Original subtitles

This is my first summer...

as the team ace!

Norikane Seido

The second baseman flubs the throw!

7-hole Kanemaru grounds one down the middle!

The man on second rounds third, too!

Safe at home!

Norikane Seido

Yeah!

Nice pitch!

Norikane Seido

Your pitching needs to drive your opponent to the ground!

Strike! You're out!

Dominating pitching that won't give the Norikane lineup an inch!

Norikane Seido

That's Seido's ace, Eijun Sawamura!

July 17th Three Days Before Norikane Match

Seido Spirit Dorm

I gotta go.

R-Right.

I'll head out soon too.

July 17th Thursday

Daisan High Amahisa Looks like you won. You pitch today?

Looks like you won. You pitch today?

You've got your match with Yakushi in two days, right?

Feeling up to it?

Yeah, I'm okay.

That cutter of yours inspired me to try a new pitch.

Inspired... a new pitch?

Hang on. You text?

Y-Yeah, sometimes.

To trade baseball techniques and opinions and stuff.

Who are you texting?

Oh, well, you know...

Amahisa-san from Ichidaisan.

Ichidaisan?

Seido Spirit Dorm

L-Look, it's not like that!

It's just pitcher stuff!

I'm not cozying up to a rival team or anything!

July 18th

Wow, what kind of pitch is it?

I'd love to hear all about it!

Hey, Kosei. It's time for the meeting.

Are you listening to me?

He's got a girl!

A girl?!

Yeah, yeah.

I'll give you a hint.

A slider that doesn't fully curve.

A gyroscopic spin.

July 19th

Hachioji Stadium

Reception

High School Baseball for Month [7] Day [19] [Summer] Tournament Round [5] First baseline dugout [Ichidaisan] Third baseline dugout [Yakushi]

For the Team

Ichidaisan will be starting their ace, Amahisa.

Yakushi will be starting a first-year, Tomobe.

Sanada's third in the lineup and playing left field instead.

And batting second... Raichi Todoroki?!

Batting 7th, Center Field Hideo Abe

Ichidaisan High Manager Toshihiko Tahara

Yakushi High Manager Raizo Todoroki

Line up!

Seido Spirit Dorm

What's going on in the Hachioji match?

3rd-Year Ken Yamaguchi

Ichidaisan's ahead. Hoshida hit it off the fence to bring a runner in.

Whoa, really?

Sure hope resting Sanada doesn't come back to bite them.

How'd Todoroki's first at-bat go?

First pitch was a slider, and he hit it off the right-field fence too.

Whoa, he hit Amahisa's slider?

3rd-Year Shoji Higasa

3rd-Year Ataru Nakata

Shouldn't he just pitch around Todoroki?

Amahisa's not that type of pitcher.

It'd take all the fight out of him.

Whether Todoroki can hit Amahisa is what it's all resting on, yeah.

I'll give you a hint.

A slider that doesn't fully curve.

A gyroscopic spin.

Curious?

About the match at Hachioji.

Well, sure.

Yakushi or Ichidaisan...

Whichever one advances, we're in for a tough match.

Batting 2nd, Third Base Raichi Todoroki

Yakushi Ichidaisan

Top of the third, two outs, bases empty.

It's round two for the ace and the power hitter.

Batting 8th, Pitcher Kosei Amahisa

Little boy Ama put down Masuda and Akiba like they were nothing.

I'm counting on you here, Raichi.

We'll lose the momentum completely if he puts you down too.

Fastball. Curve. Slider.

I'll send any of them straight over the fence!

Hey, man. Look at you, raring to go...

Batting 7th, Catcher Akito Takami

Well, Kosei? Will you use it?

Well, he totally had me on his first at-bat...

With no runners, it might be time to show it off.

Scary, man. He's really gonna drag it out of me.

You'll get to see it first, you monkey with a bat.

Take it!

A fastball!

Strike!

It's a swing and a miss at the first-pitch slider!

Was that... a splitter?!

A slider?

What the... heck? I've never seen anything like...

Monkey see...

Monkey panic...

Monkey weep!

Second pitch is a fastball on the outside!

Foul!

He did it again!

O-One hundred fifty-one...

He's clearly kicked it up a notch.

You made contact on that one? I like it.

Not good...

But you should just lie down and die already!

Strike!

You're out!

He strikes out swinging!

Ichidaisan's Kosei Amahisa takes the victory in the second round

between the ace and the power hitter!

Batting 9th, Second Base Koji Miyamoto

Nice pitching, Kosei!

Given how Todoroki reacted...

He camouflaged it as a fastball for sure.

Nice pitch, Amahisa-san!

Nice one!

Kosei-san!

Wish I could get it a little more subtle.

To get an out with one pitch.

I've never seen a spin like that.

The way it moved...

Incredible.

You're incredible... Kosei Amahisa!

That's the way, Todoroki.

I knew you'd like it.

Man, can't wait for my next turn at the plate!

But you have to field now.

I can't let my guard down until the last minute.

Looks like it worked, Kosei.

Yeah, you think it made an impact?

Good job, Amahisa m'boy!

Thanks!

Sliders with a big break are Amahisa's calling card,

but I wanted him to master a pitch

with a smaller break that would look like a fastball.

Sliders can break so much they're hard to control.

Throwing them in the manner of a cutter puts a new kind of spin on the ball.

Like a cutter, it breaks like a slider only when it reaches the batter.

They call it a slider that doesn't break all the way...

the "Sly."

What was that last pitch?

I can't believe he struck Todoroki out so easily!

It went awfully low for a cutter...

We were having enough trouble with his slider...

Now that brat Ama's got a new pitch in his arsenal?

Sanada! You're up this inning!

Batting 3rd, Pitcher Shunpei Sanada

Yes, sir.

I'm counting on you.

For the bottom of the 3rd,

Yakushi High School will make a substitution.

Pitcher Tomobe-kun will move to left field,

and left fielder Sanada-kun will pitch.

Batting fifth, left field, Tomobe-kun.

Can't let Ichidaisan pick up any more momentum.

Batting third, pitcher, Sanada-kun.

Yakushi didn't hesitate to bring out their ace.

That shows just how dangerous Amahisa is today.

Things are going well.

They must've had a reason they didn't want to start Sanada.

Chimaru m'boy!

It's huge that we were able to drag their ace out of hiding in early innings.

Batting 1st, Left Field Hiroshi Chimaru

Just like our data said,

he's all the way to the first-base side of the plate.

His shootball flies right for the chest of a right-handed batter.

I have to keep it tight so I don't get jammed!

Leadoff hitter Chimaru grounds it to the second baseman for the first out!

1st-Year Taigi Hayakawa

1st-Year Daigo Kurogi

1st-Year Sho Taniguchi

3rd-Year Makoto Moriyama

One pitch, one down!

Nice pitch, Sanada-senpai!

Nice pitch!

That's one down.

One pitch, then crack.

I love ya, man!

That's our Sanada!

Yeah! Sanada!

Sanada-senpai!

Amazing.

That one pitch totally changed the mood on our bench.

Batting 1st, Catcher Kazuma Akiba

Mori m'boy!

Yeah, let's go!

Keep it out!

One down, two to go!

Sanada-senpai, you rock!

The shootball and the cutter...

A pitcher whose arsenal consists of pitches aimed at the batters' chests.

Batting 2nd, Third Base Futoshi Mori

They'll need to choke up on the bat so they don't get jammed.

Leave those two finger widths of your pride with me, boys.

Hachioji Stadium

Batting 4th, First Base Yuta Mishima

Third baseman Todoroki makes an amazing play for the second out!

That's two outs, Nada-senpai!

Good. He doesn't seem to be hung up over that last strikeout.

Now, the real test...

Batting 3rd, Center Field Akira Miyagawa

Even Miyagawa-san, their cleanup man, is choking up on the bat...

Looks like they're all-in.

The scariest thing is a great team capable of being humble!

He threw it right at me!

I know it's far from genteel.

But this is how we...

keep pace with elite schools...

as an eternal challenger!

Struck out swinging!

The top of Ichidaisan's order is three up, three down in a perfect relief inning!

Yeah!

Batting 8th, Shortstop Shinobu Komehara

Nice pitching!

Is there another ace that can carry out their manager's wishes so well?!

Great! He's a soldier as well!

This isn't over yet.

Our Raichi won't let it be over either!

Isn't this getting interesting?

Okay!

That's a good pitch.

Hope you can pull it off during a game.

All right. That's enough for today.

All right!

Um, Miyuki-senpai?

What's a gyroscopic rotation in a pitch?

Gyro...?

Gyro?!

Why are you so surprised that I know that word?!

Todoroki grounds it to the second baseman,

and the third showdown goes to Amahisa once again!

That pitch again?

It looks like a subtler slider. What is it?

A two-seam gyroball... maybe.

A fast pitch also known as a vertical cutter.

It moves with speed close to a fastball,

and it only breaks a little, so it can even slip into the strike zone.

By mixing it with curveballs and sliders,

it makes it even harder for the batter to target one specific pitch.

Strike! You're out!

In a duel of aces, Amahisa comes out ahead!

Two outs already in the top of the sixth!

Sawamura-senpai might know more about this.

He and Amahisa-san have been trading information as fellow pitchers.

Those two? Really?

That's a weird combination.

Yakushi Ichidaisan

Yakushi tried to regain the momentum by putting in their ace, Sanada,

but in the bottom of the sixth,

Ichidaisan's 3-hole Miyagawa-san hit a double down the right field line

and got a runner on second with two outs.

Their 4-hole, Hoshida-san, came up to bat.

Batting 4th, First Base Mamoru Hoshida

I can see it. This time, for sure...

He's talking to his bat?

No way...

He's a stubborn one. Even after I have him behind in the count...

I swear this— I will give Kosei another run!

I will give Kosei...!

He snuck a hit in between first and second,

and Ichidaisan High got the insurance run it was after.

You see that, Kosei?!

It wasn't a hard hit, but I made it happen with determination!

Why didn't he go to second?!

Most people would! Is he just too slow?

Ichidaisan got an insurance run!

It's two to nothing now.

Hoshida with another RBI?

That guy is so clutch.

And they've totally shut out the Yakushi lineup?

Is Amahisa pitching that well today?

Just what kind of pitch is he throwing?

Yakushi Ichidaisan

Darn it. I'm so curious!

It's the top of the 8th, and Yakushi High's up to bat.

They've got a runner on first, and their leadoff man, Akiba, is at the plate!

These guys never bunted all of last year.

Let's let them try it. Easy out for us.

Steal!

A hit-and-run!

Weak contact sends the ball right to the pitcher!

He throws it to first for an out!

But the runner on first got a big jump, and makes it to second!

With a runner in scoring position, the big man comes to the plate!

Batting 2nd, third base, Todoroki-kun.

The fourth matchup between the ace and the power hitter

is the biggest chance yet for Yakushi High School!

They made contact on Kosei's Sly.

The trajectory of the pitch can make the break more shallow.

What's our pitch count?

Eighty-seven so far.

Pitch count is just fine.

Can't underestimate the effect of throwing an unfamiliar pitch, though.

Two innings left.

We're two runs ahead.

First base is empty.

He can take it easy if he wants.

First base is open.

Even if they do pitch to him, they won't give him anything good to hit.

He's at an overwhelming disadvantage right now.

I know you haven't forgotten your frustration from last year.

Go out there and swing...

For your team!

Raichi!

You and me... let's finish this!

Go for it, Raichi!

Raichi-san!

Hit it out of there!

Todoroki-kun!

Hit it hard, Todoroki!

Hit it, Todoroki!

Hit it!

Raichi!

Yeah, yeah. I see where this is going.

Everyone loves an underdog comeback story.

How about we shut them all up?

Well?

Kosei!

Kosei-san!

You said it.

It's showdowns like these where Kosei shines the brightest.

It's the top of the 8th, with Ichidaisan holding a two-run lead.

There's a runner on second.

At the plate is the monster slugger, Raichi Todoroki!

Kosei's in a place where he can handle this.

We're going to take him down, Manager.

All right!

I trust my boys on the field.

Yakushi's been scoreless for seven innings.

Pitching is Ichidaisan ace, Kosei Amahisa! It's the fourth big showdown!

Strike!

First pitch is a curve!

Todoroki takes a strike looking!

A curveball? Now?

I guess Todoroki didn't even conceive of that.

Okay. Getting a strike there was huge.

Now that he's looking higher, next should be...

The second pitch!

A fastball hit foul!

That's his fastest pitch of the day!

He's facing Todoroki head-on?!

He's got him behind in the count!

The catcher's calling different pitches, too.

Yes. Since Yakushi knows about that two-seam gyroball now.

The Ichidaisan battery is terrifyingly cool-headed.

The previous three at-bats were all just laying the groundwork.

A bait pitch high and inside...

Foul!

It broke wide!

So close!

By this much!

What a swing.

Calling pitches can only mean so much against reaction time like that.

That's Todoroki for you!

How hard did he hit that one?!

He's terrifying!

He caught up to a pitch that far inside...

He's incredible.

I'm hardly surprised by that.

He's a man who can deal

with a new breaking ball his second time through the order.

Look at that expression...

He's out for my blood!

Next time on Ace of the Diamond Act II -Second Season-...

"The Path of the Victor!"

Aim to take nationals!

Next Time

"The Path of the Victor"