A fly ball to left field ends the game!
The first game of the Tokyo spring tournament semifinals,
a battle between division rivals, has been won by Ichidai Third High!
Satoru Furuya, after making a name for himself at the Invitational,
gave up five runs in the fifth inning!
Ace Amahisa threw 142 pitches and advances his team to the final!
Ichidai Third High has also automatically earned a spot in the Kanto Tournament in May!
Seido
Ichidai
Inashiro, Teito, and Ichidai were all disappointed in the fall.
They'll be eager to perform in the summer.
And then there's Furuya.
He's nothing like how he was in the Invitational.
Is he gonna be okay? The cameras were all trained on him.
Did he burn out at Koshien Stadium?
That wouldn't be any fun.
The summer's the real tournament!
I lost the game.
But Sawamura looked good.
He could have started today.
Nah, they need their ace Furuya to be in shape.
Yeah.
You hear all the time about teams who go to the Invitational, but don't win in the summer.
And with batting like that, can they beat Inashiro?
Can they hit Narumiya's pitches?
To play on the national stage
is to embrace a new goal.
No team will want to maintain the status quo and not reach for the heavens.
But you can only reach out after you've won.
Once you've dominated this violent battlefield.
Meiji Jingu Secondary Stadium
Seido – Ichidai Third High Third Base Line 12:30 First Base Line Inashiro Industrial – Teito
It's the second game of the Tokyo spring tournament semifinals.
Both teams have players who played at Koshien Stadium as first-years,
and wore their powerhouse team's ace number as second-years!
It's the number one southpaw in Kanto, Mei Narumiya,
versus Taiyo Mukai, who is one year younger.
It's a battle of the princes of East and West Tokyo!
They both act tough and I love it!
Mukai has been slightly tense in his start.
There are two outs and runners on first and second base.
But even then, Teito's iron wall does not allow them to score.
Inashiro
Teito
On the other hand, Narumiya...
Strike!
...is showing exceptional control over his breaking balls,
constantly keeping the Teito batters at bay.
Strike! Batter out!
He has not allowed any runners on base in three innings in a perfect start.
Top of the fourth inning
Ball!
That makes three balls and one strike.
Mukai's throwing more breaking balls.
The Inashiro batters are waiting for a fastball.
They aren't swinging at the low pitches.
Inashiro has five hits.
It's a tough game. He's let runners on base every inning since the first.
Still, he doesn't mind getting the count up to three balls.
He makes more plays when there are runners on base.
Furuya,
watching him pitch won't be any help to you directly.
Strike!
Hey, Sawamura!
This seat's open!
I'm fine. It's easier to see from up here.
Strike!
With two outs and runners on second and third base,
and the count at 3–2,
he throws a screwball out of the zone.
Strike! Batter out!
He takes advantage of the batters' aversion to being caught looking.
That is Taiyo Mukai's true strength.
They've already got a read on his screwball, but he still threw it.
It was just barely out of the zone.
He's got some guts.
That mischievous gleam in his eye!
But I love it!
I really do!
He's a cerebral pitcher who likes going deep in the count.
It's simply the best!
He probably likes taking gambles like these.
Inashiro
Teito
But...
The team has yet to come up with a firm strategy to deal with Narumiya.
The Teito batters have only had one hit in five innings.
Inashiro
Teito
Both teams have zeros across the board,
but the way they are playing is very different.
In the sixth inning, Inashiro finally breaks through against Mukai.
With runners on first and second base,
Carlos gets a hit to near center field.
Then Shirakawa hits to left field, for two RBI hits in a row.
In the seventh inning, Tadano's sacrifice fly
brings in another run.
Good try. Just a little more.
Inashiro extended their lead to three runs.
But still, the ace trusted in his offense,
Yeah!
and continued to pitch his best.
Nice pitch!
Good one, Taiyo-san!
That hurts.
Two outs!
Mukai-san!
Go!
Two outs!
Let's end the inning!
They may say I'm stuck-up and selfish,
but I've never bent to suit other people.
I have a confidence in my chest I can't explain.
I've fed that confidence by practicing more than anyone,
exploring baseball every single day.
I won't listen to anyone complain.
I'm going to pitch like the ace!
A low outside pitch finishes him off!
He goes down swinging at a screwball!
They have three innings left to bat!
Will Teito High School be able to mount a comeback?
Bottom of the seventh inning
Inashiro
Teito
It...
It's gone!
The ace's partner provides the perfect response to his pitching!
He hit Mei Narumiya's fastball straight on!
Yeah!
That drops the lead to two runs!
It's hard to get successive hits off a good pitcher.
It's inevitably errors or home runs that provide a chance to score.
That couldn't have been an easy hit. Well played, Inui-kun.
Keep it going! Get some more!
Teito will want to capitalize on that hit.
Mei-san, Mei-san!
Long ago, an old lady asked an apprentice witch to deliver a pie.
It was raining hard...
Too long. Drop it.
The best strategy against Inashiro
is to keep pressure on Narumiya, from the plate or from the bases.
Ball!
Narumiya's definitely ticked off!
He's no different than before!
The count is three balls, one strike.
It would be neat if he got on base.
Strike!
Strike! Batter out!
Keep it together!
After giving up a run, Narumiya manages to close out the inning.
This pitchers' battle enters its final stages!
Top of the eighth inning
The Teito battery is back to mainly throwing fastballs.
Not just to the left and right corners,
but also alternating high and low.
They sit the top of Inashiro's order three up, three down,
and set the stage for their batters in the bottom of the eighth.
However...
Despite Narumiya's control slipping after the home run,
he quickly retires two batters for two outs.
The eighth batter, Mukai, is now up to bat.
Mei-san...
Not yet...
I won't let it end yet.
I'll get on base!
Ball!
As if trying to show his power,
or trying to send a message...
Up against the other team's ace, who had yet to hit,
he brought out all of his best pitches,
and overpowered him.
Yeah!
Inashiro
Teito
In this clash between East and West Tokyo powerhouses,
it was the ace from the West, who'd gone to Koshien twice, who came out on top.
Thank you for that childish display of pitching.
Squeeze
Oh, I wasn't being serious in the least.
Let's go, Mei.
Taiyo!
Mei-san!
I went easy on you! Remember that!
Fine, whatever you say! What are you, twelve?!
Tomorrow's final will be between Ichidai Third High and Inashiro Industrial.
National High School Baseball Tournament
Seido Ichidai Third
Inashiro Teito
Tomorrow's final will begin at 1:00 PM.
Doors will open at 12:00 PM.
Well, let's get going.
Miyuki-senpai.
Can I come to watch the game tomorrow?
I think I should watch it.
Sure. I was planning to come with Nabe, anyway.
Even with our great pitchers, we won't make it to Koshien Stadium
if our batters don't score.
Eijun-kun, what are you gonna do tomorrow?
Furuya-kun is coming to watch the final.
I'll just watch some tape.
I need to review today's game, too.
Review the pitching from today?
Haruichi...
Being the ace is really cool, huh?
Seido Spirit Dorm
Yes, sir.
I will reach out to the teams who have contacted us.
We'll need to adjust the schedule, too.
I see, I see...
So this is what Furuya did.
This certainly does get one choked up.
Letting him start today, and not taking him out sooner...
If I'm the best pitcher in Japan, I can make our team the best in Japan.
This is the reason, isn't it?
So you are human after all, Coach Kataoka.
If those around him,
and he himself think his pitching at the Invitational is his baseline...
You wanna watch?
Furuya may be carrying some heavy karma from Koshien Stadium.
Did you just click your tongue?
It doesn't matter! Sit down!
I'm not one to talk, having told him he could be the best pitcher in Japan myself.
You can become the best pitcher in Japan.
I also played at Koshien Stadium, set even higher goals for myself,
and was nearly crushed by the pressure.
Your team finished runners-up, I believe.
Quarterfinalist Seido
As a backup catcher who had never played at Koshien Stadium, I was pretty envious of you.
War cry from the mound
In the finals Seido Kataoka
A will of iron
But he must overcome this on his own.
What I did was not fair to the other players who were ready.
For better or worse...
Sawamura's presence as a pitcher really stood out in today's game.
The fans as well as his teammates certainly felt it.
How will that affect the team?
Well, I suppose it's just as well to experience a loss this early.
Are you ready? This is reality!
You're gonna see what it was like!
Yes, hurry up.
We may have been able to stop them scoring five runs.
But then we only scored one run ourselves.
I'm sure the offense feels just as responsible.
Now you aren't going to defend a title,
but to reclaim it.
Let's treat this as an opportunity to have a fresh start for the summer.
Right.
I am still an inexperienced coach, but please...
Continue to assist me.
I thought I'd always watched how hard Sawamura worked.
I honestly respect his boundless optimism.
Good morning!
It's a perfect morning for practice, captain!
What time is it?
Sometimes it was a pain in the neck, though.
But had I ever imagined he would look ready to wear the ace number this soon?
The way he pitched today
was exactly how an ace should do it.
I want my pitching to be even better than it was that day.
I'm here to become the ace!
And I'm confident that I want it more than anyone here!
Please don't disappoint me...
Miyuki-senpai.
Very funny!
I like you!
Excuse me.
Why are you sitting there?
Sit on the other side!
No one told me that!
Do I get to play?! Do I?!
I'm your senpai, remember?
Don't look at me! I'm ashamed!
You're awesome!
Oh, have you ever caught for Furuya-kun?
I will do as Miyuki-senpai says.
We still have to keep fighting.
Boss!
I'm still full of energy!
I feel good, too!
Please let me pitch!
Please let me pitch the last inning.
I see.
Then I can go all out.
What?
That's good.
You weren't worried about me?
That's right..
I'll only be playing baseball with them for another three months.
"Three Months"
"Three Months."
At this rate, he'll never acknowledge me.
I need to be able to pitch the kind of game Miyuki-senpai calls.
We can't afford to lose, either.
Absorb it deeper and digest it...
I'd rather die than lose today's game.
We're not tools to entertain adults.
The field belongs to the players battling on it.
On the next episode of Ace of the Diamond Act II:
"Something to Check."
Next Time
"Something to Check"
Let's win the national title!
Illustration / Yuji Terajima