Chapter 35: The Four Aces of Nishitokyo
Zhang Han's back number is very eye-catching for people who are familiar with the Qingdao High School baseball team.
Before the Seido High School baseball team, there was an ace pitcher, that is, Koichiro Tanba in the third grade.
Theoretically, as long as Tamba doesn't have any major surprises, the Seido High School baseball team will not easily change their ace pitchers in the final summer of their third year.
Pull a hair, move the whole body.
When there is still more than a month left in the summer competition, the change of his own ace has a very big impact on the entire team.
Not to mention a giant team like the Qingdao High School baseball team, even if it is an ordinary strong team, it should not change its ace when the summer tournament is only a little more than a month.
This is the same as when fighting, changing the battle on the spot, and it is a taboo for soldiers.
However, the Qingdao High School baseball team, knowing this kind of thing, decisively replaced the ace of the third grade and replaced it with the pitcher of the second grade.
In this way, they have to settle the contradictions within their own team before they prepare for the summer tournament.
Is the Qingdao High School baseball team killing itself?
Kataoka, the superintendent of the Seido High School baseball team, is young, but he is not a reckless person. It's hard to imagine that such an overseer would do such a thing.
Especially last year, Kataoka just led the Seido High School baseball team and made it to Koshien for the first time in a long time. Such an overseer who brought the resurrection of a giant team does not look like a person who would do such a thing as self-destruction.
After ruling out this possibility, then the only plausible explanation left is that the Qingdao High School baseball team has a reason to do so.
Qingdao knows very well what kind of risks they have to take in the position of the trump card that promoted Zhang Han.
After careful judgment by the coaches and supervisors of the Qingdao team, all of them firmly believed, at least the vast majority, that it would be better for the team after changing the trump card.
Compared to the huge gains they can get, taking this risk at this time is completely tolerable.
This is really not good news for opponents who play against the Seido High School baseball team.
Daocheng Industry, which regards the Qingdao High School baseball team as the first imaginary enemy, the players frequently focus on Zhang Han.
Looking at his No. 1 back number, his eyes flashed with a different kind of brilliance.
Some are familiar with Zhang Han, and even directly surrounded them. For example, the players in their second year, including Cheng Gongming, everyone gathered around Zhang Han.
Naruto Narumiya, Carl Ross, Shirakawa, Yamaoka Riku......
When you were in junior high school, you were acquaintances who knew your roots. At that time, Zhang Han was still a pitcher, although he did not have too conspicuous features, but his ability in all aspects was very average. Most importantly, he has a strong heart.
When the team is in crisis, he knows what to do and what is best for the team.
Therefore, these second-year players did not suffer much from Zhang Han back then.
But Zhang Han at that time, although he performed well, he didn't feel strong. He's not an opponent who feels desperate and powerless, and he's not an opponent who feels invincible.
This is in stark contrast to Cheng Gongming.
This is also the reason why these second-year star players in Daocheng chose to form a team with Nari Narumiya after graduating from junior high school.
Narumi Narumiya didn't lie to everyone, they soon became the core members of the team, and on the field of Koshien, they successfully dominated the country.
But the spring tryouts have a lower impact after all. It's still a little short of the highest goal in their minds.
After winning the championship of the spring selection tournament, the friends of the baseball team of Inagi Industrial High School immediately set their sights on the field of Koshien in the summer.
They want to achieve the highest goals and ideals in their hearts in this scorching summer.
But God may have seen that they were going too well, and gave them an opponent who was enough to match them.
This opponent is the Seido High School baseball team.
In the past, don't look at the Seido High School baseball team, which once defeated them in the final of the Kanto Convention. However, the players of the baseball team of Daocheng Industrial High School still have a very strong confidence in their own strength.
They are very similar to the Seido High School baseball team, and the players in each position are good, and they also have their own strengths and weaknesses in terms of hitting.
But their trump card is Narumi Narumiya, and the ace of the Seido High School baseball team is Koichiro Tanba.
This alone is enough to make the friends of the baseball team of Daocheng Industrial High School full of confidence.
This difference in position is enough for them to have a huge advantage in the game against the Qingdao High School baseball team.
They also believe that this huge advantage will ultimately determine the final outcome of the game.
Unexpectedly, the Qingdao High School baseball team was replaced by Zhang Han as the trump card.
In this way, all their previous assumptions are not true.
The fastest pitching holder in the country, last summer's super newcomer, is not inferior to Narumiya Nari in terms of popularity and strength.
The original advantages of Daocheng Industry are gone......
Most of the friends of the Daocheng Industrial High School baseball team are a little worried in their hearts. That is, a few second-year contestants with excitement in their eyes.
Compared with the gains and losses of the third-year players, these second-year players are obviously much more free-spirited.
They have long been haunted by the defeat in the final of the Kanto Conference, and this time they will get it back.
"The previous victory and defeat between us was two to two."
The Seido High School baseball team won last summer's qualifiers and the Kanto tournament that just ended.
The Inagi Industrial High School baseball team won the Tokyo Autumn Tournament last fall, as well as a practice game in the winter.
The two teams have played each other a total of four times this year, winning twice each.
Shirakawa said that the victory between them was two to two, which is also true.
"This summer's semi-finals, let's go head-to-head!"
Carl Ross understood what his teammates meant, and took the initiative to declare war.
Zhang Han faced the five of them alone, and he was really a little lonely.
But since he had reached this point, Zhang Han naturally had no reason to retreat, he smiled and nodded.
"I'm going to convince you to lose."
"Who loses and who wins, not necessarily?"
Cheng Gongming said unhappily.
After finishing speaking, he also glanced at Zhang Han strangely.
Everyone often met when they were in junior high school, although they were not teammates of the same team, and they didn't get along day and night. But for the understanding of each other, it is not much inferior to that of teammates.
According to Cheng Gongming's original impression, Zhang Han doesn't seem to be such a competitive person.
Whether he lost or won the game, his face was calm, as if he was just enjoying the progress of the game.
It is precisely because of Zhang Han's character that his relationship with his friends in the Matsukata baseball team is actually not very good.
I can't say how bad it is, but it's certainly not that bad.
It's like the perfect player on TV.
Humility and hard work......
You won't be arrogant when you win a game, and you won't give up on yourself when you lose a game.
It looks perfect, but there is always something out of place with the surrounding relationship, and it is difficult to really integrate into a whole.
I don't know when Zhang Han has changed.
I became talkative, and the smile on my face became more. In the past, when they talked to Zhang Han, they could still verbally bully and bully this guy.
Now Zhang Han has also learned to fight back.
I don't know if it's because he's grown up, or if it's because he joined the Seido High School baseball team?
Cheng Gongming had a hunch that the opponent in front of him, who was once extremely familiar with them, might really be different.
This one is different, it's not just about the strength of the pitch, it's about some other things.
Just as a few people were talking, the team of the Super Dark Horse Pharmacist High School baseball team also ran out.
After these guys saw Qingdao and Daocheng, they were like cats that smelled a fishy smell, and they didn't need anyone to greet them, and they came up with their own fart.
"What a coincidence!"
Sanada Toshihei had a big smile on his face.
"It's a big scene!"
Mishima took the initiative to get to Zhang Han and Cheng Gongming's side, as if in this way, he could go hand in hand with the two people in front of him.
Cheng Gongming subconsciously dodged.
Zhang Han turned sideways silently.
"Awesome, awesome!!"
Thunder City has said a lot of words, and what can really be distinguished is just these two words.
This guy looked at Gong Ming and Zhang Han's eyes, and he was shining.
He can't wait to continue to face off against these two opponents in the strike zone.
Zhang Han shook his head helplessly.
I don't know if it's his delusion, how did he feel that the bus was coming so slowly, that he was entangled by some strange guys.
Zhang Han is very helpless, he is not a person who likes to talk to strangers. Although these surroundings cannot be completely regarded as strangers, Zhang Han is still uncomfortable.
It's okay when they're with Cheng Gongming, although they're not teammates, but after all, they've been familiar with each other since junior high school.
Zhang Han can still joke with them.
With the pharmacist, he really can't do it.
Especially in front of other people, as a public figure, he has to maintain his image.
Zhang Han was in great pain, but he didn't know how many people were envious of him at this time.
The people who came to see the opening ceremony deliberately saw Zhang Han and the people around Zhang Han, and instantly locked Zhang Han's core position.
The teenager they like is the absolute core no matter where he goes.
Even if there are so many players on the side, the first thing people notice is still Zhang Han.
Not only because of his handsome appearance, but also because of these star players, like stars holding the moon, surrounded Zhang Han.
Qingdao High School's baseball team's own friends are also talking about it in private.
Sanada, Zhang Han, and Narumi Narumiya gathered together and attracted the most attention.
Miyuki patted Sawamura on the shoulder.
"See? Standing right in front of you are the ace pitchers of our best team in Nishitokyo, and they're all targets you'll need to catch up. As long as you can outrun them in your pitches, then you are the strongest in Tokyo. Although I don't think you'll be able to play in your life, you might as well work it. ”
"Isn't there still a junior in the city?"
The three people in front of him are all second-year players, but they are already shouldering the heavy responsibility of the team's ace.
can overpower his seniors in a strong team that is comparable to a giant and become the team's trump card.
This in itself is a testament to their strength and talent.
The last of the Big Three, and now the only one, is the ace pitcher or a third-year team.
When he mentioned the third year of the city university, Yuyuki was slightly stunned.
He subconsciously forgot about the seniors in the real school.
The pitching of the real middle school is naturally very good.
I'm not afraid of not knowing the goods, I'm afraid of comparing goods.
Compared with the three people in front of him, the gap between the real middle school chief and them is probably not a star and a half.
At least in Miyuki's heart, the gap between them is quite large. So much so that when sorting, Yuyuki subconsciously forgot about it.
"Look, the people from the third high school of the city are here!"
I don't know if the bus broke down or if these people came out too fast. At this time, some of the strongest teams in Nishitokyo gathered at the gate of Jingu Stadium.
The players of several teams who were still greeting each other unconsciously set their sights on the city junior at this time.
"What about Manaka?"
Nowadays, there is a shortage of three of the four giants, and people naturally begin to look for the trump card of the third year of the city.
It didn't take much effort and it was easy to find. Manaka looks like he's come out of the defeat of the previous Kanto convention, and the smile on his face is sincere.
It looks like he's recovering well, and maybe he'll be back to the way he was this spring.
"What's that number?"
Immediately after, someone exclaimed.
At the beginning, Zhang Han and the others hadn't paid attention.
However, as people exclaimed, they naturally set their sights on the back number that Zhenzhong wanted.
Not number one.
It's number nine.
With Manaka's striking strength, it is impossible for him to be discharged from the starting lineup no matter what.
When he can't be an ace, there must be a place in the three outfielders.
At this point, Zhang Han and they were not surprised.
What surprised them was that the third high school of the city university also replaced their trump card.
The most terrifying thing is that the baseball team of Qingdao High School has changed its trump card, and there is a trump card to change.
Super newcomer Zhang Han has the fastest ball speed for high school students, which is no secret, and everything that should be known knows it clearly.
In this case, Zhang Han was promoted, and although everyone was surprised, they didn't think that Qingdao had taken much risk.
What does this mean?
These players at the scene racked their brains to think about it, but they couldn't figure it out, who else can replace Zhenzhong in the third high school of the city university?
There is definitely no one in the third grade, is it a newcomer in the first grade?
Soon, the mystery was revealed.
Instead of Zhenzhong, the man who won the back of the third highest ace of the city university has a pair of long legs.
He yawned lazily, as if he was not at all interested in what was happening in front of him.
A hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Han's eyes.
"It's him!"
……