Original subtitles

I...

I completely lost.

That was my best pitch with everything I had.

So that's what a battle of power is.

So this is

a top-ranked high school baseball.

Awesome.

I want to pitch more.

Way more.

All right!

Let's switch gears and do this again!

He's not fazed at all!

So you're even more excited after getting utterly defeated?

It's like you're a baby who's just learned baseball.

The Two Batteries

Gotta say, the Seido batters are amazing.

2nd-3rd Year

1st Year

In the end, the upperclassmen dominated.

But that Furuya kid was something.

He left a big impression, despite only throwing once.

We're really lacking a good pitcher, so he might even become the savior of Seido.

It'd be a problem if he doesn't.

Also, was it Sawamura who showed up at the end?

He gave up two runs, but he pitched until the end.

You can't hate a pitcher who never gives up.

Seido Spirit Dorm

What? Really, Masuko?

For tomorrow's game, too?

Yeah, I'm back on the active roster.

I bet it was the home run that convinced the coach.

I guess.

Though I barely won that fight.

I guess Sawamura's not ready to play with the big boys yet.

I bet he's crying in the room, too!

Hey, welcome back.

Or doing just fine?

You punk.

Drop Kick

You serious?

Sleeper Choke

Masuko hit a home run off of you!

You're still a rookie, so you should be more upset!

Cobra Twist

Figure-four Leg Lock

My pudding...

You've got mail!

Oh?

Aren't you popular?

Who's it from?

Wait! That's an important email message from my friends back home.

Oh, your friends?

My pudding...

"How was today?

Did you pitch well?

We're all training hard, too.

It's an impossible goal for us,

but we all can't wait to see you pitching in the nationals.

We're all rooting for you from far away.

You can do it, Eijun!"

Wakana.

Say, what?

Friends? You mean a girl?

Is that your girlfriend, huh?

N-No!

She's just a childhood friend!

Don't get cocky just 'cause you got to pitch for a couple of innings!

You're nowhere near good enough to play in the first-string!

I already know that without hearing it from you.

Doing errands for your older roommates?

Two hits and a fine play.

You made quite an impression, Haruichi.

No, I was just lucky.

I never expected that you'd really come to the same school.

You've always followed me everywhere I go.

But if you're just going to copy me forever,

you won't be able to surpass me.

This place isn't as easy...

as you think.

Brother...

Where's Miyuki?

I don't know.

I haven't seen him since dinner.

I told him we were going to watch Inajitsu's game DVD.

Where did he go?

Geez.

Learn today

Devote every moment

Do I really need to catch your pitch now?

You've been promoted to the first-string already.

You're gonna form a battery with me in the near future.

Or could it be...

Did you feel something watching Sawamura pitch,

monster rookie?

I...

came to Seido to find the place where I belong.

Please don't disappoint me...

Miyuki-senpai.

Very funny!

I like you!

I only threw three innings, but I'm sore all over.

To be honest, I was a hair away from being overwhelmed.

But today, I realized one thing standing on the mound.

It's the most exciting place in all of baseball.

I'm not giving up the mound to anyone.

The next time I stand on the mound,

I'm not giving up a single hit.

You've got mail.

Shut up!

Sharpshooter

That's not what we're talking about!

Show me a picture of Wakana! Now!

Sleeper Choke

Seido Spirit Dorm

My pudding!

Ninety-three members, including the new first-years.

What a splendid sight.

Does it seem like you'll make it to the nationals this year, Coach?

We haven't gotten very close in the past five years.

It's about time everyone in Japan hears about our school again.

Please rest assured.

Our goal is always to be the national champion.

Hey!

We have an impenetrable keystone combo.

A shortstop and lead-off hitter, Yoichi Kuramochi.

Batting second is second baseman, Ryosuke Kominata.

Die!

Batting third is our loud center fielder,

Jun Hisashiki throws hard and hits hard.

An irreplaceable clean-up hitter with a keen eye for chance,

first baseman and captain of the team,

Tetsuya Yuki.

The wind is blowing from east to west.

How is that relevant?

A super heavyweight third baseman who just rejoined the first-string,

batting fifth, Tohru Masuko.

And our key player supporting the team,

catcher and batting sixth, Kazuya Miyuki.

They are all top-notch players in the nation.

That sounds very reliable.

Then... we're just missing a pitcher?

It'll all depend on how much Tanba-kun

can recover by being back in the first-string.

Forgive me if I'm being rude,

but aren't you a little too fixated on training an ace, Coach Kataoka?

In this day and age, you could just cycle through different types of pitchers.

I'm not speaking solely for myself, you see.

There are many noisy outsiders around our prestigious school,

and a few of them are questioning your abilities.

Well, please don't take it to heart.

You were a foot away from the national title as a player,

and rejected offers from professional contracts to be a teacher.

Everyone knows how devoted you are.

I simply want to repay my debt to high school baseball

that raised me.

I am always ready to take responsibility for anything.

So please

never give me suggestions about my methods.

Excuse me.

I'm terrified.

Does he even understand?

If he can't produce results this year,

his job will be on the line.

How was it?

The first-years took a huge loss,

bu some good came of it, correct?

That small second baseman is the brother of Kominato in the third-year.

No wonder his plays reminded me of him.

And Satoru Furuya, who left everyone speechless with one pitch.

About that.

If we win tomorrow, I'll make him debut in the Kanto tournament.

But he's only a first-year.

His pitch is so powerful that it looks like it rises.

There aren't very many batters in Japan who can hit that pitch.

I'll switch between Tanba and Furuya until the summer.

I see.

What did you think about Sawamura?

Sawamura?

Masuko got a home run off of him.

He allowed a run from an unlucky hit to the middle of two fielders,

and a passed ball by the catcher,

but only Masuko was able to get an actual hit off of him.

Batter superiority.

In high school baseball today where batters have the upper hand,

a southpaw-moving, fastball pitcher is an asset.

True, we are lacking left-handed pitchers.

An honest-to-a-fault style of head-to-head pitching,

and incompetency in pickoffs and fielding.

He's useless the way he is now, but...

He has a self-taught form that is grandiose,

and flexible joints.

Speaking purely in terms of potential,

he may be much bigger than the other two.

For now...

We'll have Furuya gain experience in the first-string,

and I think I'll leave Sawamura to Chris in the second-string.

To Chris?

Very well.

Listen well!

We have two months until the summer tournament.

Practicing without an objective would only be a waste of time.

The first step in climbing a hill,

and the first step in climbing Mt. Fuji...

Physically the same, but mentally different.

Which one are we climbing?

A goal breathes life into your every day.

Be ambitious and never neglect your daily training!

Sir!

The upperclassmen get to practice fielding and batting through scrimmages.

But us first-years

are stuck doing circuits and running.

Furuya's in the first-string, and even he has to do it.

I really want to use balls again.

Hey.

You got into the second-string, but you don't look so happy.

Of course I'm not.

I'm still doing exactly what I was doing before!

I want to pitch in the first-string!

Wow! You sure talk big.

But I'd rather get to play in the second-string

than be benched in the first-string.

What?

A game?

The games we'll have on the weekends will be double headers,

so I'm sure we'll have chances to play, too.

Seriously?

That's awesome!

Be quiet.

First-year students, Furuya and Sawamura,

come immediately to the Field A bench.

You two will be given the pitcher training menu starting today.

You'll have twice as much work to do than everyone else,

but good luck.

Furuya-kun,

you might be pitching in next week's Kanto tournament,

so practice your pickoff plays and signs with Miyuki.

Okay.

Rei-chan.

He has power, but his control is trash.

Also, he'll have to throw a hundred pitches every day to build endurance.

Oh, you've already been catching his pitch?

I... will do as Miyuki instructs me to do.

It's been too long...

since I last heard the sound

of my pitch being caught by a mitt.

What's wrong?

You're the one who dragged me out here.

Don't hold back. Throw with everything you've got.

When I chose this school...

I made the right choice.

It's a pleasure to work with you.

What's this?

You're being so obedient.

I figured I should start humble.

This guy!

When did they...

get so...

Sawamura-kun, you'll be working with Chris, a third-year.

Have him teach you about how to act and lead on the field.

What?

This isn't fair!

I want to pair up with Miyuki, too!

What a coincidence.

I don't want to pair with you, either.

I'm Chris Yu Takigawa.

Nice to meet you, loser pitcher.

First!

Hey!

Don't worry about it.

Don't give me that!

His throws are amazing, but I guess he's not as good at fielding.

You're thinking too much about stepping on the base.

If you don't run parallel to the foul line,

the runner's gonna shred your legs.

The moment you release the ball, you become the ninth fielder.

Don't ever forget that.

Sir.

Tanba-san's got a lot of dignity, giving advice to his rival.

Well, he does have way more experience.

You look envious.

You want to go to the first-string that badly?

Rather...

How long are you gonna make me stretch?

It's already been thirty minutes!

We're in the bullpen!

Let me pitch!

What are you writing down?

What's wrong with this guy?

He has a quiet voice, and I have no idea what he wants to do.

Shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints are very flexible.

His fingers are long and have many traits of a good pitcher.

What did you say?

However...

You'll never become the ace here.

You'll never become the ace here.

In the last tryout scrimmage, why did you ignore the catcher

and go for head-to-head duels?

Are catchers...

just targets to you?

Th-That's not it at all!

To be honest, I don't have confidence in my ball control.

I didn't want to throw halfheartedly,

so I thought I could just throw as hard as I can.

Besides, a head-to-head battle of powers is the best part about baseball.

That's why you're a loser.

Anyway, throw.

Though I don't expect anything from you.

He calls me a loser and doesn't give me any credit,

but he's got the mask, the guards, the whole package.

Maybe...

You're actually pretty scared of my pitch?

What is he doing?

He didn't move the mitt a single inch.

What's wrong?

This is where my...

mitt is.

He's so scary!

A head-to-head battle of powers is the best part about baseball?

Maybe for your own self-satisfaction.

A pitcher

must stand on the mound

with everything on his shoulders, including the benched players.

I would never...

want to entrust the three years we spent here to you.

What is up with that guy?

He's calling it a day way before everyone else!

What does he know from seeing a few of my throws?

You're in the second-string, too!

Don't take out your frustration on me!

He's running by himself again.

I guess he's already on bad terms with Chris.

I don't like him. He's gloomy.

You, too?

Damn it.

It's like... nothing's changed at all since my—

Sawamura-kun!

Here you go.

Chris in third-year asked me to give it to you.

He said to do it after you finish your daily menu.

Today's Menu 10 Hill Sprint, 3x10 Scissor Jump, 2x10 Push Press, 2x10 MB Sit Up Throw, 2x10 Ballistic Lunge, 2x15 Dumbbell Push & Low, 3x10 MB Overhand, 2x15 Lunge & Twist

There are a lot of pitchers who lost their futures pairing with Chris.

Maybe the rumor about him

going crazy after losing his first-string position to Miyuki is true.

I feel sorry for Sawamura, having to form a battery with him.

You've gotta be kidding me!

I'm gonna kill you!

Hey, Sawamura-kun.

You certainly talk big.

But you'll never, ever be the ace here.

Who are you to tell me that?

Miyuki snapped, all of a sudden.

What are you hiding, anyway?

Next time on Ace of the Diamond: The Truth About Chris.

The Truth About Chris.

Let's win the national title!