Baseball: A Two-Way Player

As the baseball soared high into the sky and finally plummeted directly into the stands of the Shengong Second Stadium, the crowd was engulfed in applause, cheers, and screams, boiling over like a pot of hot water, except for National Academy Kugayama, who stood in shock, unable to believe what had happened.

The long-focus lenses mounted at the stadium's edge and in the stands flashed incessantly, the sound of shutters clicking in rapid succession roaring with determination to eternalize the scene.

After hitting a home run, Lin Guanglai circled the field, and upon returning to home base, he was immediately swarmed by his excited teammates charging in from the player's area.

Being one of the most competitive regions in high school baseball across Japan, this autumn Tokyo tournament semifinal attracted numerous fans from other regions; alongside Lin Guanglai and Waseda Jitsugyo's spectacular performance in this year's Summer甲, which drew massive attention to this tournament—not only through television broadcasts but also with many fans discussing the game on forums, and some even coming to Tokyo specifically for Lin Guanglai's matches.

[Breaking News, Autumn Tokyo Tournament Semifinals, 11-inning death match, Lin Guanglai walk-off home run, Waseda Jitsugyo advances to the finals!]

Immediately following the game, a match report quickly appeared on the high school baseball forum; fans from all over Japan were engaged in heated discussions about the game and player performances.

[Post #1: Oh my god, I'm at the scene, don't know how to describe my feelings—actually, National Academy Kugayama played really well, but the captain on the other side is not a normal human!]

[Post #2: At the scene as well +1, being the second in history with 18K in a single game is enough, but to hit a walk-off HR in a final batter scenario with two outs in the 11th is just insane.]

[Post #3: This talent feels monstrous! Not afraid to get cursed saying this, but in pitching, Yu Darvish and Kikuchi at the same age don't match up to him!]

…

[Post #17: Mainly look at his physicality, already almost 1.9 meters tall in his first year, and his pitch speed is approaching 150 km/h—as he physically matures and further accelerates his pitch speed, I feel both the high school record and the Koshien fastest pitch record are sooner or later going to be his!]

[Post #18: No one's talking about his batting? Feels like a level a pitcher should never have—moves with such grace, noticeably improved skill compared to summer; if memory serves, in this tournament at most he's been put out but never struck out even once!]

…

[Post #66: Nah, when did this forum become so serious? Isn't anyone noticing Lin's looks? With such killer looks, he could debut for Johnny's immediately!!!]

[Post #67: @Post #66, I've been wanting to say that, but seeing everyone being so serious discussing the games, I hesitated—this face, this build, simply divine—never seen such a perfect face before, not even a shaved head could hide his handsomeness!]

…

[Post #99: Wondering if Waseda Jitsugyo can win the Autumn Tournament and advance to the Senbatsu Spring Tournament—playing eleven innings against National Kugayama today, they have to play again tomorrow noon, and they only have two or three pitchers ready, with the sophomore Uchida not quite reliable yet—against Nihon University's Third, it's hard to gauge their odds of winning…]

[Post #100: Indeed, although Nihon University's Third lost Yamazaki Fuyuki, their core remains immensely strong. I've been following this lineup closely, many insiders claim it's among the top in the nation. ]

[Post #101: Agreeing with the above, Nihon University's Third current lineup is absolutely formidable, I've been watching them for a long time: the main pitcher Yoshinaga Kentarou's fastest pitch already reaches 149 km/h and his slider and sinker are highly developed; the batting trio of Takayama, Sho, and Hirao seem too much for even a peak form Lin Guanglai to handle.]

[Post #102: My view differs slightly from above, I've been following Yoshinaga as well, his mentality can certainly be targeted—if Waseda Jitsugyo's lineup finds its rhythm in the finals, they have a decent chance to collapse Yoshinaga and win. ]

[Post #103: Personally, I'm fine with either team winning, both teams are extremely strong, and if they head to Shengong, they have a high likelihood of clinching victory—this way, Tokyo gets two and a half spots, everyone's happy.]

[Post #104: No, why is everyone discussing the finals yet—Nihon University's Third and Showa's semi-final hasn't even started, what if they were eliminated like in the summer semi-final again?]

[Post #105: @Post #104, Not possible, if Nihon University's Third could be eliminated, I'd eat…]

The heated online discussions had little to do with the players on the field. After the farewell ceremony, Waseda Jitsugyo and National Academy Kugayama's players quickly returned to the player's area to pack up scattered equipment and make way for the upcoming match between Nihon University's Third and Showa.

"So it turns out, it was just me amusing myself all along—to someone of that genius level, how could they ever regard me as a lifelong rival?"

Standing at the end of the line, Kawaguchi Kiyotaka once again cast his gaze towards Waseda Jitsugyo, giving a self-mocking smile.

"Kiyotaka, let's go, time to head back." His teammates' calls echoed in his ears, and Kawaguchi Kiyotaka hurriedly replied, "Alright, coming."

After just over 3 hours, this breathtaking semifinal finally drew to a close: Waseda Industries painfully defeated National Academy Kugayama after 11 gruelling innings, advancing to the finals and securing a win in the battle for the Shengong Tournament and Senbatsu Spring Tournament entry rights.

In the second successive semi-final game that followed, Nihon University's Third didn't slip up this time; on the contrary, they dominated in such a commanding fashion that they showed the world why they are the hottest contenders of this autumn tournament:

In the top of the first inning, with one out and runners on first and second, the lineup came to the fourth batter Hirao Toshitaka — facing Showa Academy's pitcher, Hirao swung and directly hit a three-run homer, gifting Nihon University's Third the perfect early lead;

In the top of the sixth inning, with two outs and runners on first and third, Takayama Shun, Takaguchi Hideaki, Sho Hango, Hirao Toshitaka consecutively hit singles in four straight plate appearances, with the fourth batter Hirao hitting yet another home run, instantly stretching the game to a score of 9:0.

This game saw Nihon University's Third starting pitcher Yoshinaga Kentarou calmly handling Showa Academy's offensive efforts, almost not allowing any opponents onto base.

After 7 innings, Nihon University's Third swept Showa Academy 12:0, advancing to the finals right behind Waseda Jitsugyo.

The final of the autumn tournament, the classic matchup of Nihon University's Third VS Waseda Industries, will once again be staged!