Five year old Goro practices baseball every day to be like his dad Shigeharu, a pro ballplayer,until he injures his elbow and decides to retire.

Goro invites a boy named Toshiya to play catch, reluctant at first, Toshiya comes to love it. Shigeharu vows to make a comeback as a hitter.

A little league coach is dazzled by Goro's raw talent and teaches him to throw breaking balls. But Shigeharu, fearing injury, won't let him play.

Shigeharu is back on the team as a hitter and, on his best friend and teammate's suggestion, looks to remarry, but he's absent on Goro's birthday.

Goro is captivated by Joe Gibson, a major league player now playing in Japan. When Shigeharu homers off of him, Goro is beside himself with delight.

Shigeharu gets beaned by Gibson, but the Blue Oceans go on to win. Goro falls asleep enraptured, but the next day brings anything but joy.

Three years after his father's death, Goro joins the Mifune little league team. The coach welcomes him warmly, but the team has no love for the game.

Kaoru Shimizu joins the Mifune team, but they're still two players short. Goro then runs into his classmate Komori, who's being forced to shoplift.

Komori and Sawamura join the Mifune Dolphins, who now have a full team, but they have to play a game to save the team despite having hardly practiced.

Having learned the importance of teamwork, Goro steps up his game and puts down the adult batters, but his own team can't hit the opposing pitcher.

The Mifune Dolphins have been reborn. Urged by Coach Ando, Goro goes to observe the top little league team in Japan and runs into his old pal Toshiya.

Gibson, now back in MLB, invites Goro to see him play in San Francisco. Though put off at first, Goro wants to see top-level baseball, so he accepts.

The Mifune Dolphins join a training camp during summer break with all the best teams in Japan. Goro runs afoul of another team's heavy hitter.

After Mifune loses a practice game to Kuki Little in part because he can't bring himself to pitch inside, Goro asks Yokohama Little for a game.

Goro, determined to beat Yokohama Little, helps Sawamura practice pitching. When Coach Ando sees them at it, he realizes he'd given up on his dreams.

Ryoko, the girl Goro just met, is a pitcher for Yokohama Little. He invites her to play ping-pong, upsetting Shimizu and keeping her up all night.

Before the fall tournament, Mifune practices at the batting cages. There, they run into the Okamura triplets, who play for their first-round opponent.

The Okamura triplets score a run off Goro with their strategy, and their ironclad defense grinds down Mifune's will, but Shimizu gives them new life.

In round two, Mifune faces Totsuka-Nishi Little, led by ace Kyuta Usami. Goro spots Momoko out with Shigeno and is consumed with dread.

Mifune is on the ropes; Goro suddenly gives up a home run, and they can't hit Kyuta's pitch. To make matters worse, Komori sprains his wrist.

Sawamura's desperation bunt gets him on base, breaks up Kyuta's perfect game, and rattles the ace. Mifune then closes the gap to one run.

Mifune draws Yokohama Little in the quarters, but Komori's injury is worse than they thought. With the team needing a new catcher, Shimizu volunteers.

Coach Ando throws out his back, so Momoko fills in for him against Yokohama Little. Mifune, overwhelmed by the big stage, commits several errors.

Toshiya gets Goro to hit into a double play. In the top of the 3rd, as Goro gets shelled again, he uncorks his secret weapon on cleanup hitter Majima.

The game enters extra innings. Yokohama Little saps Goro's energy with bunts and puts Ryoko in to pitch. Goro's teammates worry about how he'll react.

Ryoko and Toshiya defy their coach and pitch to Goro. Ryoko puts all her might into her pitch, and Goro musters his last ounce of strength to swing.

Goro moves back to Mifune. Komori is glad to have the chance to play baseball with him again, only for Goro to reveal he now plays soccer.

The delinquents have left the baseball team, but none of the former members return. Goro's words inspire Komori and Obayashi to recruit new members.

Goro's story inspires the delinquents to get serious about baseball again. Goro goes to see the reborn Mifune East Junior High baseball team play.

Goro joins the baseball team. To gear up for the summer tournament, he seeks a game against Tomonoura Junior High, where he meets his old pal Toshiya.

Mifune East falls behind in round one of the tournament because Goro shows up late, but his off-speed pitches gets hitters out in fine fashion.

Mifune East faces Seibukan in round two. Goro has a perfect game going through 4 2/3 innings, enthralling a high school scout in the crowd.

Toshiya, Tomonoura's captain, proposes a bet to Goro that raises the stakes for their teams' showdown, but Goro gets goaded into a rash of mistakes.

Goro and Yamane hit back-to-back home runs, rattling Toshiya. Seeing his teammates band together, Toshiya realizes he'd forgotten the joy of baseball.

Toshiya takes the mound and freezes Miyamoto with his fastball. After encouragement from Goro, Miyamoto swings the bat, with unexpected results.

Goro is set on getting into Kaido High's baseball club with Toshiya after their junior high affiliate crushes him. The Mifune East boys hit the beach.

Goro, Toshiya and Komori all pass the first two stages of Kaido High's harsh skills test, but Toshiya and Komori are then pitted against each other.

The skills test ends with a five-on-five tournament. Goro is happy to be on Toshiya's team, but is looked down upon for coming from an obscure school.

Goro and Toshiya pass the skills test and must now take an academic exam. But Goro isn't used to studying, and he ends up being late to the exam.

Goro and Toshiya get into Kaido High and proudly join the baseball club. They go to a school facility on a small island for six months hard training.

After three months at the training facility, Goro has grown strong. The coaches announce an aptitude test to determine the players' positions.

In a final exam to decide who will leave the island to join the second team, Goro is as free-spirited as ever. Onuki, who had quit the team, shows up.

Coach Suo declares Goro will pass the test only if he can retire the opposing lineup in order, but Goro has come further than anyone imagined.

The first-year scholarship team intentionally spots the Dream Island team a three-run lead. The insult fills Goro's team with renewed determination.

Goro takes the mound, the team's expectations on his back, and gets back-to-back K's. As the Dream Island team is battling back, Mayumura shows up.

Toshiya hangs in against Akutsu by fouling off his knuckle balls. Shizuka kicks Akutsu off the team for focusing only on his competitive pride.

Down by one with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, Kokubu hits a home run to tie the game. With a walk-off win on the line, Mayumura takes the mound.

Shizuka advises Goro to quit the team based on an incident from her past. When he learns what happened, he takes his appeal straight to the top.

Chief Manager Egashira plots to make Goro into a Koshien star as a prop to boost Kaido's image. When Goro is told, his reaction stuns everyone.

In Goro's second year at Kaido, Momoko gives birth to a girl. With his send-off game against the first team at hand, Goro tells Shigeno his decision.

In his send-off game, Goro is perfect through 6 innings, but starts losing speed on his fastball. In the 7th, he gives up a hit and gets into trouble.

Toshiya's home run ties the game, but in the 8th, the scholarship players refuse to take the field on defense, and the game takes an unexpected turn.

Goro leaves Kaido High and considers transferring to Mifune High, but he reconsiders after watching Mifune dominate a preliminary match.

Goro tries to form a baseball team at Seishu High, but gets a cold response from the other boys. He receives support from a girl named Nakamura.

A losing streak has Shigeno in bad spirits. The school chairperson tells Goro that she can't approve of a team until he has teacher supervision.

Baseball club supervisor Yamada nets a practice match with Teijin High. Goro leads the team with his fast pitching but things take an unexpected turn.

Seishu ties the game with Fujii's hit, but Tashiro is still not satisfied. Goro speaks honestly after Yamada asks him why he's taking such a gamble.

Goro's team begins training. Shigeno shows up as a temporary coach but an intentionally harsh practice session causes most of the team to quit.

Under Shigeno's coaching, the team begins training in earnest with the goal of winning a preliminary game by spring. A new guy shows up at practice.

Seishu plays a practice match against Kaido's reserve team. They struggle with the opposing pitcher and fall behind thanks to some poor fielding.

Goro is dejected when he hears it will take three months to recover from his injury. Kaido High's chief manager Egashira visits him in the hospital.

The team is excited to play Yoka High in the first round of the tournament. Looking healthy, Goro throws a perfect fastball in practice.

After a fierce seventh-inning comeback, Seishu trails by just three points. Despite his injury, Goro takes the mound in place of an unmotivated Taiga.

The doctor tells Goro that his career is in jeopardy if he keeps playing hurt. Goro appears to take his advice but secretly looks for other options.

Seishu faces Mifune High in the second round. Taiga loses his focus as Mifune breaks the deadlock to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Mifune has no outs and a batter on second base in the bottom of the sixth inning. Thrown by Mifune's unexpected tactics, Seishu falls further behind.

Goro takes the mound in place of Taiga with two outs and the bases loaded. Komori is flustered by Goro's fastball, which looks to be at full strength.

After pitching a no-hitter in the third game, Goro catches the attention of Yokohama Blue Oceans scout Katsuragi, who proposes the team draft him.

Scouting the competition, Goro is taken aback by the improvement of their next opponent, Kuriyama High. Later, he runs into Katori before the game.

The game with Kuriyama High nears its end. Karasawa hits a two-run homer to take the lead and Katori corners Seishu with two outs in the ninth inning.

Tashiro pushes the team hard during training ahead of its match against Kaido. Goro objects when the doctor tells him he can't practice for the game.

When Goro underestimates the opposing pitcher Ichihara, Seishu's hopes of taking an early lead are pinned on their only remaining batter, Tashiro.

Goro gives up his first hit during the bottom of a rainy third inning. He quickly makes up for his error by using a trick play to eliminate Kusano.

Ichihara is flustered after giving up hits to both Taiga and Uchiyama. But his pitching only gets worse when Tashiro steps up to bat.

Kaido buckles under Goro's all-out attack. All signs point to a pitcher's game, but Seishu's defense begins to struggle in the seventh inning.

After Taiga's batting pulls Seishu ahead, Kaido finally sends in their ace pitcher Mayumura. Goro is soon caught off guard by Mayumura's fastball.

The game enters extra innings, but Goro's right ankle is reaching its limit. When Tashiro says they should forfeit, Goro speaks from the heart.

Goro watches from home as Kaido wins at Koshien. Later, he spends valuable time with his friends at a summer festival after being invited by Tashiro.