Seido High School was simply too powerful.
To be fair, Hosen High School's players did not perform poorly in today's game. Every player was diligent, thoroughly executing their Director's instructions. They were full of fighting spirit when facing the Seido High School Baseball Team, and their abilities were displayed without reservation.
Even if one were to dissect every movement and examine them carefully, it would be difficult to find any obvious flaws.
Yet it was precisely such a team that gradually fell into a disadvantage against Seido.
This disadvantage had nothing to do with strategy or effort. It stemmed from a single, undeniable fact.
They were technically inferior.
There was a comprehensive gap in strength between Hosen High School and Seido High School. This gap existed across all aspects of the game, from the ace pitcher to the team's defense, and from batting ability to offensive execution.
Inside the Seido High School dugout, the players wore relaxed and satisfied smiles. Some of them even looked triumphant.
This was how it should be.
This was how it had to be.
As members of the prestigious Seido High School Baseball Team, even though they had never reached Koshien before, they carried deep pride in their hearts. They believed that as representatives of a renowned school, they should naturally deliver performances worthy of that name.
Now, on the Koshien field, they were firmly suppressing Hosen High School, a team that was far from weak. Through their own strength, they proved that their presence here was fully deserved.
Seido High School Baseball Team should naturally possess such spirit and such power.
Coach Kataoka quietly issued instructions.
"Tanba, go warm up. Prepare to pitch in the sixth inning."
Today was an important opening match. To be on the safe side, Ace Pitcher Hidezawa could have pitched the entire game.
However, considering the upcoming schedule and the intensity of Koshien matches, Coach Kataoka believed it was more reasonable to replace the ace in the sixth or seventh inning and allow a relief pitcher to close out the game.
Of course, the ace could not be removed casually. Once he was taken out, there would be no justification to put him back in.
If an unexpected situation occurred after that, Seido would have already exposed and exhausted its trump card.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
Seido High School had many strong hitters, including a monster like Azuma Kiyokuni.
But Coach Kataoka understood clearly that the most important player on the team was not among them.
It was Ace Pitcher Hidezawa.
This might sound harsh, but in reality, replacing one of Seido's many powerful hitters would not significantly affect the team's overall strength.
Even if Azuma Kiyokuni were replaced, the impact on Seido would not be decisive. It was not that he lacked strength, but a single hitter's influence on a game was limited.
Pitchers were different.
A pitcher's performance could truly determine a team's fate.
This imbalance only began to fade in professional baseball. At that level, teams possessed many elite hitters and powerful pitchers. With talent in abundance, individual roles became more balanced. In addition, professional baseball relied less on walks, placing greater emphasis on pure skill rather than positional advantage.
One clear example was that among top star players in the Major League, there were more position players than pitchers.
However, in high school baseball and lower leagues, the situation was completely different. More often than not, a pitcher's individual strength directly determined the team's standing.
Zhang Han possessed exceptional hitting talent, and his defensive ability was equally outstanding. Even if he focused solely on hitting, his future prospects would still be bright.
If everything went smoothly, he could even reach the Major League and earn a top-tier salary.
From this perspective, there seemed to be no benefit in having Zhang Han practice pitching, neither for Seido nor for Zhang Han himself.
But Coach Kataoka did not see it that way.
He had truly put himself in Zhang Han's position. Given Zhang Han's circumstances, there was a high possibility that he would enter the minor leagues or even weaker professional teams in the future.
In such teams, a pitcher's individual strength often played a decisive role.
Even in professional baseball, pitchers generally had more opportunities.
Of course, if Zhang Han had not possessed strong pitching talent, Coach Kataoka would never have invested so much effort in this area.
The problem was that Zhang Han's left-handed pitching was astonishing.
Without any prior training, the first time Zhang Han pitched with his left hand, his ball speed exceeded 140 kilometers per hour.
It was on par with his right hand.
According to the evaluations of Coach Kataoka and the coaching staff, Zhang Han was a rare treasure. As long as he continued training, breaking 150 kilometers per hour would not be difficult.
Such velocity was not easy to achieve. Among high school pitchers of the same age, regardless of era, pitchers capable of this were usually counted on one hand.
On any team, he would be treated like a precious gem.
Unfortunately, Zhang Han had never practiced left-handed pitching during middle school, so his control and changeup both needed to be developed from scratch.
That would take time.
Even so, Coach Kataoka and the Seido coaching staff unanimously believed it was worth the effort.
After Hidezawa, they had finally found another promising ace candidate.
At this moment, Kataoka did not yet know that within half a year, two genuine ace prospects would join the team.
Zhang Han's talent was dazzling, but it was like an unpolished raw gem. No one knew how brilliant it would become once refined.
All that was certain was its enormous potential.
Those two, however, were different. They had already been polished and were beginning to reveal their brilliance.
That was a story for another time.
For now, attention returned to the game.
According to Coach Kataoka's plan, by the fifth inning, Seido should have established a larger advantage.
In that scenario, Tanba could take over, allowing Hidezawa to rest.
After all, the upcoming schedule was dense, and the matches would only grow more intense.
If the ace was not rotated, problems could arise even before reaching the semifinals.
However, Hosen High School continued to fight stubbornly.
By the end of the fifth inning, the score remained unchanged at three to zero.
Coach Kataoka could no longer wait.
In the sixth inning, he sent Tanba to the mound.
At the same time, he replaced outfielder Kou Shunmin, moving Hidezawa to the outfield to rest.
Compared to the infield, the outfield environment was much less demanding. The defensive pressure was lower, and given Hosen's current state, any counterattack they launched was unlikely to be particularly dangerous.
Now, all eyes were on Tanba, who was making his Koshien debut.
What kind of performance would he deliver?
One major reason Coach Kataoka was so eager to cultivate Zhang Han was simple.
Seido truly had no one else to rely on.
Tanba was still far from reassuring.
************************************
Upto 20 Chapters In Advance At: P@treon/Vividreader123