Chapter 702 - 702: Crueler

Coach Kataoka's office, by the window sill.

Manager Ota rubbed his hands, nervously looking at his three colleagues.

"Is it too early for Sawamura to face Zhang Han now?"

In fact, even before the game started, he had such concerns.

However, the other three all looked confident, so Manager Ota did not insist on his original idea.

When it came to professional baseball matters, he was willing to trust Coach Kataoka and the other two.

But the current result was...

Coach Kataoka remained silent, calmly watching the match on the field.

The previously lively baseball field had now become completely silent.

Even the players who had not been optimistic about Sawamura before were now silent, unable to utter a single word.

Many players who were ready to watch Sawamura make a fool of himself did a complete 180-degree turn in their attitude and began to worry about Sawamura.

It wasn't that they hadn't considered that Sawamura would lose! When the opponent was Zhang Han, it was completely normal for Sawamura to lose in his friends' eyes.

That was a given outcome.

Conversely, if he had won in his confrontation with Zhang Han, his friends might have been very surprised, wondering how he had won.

As for losing, wasn't that expected?

But this loss was too devastating.

Putting themselves in Sawamura's shoes, such a confident pitch was hit for a Homerun.

Their mentality would probably have collapsed immediately.

This was only the first confrontation; how would they play the next two confrontations?

Coach Ochiai stroked the little beard on his chin and said, "Now we'll see if Sawamura can bounce back from such a setback."

Given that the opponent was Zhang Han, the three giants were not at all surprised by this result.

This was also one of their tests for Sawamura.

If, after experiencing such a blow, Sawamura could quickly recover.

Then he at least possessed a very rare quality for a pitcher.

That was resilience and mentality.

How important is this?

Just look at Koichiro Tanba, the Ace of the Seido High School Baseball Team, and everything becomes clear.

The selection method is somewhat cruel.

But there's no helping it; freshmen naturally have few opportunities, and unless they are exceptionally outstanding, it is very difficult to enter the First string before their first summer.

"That kid will be fine."

Takashima Rei was full of confidence in Sawamura.

He himself had a big heart, and after joining the Seido High School Baseball Team, he had been constantly subjected to Coach Kataoka's frustration education.

The self-confidence he had accumulated on the field before had now been almost completely depleted.

Under these circumstances, he still had the courage to step back onto the field, perform excellently, and gradually become an indispensable Ace of the second team.

How could a player who could grow in such adversity be defeated by a mere Homerun?

On the field, the teammates responsible for defense were very worried about Sawamura's situation.

Although no one called a timeout, they all prepared to go to the pitcher's mound.

"Don't come over!"

No one expected that when Sawamura, who had been hanging his head, looked up again, his face revealed an excited smile.

He, who had just given up a Homerun, was actually smiling?

In the office, Coach Kataoka, who had been silent, finally showed an expression when he saw this scene.

His lips curved slightly, forming an arc.

"Completely unaffected."

Sawamura seemed to have completely disregarded Zhang Han's Homerun.

He could still smile, wholeheartedly enjoying the confrontation with Zhang Han, like a beginner who had just started playing baseball.

This mentality is very rare.

Coach Kataoka appreciated it greatly.

Of course, his appreciation was also greatly related to Sawamura's own pitching potential.

If he didn't have enough potential, he would just be a simple beginner, and it would be impossible to arouse Coach Kataoka's interest.

It was precisely because he had enough potential and a deep love for baseball that this sincerity seemed particularly valuable.

Chris, who had originally intended to go to the pitcher's mound to calm the pitcher, gave up the idea when he saw the smile on Sawamura's face.

If the pitcher could figure it out himself, that would be the most ideal state. Otherwise, even if he painstakingly taught Sawamura, it would be hard to say if he could actually do it during a real confrontation.

It's good that he didn't lose confidence because of this.

Continue?

Chris gave the signal, as if the Homerun had never happened from beginning to end.

His approach was quite effective.

Sawamura, who had just given up a Homerun, should logically be unable to completely ignore the impact of the previous pitch.

Chris's action was undoubtedly a very good guide, allowing him not to dwell too much and to have the second confrontation with Zhang Han first.

At the batter's box.

Zhang Han held his bat expressionlessly.

Although he had no expression and said nothing, Zhang Han's eyes never left Sawamura. At the same time, he was observing Chris out of the corner of his eye.

"Interesting, truly interesting."

The two who had just been taught a lesson by him seemed completely unaffected.

They weren't even willing to easily change the tactics they had originally planned.

Then...

Zhang Han gripped the bat tightly with both hands.

However, just then, he heard some particularly annoying voices from both sides of the field.

"Is that how you act as a senior? You don't give any face. It's no big deal to go easy on your juniors; learn from me."

Kuramochi said shamelessly.

"Show some senior demeanor!"

"Stop bullying the little juniors; if you've got the guts, come at me."

Zhang Han tried his best to ignore these annoying guys.

But he really couldn't stand that last sentence, and he turned his head to look around.

"Who just said that? Go pitch now."

As a result, both sides immediately quieted down. Those guys who had just been clamoring now all shut their mouths tightly, behaving like obedient children.

"A bunch of loudmouths."

Miyuki shook his head with a smile from the side.

However, this detail also showed how much psychological pressure Zhang Han's hitting brought to his teammates.

After the miscellaneous people shut up, Zhang Han refocused his gaze on Sawamura.

"Second time!"

The ball he had just hit out had already concluded the first confrontation.

He was waiting for the second confrontation.

After such a long period of mental preparation, coupled with the encouragement of his teammates and Sawamura's inner drive.

At this moment, Sawamura was already impatient.

He poured all his strength into the two fingers he used to pitch, throwing the ball with all his might.

This pitch seemed slightly faster than the first one.

But not by much.

Around the same timing, a similar location.

Zhang Han took a step forward, and the bat in his hand swung out smoothly, like flowing clouds and water.

"Clang!"

The bat struck the white baseball heavily, sending it flying far away.

Everything was as if it had been set up; the baseball flew all the way to the protective net, its force not yet expended.

It took a good while before it finally fell off the net.

The spectators on both sides of the field had mouths so wide they looked like they could swallow eggs.

Unbelievable!

Two consecutive Homeruns. What was going on?

Could it be that Sawamura's skill was really that bad?

This idea must be wrong; after all, Sawamura had already completely secured his position among the second team players.

Although he hadn't gotten that number, he was now the undisputed Ace among the second team players.

Since entering high school, his progress had been evident to all.

Under these circumstances, for his pitches to be hit out consecutively, it could only mean...

"This guy is simply not human!"

His teammates were all stunned.

Chris also couldn't remain silent; he directly called a timeout and ran to the pitcher's mound.

His best pitches were consecutively hit for Homeruns by the same opponent, in the exact same way.

This kind of damage could be measured in tons.

In Coach Kataoka's office.

At first, only Manager Ota was nervously pacing back and forth, but then Coach Ochiai's expression also changed considerably.

They had initially only wanted to teach Sawamura Eijun a lesson, to make him always remember humility and modesty.

They hadn't expected it to turn into this result.

Two consecutive Homeruns.

There was a subtle sense of chaos on the field, but Zhang Han's face showed no change whatsoever.

He was just patiently waiting, waiting for the final confrontation.

It was unclear what Chris said to Sawamura on the pitcher's mound, but Sawamura finally calmed down and could pitch normally.

The other players who had specifically come to help Sawamura were deeply moved after seeing Sawamura's performance, and they also wanted to fight alongside Sawamura against Zhang Han until the end.

But reality was far crueler than they had imagined.

They had originally thought that even if they couldn't win in the end, they would do their best to help Sawamura perform well.

No matter how strong their defensive abilities were, no matter how good their coordination with Sawamura was.

It all meant nothing.

The moment the baseball flew out of the field, they had already become background props.

At that moment, they were just living, decorative props on the field, completely unable to play any role.

So much so that by the third confrontation, they were barely moving anymore.

Sawamura, who had received full coaching from Chris, reignited his fighting spirit.

Although he didn't know the outcome of the third confrontation, he still pitched at his highest level with a decisive attitude.

"Whoosh!"

Whether it was the spectators on both sides of the field or the giants standing in Coach Kataoka's office, their expressions were more spectacular than the last.

No matter how slow his mind was.

Sawamura, who had already confronted Zhang Han twice, should have understood very clearly what kind of person his opponent was.

When facing such a monster, shouldn't he be more careful?

Very good!

Chris, in the catcher's position, felt very different from everyone else at this moment; he was very relieved.

Although there was an element of luck, this pitch clung tightly to the edge of the strike zone, and no one knew which way the baseball would break.

This was a perfect pitch!

Especially in the current situation, Sawamura was completely suppressed by Zhang Han.

Under these circumstances, they needed a pitch to change the situation.

Two consecutive Homeruns had already sent Zhang Han's form soaring to its peak.

At such a time, going head-to-head was almost like seeking death. Such a corner pitch could definitely disrupt Zhang Han's judgment to a great extent.

Just as Chris was thinking this, a bat suddenly appeared in front of him.

He thought it was a good plan, but he was wrong.

Zhang Han did not give up on this corner pitch that might enter the strike zone; he swung the bat in his hand with all his might.

"Buzz!"

A low swinging sound swept past Chris's face.

The bat struck the baseball perfectly, sending it flying violently.

Under the gaze of dozens of eyes on the field, that baseball flew very far.

Even the protective net in the sky couldn't stop the flying baseball.

Three at-bats, three Homeruns!

Zhang Han didn't even let Chris catch a single pitch.

"Again, one more pitch!"

Sawamura's eyes were red, looking as if he had gone crazy.

Zhang Han completely ignored him; he loosened his grip on the bat and turned to leave.

"That's enough for today; we'll continue tomorrow!"

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