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

Chapter 189: Three-Pitch Strikeout — Narumiya Mei · Nov 12, 2026

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Chapter List (248)

Page number / 5

151 Chapter 151: Seido’s Specialty — Brothers Home Run 2026-11-12
152 Chapter 152: The Match Ends — New Record 2026-11-12
153 Chapter 153: Before the Finals! Slider Evolution 2026-11-12
154 Chapter 154: The Showdown Before the Finals 2026-11-12
155 Chapter 155: The Post-Finals Debriefing Meeting 2026-11-12
156 Chapter 156: The Strategies of Both Sides 2026-11-12
157 Chapter 157: The Legend of Seido 2026-11-12
158 Chapter 158: The Shock of the Fatty Senior 2026-11-12
159 Chapter 159: Head-On Confrontation! Overwhelming Suppression 2026-11-12
160 Chapter 160: Don’t Be Selfish! Let’s Shoulder This Together 2026-11-12
161 Chapter 161: The Final! Seido vs. Inashiro 2026-11-12
162 Chapter 162: King vs. King: A Fiery Opening 2026-11-12
163 Chapter 163: Mutual Recognition 2026-11-12
164 Chapter 164: Seido’s Relentless Offense! Inashiro Under Pressure! 2026-11-12
165 Chapter 165: Last Year’s Grudge! An Eye for an Eye! 2026-11-12
166 Chapter 166: A 150 km/h Two-Seam! A Shocking Opening 2026-11-12
167 Chapter 167: An Overwhelming Strikeout!!! 2026-11-12
168 Chapter 168: The Shock of the Cutter! Shirakawa’s Fury 2026-11-12
169 Chapter 169: Cutter Establishes Authority! Three Consecutive Strikeouts to Open the Game 2026-11-12
170 Chapter 170: Complaints from Two Catchers 2026-11-12
171 Chapter 171: Inashiro’s Cleanup Batter 2026-11-12
172 Chapter 172: The Man Who Got Outs Complains About Everyone Else Striking Out 2026-11-12
173 Chapter 173: Untitled 2026-11-12
174 Chapter 174: The Resolve Behind a Single Hit 2026-11-12
175 Chapter 175: Defensive Mistake 2026-11-12
176 Chapter 176: Inashiro’s Counterattack 2026-11-12
177 Chapter 177: A Unique Approach 2026-11-12
178 Chapter 178: A Chain of Mistakes 2026-11-12
179 Chapter 179: Shirakawa’s Resentment 2026-11-12
180 Chapter 180: Untitled 2026-11-12
181 Chapter 181: Kominato Leaves the Game Due to Injury 2026-11-12
182 Chapter 182: The Little Brother Opens His Eyes! 2026-11-12
183 Chapter 183: The Best Way to Motivate Furuya 2026-11-12
184 Chapter 184: A Friendly Reminder 2026-11-12
185 Chapter 185: Narumiya Mei’s Winning Pitch 2026-11-12
186 Chapter 186: Narumiya’s Evolution 2026-11-12
187 Chapter 187: The Fallen Emperor Refuses to Yield 2026-11-12
188 Chapter 188: Inashiro’s Captain 2026-11-12
189 Chapter 189: Three-Pitch Strikeout — Narumiya Mei 2026-11-12
190 Chapter 190: Inashiro’s Counterattack 2026-11-12
191 Chapter 191: Using the Rules to His Advantage 2026-11-12
192 Chapter 192: Gradually Unsealing 2026-11-12
193 Chapter 193: The Two Aces Dominate 2026-11-12
194 Chapter 194: The Final Inning 2026-11-12
195 Chapter 195: The Quick Forkball Shocks the Entire Stadium! 2026-11-12
196 Chapter 196: Happy Graduation 2026-11-12
197 Chapter 197: Summer Continues 2026-11-12
198 Chapter 198: The Silent Narumiya Mei 2026-11-12
199 Chapter 199: Gold-Level Home Run 2026-11-12
200 Chapter 200: The Eve of the Koshien Battle 2026-11-12

”Tch!”

Narumiya Mei gritted his teeth after missing the first pitch.

”So that’s your Cutter...”

On the mound, Ushijima Wakatoshi simply raised his chin slightly and smirked.

The expression looked annoyingly familiar.

Almost identical to Narumiya’s usual arrogant grin.

His eyes practically said:

You wanted to hit my Cutter, didn’t you?

Here it is.

Go ahead and try.

Narumiya’s eyebrow twitched.

Since the beginning of the game, he had been fixated on one pitch.

Ushijima’s Cutter.

Among all of Ushijima’s breaking balls, it was the one Narumiya wanted to conquer the most.

And Ushijima knew it.

Everyone knew it.

The previous inning had already proven it.

Narumiya had unveiled his own Cutter.

Ushijima had managed to put it into play and drive in a run.

Now it was Ushijima’s turn to respond.

A direct challenge.

A head-on duel.

No tricks.

No deception.

Just pure confidence.

Miyuki returned the ball.

Ushijima immediately went into his motion.

Whoosh!

The second pitch exploded toward home plate.

Again—

A Cutter.

Narumiya’s eyes widened.

”Come on!”

He attacked immediately.

Specifically adjusting his swing path to catch the pitch as it dropped toward the inside corner.

His bat cut downward aggressively.

But it was too late.

Too fast.

The break was too sharp.

WHOOSH!

SNAP!

The ball disappeared into Miyuki’s glove.

Narumiya froze.

Faster.

It’s even faster than before.

The radar gun flashed.

151 km/h.

A Cutter exceeding 150 km/h.

The entire Inashiro bench stiffened.

If Ushijima ever gained complete command of that pitch—

He would become nearly impossible to hit.

”Strike two!”

The umpire’s voice echoed across the field.

Narumiya stepped back and stared at the mound.

Meanwhile, Miyuki quietly studied him.

The frustration.

The impatience.

The obsession.

Everything was written across Narumiya’s face.

Behind the plate, Miyuki considered the obvious choice.

Two hard inside Cutters.

Most catchers would now call for something away.

A slider.

A changeup.

Something to disrupt timing.

The conventional sequence was obvious.

But when Miyuki looked at Ushijima—

He immediately understood.

No words were needed.

Just one glance.

Ushijima’s eyes said everything.

Again.

Miyuki smiled.

Then set his glove low and inside.

The crowd erupted.

”What?!”

”Again?”

”Three inside pitches in a row?”

Even the spectators were shocked.

In the stands, Azuma folded his arms.

”That sounds exactly like Ushijima.”

Toujou nodded.

”He’s absolutely throwing it.”

Kanemaru laughed.

”Even with the bases loaded, he’d still challenge the inside corner.”

”That’s just the kind of pitcher he is.”

On the field, Ushijima delivered the third pitch.

WHOOSH!

Another missile.

Another inside Cutter.

Narumiya’s eyes widened.

For a split second, he couldn’t believe it.

Again?!

Then anger surged through him.

Are you looking down on me?!

Narumiya swung with everything he had.

His bat accelerated violently toward the ball.

Closer.

Closer—

Then the baseball vanished.

The Cutter dropped sharply beneath the barrel.

Narumiya had adjusted for it.

Prepared for it.

Expected it.

And still couldn’t touch it.

THUD!

The ball slammed into Miyuki’s glove.

Outside the strike zone.

A clear ball.

But Narumiya had already committed.

”STRIKE THREE!”

The umpire’s voice rang throughout the stadium.

The crowd exploded.

Narumiya remained frozen.

Bat still extended.

Eyes fixed on the glove.

He knew exactly what had happened.

”Tch...”

Narumiya lowered his head.

Then glared at Ushijima.

The frustration in his eyes was unmistakable.

But Ushijima met the stare without the slightest hesitation.

Neither player looked away.

The duel had ended.

And Ushijima had won.

Behind the plate, Miyuki silently understood the truth.

Narumiya hadn’t struck out because he was fooled.

He struck out because he couldn’t let it go.

He wanted to hit Ushijima’s Cutter.

More than getting on base.

More than helping his team.

More than taking a walk.

He wanted to win the duel.

And Ushijima knew that.

So Ushijima gave him exactly what he wanted.

One Cutter.

Then another.

Then a third.

Each one thrown harder than the last.

Each one a direct challenge.

A declaration:

You want to hit it?

Then hit it.

Narumiya accepted the challenge every single time.

And lost.

That was why he was angry.

Not because he struck out.

Not because the count reached two strikes.

Not even because the pitches were outside the zone.

He was angry because Ushijima answered his challenge head-on—

And he still couldn’t touch the ball.

Narumiya’s own Cutter had been put into play earlier.

Ushijima had adjusted his swing and managed to force the ball through the infield.

But when their positions were reversed—

Narumiya couldn’t even make contact.

That was the difference.

Not courage.

Not confidence.

Not pride.

Simply ability.

And nothing frustrated Narumiya Mei more than being forced to acknowledge that fact.

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