Sawamura Eijun, starting with jersey No. 20 and now the ‘Ace’ of Seidou High, is the protagonist of Ace of Diamond. He is a southpaw pitcher who came to Seidou High from Nagano.
He is a loudmouth and hotheaded boy with brown eyes which shines golden at the intense moment,(reminds me of a sunflower).
Eijun is never ashamed of saying what he thinks, well he usually acts before he starts thinking (hence, the name Bakamura).
He has an unwavering spirit and a determination to learn from his mistake. Sawamura Eijun throws pitches with his feelings and his strong will inspires his teammates as well as their supporters. Sawamura’s “Oshi! Oshi! Oshi!” has become a trademark mantra, which even the audience copy.
I will be fine. Because if you have a ball and a bat, you can play baseball.
Sawamura Eijun from Akagi Junior High
When he was in Nagano, Eijun was the captain of the baseball team in Akagi Junior High.
His team members were mostly his friends’ none of whom could play baseball. His friends were not interested in playing baseball but they stuck with him and helped him tell the end.
Sawamura Eijun has an eccentric style of pitching which is known to Western fans as “breaking fastball pitches”.
None of his friends could catch his pitches which always cost them a game. More so, Eijun never received proper training.
It was during their final match in Akagi Junior High that Takashima Rei scouted Eijun for Seidou High.
Rei asked him to visit the school once before making any decision. On his visit, he had the chance to play with Miyuki Kazuya, the first person who caught his pitch.
Sawamura became excited to finally meet someone who can catch his pitch but he did not want to betray his friends.
However, with their encouragement and family’s support, he decides to go to Seidou High.
During his departure, his friends confess that they loved playing baseball because of him and with him. It is such a beautiful friendship and tearful farewell.
Sawamura Eijun in Seidou High
On his first day in the baseball training in Seidou High, Sawamura gets pranked by Miyuki Kazuya, but both get punished along with Eijun’s roommates Kuramochi Youichi and Masuko Tooru.
He meets Kominato Haruichi and Furuya Satoru along with other first years.
Furuya and Eijun become instant rivals because they both wanted to be ace.
While Eijun begins as a relief pitcher in the second string, Furuya becomes a first-string player. (Still a rival but more a best friend.)
Sawamura learns about true baseball and his position in the team as he goes through many incidents.
His encounter with Takigawa Chris Yuu teaches him how every player in the team has their duties and role to perform. It ends up with Chris becoming his ‘shishou’.
Eijun’s experience with ‘Yips’ after a match with Innashiro Industrials and the team loses their chance to go nationals.
Furuya receives the Ace no. while Eijun is still unable to throw inside pitches. With the help of Chris, Eijun learns outside pitches and expands his pitching style.
Sawamura with jersey no. 18 starts his second year with more confidence and determination to become an ace.
It is in the Fall Tournament that Sawamura throws his inside pitches again, with the help from Kazuya and wins the game against Nanamori Academy.
Currently, Sawamura is in his second year with the Ace no. on his back and a repertoire of pitches.
*No more Spoilers.
Pitches Collection
Sawamura Eijun came to Seidou with only his moving fastball. Now after two years, he has learned more pitching that suits his style while also developing his own collection namely Numbers.
Numbers consist of 11 types of pitching styles which depend on his grip on the ball.
The different pitches he can play are
- 4-seam Fastball with a velocity of 140km/h
- Cutter and his version of Revised Cutter; both the pitches break sharply at the batter’s plate
- 2-seam Fastball which breaks away from right-handed batter at the plate
- Changeup and Pinball, which is his high-speed changeup
- Splitter is an additional changeup but it is still relatively unstable
I don’t know what you are battling with right now, Furuya. But isn’t taking down the batter in front of you the sole duty of a pitcher?!
Thanks for reading!!!!
