Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

No one is Out, and there is a runner on second base.

It's beyond the imagination of the Japanese baseball fans. Originally, they thought that with the great Ace Sawamura Eijun at the mound, even if the American players were strong, it wouldn't matter.

Do they remember how terrifying the American Dream Team was back then? Their average age was even a year or two older than Sawamura's team.

But what difference did that make? When they faced the great ace Sawamura Eijun, they were still thoroughly suppressed.

Now, the opponent had changed to these players, whose strength wasn't exactly on par with the Dream Team.

If Sawamura wanted to take them down, it would be a piece of cake.

This was the thought of many Japanese baseball fans. There were many who thought this way.

However, as the game continued, they were astonished to find that things were not as they had imagined.

The biggest difference came from the opponents.

Originally, they thought the American players were actually frighteningly powerful.

They had never really seen the strength of the American Dream Team players and had no idea how formidable they truly were. But the current American players ' strength had already reached an unparalleled level.

It was terrifying!

Even Sawamura, in the second round, had his pitching rhythm caught.

In this situation, even though people had full confidence in Sawamura, they couldn't help but have doubts.

Could this great ace really stop America's relentless offense?

This was a very worth exploring question.

No one is Out, and there is a runner on second base.

The game continues!

On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura glances at the runner on second base, Francis, keeping him from leading off too far.

People say that Sawamura is well-rounded, and his strength is not limited to just pitching.

To be precise, all of his skills on the mound, every technique, are very comprehensive and far surpass the level of a high school player.

This is inevitable, given his experience.

Sawamura is also a person who loves to learn new skills. He has always been working hard to push himself to be better and improve.

This is also one of the reasons why his skills are so comprehensive.

Now, Sawamura was showing exactly that.

Even though there was a runner on second base, any hit could turn into a score.

Sawamura remained unhurried.

He slowly sized up the batter in the Batter's Box while keeping an eye on the situation behind him.

The runner was being very polite, staying still and not trying to take a risk!

Sawamura was a bit disappointed. The American players were too timid. They didn't fit their personality at all.

Why couldn't they just be ruthless and steal the base?

If they did that, it would make it easier for him to deal with them.

But since they were being so well-behaved, Sawamura felt troubled.

At this rate, didn't that mean they only had the option of a head-to-head confrontation?

If they were aggressive, Sawamura could find an opportunity to deal with them decisively.

If the opponent played it safe, expanding their lead steadily, even though the Japanese team was leading by one point, they couldn't guarantee a win!

They had to find a way.

Sawamura Eijun clearly realized that if the game continued like this, it would be very unfavorable for them.

So, he decided to take action.

However, with so few cards in hand, taking action wasn't going to be easy.

To prevent such a situation, he needed to act first.

Sawamura, on the mound, slowly took his stance.

Seeing Sawamura move, Francis also adjusted his stance, preparing to steal the base.

He was not someone who would play it safe.

As the leadoff hitter for America, he was also a very fast runner.

He could run 100 meters in 11.12 seconds!

An absolute sprinter!

If he could get up to speed between the bases, the Japanese team would face a huge problem.

Sawamura caught this with his peripheral vision, but didn't mind.

Though Francis had prepared to steal, his feet weren't far from the base.

There was no real threat.

In this situation, Sawamura had to focus all his energy on dealing with the batter.

The runner could be left to the catcher!

Of course, if Francis tried to steal, Sawamura was confident he could make him regret it.

After all, he had the Last Moment Adjustment.

As long as he had that, no one could escape his grasp.

Clearly, before the game, the American players had done their homework.

They knew about Sawamura's Last Moment Adjustment!

At this moment, they wouldn't give Sawamura such an opportunity.

Steady and gradual advancement was the strategy America was now aiming for.

Just like Sawamura thought, the American players weren't fools. They had already figured out the situation.

Although many of the American players were unwilling, the current strategy was best for them.

Playing it safe, head-to-head, and overpowering the opponent with strength.

Just like now, the second batter from America also chose to face off directly.

Paak!

The bat made contact with the baseball, which then soared into the air.

Sawamura's Moving ball wasn't so easy to handle.

The third baseman easily caught the ball in his mitt.

This stopped the American players' offensive momentum a little.

One Out, runner on second.

Sawamura's performance earned him wild cheers from the fans in the stands.

Especially in the face of the Japanese team's crisis, Sawamura's display gave people unexpected confidence.

He was like a guiding light, showing the way forward.

For those following behind him, as long as they followed the light, they would eventually find their way out.

No matter what obstacles or difficulties lay ahead, they would surely overcome them.

Next up was the third batter from America.

Jacklin.

He was a handsome guy.

Not only was he handsome, but his strength was also top-notch.

Paak!

"FOUL!"

Paak!

"FOUL!!"

During his duel with Sawamura, he held on tightly to the ball.

Though he never got a beautiful hit, his close battle still irritated Sawamura.

It was unclear what he was trying to achieve, but he was clearly wearing down Sawamura's pitch count.

He decided to end it with one pitch!

Though high-level breaking balls could still be handled well by Renji, but Sawamura didn't want to expose this just yet, and he didn't expect the American players to act so quickly!

Now, the American players had pushed them to the point of no return.

Sawamura could no longer afford to hold back.

He had to give it his all!

…