Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 651 - 12: An Atypical Forkball Showdown

"Lin, no matter how many times I watch that forkball, it's still disgusting. How did you come up with such a pitch?!"

As the young Aaron Judge walked into the players' locker room at George Steinbrenner Field, he heard Luis Severino's loud exclamation as soon as he stepped through the door; and when he looked in the direction of the voice, this is what he saw:

Yankees fans' highly anticipated star pitcher Luis Severino was currently gathered around an Asian face with an incredulous expression; aside from him, several main bullpen players and some lower league pitchers who were promoted during spring training shared the same expression as Severino.

Aaron Judge clearly remembered how, just over a week ago, this friend of his had sent him a private message, grumbling about the team's higher-ups going through so much trouble to sign Lin Guanglai as "redundant," and as a pitcher nurtured by the Yankees, he claimed he would "show that Asian guy a thing or two"...

As someone who was once Severino's teammate in the lower leagues, Aaron Judge knew his friend's personality well. Being a prodigy who was promoted to the Major League in his early 20s, he was quite proud.

So, what exactly happened in the pitchers and catchers training that started early last week that could cause such a huge change in Luis Severino? 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Sevy, that's not my problem—after all, I showed you my grip and how I release it. You can't blame me if you can't learn it yourself, can you?" Lin Guanglai shrugged helplessly with a smile, not forgetting to tease him a little, "After all, when you can barely throw a basic forkball, it doesn't seem likely you'd master the forkball-slider, right?"

After a week of getting to know each other, Lin Guanglai had roughly understood his teammate's temperament: although Severino initially displayed an aggressive and unapproachable attitude when he first arrived, in reality, he was a really straightforward person. After witnessing Lin's true skills during training, he quickly adjusted his attitude and became friendly.

His words were echoed by the other pitchers and catchers around him, especially the upcoming season's appointed catcher Gary Sanchez, who didn't hold back from laughing at Severino, saying:

"Sevy, rather than mastering that magic pitch, you might want to sort out your control issues first—don't get sent back to the minors for a tune-up after just a few games in the Major League next season, hahahaha!!!"

The room instantly filled with joviality, and even Aaron Judge, who had just entered the locker room, couldn't help but chuckle at Gary Sanchez's tone.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, CC Sabathia was also welcoming the return of an old friend.

"How's Lin doing with my number 13 jersey? Cashman couldn't wait to give it to him as soon as I retired. I want to see if this Asian guy is as impressive as the media claims."

The speaker was none other than Alex Rodriguez, who had just retired after last season. As a three-time MVP, 10-time Silver Slugger, and two-time Gold Glove winner, he was invited back by the Yankees this spring training for special coaching, guiding the younger players in batting and defense.

When A-Rod posed the question, Sabathia didn't hold back, expressing his opinion in an exaggerated manner: "Damn, I've played in the Major League for almost 20 years, and this is the first time I've seen such a formidable young player—especially those two forkball-related pitches of his. Let me put it this way, Alex, even in your prime, you might not be able to hit them!"

Having said that, the grin on Sabathia's face grew wider as he patted his former teammate on the shoulder, teasing him: "Maybe Cashman letting Lin wear the number 13 jersey is a good thing for you; after all, if he keeps up his performance, sticks with the Yankees, racks up some stats, and wins a few championships, he might get a jersey retirement ceremony in twenty years—since you won't have that honor, if the number 13 jersey hangs over the Bronx, you'd still have some participation, hehe..."

Due to the doping scandal and off-field behavior in the past two years, even though A-Rod accumulated top honors and stats in his Yankees career and was a vital part of winning a World Series, the Yankees, who have always valued their players' personal character, are unlikely to retire his jersey permanently.

Rodriguez cast a glare at Sabathia, wisely choosing not to say anything—it's a sensitive topic that only the well-liked CC would dare bring up in front of him.

"Let me see just how impressive this Lin really is," Alex Rodriguez remarked, walking away with long strides, leaving Sabathia standing there alone.

After watching A-Rod disappear from view, Sabathia slowly made his way back to the locker room, his eyes lighting up at the first sight of Lin Guanglai:

"Lin, let me tell you, guess who I just bumped into..."

With the return of the position players marking the official start of the New York Yankees' pre-season training camp for the 2017 season, it also meant that Lin Guanglai's daily training schedule would now include a new routine focusing on batting practice.