Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 556 - 127: Silent Koshien

If anyone comes to Koshien Stadium at this moment, they would surely think they are in the wrong place.

Before the game started, the Hanshin Tigers fans on the stands were constantly creating waves of noise, determined to go head-to-head with their opponents, but now they have sunk into deep silence.

This is not ordinary quiet; it's the kind of dead silence that comes after being crushed by absolute power, devoid of all sound.

The previous uproar of boos and cheers has vanished: on the iconic green stands of the dreamland, the yellow tide of fifty thousand people seems as if they were collectively silenced by a magic spell.

Now, they can only gaze blankly at the tall figure in black uniform in the center of the field, watching helplessly as he calmly turns around after effortlessly eliminating three of their own batters, and walks off the pitcher's mound.

On the giant scoreboard above the Koshien outfield, the game has gone through six innings, with a series of "0"s following the Hanshin Tigers logo.

Despite giving their all, Hanshin's batters find all their efforts futile in the face of the four-time championship level pitcher—they simply can't make a dent in Lin Guanglai's performance!

If it weren't for Mason Jie's stamina and significant suppressive ability on the mound today, the score wouldn't just be 2:0.

SoftBank's attacking opportunities today haven't been many either, but their ability to capitalize on chances is noticeably better than Hanshin's:

Apart from Lin Guanglai's initial solo home run, they seized a rare opportunity in the fifth inning, using small-ball tactics and consecutive hits to send a teammate back to home plate to score.

Though a two-run lead in baseball is as fragile as a piece of paper, given Lin Guanglai's performance today, SoftBank's players and fans have every reason to believe they're getting closer to their first victory in the Japan Series!

The top of the seventh inning marks SoftBank Team's offensive turn again, starting their batting order from Yanagida Yuuki, who's been acting as the leadoff today.

Mason Jie's stamina is strong indeed, but after all, he is merely human; as long as he's human, he will feel fatigue—especially since Hanshin often deploys him on a five-day or even four-day rotation. As this high-intensity duel enters its final stages, this giant pitcher's physical disadvantage gradually becomes apparent.

Facing Mason Jie's pitch driving towards his inner corner, Yanagida Yuuki keenly perceives the decline in the initial pitch speed and decisively swings his bat at the first ball: that inside fastball is precisely hit to the left-field direction, allowing him to easily reach first base, setting a good start for this inning's offense.

Second batter Imamiya Kenta continues his strategic battle role, executing a simple yet effective bunting sacrifice to advance Yanagida Yuuki to second base.

Third batter Nakagawa Seiichi battles with Mason Jie, pushing the count to two balls, two strikes. Then he seizes on Mason Jie's miscontrol of an outside slider, hitting the ball to create a favorable situation with one out and runners on first and third.

Lee Dae-ho follows promptly, likewise hitting the ball towards the outfield—though eventually, before the ball clears the field, Hanshin's center fielder Yamato uses skillful defense to make the catch, but the distance was sufficient for Yanagida Yuuki to run back to home plate.

Fourth batter Lee Dae-ho's high flying sacrifice fly, SoftBank Team scores another run at the top of the seventh, bringing the total score of the game to 3:0.

When Lin Guanglai walks to the batter's box for the third time in the game, there's still notable sound from the stands; however, listening carefully, one can discern a sense of exhausted emotions.

Obviously, Hanshin's home fans have become somewhat numb; they've been shocked by Lin Guanglai's performance and are now awed by it—and the apparent resistance is merely symbolic desperate resistance.

After all, with their team's offense completely suppressed and defense gradually crumbling, apart from trying their hand at some verbal force, they truly don't know what to do to defeat this monster-like youngster.

He is like a cold machine, executing predetermined programs of "striking out" and "home runs" with precision, continuously eroding the faith of Hanshin's fans.

Seeing the face in the batter's box, Mason Jie's expression becomes increasingly grim—as arguably the most reliable person of the team today, Mason Jie bears the heavy responsibility of not allowing further runs.

He must, like the previous second batting round, resolutely pressure Lin Guanglai, forcing him to chase those balls that can't be fully powered, to keep a glimmer of hope for his team to turn the tide.

The head referee gives the signal, and the head-to-head duel between pitcher and batter quickly commences.

The first ball: Mason Jie still chooses to pressure Lin Guanglai on the inner corner, unleashing a fastball at about 150 kilometers per hour towards the inside corner, which Lin Guanglai hits foul, sending it flying to the stands—the reaction from this pitch indicates Lin Guanglai's eagerness to swing this at-bat.

The second ball: an outside slider, Lin Guanglai remains unmoved and lets the ball pass. Indeed, after quite a bit of displacement, the baseball ultimately slides out of the strike zone, being ruled as a ball.