Summary
The chapter opens with a flashback of the prior week, at Seidou’s grounds. Kataoka is having a all-you-can-take fielding practice for the retired third years. We see Nabe succesfully catching a fly ball with the regulars cheering and congratulating him. Seki and Mimura are the two remaining members on the field who are still able to continue fielding. Meanwhile, the regular members are pitching in to pick up balls. This situation is the reverse of their regular training in preparation for the summer tournament. Ochiai comments that Kataoka is truly a compassionate man to be willing to do so much for these members who were unable to make it to the regulars team.
Sawamura (together with Furuya) stands on the side, looking on, and sees the will and spirit of these third years who had spent their time training for the past three years but were unable to participate as players in this final summer tournament.
The scene flips back to the present, as Sawamura wants to bear their feelings in his pitches. Miyuki and Sawamura successfully jams the 8th batter who attempted a hit-and-run and Seidou gets an out. However, Miyuki noted they really cannot underestimate their opponent because the batter was able to hit Sawamura’s changeup, and had been receiving signs for every single pitch. He realizes that his leads are being read/predicted by their opponent.
He signals Sawamura to throw the cutter-kai, which course cannot be hit even if the batter knows about it in advance. The next batter is succesfully struck out with a grounder at third, ending the inning with no lost runs for Seidou.
Sakaki immediately notes that Miyuki has changed his leading. In the next inning, Seidou remains unable to score, ending with Sawamura recklessly sliding to first base as he tries his best to gain a score for the team but was unsuccessful. Kijima, who is the first base coach, is shocked at his actions. Sawamura, in return, apologizes to his team that he was unable to score, surprising them all.
As the players prep to go back on the field, Ochiai comments that Sawamura is no longer thinking logically and that his pitching is seriously out of shape. Miyuki observes that Sawamura is very out of shape judging from his pitches so far and at this rate, things might not look good at all.
The chapter ends with Sawamura’s pitch flying to the left field.
Originally published in Shuukan Shounen Magazine Issue #7, 2019.
All images are copyrighted by Terajima Yuuji / Kodansha.
Scoreboard
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 計 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 由良 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||
| 青道 | 1 | 1 |
Thoughts
Sawamura’s character has long been established as someone who is very passionate and pitches from his “heart”. It was expected from him to be moved by his senpai’s passion and wanting to respond to their expectations. After all, ever since he joined Seidou, through Chris-senpai’s guidance, it was impressed on him that an ace should bear and respond to his team’s expectations. As a result, everything he took on himself to carry to the mount is now bearing down on him and affecting his performance as he is obviously trying too hard to the point of losing himself and unable to get into his regular pitching rhythm.
Considering how the match is unfolding, I wouldn’t be surprised that he gets relieved really soon.
On a side note, I find it amusing that Kataoka’s original character from the beginning of Act I seems to have evolved into this really ideal, super nice, cool, collected coach who has an inner soft side. When the series started, he was smoking and kicking the bars in the dugout as he shouted at Tanba for his performance on the mount. He also did not hesitate sending Masuko to the second string based on his performance from one game.
Meanwhile, he has been very patient with the current team members in drawing out their potential and allowing them to play in games even though they’ve made repeated mistakes. Perhaps he was just harsher with the graduated third years because they were a special group to him and he had a special spot for them.