Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter Has Arrived

Chapter 459: Mercy

7-0.

The game had only reached the third inning, and the Seido High School Baseball Team's offense hadn't even finished, yet their lead had already stretched to seven runs.

The outcome had no suspense whatsoever.

The Yakushi players, who had come specifically to observe the Seido High School Baseball Team, had already lost interest in watching further.

They felt that staying any longer might affect their performance and mindset going into tomorrow's game.

Better to leave.

On the other side, the Seido High School Baseball Team's supporters had no such concerns. They were celebrating excitedly. Although the game wasn't completely over, they had fully relaxed.

There would be no surprises. Only the Seido High School Baseball Team was advancing to the top eight of the Spring Tournament.

"Seido! Seido!!!"

They shouted continuously, celebrating the victory before it was officially sealed.

As Seido's opponents, the Hongmo High School players had tried to set aside the obsession with winning and just enjoy the experience.

But as the game went on, that became harder and harder to hold onto.

They had wanted to face a superior team, absorb the experience, and use it to prepare for the Summer Tournament.

But there was a limit to how much battering a team could absorb while still calling it enjoyment.

The Hongmo players' morale had dropped.

No matter how much their coach urged them from the dugout, it was hard to rally.

Ochiai wasn't in a position to contribute to the game directly, but he stroked the small beard on his chin and found himself mentally running through it as if he were the one in charge.

He had often done this in his assistant role at his previous team in Kanagawa.

Perhaps it was because he spent so much time thinking through these things that, after leaving his old employer, Ochiai had been so eager to land a head coaching job of his own. To lead a team himself and take it somewhere.

But fate had other ideas. That dream kept receding.

And yet he had gradually settled into life at Seido. He wouldn't say it outright, but somewhere inside, he had quietly accepted this choice.

If nothing changed, he would stay with the Seido High School Baseball Team.

That didn't mean giving up on the dream entirely.

Who could say what tomorrow might bring?

Perhaps even at Seido, the opportunity to truly lead the team might eventually come.

It was partly for that reason that he still regularly put himself in the position of team leader when assessing games.

Looking at Seido's side first, there was nothing more to say. The players could play freely and wait for the win.

Right now, for instance, it was the Fifth and Sixth Batters' turn. A good opportunity to push the lead further.

Then looking at it from Hongmo's perspective.

Ochiai realized with a quiet sadness that even he, analyzing the situation from Hongmo High School's point of view, could find no path to a comeback.

From any angle, there was no chance.

And if that was the case, even if he were given a coaching opportunity someday, coaching an ordinary team without a strong foundation might not lead anywhere.

A coach's ability could certainly help a team grow to a point.

But recruiting, training facilities, supporting infrastructure, school backing...

These were all essential too.

For a team to sustain its performance over time, none of those things could be missing.

Looked at that way, if a head coaching position at a strong program wasn't coming, staying at Seido High School Baseball Team wasn't such a bad situation after all.

He had even started to feel at home in Tokyo.

While Mogami was rattled, Isashiki Jun and Miyuki hit consecutively, helping the team score their eighth run.

The total score became 8-0.

After that, no more runs came.

In the bottom of the third inning, Tanba had fully returned to his best form, throwing increasingly sharp pitches.

He smoothly recorded three outs without allowing any of Hongmo's hitters to reach base.

Manager Ota scratched the back of his head with excitement.

"Tanba's performance is becoming more and more consistent. Especially when the team is in front..."

When the team held a clear lead, Koichiro Tanba often pitched with real freedom.

If the opponent couldn't touch him in that state, there was only one outcome.

Coach Kataoka, however, wore no smile.

"An Ace who can only perform when leading can't stand up to Inashiro or Ichidaisan High School."

Manager Ota opened his mouth, then closed it again, unsure what to say.

Coach Kataoka had gone straight to the heart of it.

Koichiro Tanba's biggest problem was that in close games, when the pressure mounted, he tended to falter.

Judging by his performance in comfortable situations, he was actually quite good.

But that wasn't enough.

In other prefectures, it might not matter as much. But in Tokyo, and especially in West Tokyo, without the ability to hold firm against opponents of the same caliber, advancement was impossible.

There was only one spot to Koshien from West Tokyo.

In the top of the fourth inning, the Seido High School Baseball Team was on offense.

The first batter up was Kuramochi, who had been retired twice already.

As the Seido High School Baseball Team's offensive engine, Kuramochi felt the embarrassment keenly. He had to deliver this time.

"Ping!"

Kuramochi put everything into his swing and drove the ball out.

He led the way to First Base.

"Safe!"

Kuramochi, having reached base, raised his arm in celebration.

Not many of his teammates in the dugout matched his energy.

Some in the stands even gave him a hard time about it.

"Only getting a hit in your third at-bat, as Seido's First Batter? That's embarrassing."

"If you can't do the job, let someone else go up."

Kuramochi shot a glare toward the stands, wanting to fire back.

But thinking about it, he had indeed needed three at-bats to get a hit. He had no ground to stand on.

As one of Seido's upper-order batters, his performance had been far from what was expected.

Shortly after, with Kominato Ryosuke's help, Kuramochi scored.

Zhang Han and Yuuki then hit consecutively, pushing the Seido High School Baseball Team's lead to ten runs.

The total score became 10-0.

The Seido High School Baseball Team had met the threshold for a five-inning mercy rule.

A ten-run lead.

This was quite normal in the early rounds when a powerhouse faced an underdog. Five-inning or seven-inning mercy rule games were common.

But in a round-of-sixteen to top-eight match, leading by ten runs was rare.

The Seido High School Baseball Team's offensive power had once again left everyone watching in disbelief.

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