Baseball: A Two-Way Player

Chapter 716 40: Striking Down the Smiling Man

Although the pitch speed can also remain above 150 km/h, Miller's fastball has the biggest problem of insufficient spin rate, hovering around 2200 rpm.

On the surface, this data has reached the average spin rate level of Major League Baseball, which in theory is not bad; but in the MLB where various baseball monsters run rampant, "average" itself represents mediocrity: According to the official statistics of the Major League, a fastball with a spin rate of 2200 rpm is almost the quality that every power hitter favors and is the spin rate at which hitters achieve the highest quality hits, most easily forming hits.

This is why Lin Guanglai is determined to force Andrew Miller to use fastballs in their duel: After all, with the bases loaded right now, as a power hitter, if he keeps consuming the opponent this way, it's likely that the Indians will be the first to give in.

Just as Lin Guanglai took his batting stance, fully prepared, and ready to face Miller's next decisive pitch, the opposing pitcher suddenly signaled to choose to step off the mound, quickly inviting boos from the home side fans throughout Yankee Stadium.

Lin Guanglai helplessly stepped out of the batter's box temporarily. He knew exactly what the old fox was up to, simply using the method of intentionally stepping off the mound to disturb Lin Guanglai's mindset, while readjusting his pitching rhythm to buy more time to think about his next move — such little tricks are played by many seasoned players in the Major League.

One minute later, the game resumed. This time, Andrew Miller did not hesitate at all. After slightly nodding towards Yang Gomez behind the catcher's seat, he swung his arm sharply, sending the baseball towards Lin Guanglai at the high inside corner, pitch type: four-seam fastball, speed: 96 mph!

Finally getting the pitch he wanted so badly, Lin Guanglai's eyes focused instantly as he decisively chose to swing the bat. Almost at the same time as the baseball flew in front of the home plate, his swung bat arrived swiftly, slicing through the air, making solid contact with the sweet spot of the bat, erupting a muffled "thud".

The white ball took off from its original position, shooting fiercely towards right field of Yankee Stadium — this ball's launch angle was exceptionally high, and Lin Guanglai's initial hit speed was also extraordinarily fast, resulting in a unique trajectory for the baseball.

All you could see was the white ball he hit towards right field climbing ever higher, flying farther and farther until it leveled with the third tier of stands in Yankee Stadium's right field before it began to descend — what's the concept here? You need to know, the distance from the ground to the third tier of stands in this stadium is roughly 123 feet (around 37 meters), flying higher than the right-field foul pole.

"96 mph fastball, Lin Guanglai, he's sent it flying to right field —!!!" As the live announcer's voice grew louder, the descending baseball eventually landed on the second tier stands, sending the long-silent Yankee Stadium into a frenzy, "It's a grand slam into the upper tier stands! Hasta la vista, Baby!!!"

"It's truly unbelievable, a pitcher as high-caliber as Miller was actually hit for a home run by a left-handed batter! It's simply incredible!"

As the announcers marveled, Lin Guanglai began his celebration on the field: Raising his bat high towards the surrounding stands, he spun it around before tossing it aside, circling the bases under resounding cheers, returning to home plate to receive enthusiastic congratulatory cheers from his teammates.

High-fives, hugs, chest bumps, roars... Virtually any celebratory move that could vent emotions was used by the Yankees players in the dugout: in the 0:2 series deficit, they desperately needed such a grand slam to boost team morale.

Even the usually calm Girardi couldn't help but appear somewhat discomposed due to the overly excited emotions, even his pressure-induced gray hair was now in disarray.

"Good kid, good kid, the best decision I've made during my tenure with the Yankees is bringing you to the Bronx!" Girardi slaps Lin Guanglai's back with unmistakable joy on his face — Lin Guanglai's grand slam gave him hope, not just of coming back from two down in the series but also of earning a contract renewal with the Yankees.

"Terry, what do you think, should we replace Andrew and take him off the field?" Frankner's side, Indians' pitching coach Carl Willis asks.

His suggestion holds some merit: Although relief pitchers only need to pitch one or two innings per game, the physical and mental toll is not small, as they often face crisis situations needing to be defused.

With the confirmed outcome of Lin Guanglai's grand slam that hit the second tier stands, the Indians seem to have no further reason to keep Miller, who failed to defuse the situation, on the field; continuing to lose points might completely ruin the players' mindset, potentially affecting subsequent games negatively.

The Indians' bullpen reserves are far inferior to the Yankees, when it comes to fighting through bullpen strength, Miller's performance remains a vital outpost they can't afford to compromise.

After contemplating for a while, Terry Frankner eventually nods in agreement with his pitching coach's idea: "Then use other members from the bullpen to take Andrew off the field — if by the end of the seventh inning we're still trailing in the score, let's just abandon this game."

Having considered the current situation thoroughly, Frankner decisively made his decision, already beginning to consider how to breach Lin Guanglai's defense tomorrow night.

Upon another pitching change, the Indians finally captured the last out needed to end the bottom of the sixth inning from Gary Sanchez;

In the following top of the seventh inning, the heroic Tanaka Masahiro once again sent three up, three down, ending today's task perfectly with seven innings, seven strikeouts, giving up only three hits and no earned runs — as he left the field, Yankee Stadium's fans gave warm applause expressing admiration for Tanaka Masahiro.

For the Yankees team aiming to achieve great things, Tanaka Masahiro's revival is absolutely wonderful news: If they can turn the tables against the Indians to enter the National League Championship Series and even the World Series, within the seven-game series, the Lin Guanglai-Severino-Tanaka Masahiro-Cole-Sabathia five-man rotation, coupled with the league's strongest bullpen, the quality of the pitching lineup alone is enough to ensure they remain unbeatable.

After Tanaka Masahiro left the field, the Yankees continued using their winning formula for this season: Robertson in the eighth inning for setup, the Cuban Missile to close it in the ninth — ultimately, the score of the third game of this American League Division Series was set at 4:0, Lin Guanglai's grand slam powerfully struck against Smiley, pulling the Yankees back from the brink,

Less than 24 hours later, the fourth game of the series would be also played in this stadium, and tomorrow's starting pitcher candidate for the Yankees is the biggest hero of today's victory Lin Guanglai himself — like today, the fate of the Yankees remains in his hands.

Frank Sinatra's voice once again echoed throughout the stadium, with the crowd in the stands singing "New York, New York", reluctant to leave; in the field, Lin Guanglai was interviewing with the media while smiling and waving to thank the fans.

Regarding tomorrow and possibly the fifth decisive game, Lin Guanglai remains full of confidence.