He's been pitching from the stretch since before there was a runner.
Tall pitchers with big windups get run on a lot.
I was so upset when my middle school teacher said that.
I researched and developed this style.
Strike!
Because pitchers like me, with no remarkable features,
often have to pitch with runners on base!
Nice pitch!
He's calmer than I'd expect.
He bunted the second pitch!
First!
Get the out!
The sacrifice bunt worked!
Now there's one out and a runner on third!
Good, we got an out.
Move in, move in! Get in closer!
Are you serious?
The infielders are playing in close?
Hey, hey, you're down by eight runs!
Even if you prevent one run...
No, they want to show they've got a competitive streak.
That they've got the will to stay on the attack.
Let's do this!
Let's shut 'em down!
Let them hit one my way, Asada!
We'll get the out at home!
Yeah, let's go!
You guys don't know how hard these guys hit.
I'll use my whole body to stop the ball!
I can erase my mistake. Wipe the slate clean. It wasn't my fault. It was an exception.
I can erase my mistake. Wipe the slate clean.
Let's see it, Asada!
Focus on the batter!
Stay aggressive!
We'll stop it!
He'll swing at the first pitch!
Swing your arm all the way through!
Their voices are urging me forward.
I'll handle any fly balls!
What's this? They're calling out a lot more than when I was pitching.
Damn, I really wish I had been in your battery,
Koshu Okumura.
Their morale's improved since those substitutions.
Yeah, I'm liking it.
I... I guess I'm really doing this.
If they can hold them scoreless this inning, the momentum's gonna shift.
I'm going to make it to the first string.
Once I do...
That jerk!
He really is passionate deep down!
Having the fielders in so close makes it hard for the runner.
Yeah, and it prevents the squeeze.
The outfielders are in their normal positions.
That's how far they can get the out at home from.
How will the older players score?
Batting First Right Fielder Kenichi Oka (second-year)
If you're playing that close, you're ready for what might happen.
Fine. Try to stop this, then.
ba-dump
I'm not worried about the defense.
Bring it!
We'll stop it!
I'm just worried about myself.
I just want to pitch my best.
Let's show the second- and third-years how the guys who stay in the cafeteria play.
I want to pitch the way that Okumura-kun expects me to.
I want to hit that mitt...
with my best pitches!
The ball slipped!
Ball.
Was that...
A curveball?
But the way it sank...
I missed!
That was a 12-6 curve, which even right-handed pitchers rarely throw.
And he just threw it with a southpaw's trajectory.
That's about as unique a pitch that you could throw.
Was it the trajectory? Or the height?
I don't know if he realizes it, but the batter was taken aback.
Give me another.
Right in the strike zone.
The same pitch again.
Maybe it wasn't so bad.
This time...
The same pitch, twice in a row?
Strike!
He got an older player to swing and miss.
That's a good pitch!
He's got good control of it.
Fidget
That's a good pitch. He can use it to mess up a batter's timing.
Next, outside.
Whoa, right to the third baseman!
The third-base runner couldn't move! They got the second out!
Yeah! Nice pitch, Asada!
Two outs!
After those curveballs, that fastball seemed even faster.
He pitched it right to the corner, and the hit went right where he wanted.
Just stop one more!
Infield, back to normal depth!
Asada, let them hit my way!
That out made a big difference.
Yeah, the first-years are building momentum.
Yeah!
One more!
The upperclassmen will definitely want to shut them up.
With a huge hit to ruin the mood.
You've got an evil look in your eye, Shinji.
You started it!
There's still a runner on third.
We can relax after we get this last out.
Batting Second Third Baseman Makoto Ishikawa (third-year)
If I give up a hit now, it'll all be for nothing.
Strike!
That big drop means the batter will have to target a specific point.
Even right-handed hitters will have a tough time hitting it.
Out!
The first-years stopped them!
A grounder to second base for the third out!
First-Years
Second, Third-Years
The upperclassmen were unable to score in the third inning!
Nice pitch!
He's thin, and his pitches lack speed.
But that 12-6 is really something.
He played softball in middle school.
He spent three years as a relief pitcher.
Did you see that, Kuramochi-senpai?
Be quiet. I was watching.
Asada... That Asada held them scoreless!
He seems like a quiet guy,
but he's assertive with his pitching.
Yes, that's right!
He's the kind of guy who came to Seido to play baseball.
He's got the pitcher's mentality, all right.
Yeah.
The pitcher set the tone for us.
Now the lineup gets to work.
Let's get on base and break through their defenses.
Huh? The intrasquad game was today?
Yes, next week is Golden Week, and we've been invited to several friendlies,
so today, when the main players are off, was the only day.
But that means...
Don't worry. I'm here because I wanted to come.
Plus, the coach said he couldn't play everyone in the game.
That's why we thoroughly analyze the other teams.
To help improve the team, you yourself need game experience, too.
The first and second strings will play a lot of games before the qualifiers.
The performance in those games will determine the players' numbers.
Miyuki-kun has been invited to the Tokyo invitational at the end of May,
and there's a training camp ahead of the qualifiers.
The Tokyo invitational?
With all of the preparations, summer will be here quickly.
Top of the fourth inning One out, runner on first
First-base Runner Takuma Seto (first-year)
Batting Third Catcher Koshu Okumura (first-year)
They hung on to get that walk. Now, how will they use it?
That runner on first is one you recruited, correct?
Yes, he's an extremely fast runner.
But running the bases isn't just about being fast.
The right time to break, the pace of your step,
and how you balance yourself...
He ran on the first pitch!
Hey, you're underestimating Kariba!
Safe!
Whoa, he made it!
He's fast!
I just barely made it.
I ran on the first pitch, but maybe I should have shaken things up a bit.
Just seeing Taku run will put pressure on the outfielders.
Oh, the outfielders are moving in!
They're fired up!
They really want to get the out at home!
They want to get back at the first-years!
The upperclassmen don't want to give up a single run!
Kawashima, you're still throwing meatballs.
They just haven't made you pay!
Pitch another inning!
Yes, sir!
I can't fool the coach.
If I want to get back on the roster,
I need to work on the quality of my pitching, instead of immediate results,
and make my pitches harder to hit.
The first pitch was an outside fastball.
The outfield is playing in, so he'll be pitching low.
He won't throw any meatballs.
Low!
The outside slider bounced!
The runner didn't miss that mistake and steals third!
That first-year is an aggressive base runner.
He's got good judgment.
Did he start running before the ball bounced?
Yeah, he could see the ball was going to bounce and started running.
You've got to train a lot to steal a base like that.
Get aggressive!
Kawashima, let him hit!
The infielders are playing in!
They've got their own competitive streak!
Let's shut them down, Kawashima-senpai!
We've got this!
Bring it on!
Yeah!
There's one out, a runner on third, and the fielders playing in.
It's the same situation as the last inning!
The upperclassmen weren't able to score.
How will the first-years fare?
The count is one ball, one strike.
They'll be focusing on throwing low pitches,
but they'll be worried about the ball slipping by with the runner on third.
Don't worry! I won't let it get past me, Kawashima-senpai!
Well, if I let situations like this get to me, I'll never get any higher.
I'll pitch until...
A squeeze?!
Ball!
The ball is wide and the count goes to two balls, one strike!
A fake?
The runner and the batter worked together to rattle him.
Just how brainy is their baseball?
He might know more about baseball than you.
I see. Those two are from Kanagawa's Daikyo Senior.
That team is famous for their thinking baseball.
You mean the players think of their own strategies?
There were some rumors about that team, though.
Think, deeper.
The count is two balls, one strike.
They've been using outside fastballs.
They don't want the count to get any worse.
Read the other team's mind.
Understand that baseball is a sport where play stops after every pitch.
You can assess all of the risks and prepare for them.
If you can avoid the risks, you can win.
If you use your head while you play, baseball will be even more fun!
That man's words have taken root inside my body.
I can never erase them.
I can never escape them.
Near-right field!
Yeah!
The third-base runner is heading home!
The first-years got one run back!
The two of them scored a run!
Didn't something like that happen last year?
I'm gonna get you home!
Let's score this run together!
The third-base runner took off!
Go!
My teammate wants to score together!
I'm gonna make it home!
Yeah!
A hit right up the middle!
Now there are runners on first and second.
Kota Kagami...
His plain appearance reminds me of Shirasu.
A golden opportunity to clear my name.
If I get a hit, I'll be a hero!
A golden opportunity...
Masashi! Masashi Yuki!
Does he want to play in the game?
He's trying to get people to notice him!
You can hear his swings!
Hey, you're really fired up.
The score's closer than I expected.
Yeah.
That's uncalled for! That's uncalled for!
I'm the hero!
Coach Kataoka!
We don't just want to watch! We want to play with our fellow first-years!
Would you allow us to play in the game?
Please!
They're appealing directly to the coach?
Yeah, those two have guts!
Those two...
We don't mind.
We would welcome the chance to see the skills
of the first-years who beat us to the roster.
Kawashima-senpai...
Okay! I'll sub you in, so warm up!
Yes, sir!
For real?
Their request worked!
I'm glad I asked.
I'm glad I swung.
These first-years sure are something!
They really defy expectations!
Weren't you complaining about what upstarts they were?
Now let's get in the game...
Let it go.
This is their time to shine.
Yeah. We have to stay out of it.
Okay, let's all do a cheer!
Yeah!
This can't be! It's just bad luck!
I'm much better than this!
That's how good Takatsu is.
Show us your stuff!
Yeah!
Yeah, yeah, yeah!
The game's just getting started!
Let's beat them down until there's nothing left!
Sawamura...
We can get another twenty runs!
Sawamura-senpai...
Let's drag that pitcher off the mound!
He wants them to pulverize me!
And he's got a scary look in his eye!
Exploding bats!
He was on our side a little while ago.
Huh?
He was watching you from behind that pillar like he was really worried.
First he's worried about him, now he's dissing him.
I wonder what he's thinking.
Get ready, Asada!
Now the cleanup is up to bat.
Let's get one out at a time!
"Self-Assertive"
"Self-Assertive."
Honestly, no amount of time would be enough.
Second string...
Good on you for making the second string. The games will be fun.
If I don't do something soon, he's going to retire.
Whether you work hard or not,
someone else gets to play in the game instead of you.
That's how this team is.
On the next episode of Ace of the Diamond Act II:
"Out of Time."
Next Time
"Out of Time"
Let's win the national title!
Illustration / Yuji Terajima