Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 497 - 99: Saturation Bombardment

Back in the players’ area, after high-fiving and celebrating with his teammates, Lin Guanglai walked over to Yanagida Yuuki with a grin, "Brother Yuuki, I’ve done what I said I would do before the game, now it’s up to you!"

Yanagida Yuuki glanced at him a bit annoyed, without saying a word—hitting a home run off a giant pitcher like Kaneko Chiharu is no easy task!

Lin Guanglai was able to hit a home run off Kaneko Chiharu not just because of his outstanding skills, but also partly because the game had just started and the opponent hadn’t fully settled into the game.

It is foreseeable that after being hit by Lin Guanglai’s tying solo shot right at the start, Kaneko Chiharu and Orix’s defense players will be more cautious in the forthcoming game, leaving SoftBank’s batters with fewer opportunities.

Being targeted by a pitcher with an average speed of 144km/h, a top speed of 154km/h, along with highly refined ball control, is not a pleasant feeling...

However, how could a man admit he can’t do it? Even if he really can’t, you should at least talk tough when needed.

Yanagida Yuuki snorted and then threw down a challenge to Lin Guanglai, "Just wait and see, Guanglai—I’ll definitely hit a homer off Senior Kaneko in this game. You’re the leadoff hitter, winning first doesn’t count as winning, we should compete on who scores more RBIs in the end."

Having just hit a home run, Lin Guanglai was in high spirits, so he naturally agreed to the bet, "Alright then, let’s compete on who can score more RBIs in this game..."

At that point, he felt the bet was missing something, so he quickly added, "The loser... hmm... the loser should treat the other to a meal, and the place will be decided by the winner!"

"Alright! It’s a deal then—humph, Guanglai, since you’ve said that, I’ll have no choice but to make you spend..." As if fearing Lin Guanglai would back out, Yanagida Yuuki immediately agreed to the proposal.

Just as Yanagida Yuuki predicted, Lin Guanglai’s solo home run served as a wake-up call for Orix, and Kaneko Chiharu’s form quickly recovered:

The three batters who followed Lin Guanglai took the stage one after another, only to be struck out by Kaneko. Especially in a 2-2 count, the amazing vertical slider that struck out Lee Dae-ho was replayed several times on the broadcast signal.

When it was SoftBank’s turn to defend, their players were not to be outdone: especially Okajima Hideki, who started today, seemed to relive his peak moments with exceptionally high-quality pitches, the change of pace leaving Orix’s batters struggling—in a confrontation spanning 8 consecutive balls, Okajima Hideki struck out Orix’s ninth batter, catcher Ito Mitsuo, with a high inside breaking ball, ending the inning with three up, three down.

In the bottom of the second inning, last season’s hit king, placed in the fifth spot by Coach Akiyama Koji this season, Hasegawa Yu, continued his consistent excellent hitting form, hitting a double to right field on the first pitch, quickly helping the team gain a scoring position advantage.

"Kaneko’s suppression power feels much worse today than usual..." Yanagida Yuuki said to Lin Guanglai as he put on his gear, watching the ongoing game on the field.

Lin Guanglai thought for a moment and offered his opinion, "Is it because their coach Moriwaki Koji adjusted the starting rotation? Originally, Kaneko’s rotation day should be synchronized with mine..."

"Hmm, you’re making a good point, Guanglai—if that’s the case, then I must help the team regain the score!" Yanagida Yuuki nodded, his expression becoming more spirited, eagerly grabbing the bat and heading to the on-deck circle.

Before long, the opportunity he was waiting for came: the sixth batter, Matsuda Dou, didn’t manage to get a hit, but he hit the ball far enough, allowing Hasegawa Yu to advance to third base.

Now, with just a simple hit, Yanagida Yuuki could not only tie Lin Guanglai’s RBI but also give the team the crucial run to move ahead.

However, under the well-coordinated partnership of the longtime battery Kaneko Chiharu and Ito Mitsuo, Yanagida Yuuki’s eagerness to attack was entirely captured, quickly falling into a 0-2 count dilemma.

But on the next pitch, the usually stable Kaneko Chiharu made a slight control miscue, which was precisely captured by Yanagida Yuuki—

"Yanagida Yuuki, a single! This ball completely pierces through Orix’s infield defense! Hasegawa Yu also takes off right away; this ball has no issues at all!"

"No doubt the lineup with the strongest firepower in the league, managing to pull ahead in just two and a half innings against the opponent!"

Amid the passionate commentary in the broadcast studio at Yahoo Dome, the stands below also erupted with thunderous cheers from SoftBank fans; in the home fans’ cheers, Yanagida Yuuki stood on first base and gave a "yeah" towards Lin Guanglai in the dugout—evidently, this was his response to Lin Guanglai.