Baseball: A Two-Way Player

Chapter 700 34: Saying Goodbye to the Record

"Swing and miss! Corey Kluber's killer slider is simply unbeatable!" The Yankees' commentators in the YES TV studio couldn't help but lament as they watched the broadcast on the screen.

On the field, Aaron Judge, who struck out on this pitch, shook his head helplessly. As one of the top sluggers in Major League today, he and Corey Kluber had a back-and-forth battle of ten pitches during this at-bat. In the end, he still couldn't withstand the pressure and was struck out by the Indians' ace's signature breaking ball, helplessly taking the K.

David Cone immediately commented on this at-bat: "Just like Lin's forkball-sinker that shares the trajectory of both a sinker and forkball, the reason Kluber has such an impressive win value, ranking third in the American League despite being out for a month, is largely due to the terrifying power of his breaking ball."

"Although MLB officially classifies this ball as a slider, many people consider it to have characteristics of a curveball as well — a speed fluctuating around 85 miles per hour, exaggerated lateral movement, and a slight drop. Combined with Kluber's exceptional control, this makes his breaking ball possess an epic level of intimidation..."

At this point, even the Yankees supporter, David Cone, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration: "No wonder he's maintained a top league standard since the implementation of the pitch recognition system — this game will depend on whether the Yankees or Indians' lineup can break through the opponent's pitcher first!"

The game has now reached the bottom of the seventh inning, and the Yankees, playing at home, are still deadlocked with the Indians, the score at 0-0 since the start of the game.

From the Indians' coach Frankner's arrangement, it's expected that this half-inning will be Kluber's last on the mound today; this means for Lin Guanglai, if he wants to defeat his primary competitor on both pitching and batting fronts, this last at-bat is his only remaining chance.

At this point, Girardi's mid-to-late season adjustments to the batting order have come into play:

With Aaron Judge officially emerging as an elite power hitter, his spot in the order has been adjusted from fifth to second — a position identified by data analysis as one of the highest expected run-producing spots in the lineup, perfectly suited for a super batter like Judge;

And with Judge now the Yankees' new number-two batter, the Yankees' batting lineup can exert maximum pressure on the opposing pitcher from beginning to end:

Veteran Gardner, leading off, is strong at hitting and fast on base; Aaron Judge, batting second, is one of the best hitters in the majors with tremendous power against all types of pitches — just trying to solve these two requires the pitcher to expend a significant amount of energy, with high-intensity pitching almost inevitable.

Behind them is the full-fledged, versatile power hitter Lin Guanglai, capable of hitting over 30 home runs and sending the ball to any part of the field.

Just like now, Corey Kluber and Aaron Judge battled it out through ten pitches to barely strike him out, and without much time for adjustment, he now faces Lin Guanglai, coming up as the third batter.

After striking out, Aaron Judge, walking back to the dugout with his bat, didn't forget to remind the on-deck Lin Guanglai: "Lin, Kluber has pitched almost 7 innings, there are men on base now, and he just battled with me for quite a while. He's at a point of exhaustion — watch out for his breaking ball, I'm sure you can do it." Having said that, he didn't forget to extend a fist toward Lin Guanglai in front of him.

Lin Guanglai smiled and bumped fists with Aaron Judge, the two exchanging a knowing smile.

At the start of this half-inning, thanks to Kluber's walk and an error by the Indians, the Yankees, with a resurgent Greg Bird and Brett Gardner, both got on base.

Now, with two outs and men on first and second, Aaron Judge has consumed a lot of Corey Kluber's energy and stamina, presenting Lin Guanglai with a great opportunity!

Striding confidently to the right side of the plate, Lin Guanglai immediately stepped into the left batter's box, adopting an attacking stance — as the saying goes, timing and speed is crucial in battle. At this moment, he must not give Kluber time to catch his breath; the goal is to overwhelm and crush him in one go!

Almost simultaneously with Lin Guanglai entering the batter's box, the two Yankees base runners began fidgeting at their respective bases, using this tactic to divert the Indians' defensive players' attention and create better opportunities for the batter.

Kluber's core pitches consist mainly of three types: a four-seam fastball and a sinker, both averaging about 93 miles per hour, and a slider classified breaking ball, with speed fluctuating around 85 miles per hour.

However, according to the Yankees' data, Kluber's fastball usage in recent years has decreased to less than 10%; in other words, the 2014 Cy Young Award winner now plays more the role of a control pitcher with moderate speed threats.

For this at-bat, Lin Guanglai's strategy is simple: attack, attack, and attack — Kluber is a pitcher who excels at locating pitches on the corners of the strike zone, meaning Lin Guanglai will have plenty of opportunities to face good pitches in his duel with him.