tomobe threw the pitch directly. Even though Sawamura was far from the bag, it was difficult for him to adjust his body's weight quickly enough to steal.
Eijun felt like he had done all that preparation for nothing.
What a waste of effort!
Miyuki, standing in the Batter's Box, found the situation even more direct.
This first-year kid didn't have the courage to challenge Sawamura directly, but he had the guts to go all out with him.
He wasn't even willing to put up a facade and just went straight for the strike zone to decide the outcome.
Miyuki gritted his teeth!
For someone like Miyuki, trying to swing at a pitch without any information is difficult.
So, he let the first pitch go, focusing all his attention on observing the pitcher's delivery.
Snap!
"STRIKE!"
After observing the first pitch, Miyuki nodded inwardly.
It was just as he had seen in the dugout.
'The pitcher relied on control as his lifeline.'
The previous pitch had been right at the edge of the strike zone. Though it was clearly a Strike, it was a tricky location.
'This explained why Kuramochi and Kominato had managed to connect well but still ended up being struck out.'
'Because of how tricky the location was, the batter could only hit the ball in a specific direction.'
'Once the pitcher understood that, they could easily position their teammates to defend against the hit.'
'For pitchers who don't rely on speed or movement to win, striking out batters is a difficult task.'
Thus, they need to adopt another style. One of those styles is to make sure the batter doesn't hit the sweet spot.
Then, they rely on the defense to handle the situation and secure the Outs.
'This requires precise cooperation and positioning of the defense.'
Tomobe, the first-year pitcher from Yakushi High School, was exactly this type of pitcher.
And he had executed his style to a very good degree.
So even for Seidou High School's players, it wasn't easy to deal with him.
What happened next proved Miyuki's guess.
Tomobe indeed signaled to his teammates, making adjustments to the defense.
During this time, Mishima and the others loudly expressed their displeasure.
Their discontent wasn't directed at Miyuki, but at the way Tomobe had dealt with Sawamura.
Even now, Mishima and the others seemed unsatisfied with how Tomobe handled Sawamura.
Though that was Tomobe's decision and the best choice for Yakushi High School, it didn't align with their style.
To Mishima and the others, when you're on the field, you should go all out and enjoy the game.
Enjoying the game means challenging strong opponents, right?
When the opponent is already there, why avoid facing them?
This left them both puzzled and displeased.
'Having Senpais like that really makes things tough.'
At this point, Miyuki even felt a bit of sympathy for Tomobe.
When you're too normal in the midst of a bunch of abnormal people, you end up feeling out of place.
Tomobe completely ignored the complaints from his seniors and led his team with confidence, showing no signs of being a junior.
"Senpai, step back! Move back!"
"Be respectful! No matter what, you're still my junior!"
"Stop shouting. I'll take care of you later."
"Oi! We are playing a game!"
The field was in chaos and the umpire had to interfere.
From the stands, laughter erupted from time to time, as the crowd was entertained by these amusing antics.
Yakushi High School's baseball team was quite an interesting bunch.
Amid the noise, Tomobe threw the ball.
Whoosh!
This pitch seemed to be in almost the same spot as the previous one, and it appeared to be a fastball.
'This was the one!'
Miyuki, who had been waiting for the right pitch, saw this one and felt it was his chance.
He swung!
Paak!
The baseball was hit squarely and flew straight over the third baseman's head.
If the ball cleared, and landed safely, it would be a super long hit.
If luck was on their side, Sawamura on first base might even make it home.
But unfortunately, their luck wasn't on their side.
"Kehahah-kehahaha!"
Accompanied by a laugh, a figure suddenly jumped up, skillfully intercepting the ball.
Snap!
"OUT!"
Both Sawamura and Miyuki, who were running the bases, were shocked.
'Again!'
'This guy!'
The ball that Miyuki had just hit was more than two meters above the third baseman's head.
Logically, such a ball should have easily gotten past.
But the opponent, using incredible jumping ability, intercepted the ball mid-air.
"How high did this guy jump?"
"Shouldn't he have broken some record like this?"
This made both Sawamura and Miyuki lose some confidence.
Three Outs. Inning over.
In the first inning's offense, aside from the intentional Walk, Seidou High School hadn't managed a single hit.
The first-year rookie pitcher Tomobe had such an impressive performance that it caught everyone's attention.
If he could maintain this form for a few more innings, even if he collapsed at the end, he would still make a name for himself.
The stage is very important.
At Meiji Jingu Stadium, during this West Tokyo finals, any player's outstanding performance would be magnified.
Facing Seidou High School, the national champions, the amplification of that effect would be even greater.
In just one inning, many people had already noticed Tomobe's presence.
Aside from the Igarashi Sora, Yakushi High School now had another pitcher who was quite impressive.
Though many might not be able to name him yet, they had certainly heard of him.
…