Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter Has Arrived

Chapter 453 453: Money Swing

The white ball traveled over a hundred meters and landed heavily in the outfield stands.

The entire stadium erupted, and the Seido High School Baseball Team supporters were overjoyed.

As Seido's opponents, the Hongmo High School Baseball Team players, who had come in well-prepared, were completely stunned.

That Homerun had shattered all their previous plans.

They didn't even know how to approach the rest of the game.

"Han-san!!!"

"Zhang-kun, you're so cool!!!"

"Zhang Han! Zhang Han!!!"

The fans had no attention to spare for the Hongmo players' state of mind.

They were frantically calling Zhang Han's name.

Not just the fans. Even in the Seido High School Baseball Team dugout, the players exchanged bewildered looks.

In this year's Spring Tournament, while Zhang Han hadn't shown much in pitching, his hitting had been a different story entirely.

He had hit Homeruns in several consecutive games. In the last two in particular, he had sent the ball out of the park right at the start.

What kind of dominance was that?

What kind of hitting power was that?

Even as teammates who spent every day with him, they had to admit that Zhang Han's strength had surpassed what anyone had imagined.

At this moment, no one dared to say with confidence what level Zhang Han could ultimately reach.

Perhaps out of sheer shock, or for some other reason, when Zhang Han returned to the dugout, no one even rushed forward to celebrate with him.

And it was precisely that which hit the Hongmo players hardest.

That had been a Homerun.

The kind of moment that might not appear even once in a full game.

Because of it, the Seido High School Baseball Team had taken the lead.

And their players had barely reacted. They took it completely for granted.

As if Zhang Han hitting a Homerun was simply expected.

Had Seido truly become this strong? They didn't even react to a Homerun?

Not only the Hongmo players, but the Hongmo coach, a retired professional player, was equally astonished.

He stared at Zhang Han, who had finished rounding the bases and returned to the dugout, eyes wide.

Waiting until the ball was almost completely within reach before swinging?

For elite batters, that was not unheard of.

But to wait until the ball was almost at home plate before beginning the swing, that was something else entirely.

How fast did his swing have to be to dare let the ball get that deep?

The Hongmo coach didn't even want to calculate it.

A sixteen-year-old boy with that kind of power?

Unbelievable.

Although his own professional career had not been particularly distinguished, he had been around the game for many years and still carried some reputation.

He had seen countless talented players over the course of his career. But no matter how gifted, none had been able to show this kind of ability in their second year of high school.

Was this still high school baseball?

If that last hit wasn't a fluke, and that young man truly possessed this level of ability, he could compete directly with the nation's top players in professional baseball.

In the stands, the Yakushi High School Baseball Team players, who had been making noise a moment before, went quiet.

The more they had criticized Seido, the more those words stung now.

How was a swing like that even possible?

After seeing Zhang Han hit, they were honest enough with themselves to admit it would be very difficult to match that kind of power.

Only Raichi Todoroki was still laughing.

But even his eyes had changed. The nonchalance was gone, replaced entirely by focus and competitive fire.

Coach Todoroki Raizo leaned back in his seat, resting his chin on his hand, an interested look crossing his face.

"This kid's swing also has the smell of money."

His voice was low enough that no one around him caught it. If they had, the Yakushi players would have had a strong reaction.

One shouldn't be fooled by Coach Todoroki Raizo's seemingly relaxed manner during Yakushi games, where he trusted his players completely and let them play freely on the field.

In training, he was an entirely different person. Terrifyingly strict, like a judge passing sentence. The only exception, the sole exception, was his own son, Raichi Todoroki. For his son, Todoroki Raizo was extraordinarily lenient, overlooking virtually every mistake.

The other players had, of course, raised this with him privately at various points.

Todoroki Raizo hadn't cared in the slightest. The phrase he repeated most often was:

"My foolish son is not like you. His swing has the smell of money. He is a man who can earn hundreds of millions with a single bat."

The Yakushi players had quietly given Raichi Todoroki a nickname because of it.

They said he had a swing worth hundreds of millions.

Now, there was another man who had received the same assessment from Todoroki Raizo.

That man was Zhang Han.

His swing wasn't as flashy as Raichi Todoroki's, but it was more practical.

Simple and unadorned, yet capable of sending the ball out of the park. Like a silent assassin who struck only when necessary, but always with a decisive blow.

A player like that would likely have a future no less promising than his own son's.

Todoroki Raizo thought quietly to himself.

Score 1-0, two outs, no one on base.

The Seido High School Baseball Team's offense had not yet stopped.

"Fourth Batter, First Base, Yuuki Tetsuya."

The one stepping up to the plate at this moment was the captain of the Seido High School Baseball Team.

After Yuuki stepped in, the Hongmo High School Baseball Team's catcher felt deeply uncomfortable.

His eyes were fixed on the batter beside him, but he couldn't find anything to work with.

No visible flaw in the stance. No readable intention from the grip on the bat.

This opponent was truly troublesome.

That was the only conclusion the Hongmo catcher could reach.

It seemed that no matter where the pitch was thrown, this batter would make contact and drive the ball somewhere dangerous.

The feeling was chilling.

Anyone else might have shaken it off.

But this catcher strongly trusted his instincts. And his instinct told him that as long as the ball landed in the strike zone, it would be hit.

That couldn't happen.

Shaking his head slightly, the catcher gritted his teeth and called the next pitch.

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