| Decision | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode 56 | |
| |
| Air date | November 22, 2014 |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Strong Men |
Next Reliable Underclassmen |
Decision (Ketsudan, 決断) is Episode 56 of the Diamond no Ace Anime series. The episode follows the storyline from chapters 165 to 169 of the manga.
Summary[]
With Inashiro up by two, Seidou makes an effort to score on top of the seventh but fails. In the bottom, Tanba suffers from a leg cramp that has him leave the mound with Sawamura replacing him. Encouraged by Yuuki's words to Tanba, Sawamura is pumped. How well will he fare against Inashiro?
Synopsis[]
In the top of the seventh, Yuuki is up to bat, trying to get his first hit of the game. He eventually is cornered and, on the fastball, Yuuki hits a deep fly ball to center field but Carlos made a heads up play on the warning track for the out. Both Masuko and Miyuki also strike out. Seidou now has two innings left to score, but they look dire, prompting Sawamura to yell out some words of encouragement.
Bottom of the seventh, after giving up a hit to Carlos and a bunt to Shirakawa, Tanba falls to his knees. Kataoka rushes out of the dugout. Tanba tells Kataoka he’s fine and Inashiro suspects it’s just a cramp. Tanba’s trying to leave on a high note, with at least one out, but his throws are off. They’re still strong, but they lack accuracy. He’s quickly behind 2-1 in the count but climbs fast back to get a swinging strikeout. On the first pitch to Harada, Carlos runs and it’s a deep fly ball that just goes foul. Tanba’s leg, seemingly running on adrenaline, affects him after the close foul. With two outs and the count 3-1, Miyuki calls the walk. Kataoka calls for a pitcher substitution.
Tanba’s out and Sawamura’s in. He gives the ball to Sawamura and says that he’s the ace now. Whoever is on the mound for Seidou is the ace pitcher, but it doesn’t stand just there for Yuuki, who says to Tanba that they'll put him on the mound again. With two outs, two on, and the game sitting at 1-3, Sawamura face Narumiya.
Narumiya sees this as an insult. The stands thinks it might be a situational pitcher, just pitting a lefty against a lefty because it’s a good match-up for the pitcher. To face off against Narumiya, Miyuki gets aggressive, calling three straight fastballs to the inside that Sawamura deliver to strike Narumiya out.