Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Another home run!!!

The home run hit by Johannesburg caused massive upheaval in this game. No one felt this more keenly than Miyuki at the catcher's position.

He glanced at Burg with a trace of apprehension in his eyes.

Miyuki knew very well that what Burg had done was deliberate.

'He intentionally waited until the count reached a full count, making us believe he was aiming for a walk.'

'Then he delivered a home run!'

Not only did he crush Seidou's momentum and techniques, but he also inflicted mental damage on their pitcher, Furuya.

In Miyuki's earlier impressions, he had always thought that American players were straightforward and direct.

But after witnessing Burg's performance, Miyuki realized how naïve his assumptions had been.

Not all American players were simple and straightforward.

Some, like Burg, could play mental games as skillfully as any Japanese player.

Burg not only possessed excellent individual skills, but his mental plays were also impressive.

When Seidou chose to retreat slightly, Burg leveraged his overwhelming strength to score.

The players, already wearing serious expressions, now looked as if they were hearing very grim news.

As the reigning champions of Japan, Seidou's baseball team had never been toyed with like this before.

Losing on the field was one thing, but being toyed with like children was a different matter.

No man could endure such frustration.

The anger in their hearts burned like a raging fire, rising to their throats.

The expressions of all the Seidou players became fierce.

They resolved to teach the Los Angeles players a lesson, to make them understand that Seidou was not to be taken lightly.

At the catcher's position, Miyuki furrowed his brows and remained silent.

Unlike his emotional teammates, Miyuki always kept a clear mind.

He saw the situation much more deeply.

At this moment, Miyuki had already noticed subtle changes in the game.

This home run might have caused consequences they hadn't anticipated.

The audience in the stands was incredibly excited.

Although the Wind Youth team had shown strength in earlier games, they always seemed overshadowed by Seidou High.

The previous score of 3-0, with a three-run lead by Seidou, was the best evidence of this.

But suddenly, the tide turned!

In the top of the fourth inning, the Los Angeles players erupted, hitting another home run off Furuya. Adding that to the earlier home run, they now had two total.

The overall score became 3-2.

Seidou High's lead was reduced to just one point.

In a competitive baseball game, a one-point lead was far from secure.

At any moment, the situation could completely reverse.

The plight of their opponents filled the Los Angeles fans with excitement.

No audience likes to see a non-exciting show.

A game that goes back and forth is the more exciting.

Especially if the Stars of the show are your Stars.

"Burg!"

"Carlisle!!!"

Cheers rang out from the stands, loud and relentless.

Now, Burg and Carlisle carried the hopes of the Los Angeles fans.

Besides these two, another name was frequently mentioned—Reinhardt.

Reinhardt was eye-catching, the baseball equivalent of Leonardo DiCaprio.

In this appearance-driven world, although Reinhardt wasn't the strongest player on the Los Angeles Wind Youth Academy team, he had the most fans, specifically females.

When Reinhardt stepped into the Batter's Box, his fans erupted into deafening screams.

The entire stadium was enveloped in a cacophony of high-pitched noise.

On the mound, Furuya instinctively frowned.

This wasn't his first time facing Reinhardt—they had already faced each other once in the first inning.

At that time, Furuya didn't consider Reinhardt a particularly strong opponent.

But now, based on the information around him, it seemed that dealing with Reinhardt wasn't going to be easy.

'Forget about that home run. Just throw your best pitch into this Mitt!!!'

In Miyuki's view, being hit for a home run was certainly harsh.

But it wasn't something to dwell on.

The past was the past, and reflection could wait until after the game.

A pitcher's most important task was not to let a previous home run affect their state of mind.

So, Miyuki gave Furuya no chance to overthink and directly signaled for the pitch.

On the mound, Furuya was obedient. Upon receiving the signal, he threw the ball almost without hesitation.

As the ball approached, Miyuki's expression changed.

The pitch was higher than expected.

A straight pitch like this, right in the sweet spot, was bound to be hit.

Paak!

What happened next confirmed Miyuki's fears.

The baseball was hit squarely and was launched far!

"Reinhardt!!!!!"

In the stands, fans were going wild.

It seemed that Reinhardt was going to score this run, and they were very happy about it.

On the field, the situation had changed to no Outs and a runner on first base.

If it weren't for the quick reaction of the outfielders from Seidou High School, Reinhardt might have made it to second base directly.

Behind the plate.

Miyuki's eyebrows were furrowed tightly.

The pitch just thrown by Furuya was clearly an error.

However, the ball's power and speed didn't seem to have noticeably weakened.

'The problem lay in Furuya's control.'

This made it impossible for even Miyuki to tell whether Furuya's mistake was just a normal error or if something was wrong with his condition.

After all, with Furuya's usual control, occasionally a pitch like this could still slip out.

One couldn't say that if the pitch was easy to hit, it was necessarily a bad thing…

But what if it was a sign of a bigger issue with his condition? If they didn't adjust in time, the consequences could be very serious.

Miyuki raised his head and carefully observed Furuya on the mound.

From his face, there was no expression to read.

Unlike the relaxed Sawamura, who would interact with his teammates when standing on the mound, Furuya showed no such gestures.

Sawamura was an emotional player, so his teammates could always feel his mood clearly.

Furuya, on the other hand, had no such talent!

No matter when he was on the mound, his face was always cold and expressionless.

It was impossible to tell what he was thinking inside.

Of course, those who were familiar with him could catch a hint of something.

For instance, Miyuki, who had partnered with Furuya before.

From Furuya's face, Miyuki could clearly see an unshakable fighting spirit.

"Leave it to me!"

"I Can Do It!!!!!"

If this were an anime world, Furuya's face would surely be filled with these words right now.

The emotion was intense!

It infected Miyuki, whether he liked it or not.

Miyuki was a player who trusted his teammates on the field.

Seeing that Furuya had made up his mind, Miyuki didn't raise any objections.

'Since you have that kind of ambition, don't hold back. Let's go!!'

Miyuki opened his Mitt, looking as if it were the most mysterious black hole in the universe.

No matter what, it could absorb it all.

Furuya, on the mound, saw Miyuki's opened Mitt, and it reminded him of the bridge from two years ago.

In Hokkaido, the seasons were almost indistinguishable. Most of the year, the snow kept falling.

What left the deepest impression on Furuya about his hometown was that endless world of white.

The only place that wasn't covered by snow was probably under that bridge.

It was there that Furuya experienced both the most painful and the most heartwarming moments of his childhood.

Furuya loved pitching, and before joining the Seidou High School baseball team, all his memories of pitching were connected to that bridge.

Now, looking at Miyuki's open Mitt, Furuya seemed to see the strike zone he had drawn on the bridge's support, marked with a square.

'Throw it!!'

At that moment, Furuya felt as if he had traveled back two years in time, back to that bridge.

As if he had done countless times before, he threw the baseball from his hand.

He threw it with all his might.

Furuya felt like he had put every ounce of energy and strength into this pitch.

This pitch was the peak of his pitching!

Behind the plate.

Miyuki watched the ball coming from Furuya with a surprisingly grave expression.

'The will to pitch is intense!'

Whrroosh!!

From the batter's perspective, the ball seemed alive, shrieking as it rushed towards him.

It looked extremely intimidating!

This was also one of Furuya's pitching trademarks, and he had used it to fool many opponents in the past.

However, to be realistic, the ball wasn't fast.

It didn't display Furuya's renowned blazing speed.

Simply put, in this pitch, Furuya had lost his greatest strength.

'This was bad!'

Miyuki's heart tightened.

He had a bad feeling that what was coming next might exceed his worst expectations.

Furuya's pitching had malfunctioned, and it was a series of mistakes.

To label it as a normal error would be an understatement.

This wasn't just a simple mistake. Furuya's pitching form had clearly encountered an issue.

'What exactly was the problem?'

Miyuki couldn't pinpoint it.

But there were signs, like the home run that was hit earlier and his control issues…

Any of these could be the reason. Which one specifically? Miyuki wasn't sure.

At this point, however, Miyuki didn't have time to worry about that.

He could only pray silently that the opponent wouldn't swing at this pitch too eagerly.

Otherwise, the game would be very tough for Seidou High School's baseball team.

But was that even possible?

Carlisle, the cleanup hitter for the Los Angeles team, was a well-known rising star across the continent. How could he possibly miss an opportunity like this?

'The ball had slowed down!'

Carlisle didn't know the reason, but he could tell the ball was slower than before.

Although the momentum still looked scary, the pitch's quality wasn't as high as it had been earlier.

Furuya's pitch now looked very raw.

It hadn't been polished or trained.

Originally, Carlisle had no intention of swinging at the first pitch.

But now, he couldn't resist.

After seeing this pitch, he realized he might not get another good one like this.

What could he do now?

No question—he wasn't going to let it go.

Even though he hadn't planned to swing initially, seeing this pitch, he couldn't pass it up.

Shuuuuuuuuuu!!

The bat swung with a dull hum.

PAAK!

The bat made perfect contact with the small baseball.

He guessed right!

The thought barely crossed Carlisle's mind, and before he could smile, he felt his arms sink.

'Heavy!'

It felt as if the bat had struck a stone wall, and the immense recoil almost made Carlisle drop it.

He hadn't noticed before, but Furuya's pitch was so heavy!

Barely managing to hold on, Carlisle braced himself by pressing his tongue against his upper teeth and pushed with all his strength.

In the end, he managed to force the baseball out.

"Not Enough!!"

The baseball flew, but not too far, landing in left field.

Sawamura was the first to reach the ball's landing spot, ready to catch it.

Unfortunately, he didn't make it in time!

…