Major is a series for the baseball lover in all of us.

In pitching terms, this episode of Major would be a 98 MPH fastball right down the middle.  Nothing fancy about it, but incredibly effective – and the sort of pitch that can only be delivered by someone exceptionally good at what they do.  This was pretty much the core and essence of a baseball series, especially one about kids – it covered all the bases (pun intended).  Having Major back is really a reminder of just how much this franchise stands out in the sports genre – it makes being great look absurdly easy.

The irony in that, of course, is that this time around the protagonist is someone for whom being great is anything but easy.  That marks a stark contrast with the first series, where the hero was a true baseball natural – he busted his ass to be great and dealt with more than his share of challenges on the way, but Goro was born with the ability to be a baseball star.  The contrast is fascinating – especially as the Goro role is filled by Hikaru this time around, on the diamond at least.  One of the elements Major has always been good at is showing us how many different types of good ballplayers there are, how many ways to succeed on the diamond – but that’s even more true in Major 2nd.

The strategic battle is intense in these last two frames between Nishigoka and Mifune, but to a certain extent the players usurp the role of the managers in deciding it.  I was sure walking Tamaki-kun was the right thing to do, but Major has always had a deep-seated aversion to intentional walks.  Letting Urabe override him did bite Tashiro in the end, but the fact that it happened because of a cheap trick shouldn’t mask the fact that it was a mistake to begin with.  That stunt Tamaki pulled – yelling “Center!” just loud enough for Sakura to hear it – isn’t technically illegal.  But it is despicable, and frankly the fact that Komori-san lets him get away with it is disappointing.  He could have pulled Tamaki from the game right there, and frankly he probably should have.

Urabe doesn’t know any of this, and while his flip-out on Sakura is still indefensible it’s at least very much in character.  Maybe what Sakura needed was the get a little pissed off, and getting snookered by Tamaki-kun and blasted by Urabe for it seems to have done the trick. She finally breaks up the no-hitter by doing what the Dolphins should have been doing all along, taking the ball the other way.  Daigo then steps up and shows that he has the sharpest baseball mind on the team, reaching on a push bunt that exploits the Beetles’ shift.  This is the major drawback of any exaggerated defensive shift – it leaves massive holes in the defense.  Most hitters are too proud or greedy to take advantage the way Daigo does, but Daigo is nothing if not humble when it comes to his baseball contributions.

Daigo’s play is so smart that it prompts Grandpa to betray his presence, and it starts Tamaki on the path to unraveling.  Tashiro decides to show his cards and take advantage of the fact that the Dolphins have figured out what pitch is coming by a double-steal, and Urabe walks to load the bases for Hikaru.  Tamaki begs to be allowed to use his “secret weapon“, but Komori initially refuses.  One look at Tamaki told me he probably had a massive fastball, and now we know why he wasn’t using it.  But Komori finally relents and allows him to let loose to try and retire Hikaru, but unfortunately for them they’ve chosen to wrong opponent to go after.

This inning is certainly an example of the two extremes that Daigo and Hikaru represent on the diamond.  Daigo acts as a catalyst with a shift-defeating bunt of an eephus pitch, and Hikaru blasts a 115 KPH heater over the fence for a grand slam (Goro-style).  He’s this series’ baseball boy, but Daigo’s way is ultimately the more compelling from a dramatic standpoint (especially given his lineage). Now the stage is set for the two of them to occupy it front and center as a battery from the first pitch, and for Daigo to show how much he’s grown as a catcher.