Probably option 2, then again with this author he does come up with some odd strategies that suddenly no one noticed until now that Mashiba had these weaknesses.
Really? He worked so hard to get to this position just like the last time and now the author decides to pull him out to give the other pitchers more screen time?
This author really love to put sawamura in these situations where he cracks under pressure. Didn't he already go through it a few times now? Feels the author is just trying to find a way to bring back Furuya to the team and to bench Sawamura again.