Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 10: Practice Game (4)

Sendo jogged back to the bench.

"Sendo, start pitching at full power from the next inning! You'll also be the catcher in the fourth inning. Watching one inning should be enough. Since it's your first game, enjoy it! Baseball isn't just about hitting, you know! Defense can be fun too sometimes."

"OK!" Sendo didn't mind at all.

Crack!

Right after the words left his mouth, the sound of a ball hitting the bat echoed through the field.

Sendo turned to see the ball slip through the gap between third and shortstop, resulting in a hit.

"Looks like this inning isn't going to end anytime soon. Their third baseman seems a bit nervous, and our seniors have clearly started to target him."

"Who knows? Sendo, humans are unpredictable creatures; you never know what state they'll be in from one second to the next," Coach Nakani remarked cryptically.

"Third baseman, don't be afraid! Just enjoy the game! It's not every day you get to face such tough opponents!"

"That catcher… huh?" Sendo muttered to himself as he watched Harada encourage his teammate on the field.

"This is getting a bit more interesting!"

With that, he returned to his seat without looking back.

On the field, his teammates, facing the same pressure, finally loosened up.

They forgot about winning or losing and started playing normally again.

By the end of the inning, the Wildcats had scored five runs, and the lineup had gone full circle.

"It's our turn now, Sendo. It might be best if you forget about the score," Coach Nakani said to Sendo as he prepared to bat.

"It doesn't matter; I didn't care about the score from the start!" Sendo didn't even glance back. Coach Nakani shook his head with a smile.

"If the coach is telling you to pitch at full power, then go for it. Throw one right down the middle for the show," said the Wildcats' catcher, this time openly placing his glove right in the center of the strike zone.

Whoosh!

Thud!

"What?"

"!"

"What? Was he not even going all out before? That pitcher! This pitch is at least 30 km/h faster than in the last inning!"

The Mariners' dugout erupted in shock.

In the previous inning, their players hadn't realized what was happening and were lamenting that the Wildcats' dominance was fading.

Even though the Mariners' coach knew that Sendo wasn't pitching at full strength in the first inning, he didn't expect the gap to be this wide.

"So this is the ace and cleanup hitter of the Kanto champions!" At that moment, the Mariners' catcher felt the pressure once again.

Their core hitters might be able to handle a 100 km/h fastball by the second or third go-round of the lineup, but at speeds over 110 km/h, they were helpless. And this was the lower part of their order.

The second inning ended with no suspense—three strikeouts in a row.

The Wildcats' second inning began with the top of their lineup, an ideal order. After observing the pitcher for one full rotation, they had completely figured him out.

Following a string of hits, the third batter was unexpectedly caught on a fly ball, proving that the Mariners had fully recovered. With one out and runners on first and second, it was Sendo's turn to bat.

"Honestly, every time that guy swings the bat, I get this strange feeling, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is," Harada thought as he watched Sendo step up to the plate for the second time.

No matter what, I have to see your true strength in this at-bat—whether you're strong or weak—and take control of the game by dealing with you here. The goal of this game is to experience the Wildcats' strength and learn from it, so there's no reason to waste this chance by walking you. There must be a reason you're the cleanup hitter, right?

"Senpai, please don't stare at me like that. It's kind of gross!" (In Japanese, "gross" here isn't meant as a harsh insult, but more like calling something awkward or uncomfortable.)

"Gross?" Harada was taken aback by the odd rookie in front of him. Having his thoughts interrupted, he didn't argue and simply called for the pitch.

Whoosh!

Pop!

"Strike!" Harada boldly called for a low strike right down the middle on the first pitch.

"I remember hearing their bench say earlier that this guy doesn't distinguish well between good and bad pitches. Let's test that."

After letting go of the pressure of winning, Harada's leadership became more flexible.

Whoosh!

Pop!

"Ball!" This pitch was a high inside fastball, slightly outside the strike zone. Sendo even had to step back a little to avoid it and didn't swing at all.

Whoosh!

Crack!

"Foul!" The third pitch was an outside pitch, also slightly off the strike zone.

"That pitch felt a little far, and combined with the earlier inside pitch, it feels even further," Sendo thought to himself, while his eyes continued to wander around aimlessly. His lack of focus wasn't something he could easily control.

"As expected! So, what about this pitch?"

Whoosh!

Pop!

"Ball!" This pitch was even further outside than the last one.

"He's got some tricks up his sleeve, but he's still a simple guy. I can't let myself be fooled," Sendo thought as he looked at the ball.

At the same time, when the opposing team confirmed the next sign, Sendo closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he slowly reopened them.

Sendo, with his exceptional vision, could use this method to clear the impression of the previous pitches, though it only worked against a few people.

"He must be wondering if the next pitch will be inside or outside," Harada speculated.

Whoosh! Another low, middle-of-the-zone pitch.

Clang!

"You've got to be kidding me!" Harada exclaimed, dumbfounded, as he watched the ball fly.

Sendo didn't say a word in response. His reply was the ball soaring over the fence for a massive home run. The three-run shot pushed the score to 8-0.

Afterward, the fifth and seventh batters got hits, placing runners in scoring position again, but ultimately, the eighth batter grounded out to end the inning.

On defense, Sendo breezed through the third inning, picking up two strikeouts for a three-up, three-down frame.

In the Mariners' half, they switched pitchers. Now that they had completely forgotten about the score, they regained their form and shut down the Wildcats' lineup with a three-up, three-down inning of their own.

At the top of the fourth, Sendo took over as catcher. Playing cunningly, he gave the Mariners no chances, though the cleanup hitter, the opposing catcher, almost hit a deep ball, only for the outfielder to catch it.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Wildcats' heart of the order came up, with the third batter surprisingly reaching base with a bunt single.

Sendo then smashed another extra-base hit, driving in a run. Though the new pitcher didn't panic, he couldn't apply any real pressure. For a debut performance, it was nearly perfect.

Against the top of the Wildcats' lineup, the new pitcher held his own, allowing a single to the fifth batter, who reached first thanks to an unpredictable bounce.

With the score now 9-0 and runners on first and third with no outs, the Mariners caught a break.

Harada threw a sharp pickoff to first base, forcing the fifth batter out. The sixth batter then lined out to first, and the seventh was struck out on a carefully called pitch by the catcher.

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