Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Dugout on the Japan Side

The expressions of everyone were very relaxed, and when talking about their opponents, it seemed like they didn't take the enemy in front of them seriously.

Whether it was the Italian team or the players on the field, they weren't taken seriously by them.

Of course, this attitude was relatively subtle.

Unless one is familiar with the culture of Japan, most people wouldn't be able to tell.

On the surface, the players from Japan showed a lot of respect for their opponents.

Whether it was bowing or greeting, they did it very properly.

This humble character had already become ingrained in their bones, deeply intertwined with their lives.

But for those who are familiar with the culture of Japan, one can tell from their lineup arrangement and the attitude of the players in the dugout.

It was clear that neither Coach Takeda nor the players of Japan took their opponents seriously.

With the current strength of Japan being ranked number one, facing the tenth-ranked Italy, this attitude was quite understandable.

To be honest, the gap in strength between the two teams was still significant.

Even though the players from Japan had never played in world-class competitions before, it didn't stop them from mentally underestimating Italy's team.

They were sure they would win. They were absolutely confident they would win.

Before the match started, both the players of Japan and the fans who had specifically come to support them held this thought in their hearts.

They were very optimistic about this idea, believing it would definitely come true.

Carlos, who was the first to step into the Batter's Box, was now carrying this heavy burden.

Although the team had only been together for a short period, after some training, they already had a certain degree of team spirit.

Carlos was a direct witness.

The current team's strength far exceeded any team that had participated in Koshien.

Whether it was their Inashiro team or the legendary Seidou, compared to this team, the difference was huge!

How big exactly? Carlos didn't dare to say. However, one thing he could guarantee was that if the current Japan team faced Seidou or Inashiro in a match, their chances of winning would definitely exceed 60%.

It should be noted that both Inashiro and Seidou high school baseball teams had their own characteristics, with their own ace pitchers and complete defensive systems.

In simpler terms, their defensive abilities were far superior to their offensive abilities.

Because of this, even when they faced teams with superior skills, they were able to hold their own.

Even considering this point, Seidou and Inashiro would only have a 40% chance of winning against the Japan team.

This doesn't mean they could win 4 out of 10 games.

Rather, in each match, their chance of winning was 20% lower than their opponent.

If they played 10 games, they could lose all 10; this was also possible.

The gap was enormous—much, much larger than ordinary players would imagine.

With the strength of this team, challenging the world's top opponents seemed entirely possible.

If they didn't know what level the world's top opponents were at, the players of Japan might feel nervous.

But didn't Seidou's baseball team, under the leadership of Sawamura, face another world-class powerhouse?

The American Dream Team!

That team had already become legendary.

Even when facing such a team, Seidou's baseball team was not at a disadvantage.

Using that match as a reference, Japan team's current strength had already reached a stage that couldn't be underestimated.

Honestly, if this year's tournament didn't produce a team like the American Dream Team, it should be a foregone conclusion that Japan would win the championship.

This wasn't Carlos and the others bragging; it was their firm belief in their own strength.

They believed they could do it!

The first match was also the opening match for Japan in this tournament.

The players on the field were mostly dark horses with almost no international competition experience.

The result of the first match would significantly influence the outcomes of their subsequent games.

Considering this, Carlos believed he had to perform well.

"Let me see what level the world really is!"

Having this opportunity, Carlos was still very excited.

The bat in his hands was swinging back and forth, and his whole body seemed to be made of paper, swaying nonstop.

In the Dugout

Miyuki's eyes lit up.

The Seidou baseball team had faced Inashiro Industrial High School's baseball team countless times, so they were very familiar with their strength.

As the main hitter for Inashiro Industrial High School's baseball team, Carlos was a key focus of their research.

It was only a little over a month ago when they faced Carlos, that although Carlos showed impressive strength, it was nothing like now.

Now, he was even more impressive, showing a level that surprised them.

"Rhythmic Hitting!"

It looked like Carlos was unstable at every moment.

This made him vulnerable to being exploited by the opponent.

But this was the beauty of rhythmic hitting.

If the opponent thought it was a flaw and attacked that point aggressively, they would face a brutal retaliation.

Additionally, the swaying body created a force of inertia.

Even if the swinging motion wasn't large, the power would still explode strongly when hitting.

If Carlos had already learned this technique during his time with Inashiro Industrial's baseball team, even Sawamura would have to deal with it carefully.

This unlucky Italian pitcher had encountered a much stronger Carlos.

Sawamura also saw this scene and, like Miyuki, couldn't help but be amazed.

This wasn't because he couldn't handle Carlos; rather, he was shocked by Carlos's speed of growth.

Players who can put pressure on pitchers are extremely valuable.

If there were more players like him, their psychological pressure and physical consumption on pitchers would be immense.

Whether in Japan's professional league or Major League Baseball in America, games often feature rotation of pitchers.

Why is that?

Is it because those pitchers don't have the stamina to pitch all nine innings?

Don't make me laugh! With the intensity of their training, how could they not pitch nine innings?

The reason this happens is because hitters put too much pressure on pitchers.

If a pitcher stays in the game for too long and faces terrifying opponents like those in Major League Baseball, they'll eventually crack.

At most, after one game, they'll burn out, and in the next game, they'll be completely destroyed.

That's the terror of Major League Baseball.

To deal with these monster hitters, Major League Baseball has come up with all kinds of strategies that revolved around one main solution.

Pitching rotation.

Stack the bullpen with capable pitchers and rotate them flexibly, getting as many outs as possible before the pitchers are completely exposed.

This is a well-known fact in Major League Baseball and other professional leagues.

In high school, a single ace pitcher often pitches an entire game or even an entire summer.

That situation is almost exclusive to the anime world.

In reality, it's rare, and when it happens, the ace pitcher often suffers.

One of the major criticisms of Koshien is its heavy consumption of young players' physical strength, especially their shoulders and wrists.

Many players end up unable to play baseball after leaving the high school baseball team because their bodies are completely worn out.

Back to the game.

Carlos's showdown with Mario didn't attract much attention at first.

For the fans from Taiwan, they weren't familiar with these two players, and couldn't even name them.

So naturally, they weren't paying much attention.

In fact, many of the Taiwan fans who came here began to regret it.

They had come hoping to see the legendary Sawamura in action and watch him compete with the "Son of Baseball" Allen without falling behind.

Some of the more diligent fans even began searching the internet.

What they found left them dumbfounded.

The growth story of Sawamura was like that of a protagonist in a "Dragon Ball"-like Manga.

Incredible!

It was just amazing! Too amazing!

With such praise, they could hardly think of any words to express their excitement.

After reading these reports, they were even more eager to see Sawamura pitch.

But to their surprise, he wasn't on the field. All their enthusiasm seemed pointless.

The players who stepped up were a bunch of unknowns they had never heard of before.

Previously, there were several players whose names they could recognize.

What a pity!

Just as they lost interest, and some even got up to leave, the situation on the field suddenly changed.

The previously disregarded Italian team and their Ace pitcher, Leonardo Mario, began showing their sharp teeth and preparing to launch a fierce attack.

WHRROOSH!

The small baseball whizzed toward Carlos, who was about to bat.

Seeing the ball, Carlos suddenly felt that something was wrong.

'How could this be?'

Previously, Carlos's eyes had been well-trained.

Just the breaking balls of Sawamura were enough to give him a hard time.

Carlos had always been confident in his eyesight.

Even Eijun's breaking balls couldn't fool his eyes, let alone any other tricks.

But just now, he witnessed something so unbelievable that even his understanding couldn't grasp it.

The ball Mario threw was unbelievably pure. It was the purest straight ball.

Normally, straight balls come in many variations.

How many? No one can really say.

Even a straight ball usually experiences some downward movement due to gravity.

The faster the ball is, the slower it tends to drop.

If the speed is high enough, like the fastest pitcher, Furuya, from Seidou, his straight ball won't drop at all.

In fact, it can even rise!

Why?

Because of the rotation of the straight ball and the influence of gravity.

The faster the spin, the faster the ball climbs, as seen with Furuya.

Sawamura had simulated this effect before.

His breaking balls even included similar trajectories.

But the opponent now wasn't like any other.

Mario.

'Leonardo Mario.'

Among all the opponents Carlos had faced, none were like Mario.

His straight ball had very little spin.

Carlos had dynamic vision, though it wasn't top-tier, yet he could still clearly see the spin on the ball.

The speed of the rotation was very slow, almost too slow.

Theoretically, that ball should drop.

Especially since the pitch wasn't very fast, it should drop even more.

But surprisingly, the ball didn't drop at all.

It came straight at him.

...