Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 659 - 15: Youth Has No Limits (Part 2)

Compared to those elite super pitchers, his arsenal of pitch types, which consisted only of a fastball, rapid forkball, and a half-formed slider, was indeed far too shallow.

Though his fast forkball was at an elite level, once his intentions were uncovered and failed to deceive Major League-level hitters, Kousman would be at a loss, forced to concede many hits and runs.

Additionally, his pitching stability was lacking, easily swayed by umpire decisions, leading to emotional outbursts.

These weaknesses were points Lin Guanglai could exploit at this at-bat.

At the start of the showdown, Lin Guanglai resolutely engaged in a battle with Kousman: He naturally ignored obvious bad balls, and any ball that might invade his strike zone was almost always fouled off — back and forth, he tangled with him for a good 5 to 6 balls, and Kousman on the mound visibly grew irritated, causing slight fluctuations in his pitches.

"Ball! Full count, 3 balls and 2 strikes!" The umpire first lightly pointed his right hand, then announced the current situation on the field.

Across a distance of nearly 20 meters, Lin Guanglai couldn't hear what Kousman was murmuring; but judging by his expression and constantly moving lips, it probably wasn't anything pleasant.

"If you keep complaining about the calls, I'll have to eject you from the game!" It was only after the umpire gave a solemn warning that Kousman returned to the mound.

The stands at Oriole Park stirred with unrest, evidently the umpire's actions also somewhat disgruntled the home crowd.

This minor commotion in turn somewhat affected the players' mentality; Kousman's emotions, once stirred, became increasingly agitated, causing his pitching to lack the smoothness it had at the start.

His specialty, the rapid forkball, happens to be one of the pitches that most tests the pitcher's control — imagine a pitcher whose mindset is disrupted by on-field commotion and loses balance, what would his forkball turn into?

Lin Guanglai gave the answer with his bat — facing this mis-pitched ball that was meant to fall out of the strike zone but entered home plate in the lower-middle strike zone, Lin Guanglai did not hesitate, swinging all-out and making pinpoint contact with the ball.

"Thwack—!!!" A crisp sound exploded in the entire Oriole Park sky, as the home fans clad in black, white, and orange jerseys fell silent, gazing at the soaring white sphere.

Oriole Park's design closely follows that of Yankee Stadium, especially with the distance from right field to home plate being a mere 93 meters — for left-handed batter Lin Guanglai, it's practically tailor-made!

Amid the Orioles fans' wide-eyed and slack-jawed expressions, the baseball flew out of the infield, finally landing deep in the stands, causing a ripple of waves.

"Hahaha, speak of the devil and he's here! Lin Guanglai, in his career debut at-bat, hits a solo homer with the first run of the game — the Japanese prodigy declares himself to the world! This is the power of the strongest of the generations!"

Seeing the baseball hit the stands, Japanese commentators were cheering, expressing their excitement and admiration in the most straightforward and sincere language — as if it were them who had just hit the home run, not Lin Guanglai.

Simultaneously, American commentators also praised, integrating Statcast data with various vocabulary: "Launch angle of 27 degrees, exit velocity of 112 miles per hour — Kousman's non-dropping forkball was precisely captured by Lin, no seasoned hitter would miss such an opportunity!"

With the first home run of his Major League career under his belt, Lin Guanglai was exuberant on the field, his handsome face beamed brightly — his youthful demeanor drove quite a few American female fans at home into a frenzy.

But at that moment, a small surprise occurred:

When Lin Guanglai rounded the bases, returning to home plate and scoring, the Yankees bench, which should have erupted in celebration, was silent — including head coach Girardi, as if nothing had occurred, completely ignoring Lin Guanglai as he returned to the bench, putting on a blank, indifferent face for the camera.

This behavior left Lin Guanglai, who just hit a home run, dumbfounded, not knowing what it meant.

"What kind of performance is this from the Yankees? Is there internal discord?"

As some new viewers unfamiliar with American baseball culture questioned, suddenly the Yankees dugout erupted.

"Lin, you're a miracle! Career debut at-bat home run! Amazing, kid!"

"Lin, while pitching so well, you can also hit home runs, you're truly different from other players!"

"Lin, welcome to the Home Run Club!"

"Lin..."

Lin Guanglai's teammates praised his performance, emerging from all corners of the dugout to pat his helmet and back, expressing joy and congratulations.

The huge swing in demeanor genuinely confused Lin Guanglai, his face showing an expression of "Who am I, where am I?"

"Welcome to the Major Leagues, Lin — this is a moment every rookie home run hitter experiences!" Watching Lin Guanglai on the broadcast, American commentators laughed heartily.

In MLB culture, every rookie player who hits a home run experiences a "cold shoulder" from teammates. This celebratory method of first suppressing and then elevating is a unique aspect of North American sports culture, and to be treated this way by teammates signifies Lin Guanglai has gained their genuine acceptance, affirming he's recognized as part of the team.

"What a shame..." Beside Lin Guanglai, one of the team's key outfielders, Brett Gardner, clicked his tongue, "If your home run had been hit in the Bronx — then I guarantee you'd immediately become the darling of Yankees fans!"

"The youth these days are truly monsters, who was the last to hit a home run in their career debut at-bat on our team?" Beside Gardner, another long-serving veteran, Matt Holliday, mused while inquiring.

Gardner pointed his finger towards the tall, strong figure in the distant right batter's box, "Hey, he's right there!"

Finishing his sentence, he didn't forget to shout towards home plate, "Aaron, Lin already hit a home run, with your preseason form so great, don't let us down!"

Aaron Judge didn't respond, but quickly answered through actions.

Lin Guanglai's solo homer clearly disrupted the Orioles' pre-game plans, and simultaneously had a significant impact on Kousman's mindset.

Frustrated right from the start of the half inning, Kousman was eager to regain control against batter eight, Aaron Judge, yet his anxiety was used against him by Judge.

"Thwack—!!!" Another sharp crack resounded in Oriole Park, but this time the baseball flew towards the left-field stands — despite the great distance, it couldn't prevent the strong Judge from reaching the stands.

Another solo homer! Two consecutive at-bats, two young bats going yard!! For the visiting Yankees, this was practically a perfect start!!!

"Yankees fans have every reason to feel happy about the team's present and future — Aaron Judge from 1992, Lin Guanglai from 1995, a perfect one right, one left pair, when they truly fulfill their potential, how many in the league can withstand such an offensive?"

"Perhaps the sky, is their only limit!"