Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

'It was him!'

When hearing the opponent's name and comparing it to the figure in his memory, Sawamura found that there was indeed some resemblance.

People change as they grow older. A teenager in his teens is certainly different in overall looks from when he's in his 20s.

When Johannesburg gained fame with the Cubs, he was already a tall and well-built young man.

At that time, he sported spiky blonde hair and had a wild, flamboyant look, becoming a favorite in the entertainment media.

Compared to the small, timid boy in front of him now, he seemed like an entirely different person.

No wonder Sawamura hadn't recognized him right away.

'But, you have certainly grown up!'

The change was too drastic, and unless you did a careful comparison, it was really hard to tell.

Now that he knew who it was, Sawamura didn't mind the hit that had just been given up.

With Johannesburg's talent, it would've been strange if he hadn't hit that ball.

And even if Johannesburg had reached base, it wouldn't have mattered much.

From Sawamura's perspective, aside from his hitting talent, Johannesburg wasn't particularly strong in defense or base running.

That's why he became a designated hitter for pitchers.

Otherwise, with his hitting ability, he could've easily secured a core position.

Having a guy like that on base didn't pose too much of a threat.

'But it is a shame!'

The only regret Sawamura had was that the perfect game was no longer possible...

It even depends on luck.

Today, Sawamura felt like his form was good and he could have a perfect game.

And since the American players hadn't done a very detailed scouting job before the game, his confidence was even higher.

Having never faced his pitching, unless they were really fearsome hitters, it would be very difficult for them to hit the ball.

Even if Sawamura only used fastballs, the results wouldn't be compromised too much.

He had thought it all through and was ready to deal with his opponents.

However,

"Substitution!"

Just as he was focusing on dealing with the American team's second batter, Hyman, something changed.

There was movement in the American dugout.

Their Coach had made another substitution.

Johannesburg, who had just gotten on first base, was replaced again.

He was substituted for a tall black player, standing at 180 cm with a good build.

Just from looking at his form, it was easy to see that this guy had an impressive muscular physique.

Explosive power!

The American team was doing everything they could to get a run at this point.

They didn't seem to be overly concerned with appearances, and it wasn't necessary to go so far.

But both the Coach and players didn't hesitate, going all-in.

Clearly, this game meant more to them than usual.

Sawamura's eyes flickered.

He didn't even need to test it—just by looking, he knew this runner's speed wasn't slow.

The American players' reactions also made this clear.

Their reaction was unusual as if they were fully confident in this guy's speed.

'Interesting!'

Sawamura smiled inwardly, and he roughly guessed what the American players were planning.

'Since that's the case, then I'll play the good guy to the end.'

'If they want to run, let them run.'

Sawamura didn't even glance at the runner and got ready to pitch.

Without any hesitation, the new runner immediately sprinted towards second base.

In the American dugout, their Coach couldn't hide his joy.

"The opponent players were too careless."

'Did they think we wouldn't dare to run on the first pitch?'

'It was a joke...'

The player he had high hopes for was incredibly fast.

When he sprinted full force, he made it to second base in three seconds.

It was hard for anyone to stop him.

And the Japanese battery duo didn't even try to throw him off with a glance.

There was no communication between them either.

In such circumstances, it was even less likely that they could stop the runner.

Once the runner got to second base, the point would be as good as theirs.

The Coach's smile had just started to form, but before it could fully blossom, he saw something unbelievable. The smile froze on his face, as though it had been locked in place.

There was no sign of the pitcher trying to prevent the runner from advancing, but once the runner moved, the catcher made a move.

He stood up and took a step outside the strike zone.

'Now?'

The American coach's eyes widened so much it looked like his eyeballs might fall out.

Without any communication, the pitcher's throwing motion appeared to have already been completed.

But the catcher suddenly changed position. It seemed like this pitch could easily be missed.

'How could this duo dare to do this?'

Then, the unbelievable happened.

As the baseball was about to be thrown, Sawamura rotated his wrist, adjusting the direction of the pitch.

Eijun has the Last Moment Adjustment.

The American players, unaware of this, were destined to fall into this trap.

Snap!

Already standing, Miyuki didn't hesitate at all. After catching the ball, he directly threw it to second base.

Whoosh!

The baseball shot like a laser, crossing several meters in an instant, and landing by the runner's feet at second base.

"Hmph!"

A swift figure appeared there, catching the ball firmly with a grunt, then tagging the runner out.

Zooming in, it was none other than Shirakawa from Inashiro High School.

Today, his coordination with the pitcher, Sawamura, was flawless.

No matter who looked, no one would think this was their first time working together.

It felt as though they had already collaborated many times before.

In the stands, Fujio, a senior reporter for Baseball Kingdom Magazine, sighed with emotion.

"In this Tokyo representative team, there are countless talented players. But if we're talking about the strongest Battery duo, it's probably these two in front of us."

Sawamura and Miyuki.

There were other players who could be compared, but such a duo was unique in the entire country, unmatched.

If they were called the best, no one would argue with that.

"Truly worthy of being the King-level battery duo of the Seidou High School baseball team, they really are extraordinary."

Kengo Inui, who was resting in the Tokyo team's dugout, sighed with emotion as he muttered to himself.

Speaking of which, their own battery duo at Teito High School had also been praised by others.

Kengo Inui, in partnership with Mukai Taiyo, felt very good about their own chemistry.

Although neither of them considered themselves to be the top pitcher or catcher in the nation, they believed that their combined strength was no weaker than any duo from any team.

Even when compared to the elite Seidou High School baseball team, they felt that the two teams were equally skilled, each with their own strengths.

However, looking at it now, Inui thought his previous thoughts were too naïve.

Not only was there a gap in individual strength, but even in terms of their tacit understanding and mutual trust, there were subtle differences.

An all-around superiority.

If Teito High School really wanted to challenge the Seidou baseball team, relying solely on their battery would probably make it very hard to win.

Their strongest points didn't even compare to their opponent's.

This reality was a huge blow.

Fortunately, the two teams didn't belong to the same district. If Teito High School and Seidou High School baseball teams had been in the same district, it would have been difficult for Teito to win against Seidou, given their team style.

Inui couldn't even come up with a way to break the Seidou battery duo.

Even if someone occasionally made it on base, the result would probably be futile.

It would be incredibly difficult to score a run against them.

In the Tokyo representative team, many players shared the same thoughts as Kengo Inui.

They are no longer worried about this game, with Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki Kazuya holding down the fort. The American team's players simply wouldn't be able to score at this point.

Once this concern was no longer an issue, another problem inevitably emerged for everyone.

That was the fact that they would be in the same district as the Seidou High School baseball team.

If these third-year players—who were the core players of their respective teams—had even a tiny bit of ambition, then the Seidou High School baseball team would undoubtedly be their opponent.

If they didn't defeat this powerful foe, they, as third-year students, would no longer have any chance to make it to Koshien.

This was something that no player in the field could accept.

For this reason, the atmosphere in the final stages of the game became somewhat strange.

Paak!

The ball hit by the second batter, Hyman, wasn't powerful. It was a deliberate bait pitch by Sawamura and Miyuki.

Recently, they have been trying to slowly change their style by mixing fishing pitches into their powerful pitching.

If they could perfect this and make it seamlessly integrated, even if Sawamura hadn't made any breakthroughs in his new off-speed pitches and velocity, his strength would increase by half a level.

Moreover, this could be useful when Sawamura wanted to keep things tame while not spending too much energy.

Although this might sound easy, it wasn't as simple as it seemed in an intense game.

Fortunately, both Sawamura and Miyuki still had some natural talent. After a period of practice, they slowly started to get the hang of it.

This rhythm was a result of their efforts.

Hyman was clearly distracted by the previous pitch speed and lost his balance. After hitting the ball, it became an easy grounder.

Normally, this ball would have been caught by the fielder directly.

But for some unknown reason, the third baseman on the field hesitated and didn't rush to the ball's landing spot in time. The ball hit the ground and rolled out of bounds.

Yamaoka looked embarrassed and made an apologetic gesture toward Sawamura.

He had been so stunned that he was completely immersed in his own world, not even noticing the ball flying toward him.

Such an amateurish performance made Yamaoka too ashamed to explain to Sawamura.

But who were Sawamura and Miyuki?

Even without Yamaoka Riku saying anything, they could more or less guess what their teammate was thinking.

Sawamura's performance had been so eye-catching that all the players around them were greatly affected.

At this point, it was understandable that they weren't focused and out of sync.

Thinking about facing Sawamura and Miyuki in the summer, it was no wonder that the players of the Tokyo representative team couldn't continue the game calmly.

What should they do? When their teammates were all scared stiff because of them during the game, what could they do?

Sawamura and Miyuki exchanged a glance and, after nodding to each other, immediately made a decision.

Since their teammates weren't in sync, they would solve the problem themselves. Since they had already showcased their abilities, they didn't mind showing more...

They would release both true and false information to keep the others busy for a while.

Otherwise, with so many pitching moves on display, it would be a disadvantage for them.

As if they were in perfect sync, Sawamura and Miyuki decided to dig some holes for their teammates, who had fought alongside them before.

Of course, aside from this reason, Sawamura also wanted to have a good face-to-face match with some of the American players.

Just a fair competition.

With his right foot raised high, it fell like a battle axe.

As his body shifted, Eijun's right hand pushed forward like a wall, and his left hand whipped like a whip.

Without any warning, the baseball suddenly flew out.

Hyman in the Batter's Box hadn't even realized what was happening, and the baseball had already passed by him.

It landed right in Miyuki Kazuya's Mitt.

SNAP!

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

Sawamura fully unleashed his speed, just like he had after the previous hit.

At that moment, he was firing on all cylinders, fiercely retaliating.

Looking at the American representative team's dugout.

All the players had tense faces, looking like they were facing a great adversary.

Had they known it would turn out like this, they should have sent their Ace from the start.

But now there is no time for regret.

The American players believed this game was as good as lost, but they never expected that Sawamura, on the mound, wasn't about to let things go.

He was about to push these American players into an even deeper hell.

...