Hanshin Koshien Stadium
It's the eighth day of the spring invitational at Koshien Stadium.
Several powerhouse schools have been sent home,
Seido Nihon Shono
while the next generation of players display their skills.
One pitcher among them threw a 171 km/h pitch in the first round
and made a name for himself!
There! 154!
On the very first pitch!
The sound it made was just sick!
What is that guy?!
You look relaxed today.
I guess you're getting used to pitching here.
Seido High School's second-year ace, Satoru Furuya,
creates another monster legend in Koshien Stadium!
154...
That's insane!
Satoru Furuya...
And he's a stud, too!
Bottom of the 3rd
Seido Nihon Shono
His pitches are nuts.
Ball!
He's having trouble controlling his pitches.
The batters are crowding the plate.
There was that hit-by-pitch in the last inning.
Still, standing there with those blazing fastballs takes guts.
Even Furuya's pitches can't overwhelm their swings.
Give them an easy one, and it'll disappear!
Out!
Three outs!
Two runners left on base!
Nihon Shono couldn't score off Furuya this inning, either!
He was throwing too hard in the first inning, maybe because he was focusing on speed,
but he seems to have settled into a rhythm.
Yeah.
His low pitches are looking good.
He's also mixing in splitters and sliders.
And Miyuki-kun's game calling isn't letting the powerful Shono zero in on any pitches.
He's facing a powerhouse school trying various means to break through,
but he's been able to pitch the way he wants with confidence.
With his thin frame, he had a rough time in the summer.
He gained more experience after receiving the ace number in the fall.
And now at Koshien Stadium,
Furuya-kun may grow even more.
Nice pitching, Furuya!
You're looking good, but don't let your guard down!
Nabe-san says the second time through the order is when things really get tough!
If you just watch the speed gun and ignore the batters, you'll get into trouble!
I'm not watching it.
Yes, you were!
You were all happy during the first inning!
I'm not watching it anymore.
Even Miyuki-senpai's getting on my case. Can you two give it a rest?
Because you were so pleased with yourself!
Drop it. Let's get going.
Don't worry!
If your pitching goes off the rails, I'm here to relieve you!
It won't!
Shut up.
They're talking to each other more now. Especially Furuya.
They had the same training schedule in the off-season.
And they're not just bickering.
They're even exchanging information about the other team.
Okay, all ready!
Go swing on the first pitch!
You struck out on your last at-bat,
so he'll try for a first-pitch strike. Knock it out of the park!
Furuya!
You have the ace number now,
but I'm going to take it.
I won't let you.
Each acknowledges the other
while still trying to improve.
Eijun-kun and Furuya-kun make good rivals.
Only one hit from seven at-bats.
Haruichi Kominato Koshien Record 7 at-bats, 1 hit
I need to do better.
He swings at the first pitch!
Cleanup Miyuki gets a two-base hit!
The first pitch was a curve ball, as I expected.
He expected that.
Seido Nihon Shono
Top of the fourth, with a runner on second and one out.
Seido has a chance to take the lead.
It's gone!
It's a two-run homer into left field!
A rocket from a true slugger!
Satoru Furuya is exploding at Koshien!
This'll be on the front page!
That's his ticket to stardom!
That was just a fluke.
Even so, it was great.
Man, Seido's Furuya is a monster.
Satoru Furuya?
Did you hear that he's from Tomakomai?
Really? Then why's he in Tokyo?
Seido Nihon Shono
Seido High School added one run in the top of the seventh,
and then Kawakami took the mound for Furuya.
Furuya went to play left field.
Shocked
So Coach Kataoka is swapping Kawakami in as pitcher.
He wants Furuya rested for tomorrow's match.
He connects!
It's an RBI hit into short left field!
Seido Nihon Shono
A hit and a walk bring Shono within two runs of Seido!
You look so nervous, and your pitches have nothing in them.
You're pitching at Koshien Stadium.
Are you satisfied with this, Nori?
Of course not. I'm going to shut them down.
I thought so.
There's no better stage to pitch your best.
Damn it.
I don't like Miyuki needing to pump me up.
But he's right.
I'm pitching...
in this grand stadium!
Out!
Three outs!
That was tough grounder to field!
The fielders definitely have reliever Kawakami's back!
Nice grab!
You can let them hit more, Nori.
Okay. I'm good now.
Let's go, Shirasu!
Time to add another run!
Hit, Shirasu!
Yeah!
The bottom of Seido's order hits and scores a run!
They pull further ahead of Nihon Shono!
Seido Nihon Shono
Bottom of the 9th
It's the bottom of the ninth.
Nihon Shono has two outs and no runners on base.
Foul!
Using every nook and cranny of the plate, they've backed Shono's lineup to the wall.
You're finally pitching like you should be.
Okay, Miyuki's mitt is back to its normal size.
Now, let's finish this.
Got it!
Yes! Nice pitch, Nori-senpai!
Game over!
7 - 3.
Holding off Nihon Shono, Seido gets their second win of the tournament!
Seido High School advances to the third round!
Eijun-kun, your equipment is over there...
H-He can't hide his displeasure.
Any thoughts on your pitching today?
Not really.
But you threw a 154 km/h pitch!
Eijun-kun, your equipment...
Ikuei Yakushi
It's gone!
The baseball tears through the wind like a tracer bullet and lands in the bleachers!
What terrifying power!
What a terrifying swing!
This is Raichi Todoroki, second-year at Rakushi High!
Yet another diamond in the rough!
This is why I can never get enough of the Koshien!
Be awestruck! Be starstruck!
Pork cutlet for the win!
Pork fillet for the win!
Ikuei (Miyagi) Yakushi (Western Tokyo)
Aren't we amazing?
Have you ever seen a father-son pair like us?
Quite the free-spirited battle, huh?
Yakushi High, with Raichi Todoroki,
make waves in their first Koshien appearance.
Yakushi (Western Tokyo)
Mima! Mima!
That's his third triple today! He's blazing through the base paths!
A strong arm, power at the plate,
and speed that's given him an OBP of over .800!
An elite sportsman born to parents who shone in track-and-field.
That is Soichiro Mima!
Nanamagari Tech (Tottori) Hakuryu (Gunma)
He's much less accurate than their starter.
We should target his breaking balls.
Led by Mima,
they disorient their opponents with the best small ball in the nation...
Hakuryu High School.
Hakuryu (Gunma)
Led by Ikusaburo Kawasaki, their best pitcher and batter,
Seiseisha defeated several strong teams with their powerful lineup,
survived the highly competitive Osaka region,
Jigen Wakayama (Wakayama) Seiseisha (Osaka)
and are well on their way to the finals.
Seiseisha (Osaka)
Dual aces Sakama and Sasaki control the game,
while the cleanup Yamaki leads the team.
Kamijo Academy (Nagasaki) Yozan (Hiroshima)
They're a fresh team from Kyushu, Kamijo Academy.
Will they leave their mark on this hallowed field?
Kamijo Academy (Nagasaki)
Strike three!
Nice pitch, Yuto!
Kazuto, nice lead!
We did it!
Yamamori Academy (Yamanashi) Sarashina Sogo (Chiba)
We're in the quarterfinals!
One brother roars from the pitcher's mound
while the other's mitt catches his powerful pitches!
Sarashina's lineup was no match for the perfectly synchronized
twins of Yamamori Academy.
The Kotari brothers have no gap in their teamwork.
Yamamori Academy (Yamanashi)
It's gone!
Two home runs in two at-bats!
Once again mercilessly displaying his incredible power
is strongman Makoto Shiba!
He's making waves here at Koshien Stadium!
Urashima Academy (Saitama) Yoshinaga (Tokushima)
Yoshinaga High won the high-scoring game against the powerhouse Urashima Academy.
Yoshinaga (Tokushima)
Swing and a miss! He's struck him out!
This game is over!
Komadai Fujimaki overwhelms Shobi High by a score of 10-0!
While he only pitched as a reliever, he used his 150 km/h-plus fastball
to strike out seven batters in a row, ten in total!
Terumi (Fukui) Komadai Fujimaki (Southern Hokkaido)
Masamune Hongo, the second-year ace said to be the best of his generation,
delivers a pitching masterclass!
Winners last summer and in the fall Jingu Tournament,
the champions, Komadai Fujimaki.
Komadai Fujimaki (Southern Hokkaido)
Their ace, Furuya, is skilled with bat and ball,
and even pros are keeping an eye on their catcher, Miyuki.
Seido (Western Tokyo) Nihon Shono (Niigata)
That really flew.
Did it feel good?
Having survived the warzone of Tokyo,
they look to return to their glory days...
Seido High School.
Seido (Western Tokyo)
Kamijo Academy (Nagasaki)
Seiseisha (Osaka)
Yamamori Academy (Yamanashi)
Rakushi (Western Tokyo)
Hakuryu (Gunma)
Yoshinaga (Tokushima)
Seido (Western Tokyo)
Komadai Fujimaki (Southern Hokkaido)
After eight days
Seido
Kamijo Academy
Seiseisha
Yamamori Academy
Rakushi
Hakuryu
Yoshinaga
Komadai Fujimaki
and countless fierce, harsh battles,
the quarterfinalists of the Spring Invitational come together.
Magazine Sports
Spring Invitational Quarters Decided
Mima Speeds Toward the Top
Seiseisha's Kawasaki Looks to Become Best in Japan "I want to make the coach into a man!"
"The food in our hotel is way too good!" Koshien Leads to a Power Up!
Rakushi's Raichi Todoroki Faces Yamamori Academy's Kotari Brothers
Furuya's First Flies 120m Great Hitter Too! Power Slugger
He hit 154 km/h! Seido High Furuya
Morning of the Game
Fourth Game of the Day Clash!!
Whoa! There are lot more people than yesterday.
They've all come to see us?
It's funny. This hotel's pretty far from the ballpark.
Ah.
You really stole the show.
Your displeasure's showing.
Is there anyone you admire or aspire to be like?
Polar bears.
Huh?
Polar bears?
Huh? You turned away Todansha's people, too?
I did. There were too many reporters, so I put a cap on the interviews.
Wow, that's a shame.
Players need to get used to the media.
You should throw him to the wolves.
What good is the Koshien if you don't bask in the spotlight?
Uh, but he has a game today.
The fourth one, right?
He's not the type of boy to let it go to his head.
And he's getting better with every appearance.
Wanna see?
Again, your displeasure's showing.
Given that this is the Koshien, Sawamura and Kawakami can't complain.
Why not let Furuya handle today's game by himself?
Yes, that's right.
Prioritize the players in good form.
That's an ironclad rule to follow if you want to last in the Koshien.
The Night Before the Game
Hokkaido's harsh terrain and weather gives the players mental strength.
Congrats to Seido on making the quarters!
Common sense dictates you can't practice in the snowy winter.
But they ignore that and do drills atop the snow.
The Koshien War
Drills on Snow
Last summer, they brought Hokkaido its first championship.
Riding that wave, they won the Jingu Tournament in the fall, too.
Komadai Fujimaki Coach Kozo Nitta
The Young Giant of the North Masamune Hongo
Their engine: the second-year ace from Tomakomai, Hokkaido,
Masamune Hongo.
The Birth of a New Beast Satoru Furuya
Meanwhile, Satoru Furuya is also from Hokkaido
and spent his youth there all the way through middle school.
Oh, there's Furuya.
The Birth of a New Beast Satoru Furuya
But he basically never got to pitch for his team.
After graduating, he secured general admission into a Tokyo high school.
They're two Hokkaido aces of the same age,
and they both throw over 150 km/h.
Seido High School Satoru Furuya (2nd Year)
Komadai Fujimaki Masamune Hongo (2nd Year)
Seido High School's Satoru Furuya,
and Komadai Fujimaki's Masamune Hongo.
These two will face off tomorrow!
Talk about hyping a game up.
Right? Things were crazy when we got back here, too.
But the more we learn about Komadai Fujimaki, the scarier they look.
They steal bases like crazy, and they hit-and-run all the time, too.
I hear they score in the first inning more often than any other team.
It's actually kinda creepy that they don't hit for power.
And once they start a rally, they don't stop,
so our defense needs to be on point in the first.
Your middle school was pretty close to Komadai Fujimaki, huh?
Do you know any of them, then?
You don't, huh?
I barely watched any of last year's Koshien.
Hey!
We can't see.
But I was shocked that a Hokkaido team beat Inashiro,
let alone that it was Komadai Fujimaki.
That area not only gets a lot of snow, but also the ground freezes over.
Wow...
Then if Komadai Fujimaki had made waves in the Koshien before last year,
you might've enrolled there instead, huh?
Right?
If there was a Koshien winner nearby, why would you come to Tokyo?
Oh, but your Gramps is in Tokyo, right?
I...
I believe I only improved because I came here.
And I know I can still get a lot better here.
While we're in the Koshien,
I'll pitch my best so we last as long as possible,
so I'm counting on your help tomorrow.
What have we here? You've learned to express yourself now?
And not just with your aura, but with words.
Did all those interviews teach you how?
I couldn't say.
Take a look around.
Nobody knows how to respond.
But why?
No fielder could help get fired up after hearing his ace say those words.
It's often said that the Koshien makes players grow exponentially.
And it looks this guy is totally in the zone now.
Two outs, runner on second,
and the batter is a slugger in the five-hole.
Paint the corners.
Even if I walk him, if I can get the next guy out...
It'll be okay!
The umpire remains unmoved!
But I already accounted for his strike zone!
I'll end things with the next batter!
Zono, time to switch.
Already?
Don't complain.
It's a public park.
Keep your voice down.
In my first-round relief appearance, I walked the first guy I faced.
Then I started pitching down the middle and gave up two hits.
It's because I pitched so badly
that I had to watch today's game from the sidelines.
Furuya A Real Beast
Damn it!
I wanna hurry up and take that mound already!
Tomorrow...
Tomorrow, for sure...
I wanna help the team with my pitching!
"Wanna Take The Mound"
I wanna hurry up and take the mound!
We won't let it end this way.
Our ace is pitching just as well as you.
No more runs. Not a single one.
I won't let you score any more runs.
You won't even get on base!
As if a big-city pansy
could ever stop us.
Bring it, punk!
Next time on Ace of Diamond Act II,
Next Time
"Blessed by the Baseball Gods"
"Blessed by the Baseball Gods"!
Let's win the national title!