Baseball: A Two-Way Player

Chapter 400 - 49: Heroic Fate

"No way! Is the umpire blind? How can that be a strike?"

"Is this really our home game? Is this how you call it, umpire?"

"You’ve got to be kidding me, calling a black whistle blatantly here at Koshien? How much did Sun Zhengyi and Wang Zhenzhi pay you?"

"×&%￥#@..."

When Lin Guanglai threw the baseball, and Toriyama Kei in the batter’s box remained unmoved and walked towards first base, the crowd in the Koshien stands erupted with cheers. As die-hard fans of the Hanshin Tigers, they knew well the ball-selection abilities of their number three hitter, firmly believing that any ball Toriyama Kei let go could not possibly be a strike.

That is why, when the umpire raised his right hand, signaling the batter out, the reaction from these Tiger fans was so immense.

In an instant, boos and curses even louder than during the SoftBank offensive phase in the top half of the inning surged like a tide, echoing through the entire Koshien.

But Lin Guanglai didn’t care about what the Hanshin fans were thinking at this moment—on camera, he just clenched his right fist to his chest, celebrated briefly, and then, surrounded by his teammates, left the field and returned to the dugout to prepare for the upcoming batting.

However, merely shutting down the Hanshin Tigers’ lineup with pitching wasn’t nearly enough to dampen their fans’ enthusiasm; Lin Guanglai knew there was still much to do in the batter’s box.

In a long-awaited return as a Dual Swordsman, Lin Guanglai was placed eighth in the lineup today—this arrangement clearly reflected Manager Akiyama’s preference: the Softbank Team wasn’t lacking in hitting power, but rather a pillar on the pitching mound. Therefore, he hoped Lin Guanglai would focus more on defense than hitting.

But that didn’t mean the eighth spot couldn’t accomplish anything. At the top of the second inning, a perfect scenario was laid out in front of Lin Guanglai:

Facing the tall and fast-pitching Messenger, SoftBank’s sixth batter Yoshimura Yuuki, who was first to battle, engaged in a stalemate with him, sending the ball deep into right field on a 2-2 count, surging to second base in one go;

Following Manager Akiyama Koji’s instructions, the next batter, Imamiya Kenta, immediately adopted a bunt stance. His quick sprint to first base after laying down the ball brought an unexpected joy:

While handling this tactical bunt grounder, Hanshin’s pitcher Messenger, affected by his high center of gravity, made a wild throw error while trying to throw to first base, advancing Softbank’s baserunners to second and third base.

And now, with no outs and runners on second and third, it was Lin Guanglai’s turn to bat.

As if hungry and bread came or sleepy and pillow came, just when Lin Guanglai wanted to score for the team, such a scoring opportunity fell right into his lap—honestly, he was beginning to wonder if he’d somehow become the protagonist of a novel or manga, with incidents like this happening repeatedly, especially at Koshien.

With the opportunity presented, he naturally had no reason not to accept it gladly. Having ensured he was fully equipped with protective gear, Lin Guanglai took his bat and headed towards the batter’s box at home plate.

There’s a short distance from the on-deck circle at Koshien to home plate, and during this brief journey, a new short song mocking Lin Guanglai was composed and being sung by the die-hard Hanshin fans in the right field stands:

"Lin Guanglai? Ha? Who are you?"

"Hurry back to your high school baseball!"

In the front rows of the stands, some older men even took off their shirts, waving them around while belting the tune.

However, this had little impact on Lin Guanglai—standing at the edge of the batter’s box, he even found the time to critique the song mocking him:

In Lin Guanglai’s view, irrespective of the song’s intent, you’ve got to admit, these Hanshin fans are quite talented—the lyrics are simple and powerful, the tune is light and relaxed, matching Koshien’s almost frenzied cheer atmosphere, effectively causing precise strikes on the opponent’s star players during key moments.

Adjusting his mindset slightly, clearing his mind of distractions, Lin Guanglai stepped forward beside home plate, assuming a batting stance in the box.

The teammates on second and third were pressuring pitcher Messenger with their shifting movements on the bases, and Lin Guanglai in the batter’s box was ready, waiting for the pitch.

On the pitcher’s mound, Randy Messenger started his motion—his tall frame delivering the ball with a standard over-the-shoulder pitch, which, compared to other styles, released the ball at a greater downward angle, exerting more pressure on the batter.

Facing the aggressively thrown baseball, Lin Guanglai was not intimidated. On the first pitch of his first at-bat, he chose to swing: the black-painted wooden bat tightly hugged his body, directed by his arms to meet the ball’s incoming path.

"Thud—!!!"

After confirming he had hit the baseball, a strong vibration traveled through his palm, but this didn’t deter Lin Guanglai from pushing Messenger’s pitch to a distant place—gripping the bat firmly, both his upper and lower body worked together, channeling more power into the small white ball.

"Hah—!!!"

Almost at the same moment the baseball flew towards Koshien Stadium’s skies, Lin Guanglai’s excited roar echoed; the next second, under the watchful eyes of nearly fifty thousand fans in Koshien Stadium, he flung his bat in a spinning motion, then began sprinting around the bases vigorously.

Even the fanatic Hanshin fans in the stands were momentarily silenced by this bat flip; moments later, when the spectators realized what Lin Guanglai had done, overwhelming boos and curses once again engulfed the entire stadium like dark clouds, this time even more explosive than before.

"Bastard! How dare he? How dare he! This is sacrilege to the sport of baseball!"

"Suspend him, he must be suspended! Such disrespect to the opponents warrants a suspension!"

"Did you see the move he just pulled in front of you? If any of you have even a shred of manliness, you’d hit back ferociously in your next at-bat! Make him regret it as much as possible!"

Watching Lin Guanglai a short distance away, high-fiving and hugging his celebrating teammates, and looking at the tumultuous Hanshin fans, Manager Akiyama Koji wasn’t sure if he should be celebrating or worried.

"Such a charged atmosphere is not necessarily a good thing..."