Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 509 - 105: Facing the Giants

As the schedule entered mid-May, it was once again time for the annual exchange matches. Prior to the start of these matches, the SoftBank Team proactively adjusted the team’s rhythm. They were temporarily leading the Nippon Ham Fighters by 6 wins, and there was only a 2-win gap between them and the current leader, the Orix Buffaloes, maintaining their ranking while continuing to apply sustained pressure on the latter.

Though exchange matches often don’t significantly affect internal league rankings, Akiyama Koji still showed considerable attention:

On one hand, no gain is too small, and although a mid-season event championship may not be of great use, it can indeed positively boost team morale and player condition. For example, last year’s slow-start SoftBank Team got back on track with its exchange match victory.

On the other hand, the opponents during exchange matches are relatively unfamiliar, and a slight oversight can easily lead to a loss of momentum, causing rankings to plummet this month. Just like last year’s Seibu Lions, who led the Pacific League before the exchange matches but fell to Class B afterwards, barely making it to the postseason finale.

This year, unlike last year, SoftBank doesn’t have a particular obsession with winning the climax series, but it doesn’t mean they have no desires; at the very least, continuing to close the gap with Orix over this month remains their main objective.

Especially after the schedule was announced and SoftBank’s first series opponent was identified, Akiyama Koji brought out the strongest starting lineup:

This evening, Lin Guanglai, who has started 7 games this season with 5 wins and an ERA just over 1, will serve as the starting pitcher; for the batting order, the "Billion-Yen Batting Line" is arranged in a formidable display of power.

The reason for this is simple: in Akiyama Koji’s expectation, today’s opponent is the SoftBank Team’s biggest imaginary adversary in this season’s ambition for supremacy—

That’s right, SoftBank Team’s first exchange match opponent is none other than the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants.

Currently the oldest existing professional baseball club, the Yomiuri Giants stands in Japan on par with the Major League’s New York Yankees, soccer’s Real Madrid, and basketball’s Boston Celtics as the symbol of Japanese baseball, the "elite of elites."

In various nationwide surveys over the years, whether it’s the "most beloved team" or the "most hated team" list, the Giants consistently rank at the top:

The reason for the love is the Giants’ secret to "constant victory": holding the belief that "professional baseball players should be role models for Japanese salaried workers," the Giants employ strict military-like management, forming a disciplined team that’s difficult to defeat.

The history of Nippon Professional Baseball with the most Japan’s Number One titles, the most Central League victories, and the longest non-championship drought since its establishment being just 3 years, it’s also the only team among the 12 clubs to have achieved 9 consecutive Japan’s Number One titles.

On the flip side, the Giants’ unpopularity stems from their habit of using financial power to snatch star players from small clubs who have invested vast resources in these stars; historically, the Giants have even leveraged their significant influence on professional baseball to change league rules in their favor.

But setting these factors aside, for players fighting in Nippon Professional Baseball, becoming a member of the "Giant Army" is a lifetime dream for most of them:

Players targeted by the Giants always receive an offer so rich it’s hard to refuse, including not only visible figures but also significant invisible income both inside and outside the field.

The Giants possess the highest number of top sponsorships with the highest quality in all of Nippon Professional Baseball, all deeply bonded partnerships. Becoming a Giants player means coming into the view of these sponsors, who absolutely prefer them preferentially in sponsorship considerations.

Simultaneously, Giants’ merchandise sales long account for more than 30% of the total sales of the 12 Nippon Professional Baseball clubs, sometimes nearing half in certain years—this monopolistic market share allows Giants players to earn considerably more dividends compared to other clubs.

The core, irreplaceable advantage of the Giants lies in their parent group, Yomiuri Shimbun. With the trump cards of "Yomiuri Shimbun" and Nippon TV, the Giants boast unmatched exposure, extensively deployed promotional channels, and a massive "general fan" base, making them a "national representative" known by all of Japan.

Lucrative salaries, championship titles, media exposure far exceeding other clubs... any one of these is a difficult-to-refuse condition, and the Giants can offer all three simultaneously—imagine, who could turn down such an invitation? 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"No matter how many times I come to Tokyo Dome, I can’t help but marvel, truly Giants are Giants..." Lin Guanglai muttered with a sigh in the visitor’s locker room at Tokyo Dome as he gazed around at the "magnificent" facilities.

"Indeed, not only is the visitor’s locker room luxuriously furnished, but all the snacks and drinks provided are from big brands—for God’s sake, Tokyo folks really have money!" Sitting beside Lin Guanglai, Yanagida Yuuki expressed a similar sentiment; however, as a fervent Hiroshima Toyo fan, he didn’t have much goodwill toward the Giants, who often poached their stars.