Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Under the American sky, on an ordinary baseball field in Los Angeles, two teams were fiercely battling it out on the field.

The first inning hadn't ended yet, meaning the game had just begun.

It was an afternoon nearing summer, and the air felt stifling and uncomfortable. Even the spectators sitting in the stands couldn't feel the slightest breeze.

Let alone the players on the field, who were immersed in the heat of the competition.

Although the game had only just started, beads of sweat had already begun forming on the players' faces.

In comparison, the members of the Seidou High School baseball team were in slightly better condition.

Their faces had started to dampen, but sweat hadn't started dripping yet.

The American Los Angeles team's players were less fortunate.

One by one, they instinctively slowed their breathing and stared intently at the batter on the plate.

Standing on the pitcher's mound was Conrad, the Ace pitcher for the American Los Angeles team.

His skill was among the best in all of America.

He was one of the top pitchers in the continent.

Even globally, there weren't many players in the same age group who could match Conrad's strengths.

With such a pillar on the mound, the Los Angeles team's players should have been more at ease.

However, the reality wasn't quite the same.

The players looked extremely tense, their breathing almost stopped as they focused entirely on the confrontation.

Why were they so nervous?

It was all because of the batter standing in the Batter's Box right now: Sawamura Eijun.

On a daily basis, it was hard to define Sawamura as a difficult person to deal with.

In fact, Sawamura was very easy to approach and could get along with almost anyone.

If he weren't so obsessed with baseball and didn't have such a tight schedule with Seidou's baseball team practices, Sawamura would probably have way more friends.

Of course, the American Los Angeles players didn't make this mistake. After all, they had faced the Tokyo team in an exchange match before.

They had learned the hard way from Sawamura.

So, their impression of him was very clear and deeply etched.

They understood just how powerful and intimidating Sawamura was.

Naturally, they would be extra cautious.

Now, as they looked at Sawamura, their eyes were like those of gamers encountering the final boss in a video game.

That's why they were nervous.

Because they knew that the direct confrontation between Sawamura and Conrad would greatly influence today's game.

Who would come out on top?

This was the question weighing on the minds of the Los Angeles players, which was why they were so nervous, even forgetting to breathe.

In contrast, the two people currently facing off seemed much more relaxed.

Sawamura squinted his eyes as he observed Conrad on the pitcher's mound.

Just then, a gust of wind blew past, lifting Conrad's long hair.

'I'm curious to see what strategy you'll use against me.'

Sawamura was genuinely interested.

After all, the two of them had clashed many times in the past, with each having their share of wins and losses.

Although Sawamura had more losses than wins, he had learned a lot from those experiences.

For instance, he had identified a few strategies Conrad usually used when facing him.

The last time he defeated Conrad, hadn't been long ago.

So, the strategies Conrad could come up with were probably no different from the two usual approaches.

For Sawamura, one of them was slightly troublesome, and the other was easier.

But neither had any significant difference in essence.

As for the possibility of Conrad trying something new, Sawamura hadn't even considered it.

After all, Conrad hadn't come up with anything new in the years they'd clashed, so why would he come up with something new now?

Sawamura didn't believe in that.

Thus, standing in the Batter's Box, Eijun felt particularly excited.

He even had a mischievous thought: What kind of expression would Conrad have if he hit a home run off of his pitching?

Just thinking about it made Sawamura feel immensely joyful.

Even though he hadn't yet disposed of his opponent in a clean manner, Sawamura felt like it was already a done deal.

'Bring it on. Whatever strategy you use, I'll take care of it.'

Sawamura was full of confidence.

Especially after seeing Conrad's first pitch, his confidence was bolstered even more.

Roaar!!

The baseball flew toward Sawamura's chest like a sharp sword.

For a left-handed batter like Sawamura, it felt as if the pitch had come flying from behind his head.

Sawamura subtly shifted his body to avoid the ball and didn't swing his bat.

Instead, he just watched the baseball land in the catcher's Mitt.

Boom!

"BALL!"

'As expected, the pitch was a ball.'

After seeing the first pitch, Sawamura had more or less figured out what Conrad and his catcher, Carlisle, were up to.

American pitchers' strategies were generally easy to guess.

Compared to the tricks used by Japanese pitchers, American pitchers preferred direct confrontations between players.

They relied on their pitching skills to win, not on deceptive game calling.

Their belief was to throw a pitch that no one could hit.

Or, no matter who threw the ball, it had to be hit.

Of course, over time, they would realize that their original strategy wasn't very effective.

So, they also started using strategies or developing a few different types of pitches, leading to a convergence with the Japanese style.

But fundamentally, the teams of both countries are still very different.

Even though both have made some changes, baseball in Japan still values teamwork more, while America still upholds individual abilities.

These things are deeply embedded in their bones.

These things… are almost impossible to change.

With this in mind, predicting the pitching strategies of American pitchers can be done with a fair degree of certainty.

'With one Ball and the count against him, Conrad, that guy, being bold and full of skill, will definitely continue using Balls.'

So he must think that Sawamura will definitely swing at the next pitch...

Why?

The logic is actually very simple. After being behind by one Ball, if Conrad doesn't want the count to fall further behind, he will pitch a Strike.

If Sawamura thought like this, he would surely be a swing on the next pitch.

At this point, knowing Sawamura will surely swing, what will Conrad do?

He will either use a fishing ball or use a Ball to lure Sawamura into swinging.

But would Conrad dare to use a fishing ball?

Just thinking about Sawamura's home run, Conrad absolutely wouldn't easily use a fishing ball.

'So the next pitch will definitely be…!'

Roaar!

The baseball whistled through the air, looking like it was going to land in the strike zone.

But facing this pitch, Sawamura raised his bat high but did not swing.

Boom!

Just as the ball neared the strike zone, it suddenly dropped and bounced off the ground.

It bounced right into Carlisle's Mitt.

"BALL!!"

Carlisle's eyes flashed slightly, then he turned his head and looked at Sawamura in surprise.

'Not a single movement, truly motionless.'

Sawamura just stood there still, without reacting at all to the ball that flew toward him.

The count is two Balls, zero Strikes.

The pitcher's count has fallen even further behind.

On the pitcher's mound, Conrad's sharp face showed some excitement.

He knew it.

He couldn't use small tricks with Sawamura. Trying to outsmart him was completely useless.

Sawamura is not the type of opponent who can be dealt with by simple tricks.

'Since that's the case...'

'Then I'll just face you head-on.'

In a flash of decision, Conrad gathered all his strength at the tips of his two fingers and hurled that baseball with all his might.

ROAAAR!!

A do-or-die pitch that concentrated Conrad's peak state.

The baseball shot forward like a rocket with flames, speeding toward the strike zone.

'Here it comes!'

Watching the baseball coming toward him, Sawamura's eyes narrowed slightly.

He knew the ball he had been waiting for had arrived.

This was Conrad's best pitch.

It's also a pitch he can't fake.

As long as Sawamura can hit this ball, Conrad's trouble will be solved.

Thinking this, Sawamura didn't hesitate, immediately getting into position to swing.

PAAK!

His timing was perfect.

The bat made contact with the center of the baseball.

After the collision, Sawamura felt like his bat had hit a big bus head-on.

'So Heavy!'

Incredibly heavy.

His arms felt like they might be destroyed.

Sawamura had never imagined that the power behind Conrad's pitch could be so great.

In fact, Conrad's pitch speed exceeded 93 mph (150 km/h), so the force of the ball was certainly not weak.

But Conrad is always most memorable for his pitching style and posture.

Very few people pay attention to this detail.

Although Sawamura knew this, the last time they faced each other, Sawamura had successfully hit Conrad's pitch.

So he hadn't been too concerned about this.

He thought that dealing with Conrad would be easy for him.

But after waiting for this pitch, he realized...

Things weren't as easy as he thought.

When Conrad pitched this ball, he completely abandoned the use of tricks.

He just unleashed his full strength to the limit.

Simple, but brutal!

And it worked surprisingly well.

With Sawamura's current strength, there's no way he could have hit such a heavy ball.

The ball was hit Foul.

Sawamura barely saved his life.

If that ball had landed in the fair zone instead of foul...

Sawamura would have been out.

"FOUL!"

Thus, the count changed to one Strike and two Balls.

In the Batter's Box, Sawamura's expression was not good.

He had thought he had this figured out, but now he had stumbled.

How could he endure this?

They say a man has his pride like a tree has its bark.

Even this kind of thing would be hard to digest for an ordinary person, let alone Sawamura, who hates losing.

He clenched his teeth, staring hard at the incoming pitch.

ROAAR!!

As Conrad prepared to pitch again, Sawamura pulled his bat behind his body.

Sawamura's body looked like coiling a rope.

This time, he was determined to hit that baseball, no matter what.

Once he's made up his mind, no one can stop him.

...