Diamond Ace's Passionate Swing

Broadcast: "Pharmacist High School has changed its player."

"Sanada-kun replaces pitcher Mino-kun."

"Pitcher, Sanada-kun."

A faint commotion could be heard from the stands.

"You're here."

"We can't let them get away with this, Sanada!" the coach of the Yakushi team roared, his voice cutting through the noise of the stadium.

"That person is... the ace..."

"Sanada Shunpei, he really is..."

In the stands, spectators familiar with the pharmacist confirmed his identity.

"That's right, the team's ace."

Sanada stepped onto the pitcher's mound, stretched his shoulders, and his eyes were sharp as knives.

His gaze swept over the batting lines of Seido, carrying an undeniable sense of pressure.

Standing at the batter's position is the second batter, the notoriously tough hitter Ryosuke Kominato.

Sanada had only one thought in his mind.

"My job is to stifle this team's momentum."

He raised his leg high and swung his arm down suddenly.

"It's going to be a fierce battle right from the start," the catcher murmured, adjusting his gloves.

"call out!"

A ball with a heavy whistling sound came straight at Ryosuke's body.

Ryosuke instinctively turned to the side.

"Bang!"

The baseball slammed into his elbow.

"Touch ball!" The referee's gesture was decisive.

"Where did that pitcher throw right from the start?!" someone exclaimed in the Seido rest area.

Ryosuke rubbed his arm; thankfully, the protective gear cushioned the impact.

He walked to first base with a blank expression.

"What a fast shotball..." he thought to himself, the ball had almost grazed his body.

"I realized what was happening, but I still couldn't dodge it."

The runner reached first base.

Next up at bat is the third batter, center fielder Jun Isashiki.

One of Seido's key hitters.

"Great, now we have runners on first and second base."

"Take this game in one go!" the audience cheered.

"This kind of crisis right from the start!"

"However, that aggressive pitching style is also his strength." Coach Raizo Todoroki looked at the field.

"Oh no, the next batter is one of the ones we need to keep a close eye on."

"Third batter, center field, Isashiki-kun." The announcement came over the loudspeaker.

"This guy's playing style is even more aggressive than it appears on video." Izashiki gripped his bat tighter, his eyes wary.

In the pharmacist's rest area, Mino watched Sanada's retreating figure.

Raizo Todoroki looked at his pitcher: "Sorry, Sanada, although I wanted to hold on a little longer..."

Sanada seemed to hear his thoughts and turned his head slightly.

"What are you saying?"

"Faced with the opponent's strong lineup, we chose to confront them head-on without flinching."

"Your courage has inspired me as well."

"It's up to you, Junping."

"Take them out with your pitch."

The catcher gave a signal from behind.

"Don't forget to adjust your rhythm."

Lei Shi shouted from the sidelines.

"Sanada-senpai! It's okay if they fight their way over here!"

"I will definitely receive it!"

Sanada glanced at him.

"I wouldn't dare let them attack your area."

"You look like you're going to mess this up."

"I'm serious!" Lei Shi shouted indignantly.

Coach Raizo couldn't help but interject.

"Raichi! Don't hold Sanada back!"

"You need to decide who to pass the ball to based on the situation on the field!"

"Who told you to be so slow-witted?"

"Shut up! You bastard father!" Lei Shi immediately snapped.

"It's genetic, what can I do?"

Sanada refocused his attention on the hitter.

It was another tricky inside corner kick.

"Whoosh!"

The baseball flew past the catcher's glove, barely grazing Izashiki's cheek.

"How dangerous!" Izashiki was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

The ball's speed was definitely over 140 kilometers per hour.

And he just threw a hit-by-the-body ball, and then he threw it to this spot again.

"This kid is really underestimating us." Izashiki gritted his teeth; he saw through the other party's intentions.

A jetball thrown directly at the chest of a right-handed batter.

For a left-handed hitter, this becomes a ball that deviates to the outside corner.

"They're trying to score points with inside corner kicks, then use outside corner kicks to get me out of the game, aren't they?"

"I won't let you have your way!"

Lin Xiao noticed that Izashiki had slightly shortened the distance between his grip and the stick.

"Yes, his priority is securing a hit rather than hitting a long-range batter," he analyzed in his mind.

"We don't let any easy shots slip by; we're focused on creating opportunities for the next hitter."

"He knows very well what a pitcher who has just come on hates the most."

The pitcher couldn't throw a good pitch, and the situation became two balls and zero strikes.

"Oh no." The pharmacist's catcher frowned.

"Aim for an easy shot," Isashiki reminded himself.

"Be careful, Isashiki," Yuki warned.

"This guy's jetpack is more powerful than I thought."

"Completely different from Lin Xiao's."

Two bad balls, zero good balls.

The next shot should be a good one.

Isashiki was completely focused.

The worst outcome in this situation is that I fail to score a good outside corner kick and get defeated twice.

Don't force long shots; aim for the shortstop's head.

Whether it's a jet or a straight shot.

Play as long as the ball's trajectory is suitable.

"They're here!"

An inside corner shot that looks easy to hit.

Isashiki swung the bat decisively.

"The timing is perfect!" he thought.

"Bang!"

A crisp sound of the ball hitting the ground.

However, the moment the bat made contact with the ball, Isashiki sensed something was wrong.

The ball didn't fly out as expected, but instead rolled weakly towards the guerrilla zone.

"Second base!"

"First base!"

The pharmacist's infield movements were fluid.

"Great! Double kill!" Shou shouted excitedly.

"Well done, Sanada!"

"As expected of the truly 'sweet' senior!" Raishi exclaimed in the rest area.

Izashiki stood there, stunned.

"Isashiki, who gets stronger when facing stronger opponents, is actually..." The rest area of ​​Seido was filled with astonishment.

"What happened to that ball?"

"The timing of the shot should be just right, right?"

Why did the discrepancy occur?

Izashiki walked back to the rest area in frustration.

"Ah Zhe, I'm sorry, I wasted a good opportunity."

Chris observed and pondered.

"That shot just now, I think it was probably... a Carter shot."

"Card...Cardball?" Sawamura asked in confusion.

Lin Xiao's explanation.

"That was a change shot that suddenly changed direction right next to the batter's hand."

"The range of change is smaller than that of a slider."

"But the ball speed is almost the same as a straight shot."

"Commonly known as a cutter ball, it is a type of change ball."

"A changing ball?"

"Not only do they have high-speed jetballs, but they also have cutterballs," Miyuki thought to himself behind home plate.

"Is that why he focuses on inside corner shots?"

"That's right, it's different from Sawamura's style of simply using uniquely shaped changing balls." Lin Xiao's voice carried a hint of evaluation.

"He was consciously controlling the ball's movement."

"How interesting, a breaking ball pitcher who's much more mature than Sawamura," Chris chuckled.

Sawamura muttered grumbling from the side.

"There's nothing we can do about it, it's just the truth," Kuramochi retorted mercilessly.

Lin Xiao clapped his hands.

"However, we forced our ace into the game so quickly."

"There's plenty of time to figure out how to win him over."