After Zhang Zhe arrived in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, team staff took him to visit the Second Army Base.

Because Zhang Zhe will start in the Second Army next year, so let’s get to know the route in advance.

The second base of the Hanshin Tigers is located in Naroo Town, a few kilometers away from Koshien Stadium.

The home stadium of the second team is Hanshin Naroohama Stadium.

Next to the stadium is the freshman dormitory building.

As a newbie, Zhang Zhe will live in this dormitory building, which is officially named [Hufengzhuang].

After visiting the Second Army Base, the group headed to Koshien Stadium.

Zhang Zhe visited Koshien Stadium many times during his high school days, but at that time he was so focused on national dominance that he did not have time to visit the inside of Koshien Stadium.

In fact, there are many commercial areas in Koshien, such as sporting goods stores and signature Japanese curry shops.

Team staff led Zhang Zhe to visit the team history museum.

"Our team is the second-oldest professional team in Japan. When the team was established, the Japan Professional Baseball League had not yet been established."

"To this day, our pellet group is still operated by the parent company Hanshin Electric Railway Company."

"The team has won 9 league championships and 1 Japan Championship."

"Our feud is the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo."

During the visit, team staff explained the historical origins of the team, and Zhang Zhe learned more about the Hanshin Tigers.

For example, the "mortal enemy" aspect.

The Hanshin Tigers of the Kansai region and the Yomiuri Giants of the Kanto region have always been at odds with each other.

However, in terms of historical performance, the Hanshin Tigers are far inferior to the wealthy Yomiuri Giants. They have been at a disadvantage for a long time in the competition, including this year's league. The Yomiuri Giants ranked first in the league with an overwhelming advantage, and the Hanshin Tigers ranked second.

.

It just so happens that the Hanshin Tigers will face the Yomiuri Giants at home today.

Zhang Zhe was able to visit the pre-match training.

In the pitching practice area, several pitchers wearing Hanshin Tigers uniforms were warming up and throwing baseballs to the opposing catchers.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!!"

Listening to the sound of baseball hitting gloves, Zhang Zhe watched their warm-up training through the protective net.

When the Hanshin Tigers players saw outsiders coming in, they took a glance and stopped paying attention, concentrating on their own training.

Zhang Zhe is not so arrogant as to be self-centered.

For professional baseball players, training and competing are their jobs, as routine as eating and sleeping.

They are used to seeing new people come and go, and the teammates who may be fighting side by side today may become glaring opponents tomorrow.

Only strength is the basis of professional baseball.

At this time, Zhang Zhe noticed a tall pitcher nearly two meters tall.

The force of the pitcher's throw was obviously different from the others. It made a loud noise when it hit the glove, but the ball was slightly offset, which made it a little difficult for the catcher.

Zhang Zhe kept staring at him.

The team staff next to him saw this and said, "That's Shintaro Fujinami."

Zhang Zhe nodded and indicated that he also knew.

Shintaro Fujinami was the Hanshin Tigers' No. 1 pick in the draft eight years ago. His current career has a trend of highs and lows. He was once expected to become the ace pitcher of the Japanese representative team and was once on the verge of losing his ability.

The reasons cannot be explained clearly in a few words. There are factors such as personality, pitching mechanism, psychology, and injuries.

Shintaro Fujinami was a talented player in his high school days. He led Osaka Kirikage High School to consecutive Koshien championships in the spring and summer. He was once considered the most talented pitcher in that draft.

Now Shintaro Fujinami needs to fight to save his career.

This kind of thing can't help but be sad.

…

at dusk.

In a spectator's seat in the central stand of Koshien Stadium, Zhang Zhe, wrapped in a scarf and a warm hat, sat waiting for the game to start.

As the end of the year approaches, the weather turns colder and the outdoor temperature drops sharply after the sun goes down.

"call……"

The warm water vapor exhaled condenses inside the mask, making it feel slightly wet and uncomfortable.

Zhang Zhe looked at the stands around him.

A large number of Hanshin Tigers fans dressed in yellow came to watch the game, occupying half of the capacity of the Koshien stand.

The reason why only half of the seats are occupied is because of the league's epidemic prevention regulations. If it is allowed to open, it will be easy for the audience to fill the stands.

Neither the epidemic nor the weather can stop people from coming to watch the game, and the enthusiasm of Hanshin Tigers fans to support the team is evident.

Today's game is the penultimate round of the league and the last game of the season between the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants.

The Yomiuri Giants have won the league championship in advance in the previous rounds. This game has no impact on the league championship and the qualification for Japan's first major competition.

However, Hanshin Tigers fans strongly wanted to defeat the visiting Yomiuri Giants.

However, the Yomiuri Giants had absolute dominance over the league this season. In the end, the Hanshin Tigers lost to the Yomiuri Giants at home with a score of 0-4.

Hanshin Tigers fans had to leave the stadium with regret.

This season the Hanshin Tigers faced off against the Yomiuri Giants, losing 16 and winning 8 in 24 games. It can be said that they are completely at a disadvantage.

After the game, Zhang Zhe followed the crowd and left the field.

Zhang Zhe was deeply impressed by the optimism of the Hanshin Tigers fans around him and remembered the phrase "next year will definitely be better" that many fans chanted.

Returning to the hotel arranged by the team, Zhang Zhe thought about what he saw and heard today.

Professional baseball teams are actually a special kind of enterprise, serving the majority of fans who support their team, while professional players are practitioners who pursue the realization of self-worth and satisfy the spiritual needs of fans.

Once you realize this, it is worthwhile to have a workplace experience.

Zhang Zhe strengthened his determination to enter the world of professional baseball.

Mentally speaking, Zhang Zhe is beyond the average of his peers. He is able to view one thing objectively and accurately and has extraordinary concentration to put it into practice. At the same time, he is very sensitive to external changes and potential opportunities, and is good at using experience to quickly find key points.

Zhang Zhe chewed on today's experience, and plans for the future gradually formed in his mind.

First of all, the most important point is that becoming a regular catcher in the first army is one of the most important goals in the future. Of course, the process of achieving it can be flexible.

The position of the main catcher of the Hanshin Tigers' first team is currently unshakable, and the team management is also very clear. In their previous training plan for Zhang Zhe, they mentioned guiding Zhang Zhe to practice the outfielder position to increase his chances of playing.

In fact, Zhang Zhe played many outfield positions in high school, so he fully accepted the idea of ​​training in other positions.

It is a common method for Japanese professional baseball teams to let catchers practice additional outfield positions. For example, some of the most famous catchers today used to switch back and forth between several positions when they were young.

In Zhang Zhe's mind, catcher is a very special position and is the origin of his love for baseball.

Even if you may encounter a lot of difficulties in the future, you are still willing to persevere.
Chapter completed!