The height of the ball just now was about three meters.
After Zhang Han caught it in his glove, his body still rose several dozen centimeters before falling back down.
For that instant, time seemed to freeze.
Everyone stood stunned until the commentator's hoarse voice finally rang out.
"Shortstop Zhang Han suddenly appeared and intercepted the ball—!"
In Seido's dugout, Manager Ota clutched his chest, looking like he had just escaped disaster.
"Zhang Han saved my life!"
If that ball had gone out just now, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Coach Kataoka didn't say anything, but his brows were tightly furrowed.
The other players didn't think too much about it. They had already rushed forward to welcome the returning fielders.
"Nice work!"
"That defense was insane!"
"You really are something else, kid."
Azuma took the chance to step up and pat Zhang Han hard on the back.
Zhang Han nearly threw up his breakfast after being hit repeatedly by what felt like a bear's paw.
"Senior, my defense bonus isn't that high. One more pat and I'll be left with one HP."
Azuma Kiyokuni stared at him with his ox-like eyes. "What do you mean?"
"He's saying you're about to pat him to death!"
"Oh—oh…"
Azuma hurriedly withdrew his hand, then awkwardly rubbed Zhang Han's back again as if trying to apologize.
Zhang Han could only give a wry smile.
The feeling wasn't great, but he could clearly sense his seniors' goodwill.
Honestly, as long as his hairstyle wasn't messed up, Zhang Han was usually very easygoing.
Everyone was in high spirits, crowding around him. Several enthusiastic seniors shoved water bottles into his hands and told him to take it easy.
Seido High School was a very realistic place.
Your ability determined your status on the baseball team.
And Zhang Han, in every aspect, was a highly capable player. Because of that, his treatment on the team was naturally good. You could even say this environment made him feel comfortable.
Players with ability and potential received preferential treatment. Players without it weren't overly interfered with.
If you didn't get good treatment, you could only blame your own lack of ability.
This wasn't necessarily perfect, but from the perspective of the team as a whole, it achieved a certain level of fairness.
In a broader sense, Zhang Han's values actually aligned quite well with Seido's.
While Seido's side was lively and energetic, the opposite dugout looked bleak.
Ace Hidezawa, who had been so highly anticipated, had only two close teammates beside him.
They held their water cups in silence.
Even though they didn't say a word, Hidezawa knew they had opinions about his performance just now.
After about half a minute, Captain Tanaka finally reached out and patted Hidezawa on the shoulder.
"Don't dwell on it. Focus on the next opportunities."
Hidezawa felt unbearably ashamed. If there had been a crack in the ground, he would have crawled into it without hesitation.
Bottom of the fourth inning. Seido High School's turn to bat.
Zhang Han, who had just looked like a god descending from the heavens, now stood in the batter's box with his bat.
The score had just been narrowed to a one-run gap. It would be best for Seido to get that run back as soon as possible.
Zhang Han was very disciplined. He stood in the box without swinging recklessly, patiently waiting for the pitch he had already chosen in his mind.
However, the opponent seemed to see through his intentions.
They didn't throw a single inside fastball.
Instead, they mixed in corner pitches outside the zone and breaking balls that barely clipped the strike zone.
They weren't in a hurry at all, calmly working toward two strikes.
Then, suddenly, they made their move.
Before long, it was a full count. Three balls, two strikes. The pressure was enormous for both sides.
Zhang Han was furious.
When these guys pitched to the seniors, there were still balls that could be hit. At least for Zhang Han, those pitches were manageable.
But once it was his turn, it was like they'd taken the wrong medicine. Not a single proper pitch came his way.
All he saw were borderline corner pitches and sharp breaking balls.
How infuriating.
In truth, Inashiro's pitcher and catcher weren't feeling any better.
Facing Zhang Han was pure torment.
His understanding was frightening. He adapted quickly to Nishimonji's speed and power.
Originally, Nishimonji's decisive pitches should have been enough to deal with him. In the previous at-bat, hadn't they forced Zhang Han to swing and miss?
But just now, when they used that same decisive pitch again, Zhang Han actually made contact.
The ball was hit foul.
And that kid acted like it was nothing, calmly retracting his bat and waiting for the next pitch.
How could the pitcher and catcher not feel pressure?
This guy was too troublesome. If they didn't deal with him quickly, the later innings would be a nightmare.
Finally, after some hesitation, they chose a bait pitch.
The moment Zhang Han saw the location, a flicker of joy appeared in his eyes. He had waited so long. Finally, this pitch came.
"Ping!"
He swung with full force, squaring the ball up perfectly. The baseball flew high. It flew far. Everyone in the stadium locked their eyes onto it.
In the end, the ball landed about ten meters in front of the wall. And right there, Inashiro's outfielder, Kawashita, was already waiting.
"Clap."
"Out!"
A wave of regret spread through the crowd.
From the feeling just now, they had all thought the ball would definitely go out.
Zhang Han returned to the dugout, completely puzzled.
He had been so confident. So why did the outfielder seem to know exactly where the ball would land?
Kawashita's original position hadn't been extremely close. It was at least twenty meters away.
There was no way he should have reacted that fast.
"You fell for it, kid. They pitched that way on purpose to make you hit it there."
Captain Tanaka leaned over and quietly explained.
"What do you mean?"
"From the pitch sequence to your swing, it was all planned."
"With that level of control?"
Zhang Han was confused.
Nishimonji's control was only decent. Could he really be that precise?
"You're underestimating the ace of a powerhouse school," Tanaka said. "They might not be able to hit a single centimeter every time, but throwing a straight ball to a specific spot isn't hard for them."
Zhang Han fell silent.
Only now did he truly feel how difficult high school baseball was.
After joining Seido, he had integrated smoothly into their batting lineup. Almost every game they played together went their way.
Even this match had initially followed Seido's rhythm completely.
That had given him the illusion that high school baseball wasn't as difficult as everyone said.
As long as you prepared well enough and were strong enough, victory would naturally follow.
But now, that thinking had changed.
Take today's game as an example. Even though the tempo had been controlled by Seido, Inashiro still seized a single opening and closed the gap. He himself, despite being confident against Nishimonji's pitching, had ultimately been outplayed.
High school baseball was definitely not as simple as he once believed.
************************************
Upto 20 Chapters In Advance At: P@treon/Vividreader123