Original subtitles

Using fastballs well against Sanada

and throwing a sinker at the right time against Todoroki will be important, Ono.

Oh?

Yeah.

Nori's in really good shape, so I think he can take them on.

Make sure you guys know their batters' tendencies.

Don't rely on me all the time.

Of course I do!

Shirasu.

You have a second?

Play Ball

You're gonna give me some pointers, Jun-san?

Yeah, but I want to hit some, too.

I'm getting out of shape.

All right!

Haruichi.

You have a second?

What?

Dad bought this for me?

I went back home the other day, and he told me to bring it.

Having two kids in the dorms is hard enough,

and thanks to you using wooden bats,

he was in tears telling me he's gonna go broke.

Don't you want to test it out?

I'll stick around, too.

Th-Then, do you want to play catch?

Why?

I-It's fine if you don't, but I've been wanting to ask you something.

You're so greedy.

Let's go!

Feels so good.

I can feel my blood flowing.

Keep 'em coming!

Jun-san!

Please help me with my practice!

Say, how come there aren't many people training after practice?

I see Kijima and Nakata, but where are Aso and Higasa?

They've been hitting the weight room recently, so they won't come.

Coach Ochiai drew up some weight training menus.

There are a lot of lightweight excercises, so it's really popular.

Oh? That's cool.

I heard he taught Furuya and Sawamura their breaking balls, too.

Yeah.

I think he's good at teaching the nuances.

The school hired a coach from the outside,

so he must be really capable.

I see.

So Coach Ochiai played a big role in the team's advancement in the fall tournament.

That's great, but it's starting to feel like a different team.

Jun-san, could you help me out now?

The timing on switching pitchers could become difficult.

It'll depend on how Furuya is tomorrow,

but when and how long we play him will determine the outcome of the game.

No, I don't see Furuya as a potential player tomorrow.

What?

To be more accurate, I'm not including him in the preparation.

Figuring out how much better he'll be tomorrow is a waste of time.

Was that your plan from the start?

I think that's a good idea.

Having too many expectations will hinder us from making good in-game decisions.

What?

If that's your stance on using Furuya, it makes preparation easy.

Sawamura will be the relief pitcher.

Kawakami and Sawamura will take on the Yakushi batters.

Yes.

No, no! Just wait a minute!

I agree that Sawamura is a strong pitcher,

and he's vastly improved over the summer,

but he's given up home runs to Todoroki

in both of the games against Yakushi.

Considering Sawamura's track record against Yakushi,

I don't think we can trust him in an important situation.

Then do you expect Kawakami to pitch tomorrow by himself?

Well, ideally yes,

and I do believe he is capable.

Now, I understand he's your favorite, but please be logical.

I am.

The team's true ability becomes clear when we're down a key player.

For tomorrow's game, it will all come down to...

...the coach's decision-making.

I'm not 100% sure yet, so this is between you and me.

Miyuki might be injured.

Could it be from the tackle?

I think so.

But he hasn't really shown it.

If we tell Zono, he probably won't shut up about it.

I'm really hoping it's just my imagination.

But...

Everyone hides minor injuries like this.

I'm positive he won't come out and say it.

I'm gonna see his reaction tomorrow morning,

but if worst comes to worst, we'll have to stop him.

Look over the data before you go to sleep and again in the morning.

Since I know you'll forget it overnight.

No, I won't!

Well, shall we go?

You wanted to pitch a two-seamer, right?

Don't tell me you forgot.

Chris-senpai, could you stay and watch, as well?

Sure.

M-Master!

I want to watch it from the side.

Can you catch for him, Ono?

Sure.

Hey, you guys are here.

Yes, sir!

Aren't you hitting the weight room?

Well, we have a game tomorrow.

And I heard the third-years were here, too.

What? So you ended up—

I didn't come here because of you!

What was that?

You deaf or something?

Ryo-san, could you give me advice later, too?

Sure.

No, that was a bad pitch.

Was it high?

Though he pitched well afterward.

You heard the man, Chris-senpai!

Indeed, I did.

Here comes a loud one.

Hey, Sawamura! You gonna pitch now?

Man with a short fuse!

Don't work yourself too hard.

Young Master!

Anything you learn overnight won't get you far.

Brother!

I was waiting for you, Sawamura-chan.

Who are you?

Masuko.

It feels so nostalgic to practice with you guys!

Thank you everyone for gathering here for me!

We're not here for you!

You're still stupid, I see!

I don't remember you being so annoying.

Don't cry.

Are you going to start pitching now?

Yes, sir! I want to do everything I can before—

Big Boss!

Who are you calling "Big Boss"?

Learn today Devote every moment

Let's get started.

Don't overexert your shoulder.

Yes, sir!

With so many people watching,

I can't overwork my shoulder.

Well, let's start with the fastball.

exhale

Nice moving fastball.

A dirty fastball.

I'm surprised he can pitch with a palm grip.

It's fresh seeing it from the side.

Wanna throw a cutter next?

Yes, sir!

Like pitching into a right-handed batter.

A crossfire pitch!

You hit the batter.

Hit by pitch.

That was with bases loaded, too.

You're framing the pitch too much.

Framing is important,

but if you go overboard, the umpire won't like you.

Yes, sir!

Wanna throw a change-up next?

It's really difficult when the bleachers are so loud!

Chris!

Why don't you be a batter?

Let's see how close he can pitch!

No, thanks. I don't want to get hurt.

Master!

Are they playing with me right now?

So that's the change-up!

Who said you could get this good?

It's still high.

Oh, praise me more!

Don't get cocky!

You're gonna mess up!

Jun-san, could you give me pointers?

What's the next pitch?

Surprise me more!

You've been giving a lot of advice lately.

Do you already have the next team figured out?

No, he's a very profound man,

so I have to start early.

I was speechless when he lowered his head to me earlier.

Your advice helped our pitchers discover new strengths.

Thank you for giving them attention.

I leave their future in your hands.

It's not a fair fight.

To be honest, I didn't think this team would come so far.

My advice regarding breaking balls was for the long run.

So that it would help with the team when I take over.

It was the players who managed to put them to use,

and it ultimately comes down to how Kataoka-san puts the team first.

He keeps the players' motivation and morale high,

and they join together to chase after one goal.

After doing so much for the team, he plans to leave it?

How's a new coach supposed to take over from there?

How's the two-seamer?

Well... It moved.

Did it?

What?

It dropped a bit, but...

It moved like usual, more like.

Try taking it off the stitches.

Like this?

With the wrist more vertical.

How was it?

It dropped.

Yeah.

I think it was a ball.

Give me good reactions!

If I can catch it easily, it's not good.

Ono, don't beat yourself down so much.

No one's reacting well,

and I'm not getting good vibes.

Which pitch can take him on?

It's usable, but it's nothing surprising.

The fact that it's usable is already impressive, though.

To Sawamura, it's a straight fastball.

In other words, a four-seamer is a type of moving fastball for him.

In the future,

I'm hoping he'll be a pitcher who can move his pitch at will.

Considering Sawamura's track record against Yakushi,

I don't think we can trust him in an important situation.

Let's call it a night soon.

Close it out with a straight fastball.

Okay.

I was just thinking the same thing.

We're already done?

Then, Miyuki, you want to catch it last?

Okay. I can do that.

Listen now! Throw it straight!

A clean fastball with a good spin.

A spin?

I've said this a lot,

but using breaking balls well requires a good fastball.

It's about pitching fastballs to the corners.

Throw the best straight fastball you can pitch right now.

The...

...best straight fastball?

I'm so bad at throwing straight.

But, I see...

It makes sense.

Can you throw properly?

Your throw is disgusting.

This pitch will be the proof of my growth.

The pitch that contains everything I've learned.

You have no swelling. Is there any pain?

No.

Not with the tape.

It's preventing any swelling and alleviating the pain.

Someone knows how to tape well.

Well, it's not as bad as last time,

so I don't think you have too much to worry about.

Then can I pitch?

Are you stupid?

Don't take sprained ankles lightly.

If you push it now and re-injure it, you could end your future.

Tesshin.

I know it's an important game with nationals on the line,

but don't push it for the sake of the boy.

One inning at most.

Make him stop if it begins to hurt.

Understand?

Okay.

The third-years are gonna be watching today!

I'm gonna show off!

I don't think you should play differently.

Yeah!

That's the one!

You woke me up for this?

You really didn't want to forget last night?

It was so intense.

He's so excited.

Was that faster?

That was fast.

Miyuki-senpai! One more right now!

It felt like I could relay a lot of power to the pitch!

I'll forget! I'll forget!

Calm down!

Ten more.

Come again, please?

Ten more.

What a surprise.

His arm swing is smooth, and he lets go late.

He's able to put on a lot of spin to maintain the speed of the pitch,

so it feels faster.

In other words, it's the opposite of a change-up.

It feels like the ball gets faster.

It feels so good!

Can I throw more?

You're done, stupid! Let's eat!

What?

Don't burn out before the game!

He couldn't pitch this in the summer practice game.

If he can pitch this into Todoroki's chest...

How long has he been throwing?

Good morning, Rei-chan.

Don't worry.

He was being obnoxious, so I let him throw a few.

After throwing a variety of fastballs,

he's excited about a straight fastball.

What a funny guy.

Anyway, how is Furuya's ankle?

I see.

One inning at most.

Only if he's in good condition.

He won't pitch if the pain comes back.

Well, that's no surprise.

Having him there just in case will help us stay strong.

He's an irreplaceable pitcher right now.

Why don't you tell him that?

He's gonna push himself if I do.

You have to communicate your thoughts with words!

Don't you have anything to say to me?

Shut. Up. Now.

Shut. Up. Now.

Kawakami as the starter and then Sawamura.

Where will we need to put Furuya in?

When to use him is going to be a key factor in this game.

Yes.

It'll be a big disadvantage to play without Furuya tomorrow,

but if we somehow manage to win,

all credit goes to him, no matter what anyone says.

Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium

Fall Tokyo High School Baseball Tournament

Today's Game: Tokyo Baseball Tournament Yakushi vs Seido @ 13:00

Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium

Fall Tokyo High School Baseball Tournament

That idiot.

He never replies.

A big crowd today.

Hardly.

Seido made it all the way to the final.

Looks like your intuition was right.

Yakushi Pre-game Fielding Practice

They didn't get here by luck.

They look way better than in the summer.

Here!

Where are you throwing?

Seido Pre-game Fielding Practice

They move so well.

Look at the shortstop.

The second baseman throws so fast.

Catch like this, then throw!

Don't admire the opponent!

Kawakami's starting out?

Saving their ace is a good move.

Kawakami's a difficult pitcher for our batters.

Higasa's starting on third base?

He looks way too tense.

He might make an error like that.

A ball's coming.

Damn, it's more stressful to watch than to play.

I feel cramped, too.

I want to throw from the outfield!

You guys don't change.

I have to say I'm surprised.

I see a lot of your first-string guys here.

Is Narumiya coming, too?

I don't know.

He was complaining last night.

The brass band's here today.

It reminds me of the summer, and I'm getting hyped.

Nice pitch, Nori-senpai.

We're just playing catch here!

Don't throw so much better than Nori-senpai!

Hey.

It's Eijun! It's Eijun!

I can hear Eijun from a mile away.

It's just as the doctor said.

I'll have you warm up, but be honest when it hurts.

Yes, sir.

It was my fault for getting hurt.

I'll follow your orders.

I don't want to end here.

However, so long as I'm wearing the ace number...

I want to be needed by the team.

...if you tell me to go, I'll go.

Sawamura, did you use the restroom?

I'll tag along.

I can go on my own, thank you!

Oh, you can?

Who are you? My mom?

I didn't notice anything during the fielding practice.

I have to say, I'm impressed.

Is it because you're the captain?

Or is it your ego as a player?

If you're gonna be obstinate about it,

you'd better not budge until the end.

Break down after we win.

This is the Fall Tokyo Tournament Final!

Seido Yakushi

Out of two hundred and fifty-four schools from Tokyo,

we have just two remaining!

A dark-horse now favored in this tournament!

Can Yakushi win and go to nationals for the first time?

They're back in the final again after summer.

Can Seido make their return to nationals after seven years?

Line up!

Let's go!

Let the game begin!

It's the Fall Tokyo Tournament Final!

The game between Seido and Yakushi begins!

I've been preparing for this day.

All that's left for me to do is to show up!

My job is to get on base.

To create opportunities!

Next time on Ace of the Diamond Season 2: The Lead-off Man.

The Lead-off Man

Let's win the national title!