Kikuta, who had been full of confidence, was completely shattered.
At the beginning of the third inning, he was still full of confidence, wanting to challenge the strong batters of Seido High School Baseball Team. Although he had given up three runs before, he always believed it was only because he wasn't yet familiar with the game, especially a game against Seido High School Baseball Team.
In the second inning, he got familiar with it, got three outs, and made Seido's batters go three up and three down. At that time, the supporters of Yakushi High School Baseball Team were all excited, cheering him on. Kikuta was deeply fascinated by this feeling. He no longer wanted to give up this position to anyone.
In this inning, his original plan was to show his characteristics and let the coach see his strength. Kikuta Nao firmly believed that as long as his performance was good enough, even the coach would not easily replace him. Unless he didn't want to win this game.
Kikuta was brimming with confidence and in excellent form. However, all of this completely changed after his confrontation with Kominato Ryosuke. He suddenly found that everything was not as he had imagined. That opponent, who was not tall, was able to precisely hit all his pitches out of bounds. And in Seido's dugout, everyone looked as if it was only natural, as if Kominato Ryosuke's performance was completely expected. This was what hit Kikuta the hardest.
After tangling for more than a dozen pitches, not to mention how shocked he was inside, his pitch count had already climbed to a terrifying level. Normally, with Kikuta Nao's stamina, throwing over 100 pitches in a game was not a problem at all.
Of course, the specific number also depended on the strength of the opponent. If the opponent put enough pressure on him, his total pitch count would inevitably be reduced.
Seido High School Baseball Team.
Although the game had only reached the third inning, Kikuta was already starting to feel a subtle fatigue. In the first two innings, he not only gave up two runs but also threw nearly forty pitches. Each of those batters was exceptionally strong.
Now, to deal with Kominato Ryosuke, he had thrown more than a dozen pitches consecutively. The total pitch count might not even be sixty, which wasn't a lot. But the rhythm was too dense. After throwing more than a dozen pitches in a row, he could faintly hear his shoulder groaning.
The number of pitches thrown in a game is spread out. In a single at-bat, however, they are thrown consecutively. These are two completely different things.
Not only his stamina, but in the process of constantly battling Kominato Ryosuke, Kikuta's inflated confidence had also suffered a heavy blow. That monster could accurately foul off every pitch he threw. Kominato Ryosuke was not the strongest batter in the entire Seido High School Baseball Team, nor was he even the most troublesome. The true batting representatives of Seido High School Baseball Team were their third batter Zhang Han and fourth batter Yuuki Tetsuya. In other words, the opponents Kikuta was about to face.
Looking at Zhang Han walking up to the batter's box, Kikuta kept recalling the Homerun he had given up to him. He originally thought that he had overcome his fear of Zhang Han, that this time he could regroup and face him. But after the at-bat just now, Kikuta suddenly realized that his previous confidence was just an illusion.
He couldn't even handle Kominato Ryosuke, the second batter of Seido High School Baseball Team, whose abilities in all aspects were supposedly suppressed by his own. Could he still handle Zhang Han?
Upon reflection, Kikuta Nao realized with a sinking feeling that he had no confidence at all. He didn't believe he truly had the strength to deal with the monster in front of him. Although Zhang Han was not aggressive, just standing there calmly looking at him, Kikuta felt a strong threat from him. Behind Zhang Han, it seemed as if a devil of immense power was standing. As long as he dared to throw the ball, the baseball would definitely be hit out of the field.
This idea was deeply ingrained in Kikuta's mind. So much so that when facing Zhang Han, he subconsciously threw a bad pitch.
"Whoosh!"
When Zhang Han saw the baseball flying, he originally intended to swing. The opponent had been completely shattered by Kominato Ryosuke, his entire pitching completely out of sync. As long as the outcome of the game had not yet been decided, Zhang Han would never show mercy to his opponent. The worse the opponent's condition, the less he could afford to give them a chance.
Unexpectedly, that guy collapsed on his own. The pitch hadn't even reached Home Base before it bounced on the ground, all the way into the Yakushi catcher's mitt. Although Zhang Han was determined to swing, he couldn't possibly swing at such an obvious bad pitch. Anticipating that the ball would hit the ground, Zhang Han didn't even bother to move. He just stood there, watching it go by.
The Yakushi catcher, although surprised by his partner's poor condition, couldn't help but shiver when he saw Zhang Han's reaction. No reaction at all. What did this mean? It meant that the opponent had completely seen through them. People were surprised by Zhang Han's terrifying hitting ability, but they didn't know that his eye for selecting pitches was also top-notch. If this continued, even if they didn't give up a Homerun, their situation probably wouldn't be much better.
The catcher turned his head and glanced towards the dugout.
Coach Todoroki Raizo had already stood up. He turned and said to Sanada behind him.
"It looks like you'll be entering the game early!"
"I've been eager to play for a long time!"
Sanada was highly motivated. Just thinking about the intense confrontation with these monsters from Seido High School Baseball Team, Sanada couldn't control his desire to play. If it weren't for the coach holding him back, he would have wanted to start this game.
"The Ace must be saved for last!"
Coach Todoroki Raizo patted Sanada reassuringly and turned to announce the substitution.
"Yakushi High School Baseball Team changes pitchers. Kikuta to the outfield, Sanada Shunpei to the pitcher's mound."
Seeing Yakushi High School Baseball Team's substitution, the fans in the stands discussed animatedly. Many had become fans of Yakushi High School after watching their previous game against Inashiro Industrial. They knew what Sanada Shunpei meant to this team.
Frankly speaking, even though Sanada was wearing jersey number 11, he was the true Ace of Yakushi High School Baseball Team. Now that Yakushi had sent him to the mound, it meant they were getting serious. Looking at the current situation, they had committed everything and were going all out.
"I thought Yakushi would be content with just getting a seed spot. I didn't expect them to be so determined in today's game!"
"They don't seem like a team that would give up a game. I believe that as long as it's a game, they will pursue victory at all costs."
This was the impression Yakushi High School Baseball Team left on others. If it were any other unknown team being led 3:1 by Seido High School Baseball Team, the opponent could basically declare surrender. But among the fans who had watched Yakushi High School Baseball Team's games, not a single one thought that way from beginning to end. Although Yakushi was now trailing by two runs, people still had high expectations for them.
Sanada entered the game. He took the baseball from Kikuta's hand. Although Kikuta had been hit badly, when Sanada tried to take the baseball, his fingers were difficult to pry open. He seemed very unwilling.
"Senior!"
Sanada called out. Only after hearing that did Kikuta reluctantly release his hand and hand the baseball over.
"Don't be careless. Their batters are very strong!"
Kikuta Nao spoke with genuine sincerity. After the lesson just now, he truly understood how powerful Seido High School Baseball Team's hitting was. This was something ordinary people couldn't imagine, or even dared not imagine.
Although Kikuta was unwilling, he had flinched when facing Zhang Han. Whether he was willing to admit it or not, this was an unchangeable fact. If he hadn't been cowardly, he wouldn't have thrown that ball in the dirt. The coach had replaced him without hesitation, and at that moment, the coach must have been extremely disappointed. After all, Kikuta was a player he had placed high hopes on, but in the end, he had produced such a result.
Sanada looked at Kikuta walking towards the outfield, looking dejected. He was deeply moved. Kikuta, who usually didn't like to communicate with others, suddenly had so many emotions. He had probably truly realized how terrifying a battlefield the pitcher's mound was. On this battlefield, there would always be some incredibly powerful opponent emerging from who knows which corner. You had to always remain vigilant, ready to deliver the sternest counterattack at any moment.
"This is the first time my senior has felt this, but I've felt it many times."
Before Coach Todoroki Raizo joined Yakushi High School, Sanada, who was a first-year, was already heavily relied upon by the team and had many opportunities to pitch. In that process, he had witnessed various types of batters. Even in ordinary schools, monsters of extraordinary strength would occasionally appear. Not to mention a powerhouse like Seido High School Baseball Team, which was composed of Aces and cleanup batters from various schools. With Seido, terrifying batters with monstrous strength appeared every single inning.
Facing such a team, especially standing on the pitcher's mound, the difficulties were unimaginably great. Kikuta's ignorance had been bliss, but once he realized what kind of opponent he was fighting, shrinking back was only natural.
But I am different.
Standing on the pitcher's mound, Sanada exuded a different aura. This man, who seemed very gentle in private, immediately transformed into the most ferocious beast once he stepped onto the pitcher's mound. When he pitched, he was flamboyant and domineering. But also upright and honest.
"One by one, take them down!"
He extended his index finger, directing his teammates around him to return to their respective fielding positions. Just this one figure standing on the pitcher's mound brought a huge change to Yakushi High School Baseball Team.
"Sanada senior!"
"Shunpei, it's up to you!"
"There's nothing to be afraid of; the opponent is just a second-year, just like you."
Even the voices of their players shouting were much louder than usual.
Kominato at First Base and Zhang Han in the batter's box both clearly felt the change in Yakushi High School Baseball Team. How exactly to describe it, they couldn't find the words. But one thing was certain: from now on, Yakushi High School Baseball Team had finally put together its last piece of the puzzle. They were really going all out.
In the Seido High School Baseball Team dugout, Coach Kataoka assumed an expectant posture. They had forced out Yakushi's true Ace so quickly. No matter what the final outcome of this at-bat was, their strategic objective had been achieved. Moreover, the information that needed to be verified had been confirmed.
Sanada did not come on at the beginning because of an injury. If he were injured, he would not be able to play at all. Since he could still play now, it meant he had been held back for stamina reasons. Other pitchers had been used to drag out the innings at the beginning, to preserve him.
Although a short-term counter for Sanada had not yet been found, a long-term strategy to deal with him could already be planned. After this inning, the tactics would be deployed. Coach Kataoka had an idea in mind. However, it had nothing to do with the current confrontation.
Yakushi had made their substitution. The Ace had appeared.
Watching the series of moves by Yakushi High School Baseball Team, Zhang Han could roughly guess what they wanted to do. Yakushi no longer intended to concede more runs. The purpose of sending Sanada to the field was simply to deal with him and Yuuki. The calculation was good; Coach Todoroki Raizo really trusted Sanada.
But was it that easy? Just because you didn't want to concede runs didn't mean you wouldn't. On the baseball field, there was no such good deal.
Before Zhang Han could act, Kominato Ryosuke had already assumed an aggressive base-stealing stance. Because he was too far from First Base, Sanada couldn't just watch, so he had to throw a pickoff.
As for Kominato Ryosuke, as soon as the opponent threw a pickoff, he would return to First Base. Although Kominato Ryosuke was not tall and his overall running speed was not fast, his movements were very agile. Trying to get him out with a pickoff was simply unrealistic.
After two pickoffs, Sanada finally gave up on the idea. As long as Kominato Ryosuke didn't stray too far, he decided to pitch first. Although he had made up his mind, Sanada's attention was still inevitably divided. He had to dedicate a portion of his focus to Kominato Ryosuke, who was ready to steal at any moment.
As a batter, Zhang Han discovered this flaw almost immediately. Sanada, who had just come on, had some of his attention drawn away by the runner and occasionally lost focus. He couldn't fully concentrate while pitching.
It worked.
Unexpectedly, Kominato Ryosuke's actions had really created an opening. With the opponent distracted, the type of pitch he would throw became even easier to guess. Because he had to account for the runner, Sanada simply couldn't use a breaking ball with a wide break.
If he used one, he might not have enough time to deal with a steal attempt. If he couldn't use a breaking ball, then what flew over could only be a Fastball or the Splitter they had previously guessed. No matter which one, the approximate range where the baseball would fly could be estimated. With the width of a bat, that range could be covered.
Here it comes.
Seeing that Kominato Ryosuke was not too far from the base, Sanada decisively threw the ball. His entire pitching motion was almost identical to Zhang Han's posture. Both involved leaning forward as much as possible, then using the inertia of the body's forward movement to swing the arm out. In this process, the entire weight of the body, plus huge inertia, was loaded onto the two fingertips of the pitching hand. Then he unleashed astonishing ball speed.
"Whoosh!"
The baseball broke through the air resistance and arrived in front of Zhang Han.
Fastball. Inside corner.
The trajectory was very clear, and even the spin was crystal clear. Sanada's pitching was completely opposite to his usual demeanor. He was usually gentle and humble, and whether it was a first-year junior, a second-year peer, or a third-year senior, everyone had a very good impression of him. He was easygoing, with a natural affinity that allowed him to get along with anyone.
But once he stepped onto the pitcher's mound, this man instantly transformed into a completely different being. When he pitched, he was flamboyant and domineering, but also upright and honest. This pitch was the best proof. The baseball did not deviate from the strike zone; it was even relatively close to the center.
Zhang Han, seeing the baseball flying towards him, felt all 36,000 pores on his body open simultaneously.
This feeling was really good.
Watching the white ball fly over, Zhang Han no longer held back. He accurately calculated the timing, gripped the bat tightly with both hands, and swung it out fiercely.
"Whoosh!"
As Zhang Han swung, a phantom of the bat seemed to appear in the batter's box. His swing speed was so fast that many people didn't see it clearly before they heard a "ping." The white ball flew high and far, at a speed even faster than it had arrived.
Zhang Han let go of the bat, a joyful smile on his face.
This feeling was really good.
The moment the bat connected, that sensation made Zhang Han clearly realize: this pitch was a Homerun.
The white ball flew over a hundred meters and heavily smashed into the outfield stands. Zhang Han excitedly swung his arm, running along First Base, Second Base, Third Base, and finally back to Home Base.
"Safe!"
"Safe!!"
Zhang Han hit a two-run Homerun, changing the score to 5:1. Seido High School Baseball Team went from leading by two runs to leading by four.
In the stands, a fan playfully asked the reporter next to him, the one who liked to keep statistics.
"How many Homeruns did you just say our Zhang Han had?"
Twenty-seven. No, twenty-eight now.
Zhang Han, who had only played high school baseball for just over a year, had already hit more Homeruns than 80% of the powerful batters nationwide. By the time he reached his third year, by the time he graduated, how many more Homeruns could he hit? How many more miracles could he create?
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