Baseball: A Two-Way Player

Chapter 687 28: Perfect Game (Part 2)

Amid the gasps of the crowd, the ball in Clone's hand made a "thud" sound as it connected with the bat, but no victorious smile appeared on the batter's face; this ball wasn't as simple as it looked, the intense spin disrupted Clone's swing, and as someone not known for his hitting power, he couldn't fully exert his strength.

The baseball wobbled through the air towards the infield, lacking the momentum to fly out; from his position at shortstop, Didi Gregorius shouted "I got it," then made small adjustments in his position before catching it in his glove before it hit the ground.

Lin Guanglai gave his team's shortstop a thumbs up, complimenting his excellent and steady performance; in response, Gregorius flashed his brilliantly shining white teeth.

Then he raised his right hand above his head, holding up two fingers to represent a message for his teammates both near and in the outfield —

Just 2 more!!!

The Yankees players on the field responded with serious expressions on their faces; a perfect game wasn't just the pitcher's glory — achieving it meant every player on the field could share in this history-making moment, an opportunity none of the players could resist.

The eighth batter for the Angel team, Mexican player Danny Espinosa, who last season hit a career-high 24 home runs with the Washington Nationals, but his just over .200 batting average and 174 strikeouts in a single season showed he wasn't a power hitter, making his offense quite unstable.

Against someone like Espinosa, who had strength but lacked technique, Lin Guanglai patiently engaged him in a battle of attrition, using a variety of pitches and angles to wear him down — after four pitches, the count was 2-2, with the pitcher slightly holding the advantage.

With a signal from catcher Gary Sanchez, Lin Guanglai swiftly launched his pitch: the baseball flew from between his index and middle finger, crafting a beautiful trajectory in the air before sinking sharply, landing perfectly on the lower edge of the strike zone — this time, Gary Sanchez held onto the glove steadily, avoiding a mishap; and the umpire behind them signaled Espinosa's out.

"Aaaahhhhhhhhh...!!!" The stands erupted in thunderous applause once more, with many spectators pulling out their phones, ready to capture the historic moment about to unfold;

Even the Yankees players on the third-base bench leaned on the railing, poised as if they were ready to rush the field at any moment — indeed, most of them were eager to instantly link themselves to this new chapter of history!

On the field at Angel Stadium, Lin Guanglai's face remained expressionless, as if this were an ordinary game; yet his palms were sweating, betraying his emotions — this was Major League Baseball, the pinnacle of world baseball, and though he had pitched perfect games before in his career, it meant something entirely different here.

Eric Young II, the ninth batter for the Angel team, Lin Guanglai did not know; but the other Yankee players were no strangers to him: last season he was sent to the Bronx in a trade between the Yankees and the Milwaukee Brewers and played six games as a pinch runner.

Eric Young II wasn't particularly strong and often played a utility role, even on weaker teams, but with two outs in the ninth inning it's both the closest and most dangerous moment in a baseball game — in MLB history, there have been 13 instances of 26 up and 26 down, only to fall short at the final step of a perfect game, including stars like Yu Darvish and Max Scherzer.

"Lin Guanglai, just one out away from his first perfect game in MLB..." the broadcast even had the announcers' voices turning tense; meanwhile, FOX Sports ratings soared with more fans tuning in, eager to witness the birth of a perfect game firsthand.

On the mound, Lin Guanglai took his time, adjusting his mindset — the more tense moments like these are, the more prone to mistakes they become, needing to shed all these burdens to pitch lightly and confidently.

Once he felt ready, he put his lead foot on the pitcher's rubber, signaling he was ready to pitch; the umpire extended his right hand towards the mound, issuing the "Play Ball" command.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Lin Guanglai's first pitch to Eric Young II was a high-inside fastball at 99 mph, catching the batter off guard, who didn't even react, already falling behind in the count.

Many pitchers seeking a perfect game, due to fatigue later altering control, prefer to encourage hitters to pop out or ground out with outside pitches — attempting high-pressure inside pitches rashly with diminishing control risks hitting the batter and derailing the entire game's effort.

But Lin Guanglai seemed entirely unworried by such concerns, and the placement of that last pitch spoke volumes about his excellent control, still present despite fatigue.

Now, with a count in his favor, as a pitcher he had ample room to maneuver against the batter: height variance, speed difference, pitch type... if Eric Young II wanted to avoid becoming a backdrop, he had to predict the one correct choice from multiple possibilities.

Clearly, this was beyond the ninth batter's scope: in the second pitch, Lin Guanglai decisively changed direction, attacking the batter from the outside corner, again with a fastball, albeit this time aimed higher outside.

"Strike!" The umpire raised his right hand, declaring the call; this outcome elevated the already fervent atmosphere in the stadium even further.

"Bottom of the ninth, two outs, two strikes, no balls... Lin Guanglai is just one step away from completing his perfect game... This superstar who set multiple miraculous records in Japan, could he add another glorious chapter to his illustrious career?"

While the announcer narrated this, Lin Guanglai on the mound delivered his third pitch in this at-bat: both in type and speed, this pitch targeting the low outside corner should be a fastball, like the previous two.

In a rush to make a judgement, Eric Young II didn't want to remain passive, swinging at the ball — however, only a moment before the bat was about to connect, the ball lost its Magnetic Force aid and began to sharply sink.

"Pop." This time, Gary Sanchez securely caught the ball in his glove, not letting it escape to the ground behind him; the next second, the authoritative strike call resonated from the umpire: "Strikeout!"

As the baseball flew into the catcher's mitt and the umpire signaled the batter's out, on the mound, Lin Guanglai tossed his glove into the air, arms wide open, shouting towards the sky; his form was quickly engulfed by teammates charging from all directions.

"Lin Guanglai, in his rookie MLB season and 18th start, pitched his first perfect game — this young man is truly a monster through and through!"

"He is the fourth pitcher in Yankees history and the 24th in Major League history to achieve this — from today on, his name will stand alongside legends like Cy Young, Sandy Koufax, and Randy Johnson in MLB's storied history!"