Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

The overall score is 3:0, with Japan leading by three points.

Third inning, top half.

The batting lineup once again falls to Japan's top hitters.

Although it's said that Japan's current lineup is a so-called "Super lineup," consisting almost entirely of star players, there is no weak link to speak of.

But as the saying goes, "The thing you fear is not that you don't know the goods, but that the goods are compared."

If you were to rank these players, it would be clear who among them is the most powerful.

Take the top three batters, for example. They are, without a doubt, the most reliable trio in this lineup.

The first batter is Carlos, the second is Sawamura, and the third is Mima.

And you don't even have to think about avoiding these three players.

You can't just escape from them.

Even if you try to dodge, behind them stand Miyuki and Raichi.

Without hesitation, the batting lineup starting from the first batter is the most aggressive arrangement for Japan.

When they get going, they can crush any opponent.

In the previous match, the Cuban team suffered heavily against them.

Though the Cuban team had done some research on Japan's players and had a general understanding of their abilities, it was clear their judgment was off.

The results speak for themselves. In the first inning, Japan immediately took a three-point lead.

Now, it's their turn again.

What will the final outcome be? No one knows.

The fans in the stands are full of excitement.

They are eager to see the result of this inning.

According to Fujio, a senior reporter from Baseball Kingdom magazine, the outcome of this inning will likely directly affect the rest of the game.

As for the result of the match, it was essentially determined in the first inning.

Unless something unexpected happens in the middle, Japan has the game firmly in hand.

Now it's just a matter of time—how soon will they crush their opponent?

After all, there are two criteria for a game to end: either getting the final out or the opponent conceding the match.

A three-point lead guarantees Japan's victory.

But it doesn't guarantee the process of the game.

If Cuba doesn't give up, it will still consume a lot of energy.

Given the upcoming finals, Japan certainly doesn't want to drag out a meaningless game.

If possible, they want to end this inning and wrap up the game quickly!

This isn't just one person's will, it's the collective will of everyone.

Everyone is keeping this thought in mind, hoping to end this battle quickly and prepare for the next one.

To face what is rumored to be the strongest American team.

Playing against America is undoubtedly much more challenging than playing against Cuba.

The first to step into the Batter's Box is Carlos, who carefully watches his opponent.

He's well aware that his previous success in hitting the ball out was largely due to luck.

When the game started, the opposing team's condition wasn't great—at least, they weren't at their best.

He took advantage of this opening.

Moreover, the opponent probably didn't expect their strength to be so formidable.

That's why they suffered such a heavy loss.

After taking that heavy loss, they've come to their senses, and their full strength has shown through.

From the sixth batter, Hoshida, all the way to the ninth batter, Kuramochi, the opponent has retired four batters in a row, not allowing anyone to get a hit.

What does this show?

It shows that the opponent still has a solid game plan, and Carlos can't afford to be careless.

If he gets careless, he may not even know how he got Out.

And if that happens, he certainly won't be able to help his team win.

He must play cautiously!

For Carlos, the situation he faces isn't all bad.

There are two things that are actually quite good.

First, he's already faced off against the opponent before.

Also, by watching Katro's previous matches against others, he's learned a lot about the opponent's characteristics.

Combining this with the information he had gathered earlier, his impression of Katro is no longer a vague shadow, but a real, tangible opponent.

This will help him when he faces Katro in the future.

In addition, Carlos has received a strategy from Takeda.

Just before Carlos went to bat, Takeda suddenly called him with a smile and said:

"It will most likely be that the first pitch will be aimed at your head. If you back off and don't swing at it, the next pitch will be inside."

Carlos' breathing became heavy.

He had heard of predictions like this before. His former Coach was a person who could do this, too.

But there's always some margin for error, and often it's a big margin.

So predictions like this usually only work for one type of pitch and for the upcoming pitches in general.

For example:

"The opponent will likely use an inside pitch next!"

Such predictions are easier to make and more likely to succeed, which also makes it easier to respond accordingly.

Not just coaches, but even players sometimes guess the opponent's pitches when playing.

Skilled players who can think for themselves take it a step further.

For example, they may try to figure out what kind of pitch their opponent will throw next.

The one who has perfected this is Takigawa Chris and Miyuki from the Seidou High School baseball team.

What they do can hardly be called a prediction—it's more like prophecy!

After seeing a few pitches from the opponent, they can predict what the next pitch will be.

Carlos had only heard of this, but he had never experienced it himself, much less used it.

Now, Takeda not only told him what the first pitch would be, but even predicted what the second pitch would be!

This is practically the work of an experienced master!

If he's right, wouldn't that make him a monster?

Carlos stepped into the Batter's Box, feeling uncertain.

In the dugout, Sawamura furrowed his brow and asked Takeda:

"Boss, how did you figure that out?"

The first pitch aimed at the head, and the second pitch attacked the inside corner.

Wasn't that the same trick Katro had already used before?

If he were a bit sharper, he shouldn't be using the same tricks again.

All of Japan's current players are stars.

And anyone who becomes a star player cannot be a simple character.

These guys are as sharp as foxes, able to think and calculate their opponent's moves.

Using the same trick again on them is very risky.

If they catch on to it, they might turn the tables and counterattack.

This Katro guy doesn't look like a fool.

"It is an intuition, you can't really explain it."

Sawamura understood that he had to work with something similar.

'But let's see how reliable it is.'

At this moment on the Batter's Box, Carlos was on high alert, fully prepared to bat.

And as he prepares, he's also ready to step back.

Takeda's words had indeed influenced him.

And what happened next made Carlos trust Takeda even more.

Whrroosh!

The baseball zoomed out.

From Carlos' position, it was clear that the ball was coming straight at his face.

'So dangerous!'

Carlos had already prepared and stepped back, letting the ball pass.

Then, he watched the ball sail past him and into the catcher's mitt.

On the pitcher's mound, Katro looked embarrassed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to."

He sincerely apologized.

Looking at Katro's apologetic expression, Carlos furrowed his brow.

'This guy!'

'Not intentional, huh?'

'Who does he think he's fooling?'

Carlos would never believe that Katro had thrown that pitch without intending to.

The umpire stood up, then squatted back down.

He had initially wanted to say something, but looking at Katro's guilty expression, he thought maybe he had overreacted.

'The kid was probably just nervous because of the game and lost control of his pitches.'

Whrroosh!

Then, Katro's pitch came again, this time much further inside.

Usually, after something as dangerous as that, it's very hard for a batter to swing at an inside pitch.

Even a star player like Carlos would be reluctant to swing under these conditions.

But this time, things were different.

Carlos seemed to be ready, stepping early, and as he did, his foot consciously moved away from the zone a little.

This caused his whole body to create a distance of about 10 centimeters from the strike zone.

What would have been a hard pitch to hit was now perfectly lined up.

PAAK!

The baseball was hit squarely and flew to the outfield.

Carlos, standing in the Batter's Box, raised his hand in excitement.

It was perfect!

Just like that guy had predicted!

In the dugout, all the players looked at the Coach with admiration.

The pace of the match was so fast that he hadn't even had time to reach the on-deck circle when Carlos hit the ball out.

They couldn't help but be impressed.

"Then, what about the next?"

Miyuki, while putting on his gloves to get ready, said to Coach Takeda.

Takeda smiled enigmatically.

"Sawamura most likely won't touch the next ball."

Hearing his words, all the players felt very bewildered.

…

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

As always, Thank you all for reading!!

Have a good day people!

You also can check my Patre0n for extra Chapters.

patre0n /ColdColt