Baseball: A Two-Way Player

Chapter 682 26: Fierce Battle with the God Salmon

"Lin, please sign for us!"

"Go Guanglai, we're Japanese fans who came here just to watch you play!"

"Let's Go Yankees!!!"

When Lin Guanglai finished his pre-game interview and arrived at the edge of the field, a massive cheer erupted from the stands near the Yankees' away team bench.

Among those fans, besides some home team fans wearing Angels jerseys, most of them actually had Asian faces, or were local fans wearing Yankees jerseys... Faced with this scene, Lin Guanglai even felt like he was playing at Yankee Stadium in New York, with a sense of being the host instead.

Casually grabbing a few baseballs and signing his name on them, Lin Guanglai tossed them back to the stands, and every throw sparked a scramble among many people.

Even though he had been in the Major League for less than half a year, Lin Guanglai, with his outstanding appearance and skills, had already become a highly popular figure among the fans, almost showing signs of being a star. In the ongoing heated All-Star voting, Lin Guanglai was temporarily ranked third in the entire American League, with votes only slightly behind his teammate Aaron Judge and the current number one in the league, Mike Trout.

While Lin Guanglai lingered on the sideline, Paul Skins and his companions ran from their seats to the area near the Yankees' bench.

Standing just one step away from Lin Guanglai, Skins waved to him, "Lin—Lin, can you sign for me?" He then took out a baseball and a trading card with Lin Guanglai's picture and name from his pocket.

This was a 2017 season trading card issued by MLB's official partner, Topps. The rarity of the card and the player's performance could greatly influence the card's price:

Just take Lin Guanglai for example, when he hadn't even pitched a ball in the Major League and only had the top prospect title, the card price was far below its current value. Similarly, if Lin Guanglai becomes a top-league representative star, a limited rookie season card could sell for hundreds of thousands or even a million dollars—in the United States, a trading card changing a family's fortune is not just talk.

Skins' card was actually quite ordinary, without a star signature or any ultra-rare version with just one existing copy. Lin Guanglai took the baseball and trading card from him, signing while chatting with the two kids.

Upon learning that they decided to start pitching inspired by him, Lin Guanglai especially signed a "To" autograph on the back of that trading card for 15-year-old Paul Skins, showing his support for his pursuit of dreams.

In the stands of Angel Stadium, gazing at Lin Guanglai's departing figure and the meaningful trading card in his hand, Paul Skins felt that his trip to watch the game today was incredibly rewarding.

As game time gradually approached, both teams' players were ready to go, just awaiting the game's start.

In the top of the first inning, the visiting Yankees attacked first, with the Angels fielding their number two starter, 34-year-old Ricky Nolasco, who had been serving in the Major League for 12 years.

Compared to their lineup featuring Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, the Angels' primary reason for perennial underachievement has been their paper-thin pitching staff:

Just like today's starter Nolasco, who despite once being able to secure 15 wins and steadily pitch over 180 innings, remains in the second starter position at 34 years of age after significant decline, which alone shows how much the Angels' management disregards building their pitching staff—so it's no wonder many hold the view that the management has been wasting Trout's talent.

Facing the experienced veteran on the mound, the Yankees had Brett Gardner on base first, followed by Aaron Hicks and Lin Guanglai continuing the offensive drive, ultimately allowing Didi Gregorius, the starting shortstop batting fourth, to complete the scoring—In the first half-inning, the Yankees' batters methodically secured 2 runs with consistent hits.

If it were any other team conceding 2 runs in the first inning, the players and home fans' mentality might be somewhat affected; but for the tens of thousands of home fans at Angel Stadium, this was already a familiar scene:

The weakness of their own pitching staff was no mystery to Angels fans—you'd have to go back to the beginning of the season for Los Angeles Angels' last shutout.

In addition to that, Angels fans had absolute confidence in their team's offensive capabilities: when your team boasts the world's current number one in baseball hard power, Trout, and the active player with the most career home runs, Pujols, you'd naturally have full confidence in this team's offensive firepower.

In the bottom of the first inning, when Lin Guanglai walked onto the Angel Stadium mound with his glove, a considerable cheer actually broke out from the crowd:

Just like Paul Skins said earlier, among the 45,000 fans present today, aside from some local Angels fans, the vast majority were Yankees fans from all over the U.S. and the Asian community living in the California area—with the support of dual identities, Lin Guanglai receiving such treatment was not surprising.