That was his eightieth pitch.
That's a lot, right?
Yes.
He's thrown too many unnecessary balls.
When I saw him pitch at the Invitational,
it sent a chill down my spine.
I didn't want to imagine having to beat a pitcher like him in the summer.
But he seems tense, completely unlike Amahisa-san's relaxed pitching.
Almost like he's trying to overpower every single batter.
Ball four!
Man, after he got the leadoff out?
Giving up a walk now is such a downer!
He can't get into a rhythm.
His unevenness will make things harder for the fielders.
It's gotta be hard for Kazuya to keep him focused.
Yes, with his breaking balls missing so much, they'll go after them.
Was I like that in the fall tournament?
Self-important...
Unable to relax...
M-Mei-san...
I can see it so clearly from here.
Steal!
Between the left and center fielders!
The runner in motion makes it home!
One swing from team captain Adachi gets his team on the board!
Meiji Jingu Secondary Stadium
Ball four!
It's the bottom of the fifth, and Seido ace Furuya
has given up an RBI hit to the sixth batter, Adachi,
and walked the following batter.
One out, with runners on first and second.
Up to bat is Third High's ace, Kosei Amahisa!
What a time to be up at bat.
It'd be great if I could deal a decisive blow, but...
Squeeze one out, Kosei!
Aim for the easy ones!
Easy for you to say.
I'm not like you guys.
Get the closest out!
One at a time!
Let him hit, Furuya!
Your pitches are getting there!
Keep pushing!
I won't hit anything if I don't swing.
Seido will want to wrap things up with the bottom of the order.
How is Amahisa's batting?
His average isn't great, but pitchers tend to have a good eye.
Don't count him out yet.
He swung late on the fastballs in the previous at-bat.
Let's put him away with a few more.
I don't care about the trajectory. Just keep it low.
Is he gonna throw a breaking ball?
No, I don't think so. Not for me.
They wouldn't overestimate me!
It's headed for left field!
But it's short.
Move up!
Left fielder Yuki charges toward it!
It gets through!
Left fielder Yuki's glove just barely misses it!
The white ball rolls cruelly into the outfield!
The runner from second scores!
He's followed immediately by the runner from first!
They've taken the lead!
The ace's bat has turned this game around!
Oh, man.
Yeah!
Nice, Kosei!
Don't get so excited. It wasn't that good of a hit.
Error or not, they've given up three runs.
Seido can't afford to give up any more.
What's done is done! Shake it off!
Immature...
That was a hard hit to gauge.
We can't be too hard on Yuki.
It's fine.
I'm responsible for letting the runners on base.
He isn't being self-important.
In fact, it seems he's taking his responsibilities as ace more seriously.
Let's end this inning right here.
Right.
If that's what is causing his uneven pitching,
Furuya may be the one feeling this dilemma the most.
It's still the middle innings, and we're only down by one run.
We don't need to be overly cautious.
It's okay. If you can pitch low,
they won't be able to hit even your fastballs.
All I can do... is trust.
We lost because of the runs I gave up.
I want my pitching to be even better than it was that day.
You're looking somewhere higher,
at a place where you want to be.
Then, you need to get over this wall!
Ball!
This is the ninth batter.
What's wrong with Furuya?
Strike!
Finally a strike.
He's having a tough time.
He's not pitching like himself at all.
Experiencing the game at the national level makes you hungry for more.
The self-awareness of the ace,
the impulse to explore, the expectations of those around you...
Your pitching is tied directly to your team's success.
The weight of the burden you bear...
Having a strong sense of responsibility
isn't the same as doubting your teammates.
A self-important pitcher has no business being the ace.
Will you overcome them, or be crushed by them?
I can tell you're experiencing all of that right now, Satoru Furuya.
Seido
Ichidai
I won't sacrifice the team just for Furuya alone.
Ball!
Mei-san, maybe we should go.
But this is the second half of the game.
How will the catcher call this?
If he tries to rack up the count just because it was easy in the first half...
Would you catch for me after you're done?
You want to throw?
Yes, I do.
What did you see at Koshien Stadium?
What the heck is he doing?
Ball!
Coach Kataoka.
If we give up any more runs, the game could get out of our reach.
Ball four!
That's the third walk this inning!
Ono, Sawamura!
Miyuki!
There's movement on the Seido bench!
Seido High School is making a substitution.
Replacing pitcher Furuya-kun is Sawamura-kun.
Batting eighth, pitcher Sawamura-kun.
They got some lucky hits,
but you were in no state to take on Ichidai.
This was an important experience for you. Don't waste it.
Sawamura.
The bases are loaded and their cleanup batter is up.
We're in a tight spot―
I know!
I know my role.
H-Hey...
Are you fired up or mad?
I'm not mad!
Don't shout!
Calm down!
Stop their momentum! Please, Sawamura!
That's it! Take in all the air from around the mound!
I'll be pitching aggressively, so please back me up!
He's doing that even now!
The very first pitch will do it.
Yeah!
That look in his eyes...
Should I waste the first pitch and see how Sawamura's doing?
No, we don't need to do them any favors.
And it would throw Sawamura off.
What we need is a decisive pitch, every pitch.
There's one out and the bases are loaded.
Their cleanup is up to bat.
Let's go with a four-seamer, low and outside.
Number four.
He's got an irregular form and peculiar way of pitching.
He throws changeups, but usually pitches in the strike zone.
If he throws a meatball...
Furuya...
I don't know what it is you're fighting against.
I don't know, but...
I'm going to take down the hitters in front of me.
What else does a pitcher need to do?!
Strike!
No matter the situation,
I'll be true to myself!
Foul!
Another outside pitch!
Yes, he's already at two strikes!
Wow...
He's able to pitch his best in this predicament!
Now, how will he attack next?
Will he throw a changeup?
Those outside pitches aren't to avoid me. That's just how he's attacking.
Will he throw a breaking ball and try to make me fish for it?
Or will it be to the outside again?
I won't let you have your way.
I'll go after anything you can throw at me.
An inside fastball!
He goes down looking!
Batter Hoshida was unable to swing!
No tricks here!
He takes down the cleanup Hoshida with three straight fastballs!
Amazing! He went from pitching outside to smack dab inside!
Yeah!
All three were almost perfectly on target!
I'm getting goosebumps!
Two outs, and the bases still loaded.
The infielders return to their normal positions.
Sawamura!
Two outs!
Let him hit!
Focus on the batter!
Shut 'em down!
Two outs!
Go, Sawamura!
One more...
The bases are loaded.
This is the fifth batter.
The first pitch will be important.
Batting fifth, right fielder Sasaki-kun.
He's a southpaw in the same year as me.
He didn't play much at Koshien Stadium,
but he held Kasuga First scoreless last game.
Hoshida-senpai was swinging late.
Just how good is this guy?
Strike!
The first pitch was a changeup!
The second pitch!
Foul!
Sharp to the inside, soft to the outside...
His pitches feel very different from Furuya's.
He changes the trajectory of his pitches by how far back he releases the ball.
He's...
a much better pitcher than I realized!
Strike! Batter out!
Yeah!
He finishes with an outside fastball!
The fourth and fifth batters have both struck out!
Perfect pitching out of the bullpen when his team needed it most!
Second-year southpaw, Eijun Sawamura!
Seriously?
Did you see that? Sawamura-senpai is incredible!
Outstanding.
His gutsy pitching did us in at the fall tournament.
Teito High School Coach Ippachi Okamoto
What's surprising, though...
is how long Coach Kataoka waited when he used to switch pitchers so quickly.
Has Satoru Furuya become that important to the team?
Nice pitching, jerk!
Nice pitch, Eijun-kun!
I wanted Furuya to get back on track...
But the fact of the matter is that we needed to switch pitchers.
It was the most difficult situation to be dropped into...
but he pulled it off!
You saved me.
Sorry.
Good job shutting them down.
The game's not over yet, boss!
Now, let's go score some runs!
Who's up to bat?
Y-You are, Sawamura!
Go get ready!
Well, that was a surprise.
I was expecting them to score two or three more runs.
Sawamura, get out there and swing!
The way you're playing today, you might get a hit!
We'll get our hopes up a bit.
The bench has cheered up!
It's just like that game from the fall tournament.
He can change the mood of the whole stadium,
in a different way than Furuya-san.
Damn it.
Don't apologize!
"My Role"
"My Role."
You can do it!
You aren't a better batter than me, Sawamura!
I'm gonna get you home!
Kanemaru, believe in yourself!
Hips! Hips!
Now it's our turn to score!
You too, Kuramochi-senpai! Hips! Hips!
Hit with your lower body!
Bring it on, moon-face.
On the next episode of Ace of the Diamond Act II:
"It's About Winning."
Next Time
"It's About Winning"
Let's win the national title!
Color illustration / Yuji Terajima