The first year southpaw just made a huge mistake in allowing Inashiro’s fastest runner, Kamiya, on base with the hit-by-pitch. Second year sidearm pitcher Kawakami’s coming in for Sawamura in relief with two outs and one run up in the bottom of the ninth.
What They Say:
Episode #62 – “Victory or Defeat”
Episode #63 – “Lingering Feelings”
I want to pitch to that mitt again… A meeting with catcher Kazuya Miyuki changed the 15-year-old Eijun Sawamura’s life. He said goodbye to all his friends and knocked upon the door of Seidou, a prestigious baseball school, intent on testing his own strength. There, he met many proud baseball players who were betting everything on the sport! A classic tale, yet new and fresh. All the emotion and excitement of the popular baseball manga is at last coming to television in the form of an anime!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The biggest hurdle for Seidou right now is if this game goes into extra innings. They’re only one run up on an arguably superior Inashiro team that’s played well with the second-year southpaw ace on the mound. His pitch count is high right now, but Inashiro has another pitcher in the bullpen if need be. Seidou just put their final pitcher on the mound in Kawakami, who’s only pitched in relief so far. He’s mentally tough, but can his arm support the strain of multiple innings? In the worst case, they would have to bring a position player to the mound.
The batter up is third in the order and if Seidou wants to wrap this game up, they need to get the out with the batter or a pickoff. They need anything before their cleanup comes to bat. As Chris said before, they have one man on. So even if they allow a bases loaded situation, all they need is that final out. Always think optimistically. Kawakami, however, has a look of strain in his eyes that’s more than has ever been in this tournament. This is the mental toughness required of a closer in the MLB. With the game on the line, they have to be able to put it away and get the S in their stats column. I don’t know if Kawakami is the right man for the job in terms of pitching ability. He’s the only guy with the mental toughness to do it though.
The at-bat has to go for at least 10 pitches with all the fouls. At least two times, Kamiya jolts for second to try for the steal only to be called back on the foul ball. Allowing a walk, the cleanup Harada is up for Inashiro. It’s the exact situation Seidou was in during the eighth when Yuki stepped up to the plate against Narumiya. With only two men on base, Seidou could option to walk Harada and face Narumiya instead. The risk then is that a single will win Inashiro the game and that’s hardly what Seidou wants out of the game.
The first pitch to Harada is a ball to the outside. Kazuya calls for an inside pitch on the next ball. The ball bounces past the pitcher and Haruichi makes a diving save. He tosses it on the outside of Kuramochi’s range and the umpire calls the base runner safe on the play. Kamiya bolts from third and the ball is just off yet again. Inashiro’s tied the game on two plays that are not quite perfect and not quite errors. In it all, the pitcher was never at fault for a bad hit. That one at-bat was not even the fault of the team. That was just plain good offense by the Inashiro team.
Narumiya now at bat, he hits a long ball to the outfield that gets just past Isashiki. That’s it. That’s the game for Seidou. The most eerie part is the lack of any sound through the most crucial moments. The bat hitting the ball is the only reverberation through the stadium in the ears of the Seidou team. The baserunners shoes against the dirt or the sound of bodies hitting the ground as they dive for a ball are muted. It’s only an overwhelming sadness as they realize they were one pitch, one inning, away from going to the Koushien.
The only shots we get at the start of the double header of episodes is crying faces. This was the third years’ final chance at the Koushien and they were so close. Narumiya was trying to live up to his status as ace and not only won with his arm, but with this bat. This win is on the shoulders of Narumiya and this loss feels like it’s on the backs of those who missed. Haruichi is picked up by his teammates and Isashiki falls to the ground.
The mood is despondent. With the third years gone, they lose their ace pitcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, and center fielder at the very least. That also means they lose their second, third, fourth, and fifth batters in the lineup. Kazuya is a great six-hole hitter, but he’s not the power hitter of the three-, four-, or five-hole batters. Furuya seems to have promise as a batter, but he’s a pitcher. Japanese high school baseball seems fine with putting them at bat when they need them, but not me. I’m an American League fan and pitchers shouldn’t be hitting.
With no power bats and no clear ace, next year’s Seidou team has a mountain to climb. Meanwhile, Inashiro loses a few second years, but have all the backbone of their team back. Inashiro, yet again, will be the team to beat. Seidou has to fill half of their team with players that have been on the bench or not even on the team. Not only that, they have to find an ace.
I do think that Ace of the Diamond puts a little too much importance in an ace pitcher. MLB teams allow 25 active players on the roster, five players more than Seidou was allowed, on their game day roster. That includes, at a minimum, four starting pitchers, two or three relief pitchers, and a specialized closer. Ideally, five starting pitchers, three relief pitchers, a pitcher that could either close or play in relief, and their closer. That’s 10 players that’s dedicated to pitching in the professional leagues. Out of the 45 players on the Chicago White Sox’s Wikipedia page at the end of the 2014 season, 24 were pitchers. You call the show Ace of the Diamond, and you need a guy that can step up at the beginning of the game for a minimum of six innings, but you need reliable guys behind him. In my eyes, Seidou’s got the pitching right and Inashiro is running a risk putting their entire team on Narumiya’s shoulders.
In Summary:
From the end of the game to the execution of the elating victory and crushing defeat, Ace of the Diamond has strung together perhaps the best 13 or so episodes of baseball anime I’ve ever seen. It had your heart racing at the highest moments and you fell to the ground at its lowest. This is how sports anime should be. Ace of the Diamond has put every emotion you could feel about sports in the span of these episodes and I couldn’t be happier with the result. Begrudgingly, I say, “Go Inashiro! Win the Koushien!”
Grade: A+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Equipment: PS3, LG 47LB5800 47” 1080p LED TV, LG NB3530A Sound Bar
