"The outcome of this game is already beyond doubt..."

As the Yankees players concluded their offensive half of the eighth inning and returned to their dugout with radiant smiles, the legendary Yankees commentator John Sterling remarked this in the broadcast booth.

Although there was still the top of the ninth inning to be played, meaning the Yankees hadn't clinched the World Series championship with absolute certainty, Yankees fans around the world had already begun celebrating:

Just look at the bewildered expressions on the Dodgers players on the field, standing there like statues, the sparkle gone from their eyes — even the Dodgers players themselves likely didn't believe they could defeat the New York Yankees and bring the series back to Los Angeles...

And as the top of the ninth inning arrived with Lin Guanglai taking the mound once more, ready to pitch again, the entire Yankee Stadium of over fifty thousand fans stood up and applauded, cheering for their young star.

In the VIP stands of Yankee Stadium, whether it was the immensely wealthy moguls, the celebrities of the fame game, or the legends who had achieved numerous feats in this stadium, they also rose to their feet and applauded Lin Guanglai.

It was only when Lin Guanglai was ready and about to pitch that the applause gradually subsided; many of the home fans held their breath, afraid to disturb Lin Guanglai's pitching.

Meanwhile, in the home dugout on the first-base side, none of the Yankees players on the bench could sit still, all leaning against the railing, ready to charge onto the field as soon as the game ended.

On the mound, Lin Guanglai glanced at the Dodgers batter in the batter's box, who had been substituted in, Joc Pederson — in the second game of the series, it was he who hit a home run off Severino, tying the series score for the Dodgers.

After exchanging signals with catcher Gary Sanchez, Lin Guanglai slightly nodded, and in the next moment, the baseball flew out of his fingertips: even though this was Lin Guanglai's ninth inning of pitching in this game, his velocity was only slightly down from the start of the game, still maintaining above 155 km/h.

Facing the incoming pitch, Pederson, on high alert, responded forcefully, choosing to swing his bat directly at Lin Guanglai; however, as his bat connected with the baseball, the numbness and tingling in his hands made it impossible for him to continue his swing; the baseball he hit trembled and wobbled, slowly rolling towards second base.

With readiness, Starlin Castro swiftly rushed towards the direction of the ball, securely catching the ball into his glove. He then lightly tossed the baseball to the first baseman, tagging out Pederson before he could reach the base.

"Two more!" Seeing Pederson tagged out, Lin Guanglai immediately raised two fingers to his teammates behind him and shouted loudly to remind them.

Now, Yankee Stadium seemed like it was in the midst of a storm, with fans in the stands so excited and elated that they were nearly losing their minds; to prevent his teammates from being affected by this atmosphere, Lin Guanglai had to take such action.

Perhaps affected by this feverish atmosphere, facing the Dodgers' leadoff batter Chris Taylor, who appeared immediately afterward, Lin Guanglai issued his third walk of the game — and suddenly, Yankee Stadium fell silent once more.

Behind home plate, Gary Sanchez used his eyes to ask Lin Guanglai if he wanted a timeout, nodding only after receiving a negative response and continuing to crouch down; behind Lin Guanglai, the infield teammates signaled loudly for him to pitch freely, assuring him they would intercept any ball.

Feeling the continuous support from the entire team and the fans, Lin Guanglai on the mound took a deep breath and sent the baseball toward Corey Seager in the left batter's box — at this potentially decisive moment of the entire season, Lin Guanglai chose a cutter to press the inside corner against the batter as his response.

"Thud—!!!" Corey Seager decisively swung his bat, but almost simultaneously as the baseball and bat made contact, Seager's light wood-colored bat broke into two under the immense pressure from the baseball;

The broken bat head flew toward third base, with wood splinters fluttering in the air, while the struck baseball wobbled, wobbled, rolling toward the pitcher's mound.

And there stood Lin Guanglai, who almost instantly responded: he swiftly bent down, opened his glove, and positioned himself toward the rolling baseball;

With a "pop," the baseball rolled into the glove, and Lin Guanglai quickly stood up, launching the ball toward Didi Gregorius, who was poised at second base.

Between first and second base, Chris Taylor was sprinting desperately, and so was Seager between home and first base — as long as one of them could reach the base before the ball arrived, the Dodgers would still retain hope...