Baseball: A Two-Way Player

Chapter 673 22: Twin Stars Shining

"9 to 3! The Yankees closed the gap to 6 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning—the suspense of this game is finally coming back a bit!"

Seeing Lin Guanglai send the ball onto the second deck of the right field stands at Yankee Stadium, the commentator's voice rose several pitches. Compared to a game where one side quickly establishes a massive lead and the other surrenders, he still prefers to see a back-and-forth battle between strong teams.

For those teams with core players who are older and have lots of veterans, they might symbolically give up at this point. But this young and energetic New York Yankees team chose to continue to clash head-on with the Astros despite trailing significantly, never giving up hope until the last out. In the realistic world of professional baseball, this attitude might seem a bit impulsive, but isn't this what baseball is all about?

After rounding the bases and stepping on home plate again, Lin Guanglai didn't rush back to the dugout to celebrate with his teammates on the bench.

He took a detour to the on-deck circle, extended his fist toward Aaron Judge, who was swinging relentlessly: "Aaron, I've done my part—now it's your turn!"

Seeing this, Aaron Judge smiled and bumped fists with Lin Guanglai: "Just watch from the dugout; the Astros' outfield won't have any chance to touch the ball."

His tone was so firm, as if he were stating a given fact.

This moment at the field was also captured by the broadcast camera. Although the commentator didn't know the specifics of the exchange between these two young talents, he was moved by the scene:

"What two wonderful young men, after so many years of ups and downs, I don't even remember the last time I was so moved—seeing this, I think many Yankees fans like me can be completely reassured. With such competitive young players who are willing to give their all for that pinstripe jersey, I think the era belonging to the New York Yankees will eventually return!"

Even after giving up three consecutive hits and ultimately three runs, the Astros' coaching staff still didn't pull Charlie Morton from the game. To them, the difference is still a significant gap, and with their lineup performing so well, even if they lose a few points here, it won't jeopardize the outcome.

However, to ensure they secure the win, the Astros' bullpen is already warming up, ready to take over at a moment's notice should anything go awry on the field.

After making some adjustments, Charlie Morton managed to regain some of his form, and he finally secured the first out of the inning against the Yankees' cleanup hitter Starlin Castro:

His signature sinker enticed Castro to swing, resulting in a rapidly hit ground ball; and the Astros' shortstop Carlos Correa then delivered a Golden Glove-level defensive play, getting the ball into the glove of first baseman Yuli Gurriel just tenths of a second before Castro could step on the bag.

Although the Yankees' aggressive and relentless push was temporarily halted, it didn't affect the fervent Yankees fans at the scene at all, because up next at bat was Aaron Judge—currently the best and most powerful hitter in the entire New York Yankees, the entire American League, and even all of Major League Baseball!

Just how powerful is Aaron Judge this season? Just look at his stats!

Before this at-bat, Aaron Judge had delivered a .313 batting average, 14 home runs, 29 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.164—a superstar performance. In the first month and a half of the season, he nearly homered every two games, leading the American League hitters' leaderboard in multiple statistics, making him a top candidate for this year's American League MVP award.

His power is particularly monstrous—

Earlier when Lin Guanglai hit a home run with an exit velocity of over 115 mph, the commentator specifically mentioned that he was the fifth player this season in the Major Leagues to achieve this feat, and the four ahead of him were:

Mark Trumbo from the Baltimore Orioles, last season's American League home run king with 48 homers;

Joey Gallo, a young slugger promoted this season by the Texas Rangers, currently ranked third in home runs in the American League;

Giancarlo Stanton, nicknamed "The Beast," is recognized as a top-tier hitter and hasn't had a season with fewer than 20 home runs since officially joining the Major Leagues in 2010. This season, his hitting is even hotter.

In the past month and a half, these three hit two homers above 115 mph each, tying for second place.

And at the top, it's Aaron Judge, the current nightmare for pitchers and unstoppable force, who alone has hit nine of them, more than the four people behind him combined. Furthermore, Judge currently has the most 450-feet or longer hits among all batters of the 30 Major League teams, showcasing just how impressive his power truly is.

In his previous at-bats, Charlie Morton, whose control was nearly lost, regained his touch. After setting up with a ball, he steadily placed the ball on the edge of the strike zone's outside corner, coaxing a swing from Aaron Judge, followed by a fastball at the bottom edge of the strike zone, achieving a 1-2 count.