Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

"MARIO!"

"MARIO!!!"

Before the match between Japan and Italy, probably no one would have paid attention to this name.

Because the player this name represented had never appeared on Italy's national team roster before.

He was just a substitute, and not even one with any match experience.

Now, this substitute has accomplished a feat that many people never even dared to imagine.

He was trading powerful pitches with the world's number one team, the Japanese team.

And until the end of the 6th inning, he was still holding his ground.

The score between the two teams was still 0:0, with neither team managing a valid hit.

Such an impressive performance had shocked all the fans from Japan.

Before the game, people heard that Japan had called up all their well-known players, among them the likes of Sawamura, who could rival the Son of Baseball, Allen.

Upon hearing such news, fans from Japan naturally considered their team to be the likely champions.

After all, Japan was ranked number one in the world and, for the first time ever, had assembled its full-strength squad.

It would be unthinkable for them not to win the championship.

In recent years, Japan has failed to win championships in national team competitions.

It had seemed to become a deep regret for them.

This time, they were determined to ensure that this pain would not continue.

If there were any uncertainties in Japan's championship battle, it would be the powerful American team.

With the addition of the Great Demon King, Sawamura, many young players who had previously shown no interest in national team matches had been drawn in.

Now, why were the Taiwan fans so excited?

Because they were surprised to find that the unexpected outcome they had been dreaming of might soon occur. Who would have thought that Italy, ranked tenth, had such a trump card up their sleeve?

If Italy were to win against Japan, it would be very beneficial for Taiwan!

It would mean that Taiwan had one less team to worry about in the championship race.

Although America was also a strong opponent, Taiwan's players had more experience playing against them.

As long as they arranged their lineup well, it wasn't entirely hopeless to defeat them.

Unlike the match against Japan, where, after analyzing both teams' strengths, Taiwan realized the only team they had no chance against was Japan.

Japan had too many excellent pitchers.

Taiwan's biggest problem was their lack of offensive power.

Offensive power was their weak point, so how could they have the confidence to break through such a strong pitching lineup like Japan's?

As for Italy, although they had been performing impressively against Japan, Taiwan didn't see them as a real threat.

Italy was just lucky. Their pitcher had the element of surprise.

In a real match against Taiwan, the Taiwanese team believed they would still have a good chance of winning.

This was why Taiwan fans were so excited.

They felt that the difficult Japan team might lose to Italy. It was a great feeling!

No wonder Taiwan fans were now cheering for Italy.

Compared to the championship-contending Japan, Taiwan definitely hoped for Italy to advance.

Although Taiwan's fans genuinely hoped for this, the game was not going in the direction they expected.

In Japan's resting area, Sawamura sat calmly on a bench.

Earlier, Miyuki had invited him to warm up together.

Sawamura showed no interest at all.

Miyuki thought that if Mario was not taken out soon, Coach Takeda would likely replace him.

Though the current team represented Japan's highest level of play, it was only a partial representation, not the whole team.

On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura and Narumiya were obviously more reliable than others.

Of course, Hongou's performance so far had been excellent. There was no sign of him collapsing in a short time.

In that case, it seemed unlikely that the Italian team would be able to break through and score against him.

Thus, Coach Takeda didn't need to rush to make any substitutions.

If there were a substitution to be made, it would be to boost the team's offensive strength.

In the resting area, were there any players more skilled in batting than those currently on the field?

Of course, there were!

Todoroki Raichi and Sawamura Eijun.

Both of them were capable of hitting home runs, more than most regular sluggers could manage.

When the team's offense stalled, these two superstars could single-handedly change the situation.

If the team really needed help, Coach Takeda shouldn't hesitate to call on them.

Besides them, there was also Miyuki.

Though his overall stats weren't outstanding, there was one thing that made him stand out from the others.

That was his nearly invincible hitting success rate when there were runners on base.

Under such conditions, his hitting stats were even comparable to Sawamura's.

If the team needed an offensive boost, Coach Takeda would surely not overlook Miyuki.

Considering this, Miyuki invited Sawamura to warm up together.

Although the game was nearing its end, he had a feeling that their true match had just begun.

"Stop getting so excited! Just watch closely. Carlos-san and the others will definitely score," Sawamura said, showing no intention of moving.

As for today's match, although both teams were still tied at this point, Sawamura had a feeling that the stalemate wouldn't last much longer.

Super Mario!

Mario, in Sawamura's memory, had evolved into a complete monster. On the mound, he was capable of doing as he pleased—he wasn't unbeatable, but he was definitely impressive.

But the Mario standing before Sawamura now was still quite different from the one in his memory.

He was still too inexperienced!

Despite his stunning start, he still had many problems. It could even be said that his initial amazing performance had caused him to unconsciously increase the speed of his pitches after seeing Hongou Masamune's style.

Unknowingly, he had been influenced by Hongou's rhythm.

The entire pitching rhythm had become faster than usual.

And the result of that was a mess, just like what was happening now.

At first, no one noticed the change, which wasn't surprising since this was the first time many of them had seen it.

But this small mistake convinced Sawamura that Japan's offensive surge was about to begin.

These were the same players who had once been their opponents.

Sawamura knew them very well.

Against a player like Carlos, Sawamura, while pitching, had closed up the defense, leaving almost no openings.

Yet Carlos still found a way to surprise him.

Wasn't it laughable that he could handle himself in the past, but now couldn't deal with a Mario?

For Sawamura, facing these opponents had always been a confidence booster.

They had never let him down. A single glance, and everyone knew what was on the other's mind.

Paak!

Carlos, just stepping into the Batter's Box, didn't put up the resistance that everyone had expected.

He swiftly adopted a bunting position.

At first, Taiwan fans were very excited. Super Mario was indeed powerful—he even had Japanese players resorting to bunting.

But soon, they realized something was wrong.

Before, no Japanese batter had used a bunt.

They all had expected normal hits.

But suddenly, a bunt came out of nowhere.

By the time they reacted, the figure in the Batter's Box had already dropped his bat and was dashing toward first base.

The speed was incredible!

This wasn't just fast; this kind of speed was rare, even if you searched the world.

Two long legs, moving at lightning speed, didn't give the opponent any time to react. He raced through the bases.

He was on first base in no time.

"SAFE!"

No Outs, and a runner on first base!

This was a jaw-dropping result that no one had expected.

And that was exactly why their emotions were in chaos.

Especially for the Italian players. They had fought hard to get here, and they didn't want to give up now.

If possible, they still wanted to defeat Japan.

Even if they defeated Japan, they would lose the next round anyway.

They were willing to risk it all.

But now, even if they gave everything, it seemed like a fantasy.

Their opponents weren't giving them any chances; they were going to push forward relentlessly.

And sure enough, when Mario pitched again, Carlos had already run from first base to second.

"No You Won't!!"

The Italian catcher, his eyes now red with frustration.

Carlos had completely ignored his presence.

Swish!

The little baseball flew like a laser beam straight to second base.

The Italian defense had positioned well, but it didn't matter.

Carlos was already a step ahead and reached second base.

Ignoring the Italians' attempts at interference!

And what was even more amazing, despite the interference, he still managed to make it safely.

...