The two people with the speed gun quickly attracted everyone's attention.
"What's going on?"
Coach Ochiai stepped forward and asked.
He was very concerned about Zhang Han's pitching speed.
It was also he who had been suggesting to Coach Kataoka that no matter how many innings Zhang Han could pitch on the field, as long as he could stand on the pitcher's mound and pitch, he should be the undisputed Ace Pitcher of Seido High School Baseball Team.
In a team, the individual strength of the Ace Pitcher could very likely affect the morale of the entire team.
From this perspective, no matter how many unique qualities Tanba had, or how hard he had worked during this period, he should not become Seido High School Baseball Team's next Ace.
However, Coach Kataoka had been hesitating.
And this practice game was very likely directly related to the ownership of the team's Ace number.
Any problem with Zhang Han's pitch was not a small problem.
The player who was asked looked at a loss. He subconsciously wanted to hide the speed gun behind him.
Coach Kataoka's face was grim, and he swept his gaze over him coldly.
The player immediately felt his body was out of control, trembling like a sieve.
He quickly offered the speed gun in his hand.
After Ochiai picked up the speed gun, he frowned slightly, staring at the numbers on it.
At this moment, everyone's attention was already on him. Obviously, everyone was also very curious about what exactly had happened.
Then, Ochiai shook his head in admiration and handed the speed gun to Kataoka.
Manager Ota and Takashima Rei also leaned their heads over, wanting to see the numbers clearly.
"How could this be?"
After seeing the displayed numbers, Manager Ota looked puzzled.
From his feeling just now, even if Zhang Han didn't throw his fastest pitch, the speed of that pitch should have been at least around 155 kilometers per hour.
How could it be so slow?
Then he heard Takashima Rei's voice of admiration.
"I didn't expect Zhang Han to have evolved to this extent so quickly!"
Ochiai nodded along.
"It's a bit unexpected, but he's currently low on stamina, and to still perform like this on the field, it's only natural that he's improved."
Coach Kataoka's face showed a clear smile.
Of course, if one wasn't very familiar with him, it would probably be difficult to notice.
Manager Ota listened to the three of them talking back and forth, and he was completely bewildered.
Manager Ota truly didn't understand what these guys were up to.
Just then, Zhang Han successfully secured another strikeout.
He struck out Yakushi High School Baseball Team's Fifth Batter.
The Seido players watching the game excitedly clapped their hands.
It looked like they were about to win the game.
On the other side, in Yakushi High School Baseball Team's dugout, it seemed as if they had suffered a critical blow.
All their players had grim faces and said nothing.
They gave off a lifeless feeling...
The Yakushi High School Baseball Team players might not have noticed it at first, but by now, how could they not know that there was a problem with the Seido High School Baseball Team players' condition?
In this state of the Seido players, they still couldn't take down their opponent, and instead, Seido overtook the score.
This blow to Yakushi High School Baseball Team was too great.
This sense of despair made the Yakushi High School Baseball Team players unable to adapt for a while.
But now, they had no way to change any of this.
Until their Sixth Batter beautifully hit the ball out.
"Ping!"
When they saw the Sixth Batter hit the ball, the Yakushi players immediately jumped up excitedly.
They finally waited for it.
Zhang Han, whose stamina was greatly depleted, began to make pitching errors.
Perhaps, this was their chance to turn the game around.
However, this ball that flew out did not bounce off the ground and fly into the outfield as they had expected.
Instead, it was abruptly intercepted by a figure who suddenly dived down. The figure who intercepted the baseball directly fell to the ground.
"Run!"
In Yakushi's dugout, Mishima shouted anxiously.
Now they wished they could replace the batter and run the bases themselves.
For them, any offensive opportunity must never be missed.
Even just a single hit had a high probability of changing the current stagnant situation on the field.
For this, the Yakushi High School Baseball Team players would spare no effort.
The batter gritted his teeth and ran towards first base.
Ryosuke, who caught the ball, at this moment, fell heavily to the ground, and even if he could get up and throw the ball, it would take time...
The person who fell didn't get up at all, but instead directly used his glove to scoop up the ball and throw it to another Seido teammate who came forward to help.
"Hee-haw!"
Kuramochi arrived on horseback, directly caught the ball with his hand, and then threw it to first base.
"Pop!"
At first base, when Yuuki Tetsuya received the ball, the Yakushi High School Baseball Team runner had run less than half the distance.
This was also why no one was on base for them before.
If Yakushi High School Baseball Team had someone on base before, Seido could have easily gotten a double play.
"Pop!"
"Out!"
Three outs, sides exchanged.
Zhang Han waved to Kominato Ryosuke and Kuramochi with a grateful expression.
He had slipped his hand just now; due to extreme fatigue, he hadn't even noticed the sweat on his fingers.
He almost gave up a hit.
Thanks to the protection of these two seniors, otherwise, Seido's good momentum could have been affected.
"Thanks!"
"You're welcome, it's our responsibility after all."
Kuramochi seemed very happy to be able to help Zhang Han.
Kominato Ryosuke, however, ran directly over.
When he reached Zhang Han's side, he said with a smile, "Don't push yourself so hard, we can still hold on."
Zhang Han's heart trembled.
A very important reason why he chose to aggressively deal with the batters was that he considered the seniors' current stamina, which was basically on the verge of collapse.
He wanted to help the seniors share the pressure.
But he overlooked one point: they also had their own dignity and pride.
"Then, I'll leave the defense behind me to everyone."
When Zhang Han returned to the dugout, he said earnestly to all the third-year seniors.
"Don't push yourself too hard, you have reliable seniors standing behind you."
Isashiki Jun was the first to express his stance.
Yuuki Tetsuya nodded heavily in agreement.
Masuko also expressed his attitude in his own way.
However, his language, except for Kuramochi and Sawamura who shared a room with him, probably no one could understand.
Unfortunately, Zhang Han was one of those who couldn't understand.
But he still felt the feedback the seniors gave him.
It was also at this moment that Zhang Han truly felt that they were a whole.
The Coaches, seeing the drastic change in the team's atmosphere due to Zhang Han's single sentence, exchanged glances and nodded silently.
Ochiai quietly hid the speed gun to the side.
At this moment, it was better not to have anything that might affect the players' emotions.
The number on the speed gun was 149.
This pitch speed, in high school, was definitely a super Fastball.
But for Zhang Han, a Fastball speed not exceeding 150 was basically a disgrace.
After all, he was the holder of the Fastest Pitch Speed.
Takashima Rei looked at Zhang Han with admiration.
Every time she observed him from a new angle, she could see a different side of Zhang Han.
Just like this time, he had actually improved to the point where he could make batters perceive a different pitch speed.
Even those who were watching Zhang Han's pitch felt that Zhang Han had thrown his fastest pitch.
Not to mention the batter standing in the batter's box.
The reason people felt this way was, frankly, because Zhang Han's pitching motion was fluid.
With the same set of movements, some people's speed was clearly fast, but minor flaws in between made their perceived speed seem much slower.
Zhang Han's situation was completely the opposite.
His entire pitching motion was like flowing water, without any hesitation.
Because it was so fluid, people subconsciously believed that the ball was thrown very fast.
But this was just an illusion...
Especially for Fastball pitchers, due to the pursuit of explosive power, the pitcher's preparatory movements often felt particularly long.
This was why Zhang Han's pitches, despite being five or six kilometers slower, felt almost as fast as his peak speed.
With Zhang Han's pitch as the catalyst, the pace of the subsequent game was frighteningly fast.
Sanada successfully held the seventh inning.
Zhang Han was not to be outdone, striking out three batters from Yakushi High School Baseball Team consecutively.
In today's practice game, even though Zhang Han only pitched three innings, he had already recorded a total of seven strikeouts.
As Kominato Ryosuke returned to the dugout, he once again approached Zhang Han and asked with a smile.
"Did you not listen to anything I said earlier? You know, not listening to your seniors can lead to trouble..."
Although it was out of good intentions, worrying about Zhang Han's stamina, Kominato Ryosuke's words sent a deep chill down one's spine.
Zhang Han felt very innocent.
He really didn't force it; he tried twice to bait the opponent into swinging with a curveball.
The opponent was obedient and swung with all their might...
Everything went smoothly.
But if he couldn't hit the ball, who could he blame?
Therefore, Zhang Han had no choice but to throw a few more pitches.
In the dugout of Yakushi High School Baseball Team.
Currently, the Seido High School Baseball Team players and students around the field were completely crazy.
Todoroki Raizo's face was grim.
He was the only one in Yakushi High School who noticed that Zhang Han's pitch speed might be problematic.
Because it was illogical.
A person who could throw pitches approaching 160 kilometers per hour had strict standards for his personal physical fitness and pitching posture.
He had to concentrate all his body's power to explode to achieve it.
Even Major League pitchers couldn't maintain it constantly.
But so far, Zhang Han had thrown over twenty pitches consecutively?
Before the game, their stamina was already not great, and with such a large expenditure now, even if Zhang Han didn't directly collapse, he should at least show signs of fatigue.
How did he seem completely unaffected, still able to pitch as if full of vigor?
"We must change our strategy!"
Just as Todoroki Raizo was thinking this, Seido High School Baseball Team delivered another blow in the top of the eighth inning.
Through a hit-and-run combination, they scored another run with a squeeze play, extending their lead to three runs.
8:5.
Considering Zhang Han's excellent performance on the field, Yakushi High School Baseball Team despairingly realized that they seemed to have no chance left.
Bottom of the eighth inning, Yakushi High School Baseball Team was on offense.
The first to step up to the batter's box was Raichi Todoroki.
Zhang Han, facing this guy, uncharacteristically became serious.
He began to use up-and-down moving Fastballs, preparing to entice this guy to swing.
The foolish boy was truly honest; seeing the baseball flying towards him, he swung his bat without any hesitation.
"Boom!"
Seeing him swing, a heavy weight lifted from Zhang Han's heart.
It worked.
Using such an upward-moving pitch to entice Raichi Todoroki to hit should result in a pop fly.
As long as he could deal with this troublesome guy, the remaining players of Yakushi High School Baseball Team, in Zhang Han's eyes, were all 'little brothers'.
Before the fifth batting rotation, he should be able to finish this game very smoothly.
However, what happened next greatly exceeded Zhang Han's expectations.
"Ping!"
The white baseball was fiercely smacked away.
The baseball flew very high, just as Zhang Han had expected.
This meant that his upward-moving pitch was very successful. Raichi Todoroki did not hit the center of the baseball but rather the bottom part of it.
"Outfielder!"
Zhang Han opened his glove and called to the center fielder behind him for defensive help.
"Leave it to me!"
Isashiki Jun had already retreated far to the back of the field, waiting for the baseball to fall.
However...
Just as Isashiki Jun was watching the baseball about to fall, the baseball did not descend but continued to fly, hitting the protective netting.
"A... Homerun?"
The sudden heavy blow caught the Seido High School Baseball Team members off guard.
Manager Ota rubbed his hands.
Coach Ochiai also had a bitter smile.
"Fluid movements can indeed mislead the batter and those around them. But the true pitch speed is the true pitch speed, and the power of a 140-plus kilometer pitch is quite different from the power of a pitch approaching 160 kilometers."
An ordinary batter might not even be able to make contact with the ball.
But a true master still had a chance to hit the ball directly.
Raichi Todoroki, a first-year player from Yakushi High School Baseball Team, was undoubtedly such a master.
"I just hope this pitch doesn't affect the team's current morale."
Takashima Rei was very calm about this issue; she said, "Compared to the result that has already occurred, the future is clearly more important."
Coach Ochiai shook his head and said nothing.
How could it not affect them?
The Seido High School Baseball Team players had just undergone a week of intensive training, and yesterday, several defensive players even practiced until past 8 PM.
By the time the players showered, ate, and went to bed, it was probably past 11 PM.
They woke up early and ran in the morning.
Their stamina was already overdrawn; they were currently holding on purely by a surge of spirit.
Once this spirit encountered an obstacle, it would instantly become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.
Yakushi High School Baseball Team was also a team with a very fierce offensive style; how could they miss such an opportunity?
************************************
Upto 50 Chapters In Advance At: P@treon/Vividreader123