However, the Yankees also didn't want to keep entangling: as soon as Didi Gregorius received the baseball, his front foot gently tapped the second base bag, completing the out and swiftly sending the ball toward first base;

Facing the incoming ball, Bird stretched out his long legs almost to the limit, all to outpace the runner by just a step.

"Pop."

This is the sound of the baseball flying into Greg Bird's glove.

"Crack."

This is the sound of hearts breaking throughout Los Angeles Dodgers and their billions of fans.

"The game is over!!! Yankees win!!! Yankees win!!!"

Upon receiving the live broadcast signal, John Sterling in the studio instantly jumped up from his seat, roaring excitedly:

"The New York Yankees, they are the 2017 season MLB World Series champions! In this thrilling October, on the ruins of past glory, the Evil Empire returns as kings—along the way, these young men defeated the Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Dodgers, three hundred-win teams, all these almighty Galaxy Battleships, crushed underfoot by the New York Yankees! This is the 28th World Series championship for the Yankees, but I imagine it won't be their last! These young men will conquer the world in the future!"

And at Yankee Stadium, with the umpire's "three outs, the game is over" ruling, Lin Guanglai on the pitcher's mound felt overwhelmed by sheer joy, instinctively throwing away the cap on his head and the glove in his left hand; just as he wanted to celebrate with his teammates, he was lifted up by Gary Sanchez who rushed forwards, then swarmed by teammates pouring in from all parts of the field.

The stands erupted with equally deafening cheers, wave after wave, as if the fans would flood onto the field to celebrate the championship moment if not for the barrier.

Once the surge of joy had calmed a bit, the Yankees players headed into the player tunnel and returned to the locker room to rest for a bit—once the awards podium was set up on the field, they would re-emerge to enjoy a most satisfying moment of glory in their lives.

Yet even in the locker room, the Yankees players who had won the World Series couldn't hide their excitement and joy; despite the rather chilly weather in New York at the end of October, these men were gathered together, singing, dancing, and reveling in delight.

In the corner of the locker room, Brett Gardner and Sabathia, the veterans who were part of the team eight years ago, were probably reflecting the most on this moment.

"I never thought I'd ever raise this trophy myself in my lifetime... I thought the team would need rebuilding this season and my job was to guide the rookies. Who knew, at the tail end of my career, I'd get such an opportunity; fate sure is..."

Gazing at the screen showing the trophy placed right at the center of Yankee Stadium, glistening under the lights, Sabathia shook his head repeatedly, marveling at the rapid passage of time and the whims of fate.

His teammate, Gardner, echoed his sentiments: "Indeed. In 2009, I was 26, just finishing my first full season in the Major League... I felt fortunate to win the championship as a key player of the team at the time. Now, it seems my luck might just be starting?"

Casting a glance across the youthful faces in the locker room, Sabathia's gaze eventually settled on Lin Guanglai, surrounded by several young players, slowly he said: "Ultimately, we need to thank Lin, thank him for choosing the Yankees, choosing us... Brett, honestly, without him, I don't think we'd have had such a perfect outcome this season, do you agree?"

"Yeah, I agree with you, CC..." Gardner nodded in agreement, "Lin's arrival changed everything. Because he was on the mound, we could go all out on offense; because he was in our lineup, we could capitalize on every baserun... Honestly, we faced three consecutive hundred-win teams, and if we were really without him, the outcome probably would've been different."

At this point, the two old teammates shared a knowing look, then burst into hearty laughter; that laughter was ultimately drowned out by the boisterous noise in the locker room.

The podium was ready, as instructed by the staff, the Yankees players, donned in specially made championship commemorative T-shirts, began emerging from the player tunnel one by one, drawing thunderous cheers from the audience upon each entrance;

And when Lin Guanglai walked out of the player tunnel, raising his hands to greet the fans in the stands, he was met with even louder cheers.

The Yankees players took their place on the podium one after the other, Lin Guanglai unsurprisingly got pulled to the center position; after speeches from team owner Hal Steinbrenner, manager Brian Cashman, and head coach Joe Girardi, that coveted World Series championship trophy finally made its way into his hands.

As the greatest contributor to the New York Yankees' 2017 season victory, the entire team unanimously agreed to let Lin Guanglai enjoy this honor of holding the trophy; after receiving the trophy, Lin Guanglai began his low-pitched "chant," with the live audience joining in eagerly:

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—"

As the trophy in Lin Guanglai's hand was lifted high above his head, the cheers reached a peak—if a seismic monitoring agency checked Yankee Stadium, they'd find a mini earthquake occurring!

The confetti rained down from behind the podium, the victory anthem "New York, New York" blared from the speakers once more, Lin Guanglai passed the trophy to Aaron Judge beside him, beaming with joy, and he was led by the host to the front of the stage.

"The MVP of the 2017 World Series, without a doubt—Lin Guanglai, this trophy is yours!"

This season's World Series MVP trophy was also redesigned, now featuring a bronze representation of Willie Mays' catching pose, honoring the greatest outfielder of history for his exceptional contributions to baseball—meaning Lin Guanglai is the first ever athlete to hold the Willie Mays trophy.

With the entire team cheering fervently, Lin Guanglai reached out and grabbed one of Willie Mays' legs, while resting the other hand on the base, lifting the hefty trophy high above his head once again, sparking another round of cheers from the audience.

"Lin, this is your first season in the United States; you've won three championships in Japan, and now you've become a World Series champion, World Series MVP, and could very well win a Cy Young award and American League MVP... How do you feel about achieving these unbelievable accomplishments?"

Receiving the microphone from the host, Lin Guanglai barely managed to suppress his excitement as he slowly spoke: "I remember, during the press conference when I joined the Yankees, I made a promise to the fans in New York..."

"I said, I would bring championships to this city, this team, more than one, not just two, not just three... but many, many more! Now, this first championship is dedicated to everyone who has supported us..."

"But I hope you're ready because next season's world champion is also reserved for us Yankees!"

The excitement at the venue grew even larger, tonight in New York, there was probably no one who could sleep peacefully.