Ace of the Diamond

At the Baseball Kingdom magazine office, Mine looks back to the summer tournament. The game between Yakushi and Seido was an exciting watch. Seido played their pitcher relay in order to face Yakushi's powerful batting lineup.

Inashiro and Seido met in the final. Inashiro played around their unparalleld ace, Narumiya. Whereas Seido relied on their 4-man pitcher relay. The first-year pitchers, Furuya and Sawamura, played key roles in the game.

Tanba got a leg cramp and couldn't continue, so Sawamura came out at the bottom of the seventh. Yuki turned the game around in the top of the eighth. Sawamura continued to pitch well throughout the bottom, but...

Seido draws into the most competitive bracket in their attempt to win the tournament. The first opponent is Teito, and they have a first-year pitcher who's already been to nationals forming a battery with their captain. They're trying to take nationals.

A huge crowd gathers at Edogawa City Baseball Stadium to watch the game between Seido and Teito. At the top of the first, Furuya takes out their cleanup and catcher, Inui. Teito's first-year pitcher, Mukai, is making good use of the corners to take control of the Seido batters.

The game is paused due to the rain. Mukai stretches in his dugout, Furuya looks spaced out, and Sawamura is pitching in the bullpen. The game resumes, and Miyuki immediately gets a double. However, Mukai is keeping it cool on the mound.

Sawamura makes a great relief. However, Mukai, as the self-proclaimed best pitcher his year, continues to toy the Seido batters. Kuramochi fights for a walk to first and Haruichi follows up with a hit. Can they score?

Mukai scatters his pitches offensively, but Tojo puts up a good fight and gets on base. Kuramochi follows after, and the Teito battery walks Haruichi to load the bases. It's two outs and bases loaded at the bottom of the eighth. Immense pressure is on Maezono.

Seido beats Teito, and the team is excited to play Inashiro again. Being influenced by how Maezono swings his bat every day after dinner, many follow suit. However, some aren't exactly on the same page.

It's Seido vs Nanamori, and Coach Kataoka has made a big roster change. Haruichi, Furuya, Tojo, and Kanemaru — four first-years are in the starting lineup. To top it off, the starting pitcher is Sawamura. Now that he's gained confidence in his outside pitch, Miyuki feels that Sawamura needs his inside back.

Sawamura overcomes the yips and shows off an impressive pitching job against Nanamori Academy. "You can be in contention for the ace position now," says Miyuki. Inashiro and Ugumori are playing at Ota Stadium, and Inashiro's victory might be in danger.

Inashiro vs Ugumori. At the bottom of the seventh, Tadano and Narumiya are having a difficult time seeing eye to eye against the highly offensive Ugumori batters. Umemiya hits a big one and Ugumori turns the game around with two runs! The runner-up team at nationals is cornered.

Inashiro is defeated, and the Seido Nine, who were hoping to take down Inashiro themselves, are visibly disturbed by the upset. After seeing Miyuki and Maezono's attitude toward Watanabe, Kamenashi steps in...

Ugumori vs Seido. Ugumori's cleanup, Umemiya is at bat, and Furuya pitches a high fastball remembering the conversation in the restroom. "If you can't do as I say, then get off the mound right now." Miyuki gives Furuya a reality check.

Umemiya pitches a power curveball to finish off Miyuki, but Miyuki manages to react quickly, thanks to Watanabe's scouting, and hits an RBI into the center field. Maezono follows up with a nice long hit along the left foul line to match Miyuki's RBI for a second run to Seido.

Bottom of the seventh, Seido is batting. Tojo hits a double into the right-center field. Higasa follows up with a two-run hit, giving Seido a five run lead over Ugumori. However, the Ugumori players look strangely cheerful, and seeing that, the audience begin to cheer for them.

A hit makes a bad bounce in front of Haruichi, and Seido misses out on a double play. Now, Ugumori has the bases loaded with no outs. Ugumori has momentum, but Seido's defense boldly shifts forward. Can they stop Ugumori as the batting order resets to the top?

Bottom of the eighth, it's two outs with a runner on third, and Umemiya face off against Miyuki. Miyuki hits long but stops just short of the fence, and the game goes into the final inning. For the final inning, Coach Kataoka gives the mound to Sawamura for his strong spirit.

It's the final inning, and Umemiya's at bat. Sawamura's concentration peaks. "I won't run away." Sawamura's cutter goes right into Umemiya's chest. He swings and hits a grounder toward Sawamura. Can Seido get Umemiya out?

Seido High School makes the round of eight, but Miyuki is overstressed by his role as the captain. "I thought that with you as the captain, the team will get better," Yuki encourages him. To add to the problem, the ace of Oya High School knows Furuya is injured.

"I don't want to quit the team," Watanabe says strongly. Miyuki and Maezono may have some issues, but the second-years as a whole are getting along better. Haruichi continues to practice hard, chasing after his brother's back. And the coach announces the starters for the Oya game. The pitcher is Sawamura.

At Seido's indoor practice area, Sawamura is trying to learn a breaking ball. He's having difficulties pitching any breaking balls but immediately succeeds on pitching a changeup with Coach Ochiai's advice. Is Sawamura finally moving on to the next phase of his pitching?

The runner on first takes a big lead. As Sawamura tries to throw to first, the runner on third runs, and Sawamura stops his throwing motion. "Balk!" says an umpire. Oya takes a run from Sawamura with a clever play.

Sawamura goes three for three in the bottom of the fifth. Next inning, Kuramochi gets a hit off the first pitch, and Shirasu follows as well. However, Oya scouts and analyzes well. Can Wakabayshi help turn the game in their favor?

Oya has runners on first and second with only one out, and the cleanup, Kasuga, is up next. However, Sawamura can't suppress his excitement. "Pitch with confidence," Maezono encourages Sawamura. Miyuki holds his mitt low and away.

Sawamura pitches all nine innings with a stellar performance, and Seido advances to the semifinals. Chris can't help but smile at Sawamura's growth. The game between Sensen and Seiko follow Seido's, and Maki is showing a strong performance. However, Seiko's well built players slowly put on the pressure.

Furuya's injury is healed, and after seeing Sawamura's great performance, he is more than ready to pitch. Kawakami continues to put in more work as well. In the team meeting, the word spreads about Coach Ochiai teaching Sawamura his breaking ball.

Coach Kataoka organizes an intrasquad scrimmage between the first-string and the second. Furuya is the starting pitcher for the first-string team and Sawamura for the second. And for some reason, Haruichi is using a metal bat.

A middle-aged man watches the intrasquad game. He is none other than Eijiro Sakaki, the man who made Seido's baseball team famous. He was also Kataoka's high school coach. "You used to be such a demon child." Sakaki reminisces on the past.

The sound of metal bats ring through the field of Yakushi High School. Sanada, the ace, is showing meticulous batting work. Behind him, Raichi is swinging like a mad man. Over at Ichidai Third High School, Amahisa is also training frantically.

The game between Seiko and Seido begins. Seiko's catcher, Masu, is up at bat. Miyuki is wary of him, as he's both the lead-off man and the central figure of the team. In order to take the upper hand, Seido wants to get him out. Can Furuya start the game off strong?

Seiko is behind by five runs at the top of the fourth. Their cleanup, Nagata, is up at bat and pressures Furuya with his powerful swing. Miyuki calls for a quick time out to regain Furuya's focus. However, as he goes to catch the throw for a double play, a stabbing pain runs through his ankle.

Seiko takes back one run, but Seido doesn't allow any more. Likewise, Ogawa isn't giving Seido an easy time. Furuya plays to his limits and stops the hit with his body. The game is getting intense. Sawamura takes over Furuya's strong will and takes the mound.

At the top of the eighth, Seiko is ready to turn the game around. Seiko's energy puts Sawamura off his game. Tamaki is unprepared for Sawamura's moving fastball and swings late. However, Kanemaru makes an error at third, and Seiko ties the game and puts a man on base. Can Sawamura overcome this trial?

Miyuki uses everything inside him to stop Ogawa as he tackles into home plate. Masu criticizes his dangerous play but compliments his attitude. Tied at 5-5, the game goes to extra innings. Which team will prevail and advance to the final?

Miyuki takes the bat at the bottom of the tenth and hits cleanly off of an inside pitch into his chest — the game ending home run. After a difficult game, Seido advances to the final. With the game over, the other semifinal game between Yakushi and Ichidai begins.

Coach Todoroki quickly puts Sanada on the mound in the bottom of the third inning after seeing Amahisa's ability as a pitcher. At the top of the sixth, Raichi gets up to bat carrying the hope of his team. Sawamura watches the matchup thinking about how he would pitch against Raichi.

Top of the eighth, Amahisa hits Mishima with his pitch, and Coach Todoroki is extatic. With runners on first and second, Raichi Todoroki gets up to bat. Ichidai leaves the fate of the team in their ace's hands. Who will win?

The final against Yakushi is tomorrow, and there's a lot of tension at Seido. However, Furuya went to the doctor and was told it would be dangerous for him to play. Furuya wants to play regardless but leaves the decision to the coach. Kawakami will start, and Sawamura will follow. "Let's win and go to nationals." Miyuki's words bring life to the team.

The third-years stop by the night before the final. Sawamura asks Chris for some advice on his two-seamer. The third-years realize how far Sawamura has come seeing him pitching various pitches. Kuramochi is seen elsewhere talking to Shirasu about a possible injury Miyuki is hiding.

It's time for the Tokyo Fall Tournament Final. It's Yakushi's chance to go to nationals for the first time, and Seido's chance to go back after seven years. The play ball is called and Seido starts on the offense. "My job is to create an opportunity for the team to score." Kuramochi tenaciously gets on base.

Yakushi's chance to score in the bottom of the first inning is crushed by Shirasu's super catch in the outfield. With the game still at 0-0, we go into the second inning. Can Seido get the first run of the game?

Raichi stands on the mound. Raichi's fastballs get faster every pitch, and Maezono strikes out. Raichi's strong performance as a pitcher brings life to the Yakushi batters in the bottom of the third. However, Kawakami does everything he can to keep them down.

Kawakami gives up a home run to Raichi and a hit to Sanada. Kuramochi and Haruichi gets a double play in order to back Kawakami up. However, Kawakami loses control of the ball and gives up a base on balls and a hit by pitch.

Maezono's pressure overwhelms Raichi and hits a fly allowing Kuramochi to come home and tie the game. Raichi comes to realization of what it means to stand on the mound. Coach Todoroki notices Raichi's change in attitude and quickly puts Sanada on the mound.

It's the bottom of the fifth, and Yakushi is up to bat. Mishima stands in the batter's box ready to hit but falls short before Sawamura's four-seamer. Sawamura surprises the crowd by striking out Mishima. Next up is Raichi Todoroki, Yakushi's cleanup. Can Sawamura keep him down?

Miyuki gets his ribs checked out. In the bottom of the sixth, Sawamura shows a strong performance going three for three. With the sides retired, Haruichi stands in the batter's box with a wooden bat, and Sanada looks confident. Sanada's shootball breaks Haruichi's bat, and...

Sawamura strikes out Raichi three for three! He also strikes out Sanada! Sawamura and Miyuki put up a strong fight against Yakushi's heart of the order, and the crowd goes wild. Shirasu starts in the top of the eighth. Will Seido turn around the one-run deficit?

The Tokyo Fall Tournament Final is nearing its end. With Yakushi leading 3-4, we go into the top of the ninth inning. Kuramochi hits a fast hit, but Yakushi's all-in defense stops it. Next up is Tojo. The Seido supporters in the crowd are cheering as loud as they can.

At the top of the ninth, Seido is behind 3-4. Haruichi gets a base hit, and Miyuki follows up with one as well. Next up is Maezono. He stands in the batter's box with a mission. Swing and miss. Swing and miss. With two strikes, his back's on the wall.

It's the bottom of the ninth, and Seido leads 5-4. Furuya stands on the mound putting fear into Yakushi's batters with his pitch. This is the final moment. Seido is looking energetic with victory within reach. Coach Kataoka can't stay quiet either. Can Seido take the game?