Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 565 - 131: The Ultimate Showdown (Part 2)

Inaba Atsunori nodded and followed up with, "That's right, it's not just the Hanshin players, even us veterans who've been playing baseball for almost 20 years are stunned by this performance. During last night's third game at Yahoo Dome, the Hanshin Tigers played quite well too, but in the end, they were destroyed by that three-run homer... truly, truly don't know what to say anymore…"

The two Japanese baseball stars discussed the series match like this, yet no matter how the topic jumped, it always returned to Lin Guanglai.

This year's Japanese championship truly can be said to be a round that defies common sense: out of the three games completed, Lin Guanglai rested in the second game due to rotation and couldn't contribute to the victory, but in the other two games, he made the most crucial contributions to the victory, even holding the game on his own couldn't be overstated.

As the pre-game warm-up concluded, Sakurai Koji timely brought the discussion back to today's match: "Alright, we can see the starting pitcher for the SoftBank Team, Shetsu Shou, has stepped onto the mound—let's switch the camera to the field, the first half-inning of the whole match is about to begin!"

Amidst the applause of the home crowd, Shetsu Shou, who has served the SoftBank Team for 6 years and established great achievements, strode onto the mound; his calm gaze was fixed on the nearby home plate, seemingly unaffected by the enthusiastic atmosphere of the home crowd.

For today's game, Shetsu Shou took it with the mindset of it being the last game of his career—he wanted to use this victory to prove that he is still that pitcher with precise control and sharp variations, a pitcher who looks down upon all batters!

Faced with the desperate Hanshin Tigers, Wada Toyohiko also decided to give it his all today: he placed Matt Moton, who was previously in the fourth/fifth slot, in the leadoff position, aiming to give him more batting opportunities and ensure offensive strength.

Confronted by the aggressive and imposing Matt Moton, Shetsu Shou didn't balk at all—he was in an unusually excellent state today, decisively attacking the batter's inner corner right from the start and established a lead in pitch count.

In a 2-ball, 2-strike situation, Shetsu Shou used a cutter ball moving towards Moton's outside corner to entice a swing, causing him to hit a grounder towards third base, which was promptly picked up by Matsuda Naohiro and easily thrown to first base to complete the out.

The Hanshin Tigers' second batter remained in the tactical position filled by Kamotani Noriki, thanks to his excellent batting selection ability, he seized the opportunity to knock the ball into the center of the field—the baseball happened to fly over Imamiya Kenta's head, and by the time Yanagida Yuuki came forward to back up and control the ball, Kamotani Noriki had already made it to first base.

With one out and a runner on first base, beloved by Hanshin players and fans alike, Toriyama Kei faced Shetsu Shou, who hadn't competed for a while, posing quite a test for him.

The first pitch was once again a high-pressure fastball on the inside corner—although Shetsu Shou's speed of 147km/h wasn't fast, the control as it entered the plate was exceptionally precise; the baseball was almost sticking to Toriyama Kei's arm as it went in, making it impossible for him to swing comfortably;

Furthermore, once the baseball entered the plate, it also exhibited some lateral movement, turning what might have been called a ball into an undeniably good strike.

If it were Lin Guanglai standing on the mound, he would likely continue to apply pressure to Toriyama Kei; however, for Shetsu Shou and Hosokawa Kei, the pitcher-catcher duo whose techniques are completely different but more experienced, they began to concentrate more on the corners of the strike zone.

With Shetsu Shou's powerful control and advantage in the count, Hosokawa Kei demanded balls in the low and high outside corners consecutively, and soon acquired the necessary 2 strikes. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

As the count reached 1 ball, 2 strikes, behind the plate, Hosokawa Kei again placed his hand in the low outside position, fingers jumping between his legs to signal for a cutter ball.

On the mound, Shetsu Shou nodded slightly, then lifted his leg to drive his body forward, his arm swiftly swinging to release the ball, a cutter ball flew straight towards home plate.

Judging from Toriyama Kei's reaction, this choice clearly exceeded his expectations; but being behind with 2 strikes also made it impossible for him to watch the baseball enter the plate—after intense mental struggle, Toriyama Kei finally decided to swing at the incoming ball.

With a light sound, the baseball was hit precisely by the extended bat, but the follow-up power didn't fully transmit—ultimately, Toriyama Kei's cutter ball became a grounder towards second base, Honda Yuichi easily caught it, and with a light toss completed the out.

Having consecutively eliminated two batters, Shetsu Shou's momentum in the game visibly improved, even his face appeared more flushed on camera, vaguely reflecting the vigor he had in previous years.

Faced with the Hanshin Tigers' fourth heavy hitter Gomez, he no longer hesitated as he did during the climax battles, but rather continued pressuring the batter's strike zone, exploiting Gomez's high swing miss rate, quickly accumulating the strikes he needed.

With the count at 3 balls, 2 strikes, Shetsu Shou pitched a slider towards the outside corner, its horizontal and vertical movements controlled flawlessly, allowing the white ball to graze under Gomez's swinging bat and be caught by Hosokawa Kei in the catcher's seat.

The main umpire exaggeratedly mimicked a bow and arrow action while loudly announcing the result of the plate appearance:

"Swing and miss, batter out—teams switch fields!"

Almost simultaneous to the announcement, Shetsu Shou also let out a loud shout from the mound—every bit of pre-game tension, self-doubt, and worry were all melted away in that voice; the home crowd in the stands also cooperated well, promptly offering enthusiastic applause to the pitcher who had guarded the mound for years.

Surrounded by teammates, Shetsu Shou returned to the players' area with a relaxed smile.

Seeing his pupil whom he himself selected and promoted finally regained his long-lost confidence, Akiyama Koji's face also showed a pleased smile. He patted Shetsu Shou on the back and spoke softly:

"Ah Zheng, great job! Today's game relies on your performance—don't feel any pressure, just do what you think, pitch however you want!"

Nodding towards the respected supervisor, Shetsu Shou returned to the position on the bench; in his peripheral vision, Lin Guanglai was putting on his batting gear.

"Guanglai," taking a water bottle from the logistics staff and drinking a few sips, Shetsu Shou turned towards Lin Guanglai and quipped in a slightly teasing tone, "Don't forget what you promised me before the game, that you'd give your all to support me—I've been remembering that all along."

Lin Guanglai was first surprised, then burst into laughter, "Don't worry, Shetsu senior, when have I ever misled anyone—I always keep my word, today's game, I will definitely help you secure the victory!"