Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Fujio did not agree with Owada Akiko's judgment.

In his view, his junior colleague was somewhat biased.

Because she was a fan of Sawamura, she instinctively stood on his side when thinking.

But that was unfair!

As a sports commentator, it was okay to support someone, but one must remain objective.

This duel was tough for Sawamura, but obviously, it wasn't any easier for his opponent!

Sawamura's presence on the mound had been very strong.

Even faced with crises, he calmly resolved them, and the score was still 1–0.

Although most spectators and American supporters believed America's scoring was just a matter of time…

American players themselves might not be so optimistic.

Though they had found Sawamura's pitching rhythm, they knew very well how difficult it was to hit his pitches well.

Previously, American players seemed to get hits and possibly score smoothly.

But everyone knew some luck was involved!

To be honest, no American player, however thick-skinned, would dare to admit that the hits were purely skill.

From this angle, if American players got another lucky break and seized the chance, getting hits and runs off Sawamura was not impossible.

What they wanted and could do next was to do everything to increase this possibility.

But luck could just as easily run out, and chances would be continuously killed.

If the Japan team had a different pitcher, American players wouldn't lose confidence so easily.

But the man on the mound now was Sawamura!

That made the American players think twice.

In the previous match against the American Dream Team, Sawamura had given everything he had.

But outsiders didn't know that; to them, he seemed to single-handedly resist the entire Dream Team.

This American team had proud players, but they knew well their level still lagged behind those Dream Team legends.

Both teams had their weaknesses and strengths.

The real situation was that they were tightly matched.

At this moment, no one could say who held the advantage.

In the upcoming duel, the direct confrontation of the two pitchers, Benjamin vs. Sawamura, To Fujio, was both an opportunity and a massive trap for both teams' players.

The result was very important.

If Benjamin could smoothly get through Sawamura, the home run pressure America had been carrying would disappear.

That was, of course, their hope.

But if Benjamin lost, he would have to face bitter consequences.

This was no joke; under the current situation, once Eijun took the advantage, Fujio could hardly imagine that the "Great Demon King" would give the opponent any chance.

No chance at all!

In fact, in matches before the Great Demon King, whenever Sawamura controlled the game, the opponents rarely managed a comeback.

Forget comebacks; even continuing to perform well was almost impossible.

He was like a steady pillar that opponents couldn't shake.

Once he took the upper hand, he would snowball his advantage.

Sawamura was very good at this, proven countless times before.

Everyone held their breath, focusing on the duel of the two pitchers.

They couldn't see the issues as clearly as a seasoned fan like Fujio.

For them, just the face-off of two pitchers was enough to excite their blood.

On the mound, Benjamin felt exactly as Fujio expected.

At this moment, he didn't appear as relaxed as he looked.

On the contrary, he was very nervous.

'Why so nervous?'

'Why so nervous??'

Benjamin repeatedly asked himself.

Usually, he thought of himself as quite calm and rational.

No matter how complex the situation, he believed he could remain clear-headed.

But now, every pore of his body was open.

Benjamin's nervousness was indescribable!

He couldn't express it or even show it.

He knew well that nervousness was contagious.

If his mood spread to others, the entire American team would be engulfed in tension.

If that happened, not only would playing the Japan team be impossible, but it would be a big question whether his teammates could even finish the game.

To avoid making his teammates nervous and to continue the game, even under unprecedented pressure, there wasn't a trace of it on his face.

If people looked at him, all they would see was calmness and deep confidence.

As if he could solve all problems, including the man now at bat.

His partner gave him a sign — one of their usual strategies to deal with extremely tough opponents.

When facing strong foes before, Benjamin and his partner had used this tactic multiple times.

They couldn't even remember how many times it had helped them beat their opponents.

In Benjamin's impression, the failure rate of this tactic was very low.

If his memory was correct, after using this strategy, his pitches had been hit less than three times.

Each time left a deep impression.

Such difficult matches were obviously very tough during the game.

Even after the match, possibly having lost, their mood was far from good.

Yet, with time, Benjamin sometimes missed those matches.

They were tough but brought great growth.

If Benjamin's memory was accurate, he grew step by step through matches like those.

These memories were complex to explain.

But for Benjamin, it was just a blink of an eye.

He soon gathered his thoughts and prepared for the challenge.

He had no choice but to prepare, because the man in the Batter's Box, even without doing anything yet, just the aura he gave off was enough to make the opponent's whole body tremble slightly.

Such terrifying pressure!

Before, Benjamin had faced many powerful hitters.

He knew how much pressure such top players could bring.

Not just in baseball; many sports were like this.

Without actual confrontation, the opponent's stance could reveal something about a look of their strength.

It might sound mysterious, but it was very normal.

Benjamin's experience also gave him this sense.

At the moment he saw Sawamura's stance, he knew this opponent was not to be underestimated — extremely tough.

That feeling was like having needles sticking into his back.

Suppressing his unease, Benjamin took his stance and threw the baseball.

Sawamura, in his mysterious state, saw the baseball clearly.

At the moment he saw it, Sawamura intended to swing.

But he quickly stopped.

The ball looked like it might enter the strike zone, but it was ambiguous.

It might be a strike or it might be outside.

'What a great pitch!'

Even though they were opponents, Sawamura had to sincerely praise it.

Sawamura had always been confident in his mysterious state.

He naturally thought that with this state, no small move could fool his eyes.

But just now, he almost got tricked.

It seemed his mysterious state was not invincible.

It was just that previous opponents were not strong enough to deceive him.

Going forward, as opponents got stronger, relying solely on this mysterious state seemed unreliable.

Sawamura had to make further progress.

SNAP!

"BALL!"

The pitch landed outside the strike zone.

Sawamura and the American catcher simultaneously fixed their eyes on the umpire.

'That call was way too strict!'

With such strict umpiring, many things would have to be rethought.

...

T/N: Well, That's it for now.

Thank you all for reading!

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