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Diamond no Ace: Coach, I Want to Be a Batter, Not a Pitcher!

Chapter 8 8: Tanba vs. Ushijima · Nov 12, 2026

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Chapter List (248)

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1 Chapter 1 1: Seidou High School Baseball Club 2026-11-12
2 Chapter 2 2: The Evil Duo 2026-11-12
3 Chapter 3 3: Ushijima Wakatoshi’s Strength 2026-11-12
4 Chapter 4 4: Ushijima Wakatoshi’s Surprising Batting Average 2026-11-12
5 Chapter 5 5: Silver-Level Cutter Ball 2026-11-12
6 Chapter 6 6: Those Who Work Hard Will Always Have Privileges 2026-11-12
7 Chapter 7 7: Coach Kataoka’s Recognition and Appreciation 2026-11-12
8 Chapter 8 8: Tanba vs. Ushijima 2026-11-12
9 Chapter 9 9: The Ace Who Gets Excited 2026-11-12
10 Chapter 10 10: The Last Ball 2026-11-12
11 Chapter 11 11: The First String! Position: Outfielder? 2026-11-12
12 Chapter 12 12: Seido’s Batting Lineup 2026-11-12
13 Chapter 13 13 Shocked! Ushijima, what is your ball speed? 2026-11-12
14 Chapter 14 14: Coach! Please Listen to Me! 2026-11-12
15 Chapter 15 15: Physical Requirements of a Pitcher 2026-11-12
16 Chapter 16 16: A Beastly Shot 2026-11-12
17 Chapter 17 17: Terrifying Ball Power 2026-11-12
18 Chapter 18 18: The Drifting Two-Seam 2026-11-12
19 Chapter 19 19: One Dares to Call, One Dares to Throw 2026-11-12
20 Chapter 20 20: Give the Senior a Trick 2026-11-12
21 Chapter 21 21: Striking Out Yuki(Bonus Chapter) 2026-11-12
22 Chapter 22 22: Steal the Ace Number 2026-11-12
23 Chapter 23 23: Seido’s Chant 2026-11-12
24 Chapter 24 24: First Game! VS Ichidai San High School 2026-11-12
25 Chapter 25 25: Stealing Tactics 2026-11-12
26 Chapter 26 26: Continuously Torturing the Opponent 2026-11-12
27 Chapter 27 27: First-Year Ace 2026-11-12
28 Chapter 28 28: First Appearance in an Official Match 2026-11-12
29 Chapter 29 29: The Sinful Man & the Man with the Heart — A Perfect Match! 2026-11-12
30 Chapter 30 30: Calmness Unlike a First-Year 2026-11-12
31 Chapter 31 31: A Head-to-Head Battle with the Cleanup Hitter 2026-11-12
32 Chapter 32 32: A Low Batting Average Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Hit 2026-11-12
33 Chapter 33 33: Crazy 2026-11-12
34 Chapter 34 34: Continued Entanglement 2026-11-12
35 Chapter 35 35: First Battle a Success! Three Treasure Chests 2026-11-12
36 Chapter 36 36: Enhanced Strike Strength 2026-11-12
37 Chapter 37 37: One-on-One Starting Lineup 2026-11-12
38 Chapter 38 38: The Kominato Brothers’ Dream 2026-11-12
39 Chapter 39 39: The Passion of the Welcome Game 2026-11-12
40 Chapter 40 40 One Softness, One Hardness 2026-11-12
41 Chapter 41 41: Gold Cutter 2026-11-12
42 Chapter 42 42: The Future Belongs to You 2026-11-12
43 Chapter 43 43: The Upgraded Sense of Oppression 2026-11-12
44 Chapter 44 44: Seido’s Starting Lineup Batting Average 2026-11-12
45 Chapter 45 45: Hit Rate and Penalties 2026-11-12
46 Chapter 46 46: Shameless Sawamura 2026-11-12
47 Chapter 47 47: Sawamura, the Drama Queen 2026-11-12
48 Chapter 48 48: Showdown with Furuya 2026-11-12
49 Chapter 49 49: Furuya at Odds 2026-11-12
50 Chapter 50 50: Teaching Furuya a Lesson 2026-11-12

”Hahahaha~”

”Now this is getting interesting.”

”Tanba-senpai, the God of In-house Battles—”

”Versus the super freshman, Ushijima-kouhai.”

”One is Seido’s Ace Pitcher.”

”The other is a first-year..”

”This matchup is definitely worth watching.”

Kuramochi was visibly excited, though deep down, he couldn’t help wondering—

Who would come out on top?

Not only Kuramochi, but nearly all of the First String regulars had stopped what they were doing.

Kominato Ryosuke narrowed his eyes with his usual gentle smile, silently observing.

Yuki Tetsuya had already set his bat aside.

Miyuki Kazuya wore a dangerous grin, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Ushijima Wakatoshi stepped into the batter’s box and lifted his gaze toward the pitcher’s mound.

There stood Tanba Koichiro.

The coach positioned himself behind the catcher, temporarily acting as the umpire.

”The rules are simple,” Coach Kataoka announced calmly.

”No base running. This is purely a pitching-versus-batting test.”

”Tanba—your task is to strike out Ushijima with everything you’ve got.”

”Ushijima—your task is to use your batting ability to deal with Tanba’s pitches.”

”Ten pitches.”

”Begin.”

The moment the command was given, the atmosphere changed.

Tanba, standing on the mound, inhaled slowly.

He already knew how dangerous this freshman was.

In just six days, Ushijima Wakatoshi’s bunting ability or hitting infield had shaken the entire team.

Even Yuki—Seido’s captain—was inferior to him in pure precision.

That alone was reason enough to be cautious.

This was not a batter he could afford to underestimate.

Boom—

At that moment, Tanba felt it.

A calm yet overwhelming blue aura radiated from Ushijima’s body as he stood in the batter’s box.

The pressure—

It felt exactly like facing Yuki Tetsuya.

Heavy.

Oppressive.

Unyielding.

Tanba had faced countless cleanup hitters before.

But what shocked him—

Was that this pressure was coming from a first-year.

And not just any first-year.

This presence was already on par with a third-year cleanup hitter.

Miyauchi, squatting behind the plate, raised his glove and gave the sign.

Tanba glanced at it and immediately understood.

So that’s it…

A greeting pitch.

Tanba adjusted his grip.

Right hand tight around the ball.

Both hands rose above his head.

Left leg lifted.

Then—

He stomped forward.

His waist twisted sharply, shoulders rotating in a clean, powerful motion.

His arm lashed forward like a whip.

Whoosh—!!

The baseball tore through the air.

The instant the ball left Tanba’s hand—

Ushijima Wakatoshi’s pupils shrank.

The pitch’s information flooded his senses instantly.

A curveball.

Speed: 120 km/h.

Large vertical drop.

Significant arc.

The trajectory bent sharply downward as it approached the plate.

Bang!

The baseball slammed neatly into Miyauchi’s glove.

Ushijima never swung.

Because this—

Was the first time he had seen a curveball with such a steep vertical break.

”Strike!”

Coach Kataoka’s voice rang out clearly.

The first pitch—

Went to Tanba.

Ushijima Wakatoshi, who had been in a standard batting stance, slowly straightened his body.

He abandoned the crouched posture entirely.

Standing upright, bat lowered, he fixed his gaze on Tanba like a starving wolf locking onto prey.

His head tilted slightly.

A faint smirk curled at the corner of his lips.

Those eyes—cold, sharp, predatory—were no longer the eyes of a freshman.

At that moment, the aura radiating from Ushijima surged.

It was heavier than before.

Like a beast standing at the edge of a hunt—quiet, restrained, yet terrifying.

Tanba felt it instantly from the pitcher’s mound.

The pressure increased sharply.

But this was an in-house battle.

Here, he was invincible.

Even when facing Yuki Tetsuya, Seido’s captain, Tanba could confidently strike him out during internal matches.

This was his domain.

And Ushijima Wakatoshi—no matter how talented—was still a first-year.

”You’re getting serious right from the start?” Ushijima said, straight-backed, eyes locked onto Tanba.

”I like that.”

Then—

Ushijima suddenly stepped forward.

He gripped the bat with both hands and shifted his stance closer to home plate.

Much closer.

Knees bent.

Weight settled.

The moment everyone saw his position, their expressions changed.

Standing that close to the plate—

Was he trying to completely shut down the outside pitch?

But if Tanba threw inside—

The ball would be practically aimed at his body.

Was he not afraid?

And more importantly—

From this position, how could he possibly hit an inside pitch?

Even if he made contact, it should turn into a weak fly ball.

”This is a challenge.”

Yuki Tetsuya immediately understood.

This was Ushijima’s declaration of intent.

You threw outside before.

Now I’ll guard it completely.

Dare you to come inside.

And not only that—

Even if you do, I’ll still hit it.

Now the pressure was on Tanba.

Would he accept the challenge?

”Tch—annoying brat.”

As a pitcher, Tanba understood perfectly.

His eyes widened slightly.

Miyauchi instantly caught on and set his glove—

Inside corner.

High.

Almost chest level.

Tanba gripped the ball tightly.

Then he fired.

Whoosh—!!

The baseball tore through the air with explosive force.

Four-seam fastball.

138 km/h.

Inside.

The instant the ball left his hand—

Ushijima saw everything.

Pitch type.

Speed.

Angle.

With Gold-level bunting vision and national-level infield-hit batting instincts, the pitch unfolded clearly in his mind.

An inside pitch.

Thrown directly at him.

From this distance, it was almost unavoidable.

But Ushijima didn’t retreat.

In an impossibly tight swing space, he moved.

The bat snapped horizontally—

Then angled forward at the last moment.

Clang—!!!

A sharp, explosive metallic sound echoed across the field.

The baseball shot between first and second base on the right side.

It struck the infield—

Then kept bouncing.

And bouncing.

Carrying its speed straight into the outfield.

Silence.

Then—

”...!!!”

Everyone froze.

Because they all understood exactly what they had just seen.

”In that kind of space…”

”He still pulled it to the right side?!”

Kuramochi’s jaw nearly hit the ground.

Yuki Tetsuya’s eyes narrowed slightly—

And for the first time, a clear look of recognition appeared.

This wasn’t luck.

This wasn’t a fluke.

This was pure, terrifying skill.

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