Ace of the Diamond
Season 1
TV-14
Follows the life of Eijun Sawamura, a gifted baseball player who have his own extraordinary pitcher's talent. His goal is one, to become the ace of Seidou High School.
Where to Watch Ace of the Diamond • Season 1
75 Episodes
- Partner
E2PartnerKazuya Miyuki becomes the catcher for Sawamura in a contest against Seido's dangerous clean-up batter, Kiyokuni Azuma. As Eijun tries to pitch down the middle, he finds himself tense and unable to control the ball. Kazuya immediately calls time and comes out to give him some words of encouragement. The words have the desired effect as Eijun finds more control than ever before and unveils a dangerous weapon he didn't know he had. Seeing how people like Kazuya can alter his pitching, Eijun decides to come to Seido as long as he can become the ace of the team. - Not Qualified to Be a Pitcher?
E3Not Qualified to Be a Pitcher?Eijun is nervous about rooming with older teammates, but they make him feel a too little at home on his first night. Eijun ends up oversleeping and shows up late when it's time to meet Coach Tesshina Katoka, a former Japanese pro pitcher. Miyuki also shows up late, but he uses Sawamura as a decoy to sneak into his line. Katoka shows no mercy and says Eijun can never become a pitcher if he can't show up on time. He also makes Miyuki run laps. Sawamura is determined to prove he can be the ace though, so Coach Katoka gives him a special challenge, saying until he can complete this challenge, he can't play in a baseball game for Seidou. - Are You Like Me?
E4Are You Like Me?Seido faces off against Ichidai Third High School, the school that beat them last year. While their top-level offense rakes in runs, the ace Tanba struggles, and the game turns into a batting contest. However Sawamura isn't present. Instead he is training back at school. During his training Furuya, another first-year pitcher, approaches him. Showing sympathy to Sawamura's peculiar training method, Furuya offers to play catch with him. Sawamura is in a cheery mood with Furuya's kindness, but the speed of Furuya's throws far exceeds his expectations. - A Clash
E5A ClashCoach Katoka, or Shades as Onoda calls him, organizes a game between the first years and the non-starters on the second and third year teams. The goal is to determine who will join the starters for upcoming practice games. When Onoda comes across Katoka in the bath, the coach gives him one final chance to answer his question. After the answer is given, Onoda is allowed into the upcoming game, but when he starts as an outfielder, it could spell doom for any chance he has on the varsity team. - Head to Head
E6Head to HeadThanks to the words of fellow first year Haruichi Kominato, Eijun makes it on base. Next Haruichi promises to bring him home and get the first years a run. Haruichi proves to be a brilliant batter, and thanks to his spring Eijun scores. However the first years quickly get three outs, and Coach Katoka says he will call it a game unless all the first years agree to continue. Most want to drop out, but thanks to words of encouragement from Eijun they decide to continue. Eijun is placed on the mound, and Hariuchi is placed at shortstop. The two seem to be wroking effectively together against the older students until Eijun's roommate comes to the plate. Can Eijun find a way to strike out his roommate, who is the #4 hitter for the JV team? - The Two Batteries
E7The Two BatteriesThe game concludes, and Furuya and Masuko are promoted to varsity while Eijun and Haruichi are promoted to JV. Along with the promotion comes additional pitchers training for Furuya and Eijun. However their training can only be done with the partners that Coach Katoka assigns them. Furuya is assigned to work with Miyuki while Sawamura is assigned to work with Chris. However instead of catching Eijun's pitch, Chris continually gives him additional work that isn't pitching, making Eijun think the coach has gotten the last laugh and that he won't succeed at Seidou. - The Truth About Chris
E8The Truth About Chris"You won't ever be the ace". Sawamura receives a grim statement from Chris after seeing Furuya's performance in a game. Chris leaves Sawamura with a difficult training menu and leaves before anyone else. All Sawamura sees in hims is a man who has given up. However, the moment he makes that comment out loud, Miyuki loses his cool. What ticked him off? What is Chris hiding? - With Chagrin in His Heart
E9With Chagrin in His HeartSawamura begins to follow Chris every where to try and learn more about baseball. He also sits out of some practices so he can learn how the communication of a team works. Chris finally gives in to Eijun's persistence and catches a few of his pitches. After catching them, Chris informs Eijun he must find his specialty if he is to be truly effective as a pitcher. At first Sawamura is confused. he knows his speed isn't the best and he can't throw breaking balls, so what could be his specialty. Eventually Sawamura decides his specialty is his control, but focusing solely on control lowers his speed and allows him to get slaughtered in weekend a game. Can Sawamura figure out what his specialty truly is before being demoted? - Hone Your Moving Fastball
E10Hone Your Moving FastballChris tells Sawamura to improve on his specialty. While Sawamura started this relationship being an arrogant prick, Chris has been a catcher to him from the start; the training menu Chris gave him was a menu specifically for him. Sawamura puts in the effort to improve because he wants Chris to see his growth before Chris graduates from the team. At the first-string try-out game, Sawamura asks Chris for a favor. What will Chris say? - Target
E12TargetChris has Miyuki join him and Sawamura in the bullpen as they try to master Sawamura's new pitching form and get him to start throwing strikes with it. Chris's father Animal shows up at the game and tries to get Chris to stop playing, believing his shoulder isn't yet healed and that he will only cause further damage to himself. In order to stop Seido's momentum, Naoyuki Zaizen suggests they change the target from trying to destroy Sawamura to trying to destroy Chris. This episode covers chapters 30 to 33. - You're in the First-String
E13You're in the First-StringSawamura's opponent batter Zaizen makes an unexpected play. However, Sawamura fixes his pitching and avoids the worst. Being on a roll, Sawamura throws his final pitch. What of the ball that Sawamura throws with everything he wants to tell Chris? - Training Camp Begins!
E14Training Camp Begins!Sawamura keeps training hard, However, it was obvious to everyone that he was overworking himself. Chris calls Sawamura over to give him a warning - the best thing Chris could do out of concern for Sawamura's body. As the training camp of hell begins, Sawamura. - Challenge
E16ChallengeWith fatigue from the camp, no one is playing well in the practice game against Osaka Kiryu. Even Furuya gives up 11 runs in just four innings. And finally, he calls for a time out. When everyone assumes he's raising the white flag, he makes a statement expressing his fortitude. - I Hate It, But...
E18I Hate It, But..."At least pitch to the inside". Miyuki tries to motivate Sawamura, who goes out with just his moving fastball and little experience. But Sawamura is unable to throw well. So Miyuki gives Sawamura another word of advice. This time to believe the fielders and throw with spirit. Is Miyuki trying to encourage him or put pressure on him? But it reminds Sawamura why he came to Seido. And the pitch he throws next. - Fate
E19FateSeido, Inashiro Vocational, and Shuhoku are having a three-way round-robin. Game two of the round-robin is Inashiro vs Shuhoku, and the ace of Inashiro, Mei Narumiya, is pitching this game. He's the one who shut out Seido's batters at the last summer tournament semi-final. To make matters worse, Narumiya shows off a new weapon he didn't have last year. The pitch lights a fire under Seido's ace, Tanba. He too has a new weapon he's been working on. - Calling for Attention
E22Calling for AttentionSeido shows Maimon West that they are underestimating anyone in the tournament. After being retired 1-2-3 in the top of the first, Seido manages to score 3 in the top of the second. Meanwhile Furuya continues to strike out batter after batter with his high fastball. Seido goes on to continue punishing Maimon West, gaining a 15-0 lead. - Official Game Debut
E23Official Game DebutWith a 15-0 lead in place, Seido brings in Sawamura to pitch inning 4. The game ends up being called, and Seido advances with ease. Seeing how high Furuya's ball was, Chris takes Sawamura aside and teaches him how to hold the ball and turn his pitch into a fine weapon no one will be expecting. Seido then participates in their second game of the tournament against Puplic Murata East High School. - Anti-Furuya Strategy
E25Anti-Furuya StrategyThe night before the game, Coach Katoka stands in the batters box and has Sawamura pitch to him. Sawamura's pitch decides his fate for the Akikawa game. As the game begins, Furuya once again pitches full out. However Akikawa reveals a plan to wear him out through bunts and forcing more lack of control. Miyuki realizes their plan and comes up with a counterattack, but will Furuya be able to execute it? - Miracle Akikawa
E26Miracle AkikawaIn the top of the first, Shunshin Yeung comes to the plate and forces Furuya to throw a meat ball which he nails to left, giving Akikawa a 2-0 lead early on. With the lead Yeung heads to the mound and is able to start his precision throwing. Yeung comes up with a plan that he believes will destroy Seido if it is executed to perfection, but it requires getting one more run off of Furuya. - Path, Eijun Sawamura to the Scorching Mound
E28Path, Eijun Sawamura to the Scorching MoundThis episode serves as a recap of the first 27 episodes, showing how Eijun Sawamura joined the Seido High School Baseball team, his struggles with the JV, and his eventual rise to play in the tournament all while hoping to become the ace of the team. - Neck and Neck
E29Neck and NeckSawamura's moving fastball and four seamer continue to cause problems for Akikawa's batters. As Seido's batters start to get on base, Miyuki comes to the plate and is able to predict the pitches Shunshin Yeung will make. Miyuki's at bat not only helps Seido's batters improve, but Tanba is sent to the bullpen to warm-up and cause an additional scare for Akikawa's batters. Will it all be enough to reverse the score and give Seido the lead? - Dark Horse
E31Dark HorseSeido stays to watch Ichidai's game to prepare for the upcoming quarterfinal. Ichidai's opponent is Yakushi, a nameless school. Yakushi's clean-ups were completely different from their previous games and were played by first-years. Ichidai scores in the first inning making it look like an easy win, but. - Summers
E32SummersManaka, the ace of Ichidai, is back in top shape on the mound. However, Raichi, the cleanup of Yakushi hits the ball right into Manaka, which forces him to step down. Even without the ace, Ichidai put up a good fight but are unable to secure a win. Seido are shocked bu the outcome of the game. - Money TreeE33
Money TreeIn preparation for the Yakushi game, Coach Kataoka speaks to the pitchers. Sawamura, Furuya, and Kawakami are told that Tanba won't be pitching, but Tanba is told to be ready to go. The coach wants to play with everyone as a team. The quarter-final begins, and Yakushi's lineup is. - Reliable Teammates
E34Reliable TeammatesRaichi takes the fight between him and Furuya in the first inning. On that note, Yakushi scores the leading run. However, Miyuki's throw to second and encouragement of, "you have many reliable teammates behind you" takes some pressure off Furuya. On top of that, Furuya. - The Ace Takes the Mound
E36The Ace Takes the MoundSanada comes on and reveals he has a dangerous cutter, shutting down Seido's batting strength. Chris tries to figure out why Sanada isn't being used from the start of games. Ichidai players continue to slowly join in and are shocked to see that Seido has shut down Yakusi so far and leads 5-1. Tanba starts warming up in the 5th inning in the bullpen, giving Seido an additional threat. Yakusi's batters are unable to figure out the timing of Sawamura's pitch. Seeing no other choice, Raizou recommends they each get two strikes to get used to the speed of his pitch before swinging. The #8 man gets on base. Then the #9 batter calls for a bunt, the first bunt Yakusi has made in the tournament. Raichi now comes up for his third at bat. A homerun will make it 5-3 and could ruin Seido's momentum. People in the stands begin to wonder if Sawamura will be switched out. As Raichi comes to bat, a mysterious foot comes out of the dugout. Is Sawamura's day over? - Expectations of an Ace
E39Expectations of an AceIt's the top of the eighth with two outs and runners on first and third, and Tanba takes the mound. Following the efforts of Furuya, Sawamura, and Kawakami, Tanba takes the ball. His first batter is Sanada, the ace of Yakushi. Coach Todoroki;s orders are to hit Tanba's first pitch and shut him down. - The Winning Shot
E40The Winning ShotThe top of the ninth takes place as the battle between Seido and Yakusi reaches its climax with a battle between Tanba and Raichi. Tanba makes the count 2-2 when Miyuki finally calls for the forkball to make its debut. Will Raichi have success against the forkball, or will the pressure get to him? The winner advances to the semifinals as the loser ponders how they can improve for next season. This episode covers chapters 116 to 120. - It's the Semifinal
E41It's the SemifinalFor the semifinal, Seido High School go up against Sensen Academy's Maki, the giant. As the veteran of the match up. Coach Ukai tells the reporters that Seido's weakness is Coach Kataoka's lack of experience. At Seido High School, Sawamura is still blue from being taken off the mound in the Yakushi game. - The Giant Looks Down
E42The Giant Looks DownUnder Coach Ukai's definitive command, Maki throws his huge curveballs. Tanba begins to show signs of fatigue. Will Sawamura be called to the mound? Eijun's junior high friends came all the way out to cheer. Some members of Inashiro are also watching from the stands. - Best Pitch
E44Best PitchSawamura faces off with Hino in a match-up that come determine the end result of the game. In the showdown Sawamura develops a new pitch, the crossfire pitch. Seido advances with an 8-3 win after Nori gives up an additional run. Sawamura gets to meet briefly with his friends before the team heads inside to watch the other semifinal match. This episode covers the second half of chapter 131 through the first half of 134. - Fantasy
E45FantasyAfter defeating Sensen Academy, Sawamura enjoys his time with his junior high friends. The second game of the semifinals is between the tournament favorite, Inashiro Vocational High, and a dark horse, Sakurazawa High. Coach Kikukawa exclaims, "It's time to make history!" And the game sets off to an unexpected start. - Pitching of Despair
E46Pitching of DespairAs Nagao takes on Inashiro with his knuckle ball, Sakurazawa wait for their chance to score. However, Sakurazawa slowly lose their cool experiencing Narumiya's untouchable fastball. Their calm defense evaporates and errors inevitably follow. Unfortunately, Inashiro's next batter is their cleanup, Harada. - I Don't Want to Lose
E52I Don't Want to LoseNarumiya strikes out Yuki, and Seido is reminded of Narumiya's strength. Furuya takes the mound in the bottom and starts off with three consecutive strikeouts. Narumiya matches Furuya's performance with three strikeouts as well. It's going to be a pitching game. - Change Gears
E53Change GearsAfter three innings, it's still a close final. Next up is the cleanup, Yuki, and Narumiya changes his gears. Baiting with the changeup, he strikes out Yuki with a fastball, creating momentum for Inashiro. Seido then realizes Narumiya is only going all out for Yuki and the team takes a mental blow. - Entrusted Faith and the Courage to Perform
E54Entrusted Faith and the Courage to PerformIn the top of the fifth, Furuya gets a hit off Narumiya. It's the perfect chance to tie the game, and Shirasu, batting ninth, hits Narumiya's fastball. Will Shirasu make first base? And in the bottom of the fifth, the ace, Tanba, takes the mound. - Reliable Underclassmen
E57Reliable UnderclassmenSawamura strikes out Narumiya with three pitches. Miyuki's bold strategy and Sawamura's strong heart lift the tension in the air. Seido High School is back in their usual offensive attitude. Furuya is up to bat, and Narumiya throws a powerful crossfire pitch! - The Three-Hole
E58The Three-HoleSeido scores a run. Haruichi stands in the batter's box in place of Ryosuke as a pinch hitter. Seido has high expectations for the lucky kid. On the other hand, Inashiro can't give anything up. Narumiya grows furiuos seeing Haruichi's wooden bat. Can Haruichi connect to the next batter? - Victory or Defeat
E62Victory or DefeatWith a runner in a scoring position, Inashiro's cleanup, Harada, stands at bat. Victory is one step away, but the challenge of a lifetime stands in its way. Using the last available time out, the ace goes to the field to relay a message. Can they defend the run and make nationals? The game finally comes to a close. - The Kick
E67The KickThe new team at Seido isn't meshing well just yet. The result of the practice games has been 8 wins and 4 losses with no explosiveness from the batters. Coach Kataoka accepts the practice game Yakushi requested in hopes of raising the team's morale. Sawamura is fired up, but Miyuki isn't happy with his lack of control. - The Final Lesson
E72The Final LessonCoach Ochiai and Coach Kataoka have conflicting opinions, but the fall tournament is going well for the team. While Sawamura continues to struggle with the yips, Chris shows up like a knight in shining armor. "Practice the low and away." Sawamura's motivation is renewed. - Inheritance
E73InheritanceThe third years are left speechless hearing about the resignation of the coach. Coach Kataoka puts the current team through the off-season training menu, and Maezono gives words of wisdom to the players who are slacking. Miyuki is impressed with how dependable Maezono has become and wonders why Coach Kataoka seems to be keeping a secret. - In Pursuit
E75In PursuitMaezono hits a home run at the top of the ninth, evening out the game at 3-3, and at the bottom of the ninth, Sawamura finally gets his chance on the mound. From the third-year team, Chris walks out as a pinch hitter to face Sawamura. Can Sawamura show his mentor the pitching of his life?
