You look quite happy about it.
The captain almost never willingly practices with others!
You're starting for the practice game against Hakuryu in three days,
Sawamura.
You won't be playing the first day.
Why? Why do I have to wait three days?!
What am I gonna do for three days?!
He's chosen Sawamura to start against Hakuryu,
the strongest team out of all our practice games?
A number of press outlets will be there.
Make sure you condition yourself and take the mound in the best shape possible.
May 3rd Osaka
Osaka Kiryu High School Practice Field Komadai Fujimaki – Osaka Kiryu (South Hokkaido) (Osaka)
The stands are packed.
Where'd all these people come from?
Osaka Kiryu Komadai Fujimaki
I'm intrigued by his eyes.
Osaka Kiryu High School Coach Takahiro Matsumoto
This team has all the momentum right now.
I hope they can light a fire under our players.
Komadai Fujimaki Coach Kozo Nitta
They'll be swinging.
Let's go, Masamune!
Aichi
Seiho High School Practice Field Inashiro Industrial – Seiho (West Tokyo) (Aichi)
Seiho High School Coach Yu Nishidera
Golden Week.
It's a time for high school players to have practice games
in preparation for the summer tournament.
Kumamoto
Yoshinaga — Shogakukan (Tokushima) (Kumamoto)
That's number 47!
Teams travel far and wide for the chance to play against powerhouse schools.
Miyagi
As a result, fans in many regions get to see some interesting matchups.
Yamamori Academy — Ikuei (Yamanashi) (Miyagi)
Saitama Municipal Urawa Baseball Field
Saitama
Seido — Yamaga (West Tokyo) (Saitama)
Yeah, nice power!
Furuya's signature pitching!
But how long can he keep it up?
How many strikeouts was that?
Eight.
I don't think anyone will get a hit off Furuya today.
He's doing much better.
He's still not doing well.
Yeah.
They're just erratic enough that the batters aren't hitting them,
but they're too high.
No team at Koshien Stadium will swing at pitches like that.
Hopefully he can find a way to address it soon.
Ball.
Three balls again.
He's throwing a lot of pitches today.
What's wrong, Masamune Hongo?
Not feeling well?
The batters are just seeing right through him.
Nah, his pitches just don't have any speed on them.
He hasn't given up any runs, but...
Let's see what you've got!
Two outs!
They're playing as soon as they got here.
I know they must be tired after the long trip,
but I thought his pitches would be good, at least.
They aren't going to swing at those.
The reason is obvious.
We haven't been practicing with a ball lately.
What's that cowardly look in your eyes?
Komadai Fujimaki
Got your heads in the clouds.
Acting like you're hot stuff just because you won the Invitational.
Your defense is snappy, but lacking in substance.
You hit however you want.
Is that how a team that wants to win in the spring and summer practices?
It's laughable.
The way you're playing, you won't even make it to Koshien Stadium.
You'll practice without any balls. Do whatever you want.
Damn that old man...
You think I'm acting like I'm hot stuff?
You think I'm self-satisfied?
What's with this guy?
He's shifting up a gear.
I'm game.
This isn't enough!
Three fastballs.
If you've got anyone who can stop us, bring them out!
Saitama Municipal Urawa Baseball Field
Seido
Yamaga
Furuya...
We're gonna keep scoring and relieve some of the pressure on you pitchers.
Isn't that right, Miyuki?
We third-years...
have to lead the team forward!
Yeah!
Zono-san...
Oh, yeah!
Wow, the third-years are looking good!
Their mindset going into games is intense!
Damn...
I wanna be on that mound.
Tomorrow can't come soon enough!
Seido High School Practice Field A Seido – Keishu (West Tokyo) (Kanagawa)
Yes!
Yeah!
Seido
Ikuei
Damn, Seido's good.
This is their second string.
Those three guys who came out in the fifth inning are all first-years.
Really?
The players who know their role are easy to utilize.
It's better for them to play in the second string than warm the first-string bench.
The longer they're on the second string, the more I'll influence them, though.
I wonder what that will mean for the team.
He hasn't given a single sign.
Aichi
Well, I was amazed.
Narumiya-kun seemed really calm out there.
Mei Narumiya
5 innings 84 pitches 4 hits allowed 0 walks 7 strikeouts 0 runs allowed
He's powered up even more. He got us good.
He was only pitching five innings today, so he could go all out.
Your batters hung on well, so he was quite frustrated.
Not at all. We'll combine what you gave us this year and last, and pay you back.
Seiho Inashiro
W Narumiya – Hirano L Kunieda – Akanishi – Mori
At Koshien Stadium.
Yes, at Koshien Stadium.
Osaka
Osaka Kiryu
Komadai Fujimaki
Well, you got us.
We just got lucky at the end.
You must have been tired from the trip.
Honestly, I'm pretty upset.
I think you got our team pretty fired up.
You aren't slacking off after winning the Invitational at all.
You'll be even more intimidating come the summer.
Your team has fired ours up as well.
You had us researched inside and out,
so it was well worth coming to Osaka.
I'm glad to hear it.
Pigheaded old man.
Damned tanuki.
Masamune Hongo
6 2/3 innings 118 pitches 4 hits allowed 2 walks 7 strikeouts 2 runs allowed
Hongo!
We'll have a rematch at Koshien Stadium!
This time, we'll crush you!
Ignore
Okay, that does it! We'll make you cry!
You'll be crying!
We'll settle this at Koshien Stadium!
Captains' Meeting
Sorry, that's just how he is.
They shouldn't get so worked up.
Where are you playing tomorrow?
Kyoto Daikoku.
Want to hear about their ace's quirks?
In this period before the summer qualifiers,
each team obsesses over not only wins and losses,
Saitama
but also individual performances and the flow of each game.
Seido Yamaga
W Furuya – Kawashima L Haranishi – Fujimoto – Miyamoto
Satoru Furuya
7 innings 94 pitches 3 hits allowed 2 walks 10 strikeouts 1 run allowed
Game 2 Seido — Daido (West Tokyo) (Saitama)
Players in good form,
players in bad form,
and players who show more growth than expected.
They take a close look at each player's state
Seido
Daido
and seek to bring out the absolute best in their current roster.
The key is to strike a balance
between their trust in individual players and their goal to improve the entire team.
Norifumi Kawakami
9 innings 125 pitches 7 hits allowed 1 walk 3 strikeouts 2 runs allowed
Seido Daido
W Kawakami L Ichiharu Uchida
May 4th
Gunma
Maebashi Municipal Baseball Stadium
Hakuryu High School (third-year) Soichiro Mima
For Sawamura, who wants to become the ace,
this game will be a great opportunity.
The main team is in Gunma today, right?
They're playing Hakuryu. That's gonna be interesting.
Sawamura-senpai is starting, right?
Yeah, but he was complaining about having to wait until the second day.
I wish I could see it!
Masashi got out four times and Yui didn't even get to play.
What're you so happy about?
We're the second string, but we get to play.
We may be the lucky ones.
And you're even starting today, Okumura.
In a game, there is no first string, second string, or class year.
You just focus on defeating your opponent.
Yeah, got that right!
Focus on eating that opponent you've got there.
Don't laugh.
Look, Okumura-kun, I'm still on my first bowl!
Don't push yourself too hard, Koshu.
There's a lot of people here.
You're here, too?
Both teams were contenders to win the Invitational, after all.
A team with an average baserunning time of 4.1 seconds,
Gunma's Hakuryu High School will give the other team
a fast-paced game that tests their defense.
Hakuryu High School Coach Kotaro Sasaki
Coach Sasaki and his stopwatch have become a regular fixture.
So if a player takes more than 4.2 seconds to reach first base twice,
he'll take them out of the game?
Yeah!
Mima-kun was a track athlete and they brought in his father to coach.
When he joined the team, he gave the players muscle and blood tests.
Wow!
There's only one thing that would make this game better...
Small ball versus the monster pitcher.
Why isn't Furuya starting?
He pitched in Saitama yesterday.
Maybe he'll come out in the second half.
Their southpaw Sawamura is starting.
Did he pitch at Koshien Stadium?
I think I remember him falling flat.
We've been dealing with changes in our team since the invitational, too.
There is probably a reason Furuya-kun isn't pitching.
He had a good match pitching against Masamune Hongo,
but this team has another key player.
The catcher with an 80 percent caught stealing percentage at Koshien Stadium,
considered by many to be the best current catcher in high school baseball,
Kazuya Miyuki.
That analysis is flawed.
He didn't face us at Koshien Stadium.
Baseball has become a battle of intelligence gathering.
Practically no team faces an opponent without knowing their strengths.
Hakuryu
Seido
The more they focus on our running game,
the more control we'll have over the game before it even begins.
The best catcher currently playing.
Are his skills the real deal?
Let's play our way and see.
Batting First, Shortstop Kuramochi
Batting First, Shortstop Kujo
Batting Second, Second Baseman Kominato
Batting Second, Left Fielder Miyao
Batting Third, Right Fielder Shirasu
Batting Third, Center Fielder Mima
Batting Fourth, Catcher Miyuki
Batting Fourth, First Baseman Kitaooji
Batting Fifth, First Baseman Maezono
Batting Fifth, Catcher Ito
Batting Sixth, Left Fielder Furuya
Batting Sixth, Third Baseman Honda
Batting Seventh, Center Fielder Tojo
Batting Seventh, Right Fielder Igarashi
Batting Eighth, Third Baseman Kanemaru
Batting Eighth, Pitcher Ono
Batting Ninth, Second Baseman Urushibara
Batting Ninth, Pitcher
Sawamura
Whoa!
Previous night
They run here?
Isn't that reckless?
No, it's borderline.
This team expertly straddles the line between safe and reckless,
which is why they're so intimidating.
Hey, do you realize what it means that you're starting tomorrow?
Hakuryu is the toughest team we're playing during Golden Week.
Just the fact that you're starting this game shows they have high hopes in you.
High hopes?
You saved me.
Sorry.
Good job shutting them down.
If I pitch well in this game,
can I become the ace?
It's not that simple.
You know that.
We're striving to win a national title.
Having more stable pitchers gives us confidence.
I will do everything I can to help you pitch your best tomorrow.
Just focus on taking down every batter you face.
The recognition you want will come naturally.
Why did I go and say something like that?
Am I an idiot?
Just thinking about myself...
Self-serving idiot!
So you really want that ace number.
Stay outta my head, wolf boy!
Sawamura!
One at a time.
Pitch your kind of game, Eijun-kun!
Doesn't mean you can screw up, okay?
Balls will come flying your way,
so please back me up!
Yeah!
We'll stop 'em!
Go all out, Sawamura!
I see.
I've been given a big chance.
If you want to pitch, come see me.
I'll do my best to help.
I've wanted him to acknowledge me,
wanted to make him acknowledge me!
Strike!
I won't waste...
one pitch or one second!
"One Pitch, One Second"
"One Pitch, One Second."
He's got the flexible bat control to pepper the entire field with hits,
and he runs fifty meters in 5.8 seconds.
A prodigious batter who even the pros are keeping an eye on,
his name is Soichiro Mima.
If we can't stop him, a win won't come easy.
The catcher can't stop a stolen base by himself.
The pitcher needs to cooperate, too.
And he's shown he cares about his catcher.
Did you teach him that?
It wasn't teaching...
On the next episode of Ace of the Diamond Act II:
Next Time
"Incomplete"
"Incomplete."
Let's win the national title!
Illustration / Yuji Terajima