Kuramochi was very annoyed.
Even though he had cleanly hit a single in the seventh inning and successfully returned to home plate, he still couldn't be happy.
At this point, Ushimaru Agricultural High School had completely collapsed. Their players no longer had any intention of fighting back.
In fact, for most of their players, their greatest desire now was to end the game as quickly as possible. Every extra moment on the field felt like immense torture.
The Seido High School Baseball Team's players, looking at their opponent who had completely lost their fighting spirit, also felt uncomfortable continuing to attack.
There was no need to kick a man when he was down. They were already leading by eight runs. What more could they want?
When it was Zhang Han's turn to hit, he sent the ball high into the air.
Before the opponent reacted, Zhang Han himself was startled.
Please don't fly out again.
He got no satisfaction from padding his stats against an opponent who had already given up.
If other star players found out, they would laugh. Star players also needed to be mindful of their image. Getting a single at this point was fine, but hitting another Homerun would look too deliberate.
The crowd didn't see it that way.
When they saw the baseball soar, their previously restrained emotions erupted completely.
If this one flew out too, Zhang Han would have achieved a three-Homerun game.
This was even rarer than a hat-trick in soccer.
Zhang Han had performed strongly for the Seido High School Baseball Team before, but he had never hit three Homeruns in a single game.
If this ball flew out, it would be his first time achieving that since he started playing baseball.
As supporters of the Seido High School Baseball Team and Zhang Han's loyal fans, how could such a moment not excite them?
But the fans were destined to be disappointed.
Although the ball flew very far, landing deep in the outfield, it ultimately didn't clear the fence.
Not only that, because they knew it was Zhang Han hitting, the Ushimaru Agricultural High School Baseball Team's outfielders had already retreated to the very back of the field.
A ball that would have been impossible to catch was caught cleanly in their gloves.
"What good luck!"
Under normal circumstances, Zhang Han's hit would have been at least an extra-base hit. The two runners on base would likely have both scored.
Instead, it was caught so cleanly by Ushimaru Agricultural.
Their preparation had been thorough, and the ball happened to land directly above the outfielder. Had the position been slightly different, even a retreating outfielder couldn't have caught it so easily.
With Zhang Han's out, Yuuki Tetsuya scored on a single.
The Seido High School Baseball Team's offense then came to a halt. Although Coach Kataoka hadn't told them to ease up, they were facing an opponent who had completely lost their fighting spirit.
The Seido players simply couldn't bring themselves to rub salt in the wound.
As for the Seido supporters, their feeling toward Zhang Han was one of frustration at his lack of drive.
Their team's pillar, not only powerful but flawless in appearance, also possessed a compassionate streak.
He rarely went all out against opponents who had already given up. Even when padding his own records, he never pressed an opponent who had already lost the will to fight.
Who knows when Zhang Han will be able to get rid of this habit.
Because they were too frustrated, they even forgot to mock the Ushimaru Agricultural supporters beside them.
Or perhaps, in their eyes, those supporters were no longer even worth the effort.
After Zhang Han returned to the dugout, he was met with Coach Kataoka's ice-cold expression.
His heart sank, and he instinctively avoided Kataoka's gaze.
With that last hit, although he hadn't intentionally aimed it over the outfielder's head, he also couldn't honestly say he hadn't held back. During his swing, he had pulled some of his power.
Hitting another three-run Homerun at that point, he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.
The players of Ushimaru Agricultural High School were almost in tears. To do that to them would have felt like bullying a child.
He had originally thought that a single and one run scored would be acceptable, both to Coach Kataoka and without causing too much psychological damage to Aikawa Kazuo.
He just hadn't expected the ball to land directly above the Ushimaru outfielder.
Truly a coincidence of coincidences.
Originally, Kataoka had only been suspicious. But when he saw Zhang Han guiltily lower his head, the frustration rose in him.
How many times had he spoken to Zhang Han about this? He had lost count.
During practice games, he had thought Zhang Han had corrected this habit. Now, facing an opponent with a huge strength gap, he had made the exact same mistake again.
Simply incorrigible.
It was one thing during normal times, but given the opportunity to build on his own records, he had deliberately let up.
How could Kataoka feel at ease sending such an unmotivated player into professional baseball?
Student baseball was one thing. As long as the team won and the players completed their tasks well, everything was fine.
But in professional baseball, a small difference in stats could represent a completely different standing.
Zhang Han's nature was too soft.
How could he survive in such a cutthroat environment?
Before he graduated, Kataoka was determined to correct this habit.
Zhang Han felt a chill at the back of his neck. He could sense his coach's anger instinctively.
"Why can't I get rid of this soft-hearted habit?"
Zhang Han was annoyed at himself too.
But he truly had no obsession with records.
He thought of an NBA game he had once seen, where a team had already secured the victory but kept feeding the ball to one teammate to pad his stats. The player ended up with an enormous score, not a full NBA record but among the top few ever recorded.
And their opponents? Zhang Han remembered clearly. By the end, those players had completely checked out, looking as if they had no desire to be there.
What was the point of that?
He himself found it hard to accept.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Ushimaru Agricultural High School Baseball Team was on offense.
The Seido High School Baseball Team did not change pitchers.
Originally, according to Kataoka's plan, he had wanted Kawakami to pitch the last two innings.
But the opponent had completely lost their fight and wouldn't pose any threat.
Kataoka made the call and let Tanba pitch out the rest of the game.
Throughout the game, Tanba gave up three hits and walked one batter.
He also gave up one run.
Given the opponent's strength and Aikawa's unexpected evolution during the game, Tanba's performance could be considered very good. In practice games at Seido, there were only a handful of outings where he had been in such good form.
After the game, the teammates gathered and spoke quietly among themselves.
Their coach's fixation on developing an Ace Pitcher had reached an almost obsessive level. Given even the slightest possibility, he would pursue it.
And it wasn't just the Ace position. The cleanup spot was the same.
Considering that their coach was a former player himself, perhaps this was simply the mindset of a player turned coach.
"The Tokyo Spring Tournament Round 2, Game 3 between Seido High School and the Ushimaru Agricultural High School Baseball Team concludes. Final score 9-1. Seido High School Baseball Team wins."
Seido won cleanly in seven effective innings.
However, compared to their dominance the previous year, this year's Seido High School Baseball Team seemed somewhat less imposing.
And not just in their batting lineup.
Their Ace also lacked the same authority as the year before.
As a result, Seido High School inevitably drew a fair amount of criticism.
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