Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Most pitchers relied on strength and skill, but some, like Benjamin, didn't shy away from mind games.

His pitching system was still immature, but formed.

Looking deeper, his pitching was not as miraculous as imagined.

Once you broke down his secret, you'd slap your thigh thinking, "Why didn't I think of this before?"

Of course, realizing it is one thing; hitting the ball is another.

It's like the knee-jerk reflex test.

When someone taps your knee with a small hammer, you mentally tell yourself not to let your leg jerk.

You might understand the principle, but still think you can do it.

But if the hammer hits just right, what's the result?

Your leg still jerks!

Benjamin's pitching theory borrowed heavily from this.

He forced the batter through their body's reflexes.

Luring them to swing, then the defense would get the Outs.

This strategy can't be called good or bad.

It depends on the player's psychological quality.

If the player's mental strength and intelligence were high, they could handle it skillfully.

Not just Benjamin, Sawamura had used a similar tactic in past games.

But he didn't rely on it entirely.

He basically developed new pitches based on his own style.

The second batter struggled through seven pitches.

The third batter had seven pitches.

So far, Japanese players hadn't grasped the key.

Now it was Sawamura's turn.

This confrontation was seen as the critical turning point.

The result of this duel would definitely affect the final result, unless something unexpected happened.

Sawamura stood at the Batter's Box, raising his bat high.

At that moment, all his attention focused on the opponent.

Everything else around him faded away.

Though Sawamura had thoroughly studied Benjamin's pitching principles, he might not be able to explain them in detail in a long speech.

But judging the ball's landing and movement by experience, he could do that.

Yet even if he could, he didn't want to rely on uncertain judgments.

Sawamura thought betting on the game's outcome based on uncertain judgment was inappropriate.

It was overly optimistic, or overly confident.

There were already two Outs; even if he got a hit, it wouldn't matter much.

Coach Takeda's strategy was, of course, the golden rule for other players.

Until now, they hadn't found the secret of the opponent's pitching.

They didn't have the skill to hit the ball out.

But Sawamura was different!

He had already demonstrated that ability in previous confrontations.

Now he could act freely.

Sawamura's wish was simple: he needed another home run!

From a momentum perspective, Japan's momentum was definitely on the downside.

This was something Sawamura absolutely didn't want to see.

On the other hand, analyzing from the match perspective, the American players showed incredibly high skill in their recent offense.

They had a real chance to score, not just Sawamura's opinion.

Everyone on-site watching America's attack probably thought the same.

The American team would definitely score.

Maybe Sawamura could win a few surprise battles and escape once or twice.

But that wasn't a long-term plan.

If the game continued like this, the American team's scoring was only a matter of time.

Maybe it would take longer, but eventually, they would score.

Leading by only one point in this situation was not safe enough.

For the team and to make pitching easier for himself later, Sawamura decided to hit another home run.

So this time, when he stepped into the Batter's Box, he unleashed full power.

If the opponent threw a suitable ball, Sawamura would send it flying out of the park.

If the opponent kept throwing tricky balls that couldn't be hit for a home run, Sawamura had a plan for that, too.

He could simply hit those tricky balls foul.

With this magical state, Sawamura was confident he could do this.

Also, this way, he could thoroughly break the pitcher's confidence.

If the pitcher collapsed, although they would surely have to face Allen next, if they had already gained enough advantage, it wouldn't matter for them.

The only problem they would have to worry about later would be the American team's offense.

Though Sawamura couldn't shut them out completely, he could still control the runs within a certain range through pitching.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the two teams' pitchers once again faced off, needle to needle.

The fans in the stands, witnessing this lively scene, were almost uncontrollably excited.

This scene was incredibly thrilling!

They had been eagerly anticipating a direct confrontation between the two teams' pitchers. Since Benjamin's batting ability was not very strong, if he were the one at bat in this face-to-face duel, naturally, there wouldn't be much to watch.

The outcome would be obvious to everyone.

A matchup with such a skill gap obviously wouldn't be interesting.

But if it were changed to Sawamura at bat, that would be a different story.

America's Benjamin indeed had superb pitching skills and hadn't given the Japan team any chances so far.

However, in his duel with Sawamura Eijun, he had been hit for a home run.

From this, it was clear Benjamin could not ignore Sawamura.

Besides that, there was another very important point.

Sawamura was not the same as Benjamin!

Benjamin was a specialized pitcher. Although at his status level he could swing the bat somewhat, looking at America's lineup, it was clear his batting skills were not strong, or he wouldn't be placed in the lower part of the batting order.

Simply put, Benjamin was a pure pitcher.

Sawamura, however, was different!

Although the Japan team was full of stars, Sawamura was the only true superstar.

His fearsome reputation wasn't just due to his pitching.

This guy was also very skilled at batting.

His on-base percentage, batting average, and home runs in the Japan team ranked at the top, even breaking records several times.

Frankly speaking, in the current Japan team, he was the toughest presence.

He represented not just himself, but the team's strongest offensive capability.

Having such a player take the field to fiercely compete against the opponent's pitcher…

Anyone with a bit of sense would understand what this meant.

In the stands, two reporters from Baseball Kingdom magazine shared their views on the intense scene.

"Sawamura is at a serious disadvantage!"

Owada Akiko looked at the passionate scene, feeling a chill.

She thought the audience's attitude now was problematic.

Everyone seemed overly excited about the upcoming duel.

Perhaps they naturally assumed that since Sawamura had previously secured a hit, he would definitely succeed again now.

But it wasn't that easy.

Just getting a hit on the field was no simple matter, let alone hitting a home run!

Moreover, betting on the outcome between Sawamura and Benjamin in this duel was very inappropriate.

Currently, there were two Outs and no runners on base.

Unless Sawamura hit a home run, even just getting a hit would be considered a loss.

That was extremely unfair!

Who could guarantee they could definitely hit a home run?

On the contrary, with two Outs and no runners on base, from the pitcher's perspective, this was a golden opportunity to face the opponent.

It was the best chance!

If Benjamin won, that was great; if he lost, it would just mean Sawamura got on base.

As long as Benjamin could smoothly deal with the batters after Sawamura, he would still achieve overall victory.

This kind of chance was once in a lifetime.

As long as Benjamin didn't lose his mind, he would make the right choice.

Of course, Benjamin was far from losing his mind; he was incredibly sharp.

He would certainly make the correct decision.

As for being hit for another home run by Sawamura?

That risk existed.

But compared to the potential gain, that risk was not entirely unacceptable.

He didn't mind taking the gamble for the ultimate benefit.

…