Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

As the game neared its end, the Japanese team was leading the opponent by 11 points.

The Cuban team appeared fierce, but when it came to the actual competition, they were quite soft.

They were simply no match for the Japanese team and suffered continuous losses during direct confrontations.

They had thought about counterattacking, but there was no way to fight back.

The difference in strength between the two sides was too great.

This gap could no longer be made up with a few small actions.

On the pitcher's mound, Katro had given up on using dangerous pitches to hit players.

This didn't mean he had turned over a new leaf, but rather that he had already angered the umpire. Continuing to use dangerous pitches at this point would result in him being thrown out without hesitation.

Apart from him, the Cuban team had no reliable pitchers left, and switching to another player would likely make things even worse.

At this moment, Sawamura felt a bit of respect for Katro.

Knowing full well that staying on the field would only lead to him being hit, he gritted his teeth and held on. He didn't retreat, leaving the mess for his teammates to clean up.

Though his intentions weren't entirely noble, there was a trace of chivalry in his bones.

He was a man!

For such a manly opponent, Sawamura would show no mercy in his pitching.

The more the opponent deserved his respect, the more Sawamura would go all out.

Otherwise, it would be the greatest disrespect to the opponent.

During the game, Sawamura gave them no hope.

Even when Sawamura left the field, other players from the Japanese team continued his approach.

They gave their all, playing steadily.

With unyielding determination and formidable strength, they completely defeated the opponent, leaving no room for them to retaliate.

Hoshitaru was truly a player with a big heart.

Facing such an important game, his performance after taking the mound was remarkable. Though it couldn't be said that he fully inherited Sawamura's will, he didn't bring shame to the Japanese team.

He perfectly suppressed the Cuban team's batting lineup.

As the game neared its end, the Japanese team launched their last offensive.

After this offensive, the Cuban team would only have one last chance to attack.

If the Cuban team couldn't close the 11-point gap during that last offensive, the game would be declared over.

The final result was inevitable: the Japanese team would win.

At this point in the game, the answer was already obvious.

The Japanese team was superior!

Especially compared to the Cuban team, judging by the score on the field.

The advantage they held was likely more than just a little.

11:0!

Even in a sport like ping pong, where scoring is relatively easy, this score would be enough to end the game.

Let alone in a baseball match.

At this point, the Cuban players only had a theoretical chance to catch up.

From a practical standpoint, continuing the game didn't seem necessary.

Today's match could be considered over.

Paak!

At the last moment, both the Cuban team and the fans in the stands thought that the Japanese team would ease up, not pressing so hard.

But they had clearly overestimated the Japanese team's sportsmanship, especially Kuramochi's.

As the game neared its end, Kuramochi suddenly launched a fierce attack.

He executed a bunt and then ran to first base.

This guy wanted to pay tribute to Mima in his own way.

Though the Japanese team had already secured victory in this match, it didn't mean they had forgotten the previous bold play.

Originally, there were 20 players on the roster, but now only 19 remained, with one player sent to the hospital by the opposing pitcher.

This was truly a regretful story.

Mima's injury earlier made Kuramochi feel empathetic.

He felt as if the one injured was himself.

Originally, Kuramochi had a delinquent background, and deep down, he had a sense of loyalty.

Since the opponent had targeted his teammate, he had to pay them back in kind.

Even if he couldn't directly send the opponent to the hospital, he would make them remember the Japanese team through baseball, showing them they weren't to be messed with. Especially not Kuramochi—he was like a tiger's tail that shouldn't be touched.

The baseball was knocked, and Kuramochi shot forward like an arrow, rushing toward first base.

The Cuban players, already a bit out of sync, seemed disoriented.

They were completely unprepared for Kuramochi's sudden offensive.

In their minds, both teams had reached an unspoken agreement. How could they suddenly attack?

This was unreasonable!

The Japanese team had already secured victory. Why stir things up?

The Cuban players couldn't understand this.

So, they could only watch as Kuramochi ran to first base.

The Japanese team's assistant coach was extremely worried, nervously sitting and muttering over and over again.

"These kids! These kids!!"

Though he had known beforehand that these young players were full of energy and might do something extreme, now that the game's big strategy had been set, no one expected the Japanese players to continue being so relentless.

At this moment, the assistant coach felt terribly wronged. When something went wrong, everyone turned their eyes on him.

But truth be told, this had nothing to do with him. It was all the players' doing, or what the fans had influenced them to do.

The assistant coach was deeply anxious.

The only thing that comforted him was that the game was almost over.

The worst-case scenario he had feared hadn't come to pass.

Although the Cuban team had acted recklessly earlier, they seemed reliable as the game neared its conclusion.

They stuck to their bottom line and didn't really do anything extreme.

The assistant coach even began to wonder if Mima's earlier injury was just an accident.

The Cuban players didn't seem like the vicious types.

Although their actions were hard for ordinary people to understand, the assistant coach slowly calmed himself.

He knew that no matter how much he worried, it wouldn't help.

The game had to be played by the players!

Thankfully, the game was almost over.

However, Kuramochi's actions had reignited the anxiety the assistant coach had tried to quell.

This shouldn't have been done!

From the assistant coach's perspective, the game was nearly over.

They were about to secure the final victory, so there was no need to make any unnecessary moves.

Kuramochi's decision was too rash and meaningless. 11:0. Even if he scored 10 more points, what difference would a 21:0 score make compared to the current 11:0?

By doing this, the Cuban players might get completely enraged. What then?

The Cuban players, however, weren't as fragile as the assistant coach thought. When Kuramochi reached base, they tried to stop him, but when they realized they couldn't, they gave up.

Since they couldn't stop him, they just let him go.

The Cuban players were surprisingly easygoing.

Kuramochi made it to first base with no problem.

At this moment, the batter in the hitting zone was Carlos, who was the first batter.

The two thousand fans who had come all the way from Japan to cheer didn't quite understand what was happening, but when they saw the team launching an attack, they began to chant their usual slogans.

Under their influence, many fans in the stands joined in, and with the accompaniment of the music, the Japanese team continued their relentless offense as the game neared its end.

The Cuban players seemed like dead fish, unable to make a single wave.

They were like meat on the chopping board, at the mercy of the Japanese team.

Like that, Kuramochi pushed through the bases like a fish in the water, and with the help of Carlos' timely hit, he returned home safely.

The Japanese players got excited at this play and wanted to score more, but with the assistant coach almost begging, they stopped.

And the final outcome didn't change.

On one hand, the original score gap was too big — 11:0. The Cuban players had no chance of catching up.

On the other hand, after their ace players left the field, the remaining Cuban players couldn't match up to the Japanese team either.

In the final moments, the Japanese team scored another two runs.

Final score: 13–0.

The overwhelmingly strong Japanese team crushed Cuba's team and successfully advanced to the finals.

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