In the bottom of the second inning, Seido High School Baseball Team was on offense.
The fans in the stands were still buzzing with discussion.
Especially the supporters of Seido High School Baseball Team, who were incredibly excited at this moment.
"I didn't expect Chris to perform so strongly even after coming onto the field."
"After all, he and Tanba are both third-years, so it's normal, I guess."
"It's too early to say for sure, since he only retired the lower-order hitters. The real test for them will come when Shonan Gakuen's First Batter bats again."
These fans, who supported Seido High School Baseball Team, gave very professional evaluations.
Even the media reporters, hearing the analysis from these die-hard supporters of Seido High School Baseball Team, couldn't help but secretly give a thumbs up.
That's very well said!
Even from their perspective as observers, the conclusions they reached were pretty much the same.
The mixed-race catcher, Chris, who was substituted into the game, was impressive in hitting, fielding, and even directing the baseball team.
In fact, all the players on the Seido High School Baseball Team field had excellent coordination with him.
This highlights two characteristics of Seido High School Baseball Team.
The first is that the players on the field are sufficiently professional.
Even if the commander is replaced, they can still perform their respective duties well and complete their tasks.
On the surface, it seems like everyone is just taking care of their own area, but as long as everyone can manage their own area well, the overall teamwork won't be bad.
Seido High School Baseball Team has adjusted a lot in style since making it to Koshien last year.
However, overall, they still retained the most basic characteristic of a powerhouse baseball team.
To put it bluntly, every player they put on the field is a core starter, an Ace in their respective positions.
"So impressive..."
It's just that, facing such an opponent, how will the players of Shonan Gakuen resist?
It's worth noting that in the first inning's confrontation, they had already conceded a full six runs to the players of Seido High School Baseball Team.
If Coach Kataoka hadn't adjusted his strategy at the last moment, they might have scored even more runs.
It's worth noting that at the end of the previous inning, after Masuko was out, the eighth batter of Seido High School Baseball Team also got a hit.
It was just that the ninth batter, Tanba, later hit a ground ball, resulting in a double play.
If Masuko hadn't chosen to bunt, he might have also gotten a hit and coordinated with the eighth batter, and Seido High School Baseball Team's score might have increased even further, potentially completing a full cycle of the batting lineup in the first inning alone.
Honestly, it's really hard to guess how many runs Seido High School Baseball Team would have scored then.
The fans in the stands basically held these thoughts, and everyone's gaze was fiery.
However, within Seido High School Baseball Team, whether it was Coach Kataoka or the other teammates, the expressions on their faces were not as relaxed as the spectators in the stands imagined.
As opponents, no one understood better than the players of Seido High School what kind of changes their current opponent had undergone.
Although Sakai was lucky and indeed got a hit, all the teammates of Seido High School Baseball Team clearly saw that it was purely good luck; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.
When Sakai returned, he also had a bewildered expression, clearly, even he didn't expect that he would actually hit the ball out.
What does this indicate?
It indicates that their opponent, the guy named Aoki, is a completely different person compared to when they first faced him.
It's worth noting that this was still under the condition that the opponent did not use a breaking ball and only used Fastball to pitch.
From the information feedback from the stands, the opponent's ball speed could reach a maximum of one hundred and forty-five kilometers.
The ball speed is so fast, and the control is not bad.
Plus the breaking ball he had previously shown.
The teammates of Seido High School Baseball Team have already raised the opponent's threat level by several notches in their hearts.
They are very clear in their minds that this opponent will probably not be as easy to deal with as in the first inning.
"Is he this troublesome after becoming determined?" murmured Jun unhappily.
"If it weren't for his problem of being unstable at the start of games, this guy might even contend for the strongest pitcher of our generation."
Miyuki gave a very firm answer.
He also had a very deep impression of Aoki.
No choice, since they were both in Tokyo, they had faced each other more often.
"More famous than Narumiya Mei?"
Among the third-year seniors around, someone asked in disbelief.
Don't think that just because they're not in the same grade, you can fool them; they've also been in junior high.
Although when they were third-year players, Miyuki and the others were just second-year youngsters.
But truly formidable youngsters had already begun to emerge.
For example, Zhang Han. In fact, many of the third-year seniors had a deep impression of Zhang Han.
Although there were other reasons for this, it cannot be denied that they indeed remembered some second-year players.
Zhang Han, Miyuki, Narumiya Mei, Hoshida, Carlos...
Even though these people were only second-year junior high players at the time, they already had some fame.
But in their impression, the name Aoki was somewhat vague.
They might have heard it, or they might not have...
"That guy, in his second year, was almost abandoned by his coach because of his unstable start problem. He only started to gain fame in his third year, and can even be considered to have made a splash."
Zhang Han explained.
"As for popularity? Of course, he can't compare to Narumiya Mei; in fact, it's a world of difference. However, the reason is not entirely about his pitching skills."
"Then what is it?"
Miyuki pointed at Zhang Han: "The answer is obvious!"
Of course, it's appearance.
Aoki is burly, and his features are rugged. You can't say he's ugly, but he's definitely not refined.
In comparison, how could he possibly compare to players like Zhang Han and Narumiya Mei?
"What does this have to do with looks?"
Isashiki Jun asked unhappily.
He was also a player from the Tokyo area, with a relatively average reputation during his junior high days.
Although he said that, Isashiki Jun carefully recalled the players who left a deeper impression on him.
Except for those monster-level sluggers, it seemed that other players really followed this rule.
Zhang Han goes without saying.
Narumiya Mei, Miyuki, Chris, Carlos...
Each of these guys, no matter who you pick, had off-the-charts good looks.
Perhaps it was precisely because they were handsome and also played well.
Compared to players of similar ability, they naturally became famous more easily.
Chris was called the strongest catcher in Kanto at the time, and his strength was unquestionable.
But he hadn't played against everyone, and his wasn't the strongest team in Kanto at the time either.
How did he become the strongest?
On the one hand, his strength was recognized by the vast majority of people, who believed he at least had the ability to contend for the top spot.
Secondly, it probably had an intricate connection with his appearance.
It was precisely because he was handsome enough that people naturally remembered his name and remembered him as a person.
"In this day and age, it really is a world that judges by appearance."
"This isn't just in our high school; even in the professional leagues, between two players with similar records and performances, the one who looks better will definitely have a higher salary."
The teammates chatted and laughed, and unconsciously the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
They didn't seem nervous about the game.
The players of Seido High School Baseball Team had this confidence: this game might have some twists and turns, but victory would definitely belong to them.
However, everything that happened next challenged their confidence quite a bit.
Kuramochi, who was the first to step into the batter's box, carried a very important task.
He absolutely had to hit the opponent's pitch. Once he got a good start, the probability of Seido High School Baseball Team continuing to score would greatly increase.
Conversely, Seido High School Baseball Team's offensive momentum might slow down.
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