Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 586 - 142: A Little Dual Swordsmanship Shock for the World (Part 2)

"I'll do my best," Lin Guanglai simply replied as he took off his white Japan Team jersey—since his birthday is on February 14th, he chose the number 14 for the Japan National Team.

Watching Harper's gradually retreating back, Yamada Tetsuro, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up and asked, "What did you just talk about? You seemed to be chatting quite happily... My English is poor, and I couldn't understand a word from start to finish."

"Nothing much, he just asked me when I can go to the Major League. I guess striking him out once or twice wasn't enough; seems like he's a bit greedy," Lin Guanglai shook his head and replied; but soon, he seized on half of Yamada Tetsuro's sentence to tease him: "Brother Zhe Ren, see, isn't this where knowledge comes in handy? Take my advice, you really need to learn a foreign language..."

After the opening game in Naha, the players of both teams left Okinawa Island and headed north to bustling Tokyo—at the Tokyo Dome, the home of the Yomiuri Giants, a three-game series between the Japan National Team and the Major League All-Stars would begin; afterwards, they would head to Hokkaido and Osaka to present a match for the fans in the other two metropolitan areas.

After a day of rest, the flames of the Japan-US exchange game reignited. With the experience of the first game, neither the supervisor Kohkubo Yuuki and his coaching staff nor the selected players were as timid as before; the Japan National Team's goal is simple now, to win the series championship for the first time in 24 years since 1990!

In the second game, the starting pitcher was Kaneko Chiharu from Orix, who during this season achieved 16 wins, 199 strikeouts, and an impressive ERA of just 1.98, undoubtedly one of the best-performing pitchers; much like Lin Guanglai last season, if not for a major obstacle, both the MVP and Eiji Sawamura Award should have been his accolades.

As for the adjustments among batters, Maru Yoshihiro from the Hiroshima Toyo Carp replaced Yanagida Yuuki as the center fielder in this game, while Lin Guanglai took up the role of designated hitter.

Before the game started, on the open ground of the Tokyo Dome, Bryce Harper seemed to latch onto Lin Guanglai once again: "What a pity, if you're not playing this game, it feels a bit pointless..."

"Who told you I'm not playing?" Lin Guanglai looked at him with a puzzled expression, then pointed to the scoreboard above the outfield: "Do you see the words under the fifth batter? That's me!"

It was Harper's turn to be surprised, and he asked incredulously: "Wait, aren't you a pitcher? Why are you also going to bat as a DH? Even if Japanese baseball is not as good as American baseball, it surely doesn't need the pitcher as a DH, right?"

"Well, is there a possibility..." Lin Guanglai, finding Harper's demeanor amusing but needing to explain patiently: "Is there a possibility, in fact, that I'm a dual-player, and that pitching and hitting are both my jobs?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Harper shook his head repeatedly at Lin Guanglai's answer, "Do you think you're Babe Ruth? And even if Ruth were reborn, he would never challenge being a two-way player in modern baseball, that's completely absurd!"

Seeing that he couldn't convince Harper, Lin Guanglai shrugged noncommittally, "Believe it or not, I didn't tell a single lie. I truly am a dual-player."

"And I'm not the only one in Japan..." As he said this, he pointed at another tall figure, Ohtani Shohai, "Do you see that big guy? He's a dual-player too."

Harper's expression was already numb, he shook his head repeatedly and sighed: "Crazy, crazy, are all Japanese people crazy?! Trying to challenge dual-roles in modern baseball, you should know that it might just lead to doing poorly in both, right?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Lin Guanglai nodded and replied: "I know, but at least for now I've done pretty well, haven't I? Bryce, standing before you is last season's four-time pitcher crown in Nippon Professional Baseball, league MVP, and Eiji Sawamura Award winner, all of which I achieved as a dual-player, so there's nothing surprising about it, the world needs someone to challenge the impossible."

"Besides..." Lin Guanglai patted Harper's shoulder, "You'll see soon enough whether my hitting is up to par, won't you?"

The starting pitcher for the Major League All-Stars today is a familiar face to Japanese fans: Iwakuma Hisashi, formerly of the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, now the ace starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners.

During his tenure in Nippon Professional Baseball, he achieved 21 wins in 2008, becoming the first player to achieve such a feat in the 21st century; even in the U.S., he's still among the best, racking up 15 wins in the just-concluded season.

Especially with his exceptionally outstanding control ability, which has been unanimously recognized by baseball media worldwide: during his time in Nippon Professional Baseball, Iwakuma Hisashi had a career walk rate of 1.99, and was regarded by Major League scouts as having control "far superior to Yu Darvish."

And his pitch arsenal mainly includes four-seam and two-seam fastballs with an average speed around 145 km/h, as well as forkballs, curveballs, and two types of sliders that differ in speed and variation.

It's worth mentioning that Iwakuma Hisashi's fast forkball has been a top-notch killer move since his days in Japan and can still be considered "top-notch" even in the Major League, recognized by scouts, general managers, and players as one of the best put-away pitches.

Out of respect for this Japanese pride, the Japan National Team has also shown the highest respect for him, fielding all their main players in the lineup.

The first inning was uneventful, with both sides exploring each other, neither team's batters managed to make waves: the Japan Team was retired in order, while the Major League All-Stars had Altuve hit a single, leaving one stranded on base.

In the top of the second inning, after Matsuda Naohiro, the fourth batter, was out before reaching first base, Lin Guanglai entered the batter's box amidst enthusiastic cheers from the audience at the Tokyo Dome.

Due to the game taking place in Tokyo, to support the players, the organizers had brought in members of the Waseda Industries brass band; in front of his juniors, Lin Guanglai, as their senior, was determined to put on a good show.

In the visiting team's dugout on the third base side, Bryce Harper was leaning over the railing, watching the center of the field intently—he was indeed curious about Lin Guanglai's hitting skills, given his experience over the years made him skeptical of someone being skilled in both pitching and hitting at a professional level.

On the pitcher's mound, Iwakuma Hisashi made his move; in the next second, he sent the baseball rushing towards Lin Guanglai's inside corner.

In the batter's box, Lin Guanglai took decisive action without hesitation, keeping his gaze fixed on the incoming ball, opting for a powerful swing on the first pitch!

"Crack——!!!" The baseball connected perfectly with his bat, soaring high towards the Tokyo Dome's roof before forming a perfect arc just right to land in the right outfield stands where the brass band members were located.

Watching Lin Guanglai on the field waving to the crowd and running the bases energetically, Harper on the bench was already dumbfounded:

"No way, dude, you really can hit?!"