Original subtitles

I do what I'm asked to do every game.

I didn't have the luxury to think about anything more.

All my upperclassmen are just so amazing.

I respect them,

and they're super cool.

I'm not really sure how to put it,

but I just want to keep playing with this team.

Not sure if that came out right.

Eijun.

We've been calling you for a while now.

B-Brother.

Ow...

Get over here, Sawamura!

You wanna be late to Inashiro's game, stupid?

That hurt!

That hurt more than usual!

Just your imagination, stupid.

Well, I need to take him now,

but please come cheer for us again.

You listening?

Start walking.

I'm being abused!

I'm not abusing you.

He just wants to keep playing with this team, huh?

That's our Ei-chan.

Walk!

See ya!

But it doesn't change the fact...

...that it's just one more win away.

We all...

...want to see you pitch at nationals.

Fantasy

Mei!

Mei-kun!

Show us some great pitching!

Narumiya-kun!

We came to cheer you on!

Narumiya!

Let's go to nationals!

The cheering is louder.

Are there more people now?

The winner of last year's West Tokyo tournament,

Inashiro Vocational High School, led by Coach Hiroshige Kunitomo.

They're the favorite to win this tournament.

Damn.

Why are they only cheering for Mei?

I'm sick of this.

Stop complaining.

He's our ace, after all.

Three-hole and third baseman, Hideaki Yoshizawa, third-year.

Seven-hole and second baseman, Tsubasa Hirai.

But he doesn't have a girlfriend.

Two-hole and shortstop, Katsuyuki Shirakawa, second-year.

'Cause he's a little boy.

Another second-year.

Leadoff and center fielder, Carlos Toshiki Kamiya.

Second-year again.

Six-hole and first baseman, Riku Yamaoka.

The key player, cleanup and catcher, Masatoshi Harada.

Wow!

His pitch consistently looks really good.

I heard he did a lot of running in the off-season.

Koshien Stadium was good, but I really like Jingu Stadium, too.

And possibly the number one pitcher in Kanto, second-year ace, Mei Narumiya.

I wonder what he'll show us today.

I wish we played games every day.

You just don't want to practice.

Give me another fastball.

Damn kid's looking good.

That was a nice sound.

He's a special opponent for us.

If we can't take him down,

we won't make it to nationals.

They're watching.

They're all watching.

Watch closely.

I'll change your glimmers of hopes and dreams

into complete despair.

Th-That speed and control.

If he throws breaking balls along with those,

it's going to be tough to get a hit.

I'll watch you down to your every last bone.

I want to go back and pitch.

Come get your lunch, please!

We have multiple types, so pick what you like.

Over here!

First come, first served!

Do you have a meatloaf set?

Can I get a fried chicken set?

That's some wicked sound.

I bet nobody here is expecting us to win.

Well, we can probably only win one out of ten games against them.

Moron.

Don't say that right before the game.

In order to make that one win possible,

we've been working hard, no?

Professor.

Boys, it's time we made history today.

Sakura

We will now begin game two of the semifinals

between Inashiro Vocational High School and Sakurazawa High School.

Both teams, line up!

Let's go!

Let's go!

The tournament favorite versus the only public school in the semifinals.

Isn't Sakurazawa a famous high academic school?

I'm surprised they're still in the tournament.

They used to never make it past the first game.

Though they won against a seeded school in their third game this year.

It's a miracle that they've made this far.

Tokyo Prefectural Sakurazawa High School.

We're one of the top schools in Tokyo, academically,

Tokyo Prefectural Sakurazawa High School

but no one knows about us in the sports world.

See ya, Professor!

Yes. Goodbye.

Professor.

Are you done with practice already?

I just changed.

Yeah, we all have cram schools.

I see.

You got forced to oversee the baseball team, right?

You don't have to show up every time.

We're just doing it to get some exercise between classes.

Excuse us.

Excuse us.

Excuse us.

Okay, goodbye.

Sakurazawa High School was on a twenty-year consecutive zero-win record.

However, no one cared about the record,

and the students simply enjoyed being in the tournament.

That is...

...until they joined.

All right, one more.

Ready?

Sorry, Akira!

That one was pretty good.

One more!

I'll catch it this time.

You boys aren't going home yet?

Oh, Professor.

I mean, Coach.

First-years, Akira Nagao-kun...

I'm a little excited knowing I get to play in the games.

...Yoshimi Hidokoro-kun...

We only just barely have enough people,

and even us first-years get to play.

...and Masaaki Minamoto-kun.

These guys were just benchwarmers in junior high.

Shut up! Not like you played a lot!

Besides...

There's a pitch I've been dying to try.

Professor!

I mean, Coach.

If, and only if,

since it's a very low chance, statistically speaking,

we went to nationals... wouldn't it be cool?

I bet we could change the world!

Easier said than done.

Nationals.

I see that you three like baseball.

However, as it is, it's just a fantasy.

Just a fantasy, huh?

We finally got our first win one year after that day.

It was a scrimmage, and we didn't exactly win easily,

but that one win changed everyone's mentality.

Listen up, boys.

This team's fate currently rests entirely on Nagao-kun's pitching.

In order to win,

we must greatly improve our fielding.

Now onto the batting.

If you played catch on a merry-go-around going counter-clockwise,

Professor's been thinking, I see.

the ball throw will sway to the right.

I heard he's read every book on baseball there is.

This is known as the Coriolis effect.

He's starting to look like a real coach.

Let's do this, boys.

Miss

I'll take over.

Sorry.

Did you need to throw that without a bounce?

How about you make it bounce once, so it'll get to the other side without fail?

Y-Yes, sir!

Professor gave each person a notebook with what they needed to work on,

Baseball Book

and we wrote in it even during practice when something was on our mind.

From a single play, to daily assignments, and overall goals.

As the number of notebooks increased,

we managed to win more scrims.

And this year...

Shortstop!

Out!

Yeah!

Nice, shortstop!

Carlos first, and now Shirakawa?

Wh-Why can't they hit a pitch that slow?

Nice one, Akira!

Nice pitch!

Chris-senpai.

Yeah.

There's no doubt about it.

He's a knuckleball pitcher.

Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn.

How was it?

I knew his pitch from seeing the videos,

but I never expected it'd be such a high level.

How they're making every throw with a bounce

already tells you their level of play.

But it also means they know themselves.

Are they just playing catch?

Out!

Inashiro just went down, three for three!

Is that a knuckleball?

Their defense is good, too.

These guys are pretty good!

Nice pitch, Akira!

Nice pitch!

Couldn't have started a better way.

Fist bumps?

Are you trying to be like Coach Hara?

Your pitch even works against Inashiro.

Great job on improving so much over the past two years.

I'm very proud of you.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Professor.

If we don't win, it'll just end as a fantasy.

Strike!

Batter out!

Three consecutive strikeouts from the first inning?

He's going all out already!

This is crazy.

It's like he's telling us they're better.

That's who they are.

We just do our own baseball, isn't that right?

Only those who believe in themselves can pave their paths.

He sure knows what to say, sometimes.

Though he still can't hit for fielding practice.

But he's right.

We just do our own thing.

Let's go!

Yeah!

We go into Inashiro's offense in the second inning.

Fourth batter, catcher, Harada-kun.

Masa-san!

Let's go, cleanup man!

He sure is popular.

Let's see how he hits the knuckleball.

Maybe he can utilize his flexible batting.

Chris-senpai, how about a little explanation on the knuckleball?

Good idea.

You grip the ball with your fingertips,

and in the moment of your release,

you snap your fingers

to spin the ball in the opposite direction of a regular fastball.

By doing so, the ball flies with zero rotation,

making it break in directions not even the pitcher knows.

It's a difficult pitch to catch,

so some catchers use large mitts specialized for knuckleballs.

It's a difficult pitch not everyone can throw,

so it's a very special pitch.

Not even the pitcher knows how it'll move?

That's irresponsible, if you ask me!

Your moving fastball is like that, too.

The more time they spend trying to figure out the knuckleball,

the deeper they fall into Sakurazawa's trap.

Impatience can bring the team a sense of insecurity,

and that can lead to mistakes.

I assume all the teams that went up against Sakurazawa

went down without being able to play to their best abilities.

Ball!

That's not spinning at all.

This is going to be really hard.

Masa-san!

I want a big one! A big one!

Shut it.

See it with your own eyes.

I don't need to swing big.

If I can make contact with the ball, then...

It's a different break!

Out!

Yes! One out!

Nice pitching, Akira-kun!

Nice one!

That was so lame, Masa-san.

Are you seriously our cleanup?

Shut up!

All righty, then.

I'll avenge you, Masa-san!

I'm gonna punch you.

Batting fifth, pitcher, Narumiya-kun.

Mei, hit it!

Narumiya-kun!

Mei!

So this is...

...the best pitcher in Kanto, Mei Narumiya.

Wow! That's a huge mitt.

Is that tailor-made?

Stop.

Calm down.

Gotta calm down.

In junior high, Yoshimi and I were both benchwarmers.

Inamoto just barely managed to play in and out.

I wanted to play games in high school, even if the team wasn't good.

But I knew we wouldn't be able to beat the best schools

in terms of talent and physique.

That's when I discovered...

Akira, what are you reading?

Wakefield?

Is that the majors?

Yoshimi, do you know about a special breaking pitch?

A special pitch?

It doesn't require superhuman powers to throw a knuckleball.

If I can master this pitch, then maybe...

...I'll be able to dream.

One out!

One at a time!

Yeah! One at a time!

Just like usual!

Send them our way!

Akira!

Let's go, Akira!

That's right, Akira-kun.

You need not tense up when you pitch.

He's oddly calm.

Pisses me off a bit.

Just like your usual self,

be calm and comfortable when you pitch.

That alone will take your pitch to new heights.

What the?

Strike!

Strike!

Batter out!

I thought I told him to swing compactly.

Always be calm and steady as a rock, never excited.

This is the secret to a great knuckleball.

The zen state of mind.

Is this for real?

Inashiro cleanups struck out.

That knuckleball's amazing.

It's not a pitch you can learn overnight.

He must've spent his entire high school life learning this pitch.

It wasn't a fluke that they've made this far.

Yeah! We can do this!

We can put up a fight against Inashiro!

Hidokoro, eyes on the ball!

We've gotta score first!

Strike!

Batter out!

Mei.

Bring it on.

Like I'd lose a pitching game.

So this is why Mei was pitching all out from the start.

He's putting pressure on the opponent from the mound.

From the mound?

We just have to be persistent and patient.

If we play like we usually do, a chance will definitely come around.

That's right.

This isn't the first obstacle you've hit on your way here.

Next time on Ace of the Diamond: Pitching of Despair.

Pitching of Despair

Let's win the national title!