Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

'Here it comes!'

Watching Sawamura Eijun throw the pitch, the seventh batter from the Texas team couldn't help but tremble in his legs.

The sixth batter for the Texas team was the most skilled hitter after Lincoln on their team. Even he couldn't make contact with Sawamura's pitch. How could the other players possibly have the confidence to face Sawamura head-on?

Thus, when the batter from the American Texas team stepped into the Batter's Box, it was inevitable that he would feel intimidated.

Although he wasn't placed high in the batting order and didn't usually garner as much attention as some of the star players, the pressure placed on him in today's game was immense.

Before he stepped up to bat, the Texas team's coach had repeatedly instructed him.

The coach didn't expect him to hit Sawamura's pitch out of the park, but at the very least, the bat needed to make contact with the ball. Otherwise, their team's momentum would drop too much.

"Don't get struck out! Don't let the opponent's momentum soar. We need to show our fighting spirit and let them know we are not easy to deal with..."

The Coach's intention was simple—he wanted the batter to apply pressure on the pitcher.

But the tone he used was somewhat harsh.

Before the batter took his turn, the coach had already filled his mind with these thoughts.

The batter, who already had little confidence in hitting Sawamura's pitches, was now given an even more difficult task.

'Wasn't this a bit too much?' 

The batter standing in the box felt like running away at this point.

In the catcher's position, Miyuki keenly sensed the situation.

He believed that at this moment, Sawamura didn't need to throw breaking balls. A simple fastball could easily deal with this batter who had already lost his fighting spirit.

There was no real need to showcase the sharp breaking balls to the American players.

But the excuse Sawamura had given earlier made it difficult to argue against.

If they didn't throw a pitch that could make the American players feel overwhelmed, how could they expect to dominate them?

Once momentum and confidence were involved, no matter what decision the players made, it seemed difficult to criticize.

"Since you've made up your mind, let's not hold back. Let's do it!"

Even though Miyuki didn't think it was necessary to throw sharp breaking balls, in order to create the scenario that Sawamura wanted to present in the best possible light, he chose to cooperate.

At this point, he signaled Sawamura with a sign.

WHRROOSH!

After seeing the sign, Sawamura immediately threw a fastball.

The pitch was right down the middle.

The batter, who had been in a state of complete despair, suddenly felt a flicker of hope when he saw the ball.

Any skilled batter would never pass up a good pitch right down the middle.

So when he saw the baseball flying toward him, his eyes suddenly lit up with confidence.

Did the pitcher make a mistake?

That was his first thought.

Though this idea was hard for the batter to fully believe, when he saw the ball coming, he still swung his bat.

But to his despair, as the baseball got closer to his bat, he saw that the ball seemed to rise just before he made contact!

"What the...!!!"

At this moment, the Texas team's batter felt like swearing.

There was no other way to vent the frustration he felt inside.

'What the f*ck going on?'

'Since when did pitch rise?!'

He couldn't understand.

Although he knew that some pitches could have an upward effect, especially fast pitches that were thrown with extreme velocity, which caused the ball to spin more and climb due to friction with the air…

But there was a prerequisite!

The pitch had to be thrown with enough speed.

Sawamura's pitch, while fast, wasn't what could be called extremely fast.

It would be very difficult to make the ball rise just based on that speed.

"The Moving-Up ball!"

The batter was conflicted and confused.

Though he still wasn't feeling great, he wasn't as timid as before.

Lost in his confusion, he even forgot about his nervousness.

This change in momentum was obvious, but Sawamura on the mound didn't pay any attention.

He didn't care about the batter's state. His goal was purely to show off his skill.

He wanted to shake the confidence of the Texas team's players with his pitching.

This was crucial since, up until now, Seidou High School was still trailing by four Runs.

If they didn't pull off some tricks now, Seidou High School had no chance of turning the game around.

So, without caring about the batter's feelings, Sawamura threw his fifth pitch.

Whrroosh!

The baseball zipped through the air and was soon right in front of the batter...

'It's here again!!'

The baseball, like a nightmare, once again flies toward him.

The seventh batter from the Texas team feels like crying.

But no matter how unwilling he is, when that baseball comes flying toward him, he has no choice.

He grits his teeth and swings the bat.

Since he missed the good, center-pitched ball earlier, he's no longer expecting to be able to hit Sawamura's pitches.

With this mindset, of course, he doesn't manage to make contact with the ball.

He can only watch as the bat and the baseball pass each other, growing farther apart.

SNAP!

"STRIKE!!"

The sound of the baseball hitting the Mitt is crisp and pleasant, no matter when you hear it.

But in the ears of the American Texas team's batter, it feels like a curse, leaving him nowhere to hide.

At that moment, he wishes the ground would suddenly split open, and that he could crawl into a gap to escape.

'Please, let this end soon. Just end it.'

He no longer cares about trying to hit Sawamura's pitches.

He has given up the fight!

His arm mechanically swings the bat, without even aiming at the incoming ball.

SNAP!

The bat once again passes by the baseball not touching it.

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"

"Nice pitching Sawamura!!"

"Hyaa-ha-haa! Easy on them buddy!" (Kuramochi said it in English)

"You can pitch to contact too!"

"I will catch it I swear!"

"Two Out!!"

"Two Out!!!"

"Go Sawamura!!!"

Two consecutive Strikeouts. Under Sawamura's pitching lead, the Seidou High School baseball team, trailing by four points, is full of momentum.

Sawamura has used six completely different types of breaking balls!!!

At this moment, Sawamura doesn't know that, in the stands, someone else was fascinated by his performance.

"Five, six types of breaking balls!"

A middle-aged man with slightly graying hair, his eyes as bright as stars in the night sky.

At that moment, there's only one thought in his mind.

'We must have him!'

'The speed and power of his breaking balls, compared to a fastball, don't show any significant decline.'

A pitcher with this level of breaking balls is already rare. Even if he can't become the Ace of a team, he would at least be an important reliever.

And when this pitcher can throw more than one type of these breaking balls...

His value multiplies exponentially.

So far, Sawamura has never thrown the same type of breaking ball twice.

Such talent, even for Coach Abel, is something he's never seen before.

'The world is full of wonders!'

…

T/N: Well, That's it for now.

Thank you all for reading!

Have a good day!

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