Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 558 - 128: Tonight, a Legend Is Born

"Hmm... we can see that Lin Guanglai is still on the field. It looks like Akiyama Koji is planning to let him pitch the entire game? This really is..."

Seeing Lin Guanglai still putting on his batting gear on camera, the commentator is already at a loss for words - throughout this game, he has used so many words to describe Lin Guanglai's performance that he truly doesn't know what to say now.

The first showdown of the 2014 Japan Series is now just one inning away from finishing: at the Hanshin Tigers' home ground, Koshien Stadium, Japan's greatest baseball holy land, tonight indisputably belongs to Lin Guanglai -

So far, with 18 strikeouts and two home runs in a single game, this performance challenges the centuries-old conventions of baseball; today's Hanshin Tigers, in some sense, could be said to have lost only to Lin Guanglai himself, as his extraordinary contributions on both offense and defense are the SoftBank Team's biggest asset in coming so close to winning the first game.

As the NHK commentator said, tonight at Koshien, is like a celestial god playing baseball in jersey number 21; such a performance can only be achieved by a once-in-a-millennium monster!

For the Hanshin fans still in the stadium watching the game, losing today means their home field advantage as the host is already gone, and at this point, what they are thinking may no longer be just about winning this game or even the entire series.

Losing a game in such a manner is definitely a devastating blow to the team's morale; similarly, winning a game in this way will inevitably cause SoftBank's momentum to skyrocket - in such a scenario of rising and falling fortunes, the biggest worry for these Hanshin Tigers fans is whether they will have the chance to see the two teams face each other again at Koshien after tomorrow's game ends.

With such form heading to Fukuoka, to the Yahoo Dome, do they really have a chance to drag the series to at least a sixth game? Even the most optimistic Hanshin fan, the one with the most confidence in their team, probably can't give a definite answer now...

Dark clouds loom over Koshien Stadium, bringing a sense of gloom to Hanshin Tigers fans; and it's in this setting that the ninth inning has arrived.

With their own team holding a large lead, the SoftBank players at bat appear very relaxed, and naturally, their hits aren't as cautious as they were at the start of the game.

The Central League Climax Series MVP, the Korean closer replacing Mason Jie, Wu Shenghuan, also quickly takes action, consecutively striking out Nakagawa Seiichi and his compatriot Lee Dae-ho, quickly securing two outs.

Then, Lin Guanglai once again steps into the batter's box in today's game.

Like his previous two teammates who were out, Lin Guanglai also doesn't bat as cautiously this time, swinging and missing twice right away, putting himself at a disadvantage with 0 balls and 2 strikes.

A smattering of applause comes from the stands, the last bit of pride from the home fans - if this scene had occurred at the start of the game, the Hanshin fans at Koshien would probably have raised a ruckus, tearing a hole in the sky?

Seeing Lin Guanglai just one strike away from being out, the commentator in the studio begins to prematurely offer a summary for this game:

"For the Hanshin Tigers, I think they need to quickly adjust their mindset after today's game. I believe Hanshin's players shouldn't be discouraged, today's game was definitely abnormal..."

"Rather than losing to SoftBank, they simply lost to Lin Guanglai alone - sometimes, we have to admit, perhaps a certain night just belongs to a certain player - with 2 home runs and 18 strikeouts in a single game, this performance goes far beyond our imagination of baseball..."

"Instead of getting stuck in today's painful defeat, it's better to think about what to do in tomorrow night's game - considering that Lin Guanglai is likely to rest tomorrow, that's absolutely a good opportunity for Hanshin Tigers to even the score! Considering that from the third game on, all three consecutive games will be played in Fukuoka, a 1:1 score and 0:2 are completely different concepts..."

While the commentator speaks, Lin Guanglai selects an outside high fastball from Wu Shenghuan, making the count 1 ball and 2 strikes.

"Hmm, Wu Shenghuan's outside pitch wasn't controlled well and was picked by Lin Guanglai, but it doesn't matter, I suppose this half-inning will soon... um, let's see this pitch!!!"

Before the commentator can finish speaking, Wu Shenghuan delivers the ball towards home plate, targeting Lin Guanglai's strike zone low and inside, seemingly intending to strike him out with this pitch.

This inside pitch seems to squeeze the batting angle and mechanism of a left-handed hitter, but for Lin Guanglai, this is the pitch he least fears!

With a smooth motion, he steps forward with his front foot, rotates his waist, and swings the bat with elegance and strength - in the camera's view, every swing of his bat seems effortless.

His eyes fix straight on the incoming ball; in Lin Guanglai's sight, the baseball seems to slow down and enlarge, even the seams' rotations are faintly visible.