Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Even if the players from the Los Angeles team were slow, they could clearly tell that the pitch was obviously intentional.

"OUT!"

But whether Sawamura intended it or not, the result of the confrontation on the field wouldn't change.

One Out, no runners on base.

Next, Sawamura faced Reinhardt.

Reinhardt looked at Sawamura with complex emotions.

He... had developed a certain trauma after facing Sawamura's pitching.

Reinhardt himself didn't believe he could hit Sawamura's pitches.

As a result, his performance was naturally subpar.

After two fastballs, Sawamura Eijun threw a Changeup.

The sudden change in speed caught Reinhardt off guard.

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

Thus, he could only be struck out.

With two Outs, the fourth batter from the Los Angeles Wind Youth Academy team, Carlisle, stepped up.

Carlisle was a pure power hitter and very skilled as well.

But when facing such a batter, Sawamura showed no hesitation.

His ever-changing breaking balls were perfectly suited to counter a hitter like Carlisle.

The outcome of the game was no different—Sawamura easily dealt with Carlisle.

Paak!

The ball hit and bounced on the ground.

Whrroosh!

Kanemaru rushed forward, picked up the ball, and threw it to first base.

"OUT!"

The Wind Youth team wasn't facing just Sawamura alone.

They had to face the entire Seidou High School baseball team.

Of course, the Seidou High School players were in the same situation.

In the sixth inning of their offense, Seidou started with the second batter, Kominato Haruichi and Shiratsu.

Both were reliable hitters for Seidou High School.

However, after stepping up to the plate, they were both quickly dealt with by the opponent.

Facing fastballs over 94 mph (152 km/h), they couldn't handle them at all.

Not to mention, the opponent occasionally threw breaking balls, which further caught Seidou's players off guard.

With two Outs and no runners on base, Sawamura faced Conrad for the third time.

The long-haired Conrad didn't seem as relaxed this time when facing Sawamura.

This time, he used all his skills.

Of course, Sawamura wasn't holding back either.

In fact, for the team, he planned to replicate what Johannes had done before.

He intended to make Conrad work through the full count, and once Conrad showed any sign of weakness, he would strike decisively.

The plan was perfect.

But the reality was harsh.

"FOUL!"

"FOUL!!"

After two pitches, Sawamura decisively swung and hit the ball.

PAAAK!

He knew Conrad's pitching well. Although Conrad was imposing, Sawamura's skill ultimately prevailed.

But fate didn't seem to be on Seidou High's side.

Burg, who had often made defensive errors before, seemed almost possessed and stood in the way of the flying baseball.

Burg jumped high and opened his mitt to catch the ball securely.

Snap!

"OUT!"

Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.

The game proceeded with both teams exchanging blows without yielding.

Before they knew it, the game reached the ninth inning.

The score was still 4-3.

During this time, it wasn't that Seidou's players weren't trying hard.

They did create opportunities, but for some reason, they always fell just short.

They hadn't been able to reach second base.

Let alone change the score on the field.

And so, the game moved into the Ninth Inning.

Top of the ninth, American Los Angeles offense.

Sawamura faced the core lineup of America again.

This time, Sawamura unlocked his high-level Changeup.

Ghost Change-up!

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"

He successfully struck Out three batters.

In the final moments of the game, he brought the atmosphere on the field to a climax.

Bottom of the ninth, Seidou's turn to bat.

This was Seidou's last chance to score.

If they couldn't score, the game would end in a loss.

The first batter, Kominato Haruichi, stood in the Batter's Box with his weight low.

After failing to make contact with the ball multiple times earlier, Haruichi reflected on what went wrong.

'My form is not stable enough.'

After thinking it over, he attributed the issue to his batting form.

So he made a temporary adjustment.

When the pitched ball came, he swung decisively.

At 94 mph, the pitch came from the extreme left.

Paak!

Haruichi actually made contact with the ball.

However, although he made contact, the result wasn't ideal.

The immense force of the ball sent Haruichi off guard.

He could only watch as the ball flew high and bounced.

Snap!

As expected, the ball was caught by the left fielder Harris.

"OUT!"

"OUT!!"

Next, Shiratsu also went down.

This fact reaffirmed Miyuki's earlier words.

Given Seidou's current abilities, it was still very difficult to hit Conrad's pitches.

The only player with a chance to compete evenly with the opponent was Sawamura Eijun.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, it was Sawamura's turn to bat again.

Before stepping up to the plate, Sawamura carefully adjusted his batting glove and helmet.

He didn't smile like he had before but instead looked serious and focused.

Once in the Batter's Box, he stared intently at Conrad without blinking.

He had already faced Conrad three times before.

Once he hit a home run.

The second time, he was struck out.

The third time, Burg made an incredible defensive play to catch Sawamura's hit.

This was their fourth duel.

It was almost certainly their last.

'Hit it out!!!'

From the team's perspective, and from Sawamura's personal feelings, he knew there was no room to back down.

He had to hit this ball out!

Though it's already early summer, the wind still feels quite pleasant when it blows.

However, the players on the field are probably too focused on the game to pay attention to that.

As the game between Tokyo's Seidou High School baseball team and the Los Angeles Wind Youth Academy team nears its end, the score remains 4-3.

Seidou High School's baseball team is trailing by one point.

The situation is two Outs, and no one is on base.

On the mound, Conrad stands tall like a warrior from ancient myths—unyielding and unbeatable.

In fact, during their previous encounters, Conrad indeed demonstrated such power.

Except for the first inning, when he was caught off guard by a home run and a hit from Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki Kazuya, Conrad had performed flawlessly in the following innings.

For eight whole innings, he did not allow a single Seidou High School batter to reach base.

The Seidou High School players had truly experienced what it means to face top-tier combat power in the world.

In the world of professional baseball, it's hard to say what level Conrad could reach, as there has been no practical evidence.

But among players of the same age group, Conrad is definitely at the very top.

Even the mighty Seidou High School baseball team couldn't do anything against him.

This shows how exceptional he is.

Even Seidou's Ace, Sawamura Eijun, who holds the title of the best high school player in Japan, had lost to Conrad in their last two encounters, after the first inning.

This was a huge blow to Seidou High School's team.

To the players of Seidou High School, Sawamura is the embodiment of invincibility.

In the past, no matter how dire the team's situation, as long as Sawamura was on the field, there was always a way to turn the situation around.

But this time...

Even though Sawamura had fully showcased his strength in this game...

The shadow of defeat still loomed over Seidou High School's baseball team.

It wasn't until now that the Seidou players suddenly realized: Sawamura isn't omnipotent.

If they aren't capable enough, even Sawamura's extraordinary abilities can't save them.

From a long-term perspective, this is actually a good thing for Seidou High School's baseball team.

Previously, because Sawamura was so exceptional, the players unconsciously relied on him.

Whenever there was a crisis, their first thought was always Sawamura.

The biggest lesson of this game was that it made the Seidou players realize that they can't win solely by relying on Sawamura.

"We need to work even harder!"

"The outcome of the game is in our own hands."

Although everyone's thoughts were different, the core purpose remained the same.

In this game, the Seidou players truly grew.

They fully realized that if they still wanted to wear the crown of Champions, they could only rely on themselves.

Relying on others to take them to that position is nothing but a pipe dream.

Even Sawamura Eijun, the so-called "Great Demon King," has his limits.

Just like the current confrontation between Sawamura and Conrad.

Though Seidou's players still hoped, as always, that Sawamura Eijun would create another miracle and lead them forward, in their hearts, a voice kept telling them:

'Stop daydreaming; what they're hoping for probably won't happen.'

This was evident from their previous two encounters between Sawamura and Conrad.

After all this time, the Seidou players realized that the Conrad they faced after the Tokyo exchange match was clearly much improved compared to the Conrad they saw on the video.

Especially his new pitch, a Slider.

At first, the Seidou players didn't pay much attention.

But after several rounds of confrontation, they quickly noticed that at crucial moments, Conrad was getting outs with pitches that had a slight change just before crossing the strike zone.

It looked very much like Sawamura's usual Moving ball, but in reality, it was completely different.

After analysis by Sawamura and Coach Ochiai, this pitch was most likely a variant of the slider.

Why call it a Moving instead of the true slider?

The reason is simple: it's because of Conrad's throwing style.

A true Slider must be thrown with a traditional overhand motion.

But Conrad's Slider is thrown with a sidearm motion.

This alone makes it different from a true slider.

Additionally, Conrad's natural pitching characteristics made it nearly impossible for the Seidou players to hit.

Not to mention, even Sawamura Eijun, Seidou's Ace, lost twice to this pitch.

Before Sawamura took the plate this time, his teammates had asked him if he was confident in hitting Conrad's sidearm slider.

Sawamura didn't even respond and directly stepped into the Batter's Box...

The Seidou players naturally interpreted his silence as a lack of confidence.

If he were confident, why would he avoid their question?

This belief wasn't only held by Seidou; even the American Los Angeles players thought the same.

The catcher, Carlisle, scrutinized Sawamura carefully.

The opponent standing before him wasn't particularly tall or imposing.

But just standing there, he created immense psychological pressure on the Los Angeles players.

'This guy is terrifying!'

Many of the Los Angeles players, when thinking about Sawamura, couldn't help but shudder.

In their previous encounters with Sawamura, they had never won.

This confirmed just how strong Sawamura truly is.

To defeat such an opponent is undoubtedly a headache.

Fortunately, Conrad's new breaking ball wasn't figured out yet.

With that, their chances of winning increased.

What's more, though Sawamura's batting was excellent, his pitching was still the most feared.

'Keep going, let's finish him off and win this!'

In Carlisle's view, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

They were leading by one point, and the opponent they still needed to defeat was none other than Sawamura Eijun.

If they won this game, it would be a huge achievement for the Los Angeles Wind Youth Academy team.

From the current situation, this seemed entirely possible.

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