Chapter 747 The Difference

"Pinch-hitter, Zhang Han..."

When Zhang Han changed his gear and stepped into the batter's box, a huge clamor suddenly erupted from the stands.

The first to react, of course, were the beautiful cheerleaders standing at the very front of the stands.

They excitedly waved their cheering devices, continuously shouting Zhang Han's name.

"Han-san... Han-san!"

Just the sight of dozens of girls shouting in unison was already astonishing.

But that wasn't all...

At first, it was just a few scattered individuals, but as they shouted his name, more and more fans joined in.

These people, as if by prior agreement, all shouted the name Zhang Han.

Although they weren't as infatuated as the girls at the front of the group, they clearly had high expectations for the player about to enter the game.

They believed this player would definitely hit the ball out.

"Zhang Han! Zhang Han!"

"Just a greenhorn who popped up from nowhere, and he wants to challenge Seido High School Baseball Team? You're still far from it."

"Hit the ball out, now!"

"With Zhang Han's hitting prowess..."

The discussions in the stands were endless.

In Sakurazawa High School's dugout, the teammates all looked at each other.

They knew just how famous the name Zhang Han was.

Not to mention his impressive achievements on the baseball field, his popularity alone was enough to awe many.

One should know that even professional players don't all get to shoot commercials and endorse brands.

Zhang Han, at present, although he doesn't have endorsements from famous brands, has shot a lot of commercials.

Let alone a high school student, even among adults, he could already be considered a high-income earner.

After media hype, this matter spread very widely online.

Hardly anyone didn't know about it.

The players of Sakurazawa High School naturally knew of him by reputation.

But previously, when they heard the name Zhang Han, it was only with envy and admiration.

They had never imagined that one day they would be associated with this name.

Even if the two baseball teams were in the same district, they encountered Seido today.

However, Zhang Han was on the bench from the start and didn't play at all.

The players of Sakurazawa High School, after learning this, weren't even angry; they themselves felt it was only natural.

They didn't expect to actually face him.

If one were to ask which player from Sakurazawa High School was the most excited, it was undoubtedly their Ace Pitcher, Nagao Akira.

His heart was pounding like a drum, non-stop.

This wasn't nervousness, but excitement.

Since his first year of high school, he had been practicing the knuckleball.

At that time, Nagao Akira knew that once he mastered such a pitch, he would definitely be able to make a difference on the field.

At night, when he couldn't sleep, he had even thought about relying on this pitch to enter Koshien with his teammates.

But that was just a thought.

In their first year, they lost all their games.

In their second year, they won a few practice games.

But in official games, they still hadn't managed to win a single one.

Actually, Sakurazawa at that time already had some strength, but it was unclear whether it was because of their bad luck or some other reason.

Last year during the Autumn Tournament, and this year during the Spring Tournament, either they didn't perform well, or their opponents were too strong.

In short, they still lost in the first round.

It wasn't until this summer that the entire Sakurazawa seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.

All the players had matured, and they erupted with an intense energy that was hard for ordinary people to imagine.

And among them, the core player was Nagao Akira.

When he was placed alongside Zhang Han, he seemed to be humbled to the dust.

The two were not on the same level at all.

As a pitcher, Nagao Akira knew this better than anyone.

There were simply too many areas where he differed from Zhang Han.

If the two were to compete based on overall strength, Nagao Akira would have no choice but to surrender.

Although he had no confidence in his overall strength, Nagao Akira was very confident in his pitch.

He believed in his knuckleball.

Especially after playing against the players of Seido High School Baseball Team, his confidence in his pitch grew even stronger.

Don't look now, the whole stadium is cheering for Zhang Han.

But that was useless.

As long as his pitch could deal with this former Koshien superstar, then Nagao Akira had reason to believe that their upcoming game would see significant changes.

For someone who was trailing in score and didn't have many ways to come back, variables were more important than anything else.

"Let me experience the strength of the top high school hitter."

With this thought in mind, Nagao Akira adjusted his condition to its peak.

The baseball he pitched had no spin.

The baseball wobbled its way into the batter's box.

Indeed...

With Zhang Han's eyesight, he saw the incoming baseball very clearly.

The baseball truly had no spin as it was pitched?

How was that possible?

Even Zhang Han had never managed to do such a thing when pitching.

So when he saw this pitch, there was a moment of surprise.

Then he saw the baseball change as it approached him.

To be honest, such a pitch was really difficult to hit.

Fortunately, the opponent's pitch speed was very slow.

For Zhang Han, this was like an unexpected opportunity, and he couldn't let it slip away.

Almost as soon as the baseball completed its change, Zhang Han swung his bat.

"Buzz!"

The low sound of the bat swinging startled Yoshimi, who was in the catcher's position.

How could the speed be so fast?

After the baseball entered the batter's box, there was a slight change.

And this slight change did not escape Zhang Han's eyes.

He waited until that change was complete before swinging the bat in his hand.

"Ping!"

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

Several thousand eyes in the stadium all stared at the flying baseball in unison.

"He hit it out on the first pitch?"

The young scout who had specifically come to observe Seido High School Baseball Team's game said in disbelief.

Then he saw the white baseball fly all the way to the outfield and land in the stands.

"HomeRun!"