Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

The American players were confused.

They knew Sawamura had just done something extraordinary, which was why the fans were so shocked.

But what exactly had he done? They couldn't figure it out.

They racked their brains, but they couldn't guess.

"That high fly ball?"

"Sawamura had intentionally made the batter hit it?"

"No way, right?"

Top of the 4th Inning, America attacks.

With two powerful pitchers in the previous three innings, the game proceeded without much delay, quickly reaching the end.

The pace of the game was so fast it was frightening.

The first three innings were over in less than 20 minutes.

Fans in the stands noticed the speed.

"This game is moving so fast!"

"Getting Outs so easily, both pitchers are incredibly strong."

"Looks like the pace is much faster than we expected."

"Really impressive!"

No matter where the fans were from, they could only marvel in awe.

When the game reached the 4th inning, a major turning point arrived.

The first three innings went smoothly for both teams.

No one expected a crisis to emerge at such a crucial moment.

By the 4th inning, after adapting in the first round, the American players had clearly found Sawamura's pitching rhythm.

The first batter from America, facing Sawamura, took a focused stance.

Seeing this, Sawamura felt a bit embarrassed and knew he had to give his 120% to beat them.

And that's exactly what he did.

Sawamura raised his arm high and threw the baseball hard.

This time, he didn't put all his strength into it.

He simply executed his pitching motion perfectly and sent the ball out.

The baseball sped through, reaching the batter's face in the blink of an eye.

Despite having adapted in the previous rounds, the American player still found it difficult to react in time.

He waited calmly for the ball to come to him.

Throughout this, the batter didn't move an inch.

Seeing this, Sawamura's expression changed slightly.

He hadn't expected this outcome.

The American players had, without him realizing it, started to adapt.

Sawamura wasn't afraid of a direct confrontation.

If the opponents faced him head-on, he would be very happy.

But now they were using tactics, waiting for the ball. That was a different story.

Now, he had to worry about everything.

At this moment, the American players had adjusted their strategy. They no longer chose to aggressively swing, but instead decided to wait for the pitch.

The first ball was a fastball.

Both teams were completely focused, and anything could happen at any moment.

When the American batter didn't swing at the fastball, Sawamura was a bit uneasy.

But he decided to go with the fastball again.

This time, the batter didn't move.

The count was 0-2.

At the catcher's position, Renji also realized this was a critical moment.

No one could show mercy now. They had to go all out.

He also crouched into a defensive position, positioning his Mitt on the inside corner.

Evading wasn't going to help. Since the batter wouldn't swing at the fastball, it was better to just continue using it.

To make sure it didn't get hit, the angle of the fastball had to be perfect.

Just now, the American player seemed to have adapted to Sawamura's pitching.

It was hard to believe, but considering the level of the American players, it wasn't surprising.

Especially that guy, Francis, who was no easy opponent.

In the dugout of the Japanese team.

The assistant coach is sweating nervously.

This time, the Japanese team has gathered quite a few elite players, and both within their team and among the vast number of fans, there's great confidence that they can win the championship.

With such high expectations, if they fail to deliver a result that satisfies everyone, it's easy to imagine that their future days will not be pleasant.

This isn't an exaggeration, it's just the truth.

The fans will, of course, not blame their favorite players.

Just like Sawamura, who is currently pitching on the mound.

Even if the team loses in the end, his crazy fans won't place the blame on him.

They will certainly come up with all sorts of reasons to defend him.

It's not just that the responsibility isn't on Sawamura Eijun; even if it were his fault, his fans would find countless excuses to exonerate him.

As the current representative figure of baseball in Japan, the name Sawamura Eijun carries its own aura and is not to be sullied by anyone.

Since they can't blame the players, they naturally turn to blame the coaches, assistant coaches, and even the staff.

As for the difficulties the team has gone through, with so many key players sitting on the bench now, it's likely that no one is even paying attention.

They are actually not in a good position.

The assistant coach is extremely nervous, and the team's head Coach, Takeda, doesn't look any better.

Given his seniority and position, he doesn't need to worry as much as the assistant coach.

But the situation before him still feels tricky.

America!

Initially, it was thought that, apart from the American Dream Team, the national team's coordination, overall strength, and individual player skills would be at a significant disadvantage.

But it turns out that's not the case.

Francis has completely adapted to Sawamura's pitching form and upgraded velocity.

And Sawamura is unable to use his higher-level breaking balls.

So, it's only a matter of time before the ball gets hit.

Takeda doesn't actually worry much about Sawamura's abilities.

Perhaps ordinary people would think that Sawamura, being a breaking-ball pitcher, is most known for striking batters out.

Making them miss the ball!

This idea has some basis, of course.

In fact, up until now, all major domestic competitions in Japan have seen Sawamura set the strikeout record.

The Tokyo Spring Tournament, the Summer Tournament, the Kanto Conference, Spring Koshien, Summer Koshien...

Sawamura has taken all the strikeout records in these competitions.

He's also known as a record freak.

In fact, the records he holds aren't just for strikeouts!

He also holds records for home runs and more!

But the impression people have is that he's a dominant pitcher.

This is also where his "Great Demon King" nickname comes from...

But seeing him with your own eyes doesn't always tell the whole story.

Originally, Takeda also thought that Sawamura was that kind of pitcher.

But after spending some time with him, he came to realize that Sawamura's characteristic wasn't what everyone imagined.

His characteristic isn't to make batters miss the ball.

Sawamura's true characteristic is to make batters miss the sweet spot of the bat.

In other words, he's a pitcher who gets batters out after they make contact with the ball, relying on fielding to complete the Outs.

So, even if Sawamura Eijun can't use those high-level breaking balls, the impact on his abilities isn't as great as people might think.

That is as long as there are reliable fielders!

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