Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter Has Arrived

"Seido! Seido!"

After a moment of silence, someone immediately took the lead in shouting slogans.

The atmosphere on the field just now was too quiet.

As the attacking side, the supporters of the Seido High School Baseball Team felt very uncomfortable.

They were also afraid that this feeling would affect the players on the field. So after a slight hesitation, they immediately started to cheer.

Although they recovered quickly, an unusual feeling still emerged on the scene.

The match between the two baseball teams was too intense, and even their supporters became nervous.

Even the fans watching the game felt this way, not to mention the players fighting on the field now.

On the pitcher's mound.

Narumiya Mei scrutinized his opponent, knowing very well who his opponent was.

Yuuki Tetsuya, the captain of the Seido High School Baseball Team, and the Third Batter in today's game.

Since last summer, Narumiya Mei has been the true Ace of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team. Although he hadn't received the number one jersey at that time, Coach Kunimoto always sent him to the mound for all critical games and key matchups.

This was especially true for the games between Inashiro and Seido.

Over this past year, Narumiya Mei had faced many batters from strong teams, especially those from the Tokyo area.

Among them, those who could get a hit in every game against him were truly few and far between. This was particularly true for the Seido High School Baseball Team, which had faced him four times from last summer until now, and each time they managed to get a hit off him.

Only Zhang Han and Miyuki Kazuya were able to do so.

With Zhang Han, Narumiya Mei had been facing him since middle school, truly knowing each other inside and out.

In such circumstances, the pitcher was undoubtedly at a disadvantage, so it was normal for Narumiya Mei to be hit a few times.

But Yuuki was different. They hadn't faced each other in middle school. They only started playing against each other after Narumiya Mei entered high school. However, from last summer until now, in four matchups, Yuuki had managed to get a hit every time, and today was no exception.

He had already gotten a hit and helped Seido score one run.

Now, it was their fourth encounter in today's game.

After Yuuki, Zhang Han was still standing.

This was a critical moment of life and death, and the outcome of their confrontation could very well directly influence the final result of the game.

Narumiya Mei was extremely excited, believing this was a great favor from heaven, allowing him to have a decisive showdown with his two biggest opponents in the final stages of this game.

The young man on the pitcher's mound raised his leg high, stared at his opponent, and threw the baseball in his hand in one fluid motion.

The speed of this pitch exceeded Narumiya Mei's current limit, even faster than the pitch he threw at the very beginning of the game.

"He exploded at this moment?"

In the Seido High School Baseball Team's dugout, the teammates' faces all looked incredibly grim.

From their perspective, they could clearly see how powerful Narumiya Mei's pitch was.

The alarm bells in the teammates' hearts immediately rang out.

They stared wide-eyed at their opponent, a vague bad premonition in their hearts.

Even if they had unwavering faith in their team's strength, with Narumiya Mei as the opponent, the outcome was not so easy to predict.

But their captain did not disappoint them.

Facing this powerful pitch, Yuuki instinctively swung his bat.

Fastball.

"Ping!"

Yuuki's judgment was not wrong; the baseball he hit flew out with astonishing speed.

In the blink of an eye, it had already flown past Inashiro's First Baseman.

Yamaoka Riku only had time to turn his head; his body couldn't move an inch.

The baseball had already landed and bounced near him.

The only pity was that after this ball bounced, it rolled out of bounds.

"Foul ball!"

What does it mean to be startled by a single hit?

Previously, the players of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team might not have fully understood, but now they did.

And they understood it very thoroughly.

It was terrifying.

They absolutely did not want to experience the same scenario again.

Harada Masatoshi, who was as famous as Yuuki Tetsuya, also muttered to himself after seeing Yuuki's swing.

Can I really be compared to this monster in front of me?

"I have to admit, even among all our third-year players, this guy is on a different level. The showdown with him must be handled with even more caution…"

Although Harada didn't say anything, Narumiya Mei still understood his meaning.

In fact, there was no need for Harada to say it; Narumiya Mei, as a pitcher, knew better than anyone what kind of opponent he was facing now.

All the hairs on his body stood up, and the blood craving for battle surged endlessly.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, and I won't let this opportunity slip away no matter what."

Narumiya Mei's attitude was incredibly firm, and the pitch he threw conveyed this will.

"Whoosh!"

It was like a tornado, instantly sweeping from Narumiya Mei to above home plate.

Yuuki didn't let the second pitch go either. He accurately aimed at the incoming baseball and swung decisively.

"Buzz!"

As he swung the bat, Harada could clearly hear the sound of it cutting through the air.

Just from that sound, one could tell how much powerful force was contained in the swung bat.

Once hit by such a swing, the baseball would likely fly very far.

"Ping!"

As expected, the hit baseball flew for 70 or 80 meters, almost flying out of the field.

Yuuki slightly raised his eyebrows after finishing his hitting.

But he quickly put down his bat and ran at full speed towards First Base.

As for the ball he hit, it had already flown into the outfield.

The outfielder of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team ran for more than ten meters before reaching the landing spot of the baseball and catching the falling baseball.

"Snap!"

"Out!"

One out, no one on base.

In the stands of the Seido High School Baseball Team, the die-hard supporters stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

How could such a thing happen?

They couldn't understand.

This kind of ball was at least twelve or thirteen meters away from the outfielder, and it was flying so fast.

How could Inashiro's outfielder run over and accurately catch the ball in his glove?

This doesn't make sense.

Could it be that the players of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team had all activated cheats in today's game?

Otherwise, how could they possibly catch it?

"What cheats? The outfielder of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team was able to catch such a ball so easily because he had done many similar drills before. This is a matter of practice making perfect, becoming second nature. Today, the batters of the Seido High School Baseball Team are not just facing Narumiya Mei. They are facing the entire defensive system of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team!"

Fujio, a senior reporter for Baseball Kingdom Magazine, commented incisively.

How strong was the defense of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team to be able to suppress the Seido High School Baseball Team, known as the National First Batting Line, to this extent?

It was crystal clear.

In this situation, they even strongly retired Yuuki, and now they only needed two more outs to win the game.

"If Zhang Han is intentionally walked here, wouldn't the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team have a great chance of winning the game?"

Owada Akiko asked with a worried expression.

Yuuki and Zhang Han were undoubtedly the two core players of the Seido High School Baseball Team, the strongest batting line in the nation.

Precisely because they were a dual-core driven team, it was very difficult for the Seido High School Baseball Team's opponents to completely shut down their offense.

Now, one of the two cores had been dealt with.

Does that mean that in today's game, the Seido High School Baseball Team had no hope left?

"Theoretically, your idea is not wrong. So far, apart from Zhang Han and Yuuki, no other player from the Seido High School Baseball Team has managed to get a decent hit off Narumiya Mei. Intentionally walking Zhang Han here could indeed minimize the risk for the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team. However, Inashiro's players will definitely not do that."

Facing Fujio's resolute judgment, Owada Akiko looked puzzled.

"Why?"

Victory was within reach; didn't the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team's players want to seize it?

"First, Narumiya Mei's personality makes it difficult for him to intentionally walk a batter. If he does, it might affect his pitching state. Second, as the champions of the Spring Invitational Tournament, they cannot afford to lose face. Third,…"

At this point, Fujio suddenly fell into contemplation.

"What's the third one?"

Owada Akiko pressed him, not understanding.

"Nothing, just the first two reasons alone mean Narumiya Mei will absolutely not avoid a confrontation with Zhang Han."

Fujio did not voice the third reason. After all, it was just his speculation, and he couldn't impose his speculation on the players of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team.

This was just the Kanto Tournament, and while the title of Kanto Tournament champion held significant value, it wasn't enough for the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team to abandon their principles.

If it were the Summer Tournament, the outcome would likely be different.

Last summer, in order to compete for the final victory and the chance to play in the Summer Koshien, Inashiro Industrial even had their Fourth Batter use a bunt to force a run.

For a team capable of doing such things, it seems nothing they choose to do at a truly life-or-death moment would be surprising.

Just as Fujio expected, the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team did not avoid the confrontation with Zhang Han.

Narumiya Mei looked at Zhang Han with excitement, muttering.

"Only two more!"

They only needed two more outs to legitimately end this game.

For Narumiya Mei, perhaps only this one challenge remained.

Having dealt with Yuuki, if he could just deal with Zhang Han now, the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team would already have one foot across the threshold of victory.

Narumiya Mei decisively threw his first pitch.

It was a pitch he had never used against anyone else before, not even when he had just retired Yuuki.

It was as if it was specially prepared for Zhang Han, an inside breaking ball that arrived like a surprise attack.

This was a gyroball.

At first, Zhang Han and the teammates of the Seido High School Baseball Team only guessed, unable to confirm.

But now, seeing this pitch for the second time, Zhang Han could be 100 percent sure.

This was the gyroball, known as a magic pitch.

It was slightly different from a regular gyroball because Narumiya Mei threw it with a motion similar to a Fastball, so the ball's movement was slightly smaller, but its speed was faster.

Zhang Han did not swing at the first pitch.

"Snap!"

"Strike!"

After catching the baseball, Harada immediately returned the ball to Narumiya Mei.

The first pitch was very good; Zhang Han showed great discomfort with this small-angle inside breaking ball.

Although Zhang Han, as a batter, had almost no obvious flaws, there were still slight differences in his success rate when hitting at each position and against each type of pitch.

Through the big data analysis done by the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team's players, Zhang Han had the lowest probability of getting a hit when batting against small-angle inside breaking balls.

Only around 41 percent.

Although this data was already enough to overwhelm 99.99 percent of high school students nationwide, compared to Zhang Han's hitting rates of 50 percent or even over 60 percent at other positions, this type of pitch was undoubtedly the greatest threat to Zhang Han, bar none.

Narumiya Mei using such a pitch to deal with Zhang Han was not only due to his trust in his own pitching but also his sufficient trust in his teammates who analyzed the data.

"Whoosh!"

The second pitch seemed to have a similar speed.

Zhang Han, already behind by one strike, clearly had no intention of letting this pitch go either.

Seeing the baseball flying towards him, he swung his bat decisively with hardly any hesitation.

Even though he knew he wasn't particularly good at hitting such small-breaking pitches.

But at this moment, how could he let Narumiya Mei continue to gain strikes?

However, Zhang Han's swing this time did not immediately yield a result as everyone imagined.

The baseball suddenly changed as it approached home plate.

Zhang Han himself also intentionally raised his bat.

"Snap!"

"Strike!"

The count was two strikes, zero balls.

The batter was pressured.

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