# 70 - Next Stage
Source: [Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GYX0MZ58R/ace-of-the-diamond)
Translator:
Editor:
Timer:
QC:
(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
**[00:01] S1**
Let's go!
**[00:02] S2**
Focus on the batter!
**[00:12] Mi**
Okay! Nice pitch!
**[00:14] Ku**
Nice pitch, Furuya!
**[00:16] Ma**
Two outs!
**[00:19] YC**
Now's the time to take him out!
**[00:21] YC**
He's getting tired!
**[00:25] Fu**
*No, I'm not.*
**[00:27] Ka**
Kanemaru.
**[00:28] Ka**
Y-Yes, sir?
**[00:30] Ka**
Tell Sawamura to ice his shoulder.
**[00:34] Ka**
Hey.
**[00:36] Ka**
I brought the ice box over.
**[00:39] Ka**
Make sure you ice your shoulder.
**[00:43] Ka**
* He's been like this*
* ever since he came back.*
**[00:48] Ka**
* This is the first time I've seen him*
* so beat since the tournament.*
**[00:54] (Flashback) Y1**
It's way wide!
**[00:55] (Flashback) Y1**
Yeah! Third run!
**[00:57] (Flashback) Y1**
We've taken the lead!
**[01:00] (Flashback) Ku**
Hey! Why didn't you cover?
**[01:03] (Flashback) Ka**
Miyuki!
**[02:37] Ka**
How's Sawamura?
**[02:40] Mi**
His pitch has power,
**[02:42] Mi**
and he's not getting
overwhelmed by the batters.
**[02:46] Mi**
But in the recent games,
**[02:49] Mi**
his inside pitch has often been a little wide.
**[02:54] Mi**
I don't know how aware
he is of the problem,
**[02:57] Mi**
but it may be because of
the hit-by-pitch in the final.
**[03:05] Ka**
Furuya!
**[03:13] Ka**
Sawamura.
**[03:15] Ka**
Switch.
**[03:21] Oc**
*Well, that was inevitable.*
**[03:23] Oc**
*Things weren't going to get better at that rate.*
**[03:27] C1**
Furuya's pitching?
**[03:29] C2**
Kawakami pitched in the last game,
**[03:31] C2**
and Furuya's the most
consistent pitcher right now.
**[03:36] Sa**
*Wait a minute.*
**[03:41] Sa**
*I haven't gotten a single out yet.*
**[03:46] Ha**
*Eijun-kun.*
**[03:49] Sa**
*If I...*
**[03:51] Sa**
*If I walk off the mound now...*
**[04:05] Fu**
Give me the ball.
**[04:07] Fu**
We don't need two pitchers on the mound.
**[04:13] Fu**
I know it must be frustrating, but—
**[04:19] Sa**
Of course!
**[04:21] Sa**
I gave up three runs
without getting a single out.
**[04:23] Sa**
I *should* be switched out!
**[04:35] Sa**
S-Sorry that I'm passing the baton like this.
**[04:41] Sa**
Take care of the rest.
**[04:46] Sa**
*No.*
**[04:48] Sa**
*Stop.*
**[04:50] Sa**
*Don't walk off.*
**[05:02] Sa**
*I know this feeling.*
**[05:06] Sa**
*It's the same as that game.*
**[05:09] Sa**
*The mound's getting farther...*
**[05:12] Sa**
*...and farther away.*
**[05:16] Sa**
*Back then,*
**[05:18] Sa**
*I thought I'd never...*
**[05:21] Sa**
*...ever get to stand there again.*
**[05:26] Sa**
*It's exactly the same.*
**[05:29] Sa**
*If I walk off here,*
**[05:31] Sa**
*I'll...*
***SIGN*** Seido High School Practice Field
**[05:50] Sa**
Yeah!
**[05:51] Sa**
Twenty wins in a row!
**[05:53] Y1**
We reached our goal!
**[05:55] Y2**
We're the best!
**[05:57] Y1**
It was all me!
**[05:59] Y1**
My pitching at the beginning
won us the game!
**[06:01] Y2**
Nice pitching, Sanada!
**[06:03] Y4**
Sanada, great job!
**[06:04] Y1**
What about me?
**[06:08] Ka**
Thank you for today's game.
**[06:10] Ka**
We were able to discover some problems,
**[06:12] Ka**
and it was a productive game.
**[06:15] YC**
Not at all. Thank you.
**[06:18] YC**
*Productive, huh?*
**[06:20] YC**
*Gonna write it off as a practice game, huh?*
**[06:24] YC**
I have to say,
**[06:25] YC**
that Furuya boy smells like a lot of cash.
**[06:29] YC**
I'm sure there are many pro teams
that have their eyes on him.
**[06:32] Oc**
True.
**[06:33] Oc**
He should be training to play professionally.
**[06:38] Oc**
But I could say the same about your cleanup.
**[06:42] YC**
Oh?
**[06:42] YC**
Do you really think so?
**[06:44] YC**
He's my son. Thanks.
**[06:47] Ka**
What's important is how
they grow as individuals.
**[06:51] Ka**
It's really difficult to find
the balance as the head coach.
**[06:57] Ka**
After all, Furuya isn't our only player.
**[07:01] YC**
Yes, you're absolutely right.
**[07:03] YC**
Spoken like a true mentor.
**[07:07] YC**
*Though you're boring.*
**[07:10] YC**
I'm just a coach for hire.
**[07:13] YC**
If I don't produce results, I'm fired.
**[07:17] Oc**
*I'm sure he's in the same shoes.*
**[07:20] YC**
Well, then. Maybe it'll be spring or summer,
**[07:23] YC**
or even fall.
**[07:25] YC**
When we face each other in the tournament,
**[07:27] YC**
let's go all out.
**[07:32] YC**
Let's go home!
**[07:33] YY**
Yes, sir!
**[07:35] Ra**
Are we done already?
**[07:36] Sa**
Yes, we are.
**[07:39] Oc**
* Their team is centered*
* around the ace and the cleanup.*
**[07:44] Oc**
* I wouldn't want to face an energetic*
* team like this in the tournament.*
**[07:51] C1**
In the end,
**[07:52] C1**
Kawakami couldn't hold Yakushi's
batters down, either.
**[07:55] C2**
Kind of sad,
since Furuya was doing really well.
**[07:59] C3**
Not to mention our batters
got shut down by Sanada.
***SIGN*** Seido Yakushi
**[08:04] C2**
What happened to last year's Seido?
**[08:07] C1**
The group stage is in two weeks,
**[08:10] C1**
and the tournament's in a month.
**[08:12] C1**
Are we gonna be ready?
**[08:25] Ka**
You didn't stand a chance.
***SIGN*** Seido Yakushi
**[08:27] Ka**
This is where you are right now.
**[08:30] Ka**
This is the current team.
**[08:33] Ot**
*This atmosphere is bad.*
**[08:36] Ot**
*We shouldn't have accepted the game.*
**[08:39] Ka**
Batters! Especially the second-years!
**[08:42] Ka**
You lack assertiveness in the box!
**[08:45] Ka**
Perhaps you're putting the focus
on batting for the team.
**[08:48] Ka**
But if you can't stick to your own style
of batting, what's the point?
**[08:52] Ka**
I haven't been giving you any
instructions in the practice games
**[08:56] Ka**
because I knew you would do well
**[08:58] Ka**
if you swung like you do in practice.
**[09:01] Ka**
You've lost my faith in your batting skills.
**[09:07] Ka**
The starting roster is going to be flexible.
**[09:10] Ka**
I'll let whoever's doing well play,
regardless of your grade.
**[09:14] Ka**
So keep that in mind.
**[09:17] Ka**
Stretch, then be done for the day.
**[09:19] SS**
Yes, sir!
**[09:20] Ka**
Miyuki, Kawakami,
**[09:23] Ka**
Sawamura.
**[09:26] Ka**
You guys stay.
**[09:31] Ka**
What do you think about
your pitching today, Sawamura?
**[09:37] Sa**
Sir.
**[09:38] Sa**
I couldn't pitch to where
Miyuki-senpai requested.
**[09:44] Ka**
Are you aware?
**[09:47] Ka**
You're unable to pitch to the inside.
**[09:55] Sa**
I am.
**[09:58] Mi**
In the final, you walked off
after throwing a hit-by-pitch.
**[10:02] Mi**
Your body might be unconsciously
avoiding the inside pitch.
**[10:09] Oc**
*He has the yips.*
**[10:17] Oc**
* Due to an error or a hit-by-pitch*
* at a crucial moment,*
**[10:20] Oc**
* what used to be an easy task*
* can become impossible.*
**[10:25] Oc**
*Since it's a mental problem,*
**[10:28] Oc**
*and he has the yips,*
**[10:30] Oc**
*he's going to be useless in the fall tournament.*
**[10:39] Ka**
Sawamura.
**[10:41] Ka**
Practice on your own starting tomorrow.
**[10:43] Ka**
Avoid any contact with a ball.
**[10:45] Ka**
Your practice will mainly consist of
running to strengthen your lower body.
**[10:52] Sa**
* I'm on a separate regimen*
* right before the season?*
**[10:55] Sa**
*Does that mean...*
**[10:56] Ka**
Kawakami, you gave up some hits,
**[10:59] Ka**
but you did well keeping your pitches low.
**[11:02] Ka**
Make sure you fine-tune your technique
before the season starts.
**[11:05] Ka**
Yes, sir.
**[11:06] Sa**
*Of course.*
**[11:09] Sa**
*With how I pitched today,*
**[11:12] Sa**
*I'm...*
**[11:15] Sa**
*...useless.*
**[11:18] Ka**
At the moment,
**[11:19] Ka**
our batting lineup is much
weaker than last year's.
**[11:22] Ka**
So we have to shift our focus to defense.
**[11:25] Ka**
We'll have many close games
that'll put pressure on defense.
**[11:29] Ka**
No matter how well Furuya's feeling,
**[11:31] Ka**
he still doesn't have
the stamina to pitch a full game.
**[11:35] Ka**
In order to take the fall tournament,
**[11:38] Ka**
we'll need to rely on both of you.
**[11:44] ---**
Huh?
**[11:45] S1**
Did you see Sawamura today?
**[11:47] S2**
He was running all day in Field B.
**[11:50] S1**
Why?
**[11:51] S1**
Because of yesterday's game?
**[11:53] S2**
Well...
**[11:55] S1**
What? He has the yips?
**[11:58] S2**
One of my junior high teammates
couldn't pitch to first.
**[12:04] S3**
Tojo might have a chance at pitching now.
**[12:07] Ka**
Are you dumb?
**[12:08] Ka**
He gave it a lot of thought
before making the switch.
**[12:12] Ch**
Mind elaborating on that, Kanemaru?
**[12:18] Ka**
Chris-senpai.
**[12:21] R1**
Yakushi and Seido had a practice game?
**[12:24] R2**
Yeah.
**[12:25] R2**
The game went 7-2,
**[12:27] R2**
with Yakushi making a comeback.
**[12:29] R1**
Those two played right before the fall season?
**[12:33] R1**
I wish I'd been there.
**[12:35] R2**
Me, too.
**[12:36] R1**
So Yakushi won.
**[12:39] R2**
Without the third-years,
**[12:41] R2**
the teams can change drastically.
**[12:45] R2**
I'm sure the scores of the game
represent the current state of both teams.
**[12:49] R1**
True.
**[12:50] R1**
Yakushi's still has their core players
from last year.
**[12:53] R1**
It really comes down to how much
**[12:57] R1**
team building each school
can do over the break.
**[13:00] R2**
Yeah.
**[13:05] R1**
Wow! What a huge crowd!
**[13:08] R2**
*And that goes for every team,*
***SIGN*** Inashiro Vocational School
**[13:11] R2**
* regardless of how well*
* they performed in the summer.*
**[13:19] R1**
Summer break's about to end,
**[13:22] R1**
but the third-years are still practicing.
**[13:25] R2**
Some of them are playing
in the USA-Japan game,
**[13:29] R2**
and there's the National
Sports Festival in September.
**[13:33] R1**
So the more you play at nationals,
**[13:35] R1**
the longer you get to play as third-years.
**[13:38] R1**
The crowd is crazy, too,
**[13:40] R1**
since they were the runner-up at nationals.
**[13:43] R2**
* It's been ten days since the national final,*
* and the crowd hasn't died down.*
**[13:46] R2**
* They spent most of their*
* summer break at nationals,*
**[13:49] R2**
*and got a sense of accomplishment*
**[13:53] R2**
*from making it big there.*
**[13:55] R2**
*However,*
**[13:56] R2**
* the team building for the fall*
* is inevitably delayed.*
**[14:00] R1**
Harada-kun, do you have a second?
**[14:02] Ha**
Sure.
***SIGN*** Inashiro Vocational School
**[14:04] R1**
Good job at nationals.
**[14:06] R1**
Have things calmed down on your end?
**[14:08] Ha**
I'd say so.
**[14:10] R1**
I'm sure there's a lot of pressure
on whoever's replacing you.
**[14:13] R1**
Have you already found a new captain?
**[14:16] Ha**
Yes.
**[14:17] Ha**
All the players and coaches
picked Fuku-chan as the new captain.
**[14:21] R1**
*Fuku-chan?*
**[14:23] R1**
*Who's that?*
**[14:24] Ha**
He wasn't on the roster for nationals,
**[14:27] Ha**
and I doubt he'll make
the starting lineup this year, either.
**[14:30] Ha**
But he's the most responsible
person on the team,
**[14:35] Ha**
and he takes great care of the field.
**[14:39] Ha**
Even Narumiya acknowledges him.
**[14:41] R1**
*That's interesting.*
**[14:44] R1**
Whoa!
**[14:45] Ca**
Man, it's hot.
**[14:46] S1**
Hey, Carlos!
**[14:47] S1**
Don't take your shirt off here!
**[14:49] S2**
There was one ball on the field yesterday.
**[14:52] S2**
And two the day before that.
**[14:53] S2**
If you can't even properly
clean up after practice,
**[14:55] S2**
just go kill yourself.
**[15:00] S3**
Hey! Don't drink straight from the bottle!
**[15:02] S3**
Think of the others!
**[15:05] Ha**
None of the starters could possibly
be a captain, so there's that, too.
**[15:10] R1**
I see.
**[15:12] R1**
Oh, where's Narumiya-kun?
**[15:15] R1**
He seems like the biggest lone wolf.
**[15:18] Ha**
He's probably in the bullpen.
**[15:20] R1**
Oh?
**[15:21] R1**
Is he already preparing for the fall?
**[15:24] Ha**
Not at all.
**[15:25] Ha**
He hasn't pitched at all
since he came back.
**[15:29] Ha**
The coach plans to use the third-years
for the sports festival, too.
**[15:33] Ha**
He's pretty fatigued from nationals,
**[15:37] Ha**
and he still has a long road ahead of him.
**[15:42] Ha**
But you know how he is.
**[15:45] Ha**
I'm sure he's being sour in the bullpen.
**[15:52] I1**
Okay. Nice pitch.
**[15:53] Na**
Ball! That was a ball!
**[15:56] Na**
Just a bit too low! Too bad!
**[15:58] I1**
Please don't interfere
just because you're not pitching.
**[16:02] Na**
Why not? I do whatever I want!
**[16:05] I1**
You can't.
**[16:06] I1**
You're an upperclassman.
Please don't be so selfish.
**[16:09] Na**
What's that?
**[16:10] Na**
An upperclassman can't be selfish?
**[16:12] Na**
How do you define an upperclassman, then?
**[16:13] I2**
Wow! He's not holding back.
**[16:16] I2**
Now that Masa-san's not
holding the reins anymore,
**[16:20] I2**
no one's stopping him.
**[16:22] I1**
I'm actually a little rattled.
**[16:25] I1**
I feel like I should practice
catching your pitches more.
**[16:28] Na**
Don't worry about that.
**[16:30] Na**
I'll throw wherever you hold the mitt.
**[16:36] I1**
*Then how am I different from a wall?*
**[16:39] Na**
You don't look happy.
**[16:41] Na**
You think I don't understand anything?
**[16:43] I1**
I didn't say that much.
**[16:46] I1**
*He's sharp.*
**[16:48] Na**
Don't worry.
**[16:49] Na**
I don't expect you to replace
Masa-san right off the bat.
**[16:56] I1**
Well, I suppose if you put it that way...
**[17:00] Na**
But I don't plan to lose, either.
**[17:05] Na**
Not until we take the top.
**[17:15] Na**
Just FYI, I'm pretty selfish.
**[17:17] I1**
Yes, sir.
**[17:18] Na**
I'll say no to your request on the mound.
**[17:20] I1**
I know.
**[17:21] Na**
I get a ton of fan letters, too.
**[17:25] I1**
Oh, okay...
**[17:26] Na**
And this is just between you and me, but
**[17:29] Na**
a first-year in the brass band
asked me out yesterday.
**[17:34] I1**
No one cares!
**[17:38] R1**
The group stages for the fall start soon.
**[17:40] R1**
After the sports festival in September,
the third-years will retire,
**[17:44] R1**
and the fall tournament
will start in October.
**[17:47] R1**
They have to do team building
on top of all of that?
**[17:52] R1**
The winning teams don't exactly
have it easy, do they?
**[17:57] R2**
But this is an experience
unique to teams that've won,
**[18:01] R2**
and it's all part of experiencing nationals.
***SIGN*** Ambition
**[18:07] R2**
From the teams that lost in the first round
**[18:11] R2**
to the teams that made it
to the national final,
**[18:15] R2**
every team is spending
their summer getting ready
**[18:17] R2**
to line up at the same starting line again.
**[18:30] S1**
Hey, baseball team!
**[18:31] S1**
How was your summer "break"?
**[18:34] Ka**
Shut up.
**[18:35] S2**
Man, you guys were so close.
**[18:38] S1**
People were crying on the bleachers.
**[18:40] S1**
One of my friends said it was more
intense than a game at nationals.
**[18:45] Ka**
*You're still talking about that?*
**[18:47] Ka**
*That's ancient history for us, man.*
**[18:50] S1**
And I have to say, I've gotta
give Sawamura some credit.
**[18:54] S1**
He was pitching so confidently
on the Jingu mound.
**[18:57] S1**
So loudly, too.
**[18:59] S2**
He's nothing like that in class.
**[19:02] S1**
Remember what he said in class
at the beginning of the year?
**[19:06] (Flashback) Sa**
I'll be the ace of the team,
and my name is Eijun Sawamura!
**[19:10] (Flashback) Sa**
And you'd better remember my name!
**[19:12] S1**
Everyone laughed at him when he said that,
**[19:15] S1**
but maybe he'll really be the ace one day.
**[19:21] S1**
Did I say something weird?
**[19:25] Ka**
No.
**[19:27] S1**
Hey, Haruno!
**[19:29] S2**
Did something happen
to Sawamura over the break?
**[19:33] S2**
He looks like a different person!
**[19:38] S2**
He looks so gloomy now!
**[19:41] S1**
He's reading a book, too!
**[19:44] Ha**
That's *The Book of Five Rings*.
**[19:45] Ha**
It's the book Miyamoto Musashi
wrote before his death
**[19:47] Ha**
about his upbringing
and his way of the sword.
**[19:50] S2**
Musashi?
**[19:52] S2**
Is he trying to be a samurai now?
**[19:55] S1**
Well, I kind of like the gloomy Sawamura.
**[19:59] Ha**
* Is he trying to learn something*
* from a man who never lost?*
**[20:05] Ka**
*The second trimester started,*
**[20:07] Ka**
*and the group selection for the fall closed in,*
**[20:10] Ka**
*but Sawamura was still on a separate regimen.*
**[20:21] Ha**
*Now he's reading a book on Rickson Gracie.*
**[20:25] (Flashback) Ch**
I see.
**[20:27] (Flashback) Ch**
The inside pitch.
**[20:29] (Flashback) Ka**
Fearlessly throwing close to
the pitcher was his style of pitching.
**[20:35] (Flashback) Ka**
It's like he lost his biggest weapon.
**[20:40] (Flashback) Ch**
True.
**[20:42] (Flashback) Ch**
If he has the yips, it could be bad.
**[20:46] (Flashback) Ch**
But he was throwing fine
in other practice games, right?
**[20:50] (Flashback) Ka**
Y-Yes, sir.
**[20:52] (Flashback) Ch**
Then perhaps it's best not
to make a big deal out of this.
**[20:58] (Flashback) Ka**
Aren't you gonna say something to him?
**[21:00] (Flashback) Ch**
I believe he'll turn this around and
come out even stronger in the end.
**[21:06] (Flashback) Ch**
That's the kind of guy he is.
**[21:09] (Flashback) Ch**
Isn't he?
**[21:15] Ka**
* I don't have time to worry*
* about someone else.*
**[21:18] Ka**
* Having a flexible roster*
* means I have a chance, too!*
**[21:37] Sa**
*The season's closing in,*
**[21:40] Sa**
*yet what am I doing?*
**[21:44] Sa**
*How can I start, much less be the ace...*
**[21:51] Sa**
*...if I can't get any outs?*
**[21:55] Sa**
*Damn it.*
**[22:01] Sa**
*I'm so weak.*
**[23:35] Mi**
We go into the group stages
with a lot of worries
**[23:39] Mi**
and a lot of work to do.
**[23:41] Sa**
I can't play outfield,
**[23:43] Sa**
and I haven't even been
in the bullpen recently.
**[23:45] Sa**
What does the coach want from me?
**[23:47] Ku**
What are we gonna do, Miyuki?
**[23:48] Ku**
Don't we need Sawamura
in order to win this season?
**[23:52] Mi**
Next time on *Ace of the Diamond*:
September Sky.
***SIGN*** September Sky
**[23:54] Oc**
Why doesn't Coach Kataoka
just give up on him?