Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Though it might seem like just an orientation match, the number of newcomers and veterans in the Seidou baseball team is quite large.

As a result, during the match, cheers from the crowd rise and fall.

Additionally, with so many supporters, the atmosphere during the game was lively throughout.

However, at this moment, the noise suddenly quieted.

It seemed that everyone had forgotten to cheer; they were all intently watching this matchup.

In today's game, there were three unexpected players: Takatsu from the senpai team, and Okumura and Hirota from the newcomer team.

Now, the well-rounded, impressively skilled Hirota made an unexpected decision.

He voluntarily chose to be substituted.

He even requested that an unfamiliar player take his place.

"That exchange student's speed is really fast!"

Some supporters recalled the newcomers' testing session. If their memory serves correctly, Lee-Hyun's running speed at the time was truly remarkable.

"But stealing bases isn't just about being fast, is it?"

Others raised doubts.

"Now the pitcher is Sawamura. Stealing bases won't be that easy!"

This was a rather polite remark.

Anyone familiar with Seidou's baseball team would know that stealing bases in front of Sawamura is an almost impossible task.

No one has successfully done it yet.

So, to these supporters, it seemed impossible for the newcomers to have any chance.

However, the newcomers had made their move, and surely, they had their reasons. At least, they must have thought there was an opportunity, right?

Otherwise, why would they have chosen to do this?

It wasn't just the supporters and veterans who were confused; the newcomers themselves were equally puzzled.

In fact, everyone acknowledged that Lee-Hyun certainly had talent. Running is the foundation of all sports, and if someone excels in running, they generally have good potential in other sports too.

Baseball is no exception.

Lee-Hyun's running results had left a strong impression on everyone, and they all believed that this guy would rise up sooner or later.

But he was still a beginner in baseball.

No one had ever imagined that, under these circumstances, a beginner would represent the newcomers on the field.

And it was Hirota himself who had requested this substitution.

When Hirota returned to the dugout, his teammates surrounded him.

They all eagerly asked if Hirota was really confident about this.

Hirota shook his head vigorously.

"How would I know if he's capable?"

The newcomers couldn't help but roll their eyes.

'You don't even know if he's capable, so why did you insist on putting him in?'

"I really don't know if Lee-Hyun will perform well at this moment! But I'm certain I won't be able to perform. Rather than let this opportunity go to waste, it's better to let Lee-Hyun take a shot. This is our last chance as freshmen to attack!"

Hirota's reasoning barely convinced the teammates around him.

The person in question, Lee-Hyun, was still standing there with a bewildered expression.

He had never thought that he would be called up to the field so quickly.

He looked up at Kuramochi, and the words Kuramochi had told him echoed in his mind.

"When the opportunity comes, don't miss it."

Indeed, wasn't this opportunity right in front of him now?

According to Kuramochi, he absolutely couldn't let this opportunity slip by.

Fortunately, his opponent was someone he knew well, so he didn't feel too nervous.

The only difference was that when he practiced with Sawamura before, there had been no first baseman or second baseman.

Now, the imagined opponents had become a real threat.

Lee-Hyun quickly regained his composure and began strolling towards first base.

His posture for stealing a base was quite unusual, completely different from his master Kuramochi's style.

Kuramochi's base-stealing technique was very traditional, but Lee-Hyun's resembled someone else.

It was like the style of Mima Soichiro from Hakuryu High School.

When Kuramochi taught him this technique, he explained it confidently.

"With your speed, using an ordinary stance would be a waste. You can use another kind of stance…"

It was a stance that suited a unique rhythm, allowing him to move forward step by step.

While advancing, he could accelerate himself.

Once the opposing pitcher took his throwing stance, Lee-Hyun would use his speed to break through the defense.

Walking from first to second base, Lee-Hyun kept his eyes on the pitcher's mound, observing Sawamura carefully.

"This brat!"

Sawamura chuckled but was also a bit irritated, watching Lee-Hyun trying to outmaneuver him. Although Sawamura hadn't taught him directly, due to Kuramochi's influence, Sawamura had often practiced with Lee-Hyun privately.

He knew Lee-Hyun's abilities and habits very well.

This kind of forward movement that matched a special rhythm was indeed quite tricky.

But Sawamura had faced it before and had solutions.

He adjusted his pitching rhythm, waiting patiently for Lee-Hyun to keep advancing.

Once Lee-Hyun moved out of a certain range, Sawamura would throw without hesitation.

'He would see how the kid would react.'

'Two days of practice with stealing bases, and now you want to try it in front of me?' Sawamura thought.

'You're still too green, kid.'

'As expected, after taking six steps, Lee-Hyun had to stop.'

This was his safety range; if he went beyond it, Sawamura could easily catch him out.

During their private practice, they had tested this dozens of times.

Without exception, Lee-Hyun was safe when he stayed within five steps.

But once he took the seventh step, the probability of him being safe dropped to under 30%.

'Go ahead and keep going!'

Sawamura coldly watched Lee-Hyun from the corner of his eye. Lee-Hyun remained still, motionless.

Turning around, Sawamura began focusing on his opponent, Okumura Koushuu!

Okumura was another tricky player.

After distracting Lee-Hyun with his gaze, Sawamura prepared to pitch.

In the Batter's Box, Okumura's eyes flashed with a strange gleam.

Despite Lee-Hyun taking small steps, after six, he was already over two meters away from first base—almost three meters.

According to Sawamura-senpai's usual practice, he would have thrown a pick-off by now.

'Taku had been caught in a similar situation earlier.'

'But Sawamura-senpai, surprisingly, remained still, with no intention of throwing the pick-off.'

'Why?'

Okumura also noticed the opportunity.

With Sawamura's skill and experience, there was no reason not to throw a pick-off.

Now that he wasn't, it meant that Sawamura didn't think throwing a pick-off would matter.

Though it was unbelievable, it seemed to be the truth.

Understanding this, Okumura took action without hesitation.

Ping!

Okumura executed a perfect bunt, successfully making contact with the ball.

The small ball bounced and rolled.

The umpire, standing behind the plate, narrowed his eyes.

Okumura's bunt technique was impressive.

Though Sawamura hadn't exerted his full effort, the ball still exceeded 140 km/h, and it was no easy feat to make contact with it like that.

On the other hand, Lee-Hyun, though he hadn't practiced with Okumura before, quickly understood what he should do when he saw the bunt.

Leaving the base, he moved like a Cheetah hunting its prey!

In the blink of an eye, he reached second base safely!

"Wow, that was fast!"

"In the blink of an eye..."

The surrounding supporters were stunned.

Though they had known that Lee-Hyun's speed was extraordinary, seeing it in person was still hard to believe.

His speed was practically cheating; as long as the batter made contact, he would surely reach the base safely.

His speed was just that unreasonable.

"What a pity!"

Miyuki sighed regretfully.

Kuramochi rolled his eyes at him but didn't say anything.

In fact, Kuramochi knew exactly what Miyuki was regretting.

One Out, runner on second.

No matter how fast Lee-Hyun was, he still needed to steal a base successfully to have any chance of scoring.

But against Sawamura, who had the 'Last Moment Adjustment' talent, could Lee-Hyun steal the base?

It was hard to say.

On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura's expression was a bit strange.

Because Lee-Hyun was still new to baseball, their practice had only focused on first to second base.

They hadn't practiced second to third base.

This was an unknown challenge for both Lee-Hyun and Sawamura.

Furthermore, Sawamura was a left-handed pitcher, facing away from second and third base.

In this situation, it was already difficult for Sawamura to keep Lee-Hyun under control with just his gaze.

However, this didn't mean he was helpless.

He gave a subtle signal to the catcher, Kariba, signaling him to watch Lee-Hyun closely.

As soon as Lee-Hyun made any move while Sawamura pitched, Kariba could step aside and Sawamura could use his pick-off privilege to throw to him.

Lee-Hyun's speed vs. Sawamura's Last Moment Adjustment.

Which would come out on top in this showdown?

Sawamura was curious as well.

Curiosity aside, Sawamura was confident.

Even if Lee-Hyun made it to third base, Sawamura still had a backup plan.

Having calculated everything, Sawamura prepared to pitch.

As expected, he saw Kariba's signal.

'That meant Lee-Hyun was about to run!'

Sawamura immediately used his Last Moment Adjustment.

He forcibly changed the ball's trajectory, hurling it toward Kariba, who had stepped aside.

Snap!

Interestingly, Kariba didn't throw to third base immediately.

Instead, he stood there, dumbfounded.

Sawamura furrowed his brows and turned around.

Lee-Hyun had somehow already returned to second base!

The like Last Moment Adjustment was outsmarted.

"BALL!"

Miyuki's eyes widened in surprise.

"This kid seems clueless, but he's actually quite clever."

"Of course!" Kuramochi said with a grin.

The great demon king's invincible anti-steal technique, his Last Moment Adjustment, was actually outsmarted.

Everyone at the scene was dumbfounded, clearly unable to accept this outcome.

If this had been another situation, with other top national star players as the opponents, the supporters of Seidou and the baseball team members might have barely accepted the outcome.

After all, every move has its flaws. Those flaws might not be visible at first, but over time, they will inevitably show.

There is no such thing as a flawless technique.

The only thing that can be flawless is a person. When a person and technique are perfectly combined and applied flexibly, that's the most perfect state.

Sawamura's pitching, although it had already reached an extremely high level, still had a little distance from perfection.

However, his anti-steal technique, before this, everyone thought it had no flaws. It was considered a perfect state, where all opponents were under his control.

He could easily control the situation.

Now, it seemed as though Sawamura's nearly perfect technique had been cracked.

This was hard to accept.

"Wow, I can't believe my eyes!"

Kanemaru muttered in disbelief.

He was a close friend of Sawamura and knew his abilities very well.

In his memory, this was the second time something like this had happened.

"There's nothing to be done. Now, Sawamura's partner is Kariba, not Miyuki-senpai. The restrictions aren't just on his pitching types, but also on various tactical combinations."

Using the Last Moment Adjustment to restrain steal attempts indeed required Sawamura's skill to pull off.

But to do this effectively, Sawamura couldn't do it alone.

First, let's understand what the Last Moment Adjustment is.

The "Last Moment Adjustment" refers to the ability Sawamura has when preparing to pitch, to freely control the course and direction of the baseball.

This way, when there is a runner on base, Sawamura can, with the catcher's cooperation, complete the pitching action in a shorter time.

At the same time, the catcher can move away from the strike zone to avoid the batter's bunt, while also standing up earlier to prepare for the pitch.

On the field, every fraction of the second counts.

Their entire action process was sped up by half a second, making it easier to pick off the runner.

This is the true nature of the Last Moment Adjustment.

Since he can freely control the pitch's location and type, it's not limited to just throwing balls — he can throw strikes as well.

However, throwing strikes has a few restrictions.

First, to pitch to the strike zone, Sawamura must somehow avoid the batter's swing.

This makes the pitching technique quite advanced.

Therefore, the catcher must be able to catch the ball.

If the catcher can't catch the ball, it's pointless to try to pick off the runner.

In addition, when a pitch is thrown into the strike zone, the catcher must stand up and catch the ball at the same time. Only in this way can he shorten his entire catching time.

Such a high-level technique also places high demands on the catcher.

It's not something just anyone can do.

When Sawamura partnered with Chris or Miyuki, they were a perfect match. Chris and Miyuki's quick throws didn't give the runners much of an opening.

But now, with Kariba, things were quite different.

Sawamura's tricky pitches couldn't be caught by Kariba, and Kariba's throw took much longer than Miyuki's.

So now, stopping the incredibly fast Lee-Hyun seemed much harder.

These thoughts circled in Sawamura's mind.

"Interesting."

To be honest, before the match, Sawamura had never imagined that these new freshmen could cause him so much trouble.

Luckily, he was an experienced player and wouldn't let such minor issues tie him down.

Even if Lee-Hyun had some tricks, so what?

Experience beats talent, and he could easily handle this rookie.

Sawamura secretly gave Kariba a look.

Kariba immediately understood, squatted down, and reset his Mitt.

The reason Lee-Hyun had thought he would be picked off earlier was simply because he saw Kariba move away from the strike zone.

'So now, what would happen if Kariba didn't move away?'

With proper coordination, they could easily trap this freshman in their well-prepared trap.

Kariba was confident about this.

Just like his unwavering trust in Sawamura, Kariba's trust never wavered.

He honestly squatted down again and opened his Mitt.

Sawamura once again got into position to pitch.

Just as he was ready, Lee-Hyun, who had been standing at second base, suddenly accelerated.

He had been observing Sawamura's movements, and when he saw Sawamura prepare to pitch, he wasted no time, sprinting towards third base with full force.

During his run, Lee-Hyun kept an eye on the catcher's movements.

If Kariba stood up and moved away from the strike zone, he would immediately return to second base.

But this time, Kariba didn't move at all.

He patiently waited for the small ball to come his way.

Snap!

The baseball went straight into Kariba's open Mitt.

After catching it, Kariba smoothly stood up and threw the ball to third base without hesitation.

Whoosh!

Kariba's reaction was fast, and his throw was sharp.

But there was someone faster.

Before the ball even reached third base, a figure had already stepped onto the third base bag.

"SAFE!"

Snap!

Only after Lee-Hyun safely reached the base did the ball land in the third baseman's Mitt.

At that point, it was impossible for the third baseman to pick off Lee-Hyun.

"So fast!!"

The spectators watching the game were all stunned.

They knew that Lee-Hyun was fast, but they had never imagined his speed could be this incredible.

"Did anyone time that? Just how fast was that?"

Discussion erupted around them.

Surprisingly, someone had actually timed it. A supporter had noticed Lee-Hyun's speed and started timing his time to reach the base.

"From when Sawamura prepared his pitch, it took 2.78 seconds!"

"What?"

"How is that possible?"

"Are you sure you didn't time it wrong?"

The answer stunned everyone, and no one could believe it.

As diehard fans of Seidou's baseball team, they were all familiar with the stats. They weren't amateurs who didn't understand these records.

The time it took to steal from first to second base, or from second to third, was known as "steal speed."

From the Batter's Box to first base was called "on-base speed."

Generally, on-base speed had many restrictions and took longer.

Steal speed, on the other hand, didn't require hitting. Plus, a runner could start running while the pitcher was in the process of pitching.

This made the steal speed considerably faster.

Even with that said, there was still a rough range. High school players typically ran from 3.2 to 3.3 seconds for a steal.

Anyone running near three seconds was considered lightning-fast.

Those who ran under three seconds were rare in all of high school.

It was a feat that could be counted on one hand.

But 2.78 seconds? That was unheard of.

They had never seen such a number. Even if they brought in Major League Stars, they had never heard of a player with this kind of speed.

"Faster than those American players in the Majors!"

"If this record is true, does that mean no one in all of high school can stop him?"

From the moment the pitcher prepared the ball until it reached the catcher's mitt, it took a long time — over a second, even for the most skilled pitchers.

For catchers like Miyuki, the fastest time to get the ball from first to second base, or second to third, was 1.83 seconds or 1.65 seconds!

Even with talent, it was hard to make it faster than that.

So, calculating everything, Miyuki's time to restrain a runner at second base was at least 2.9 seconds, and to third base was around 2.7 seconds!

That was in the best-case scenario, and even a small mistake could add more time.

Not to mention the possibility of errors in passing or receiving the ball.

But Lee-Hyun's steal time was 2.78 seconds.

Stealing bases, unlike hitting or throwing, was not heavily affected by form.

This meant that his speed could potentially improve even further.

Even if it didn't improve, just based on his performance, he was undoubtedly the fastest.

"This guy's speed in the first 30 meters might even surpass world champions!"

Coach Ochiai's eyes lit up.

This feeling was amazing. It was simply incredible!

He had timed it himself and although his data wasn't as impressive as that fan, it was still shocking.

2.83 seconds!

Even that speed could be considered the fastest in the world.

Even Sawamura, the Great Demon King, would have a hard time stopping such a speed.

With one Out and a runner on third base, Sawamura's face darkened.

To be honest, before the game, he had never imagined such a scenario.

He had been outplayed by a freshman.

'This is absurd!'

No matter what, he had to stop this kid. He couldn't afford to lose face like this.

He wouldn't blame his partner, Kariba; Sawamura wasn't that petty.

When faced with a problem, his first thought was always how to solve it.

…