Baseball: A Two-Way Player

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Top of the eighth inning, two outs, runner on first base.

Nihon University 8:3 Waseda Industries.

On first base, Chongxin Shen Zhong, who hit a single earlier in this inning, is eager to move—even though the hope of winning the match is becoming more and more remote, he still tries to distract Nihon University's defense by constantly leading off the base and returning to it.

From the end of the fourth inning until now, in the past three innings, Waseda's batting lineup has made no progress; Lin Guanglai, who hit home runs in his consecutive at-bats, also failed to replicate his previous success in his third at-bat, as the ball he hit was caught by the opponent's outfielder.

On the other hand, the hot-handed Nihon University continued to nibble away at Waseda's on-field defense with tactics: in the past three innings, they changed their previous playing style and started a war of attrition with Waseda using bunt tactics—under continuous hits and runs, even though Waseda's defense was performed quite well, they were still forcefully taken down by two points.

Inside Shengong Second Stadium, the stadium broadcaster started calling the next batter to the plate.

"Fourth batter, right fielder, Mr. Lin."

"Fourth batter, right fielder, Mr. Lin."

Under the watchful eyes of the audience, Lin Guanglai walked into the batter's box for the fourth time in this game—his record in the previous three at-bats was two home runs, three RBIs, and one out.

Apart from the on-site audience, thousands of concerned eyes were also watching him through television screens—right now, the score gap on the field was 5 points.

Although baseball is a sport that truly starts from two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, if Lin Guanglai cannot score, Waseda's batting order in the ninth inning will start from the sixth batter; judging by today's lineup status, it can almost be declared that the game is decided.

In the left-hand batter's box on the right side of the category, Lin Guanglai's expression remained unchanged, as if the situation on the field did not affect him at all.

It's impossible to say he's not nervous.

However, Lin Guanglai knew that as the mainstay and fourth batter of the team, he must shoulder the responsibility—all others on the team can feel uneasy, can be nervous; but as the team's anchor, he absolutely cannot be.

Nihon University's pitcher and catcher were discussing pitching strategies.

During this time, Lin Guanglai continuously adjusted his breathing rate, clearing all cluttered thoughts from his mind, focusing all his attention on the pitcher in front of him.

"Whizz," Yoshinaga Kentarou hurled the baseball out of his hand, aiming at the outer side of the strike zone.

Lin Guanglai didn't move.

As he expected, the baseball showed a downward spin before crossing the home plate, eventually landing outside the strike zone.

"Ball."

Not long after, the second pitch quickly followed.

With the same angle as the previous pitch, even more towards the outside corner—Lin Guanglai still didn't move, letting the ball pass again.

"Ball."

Lin Guanglai lowered the high-raised bat and stepped out of the batter's box to make a slight adjustment.

As he prepared for his third swing, this time Nihon University's pitcher and catcher took longer to discuss—the usually composed Yoshinaga even uncharacteristically showed an anxious expression on the pitcher's mound, shaking his head multiple times, rejecting Suzuki Takahiro's pitch selection.

On the pitcher's mound, having finished discussing with his catcher partner, Yoshinaga Kentarou leaned his body forward and quickly flung his arm to release the baseball.

In an instant, the baseball flew towards home plate with rapid acceleration, getting closer and closer to Lin Guanglai's position.

The time left for Lin Guanglai to react was less than a second—as his visual nerves transmitted the blurred image of the flying baseball, Lin Guanglai quickly reviewed Yoshinaga's pitching motion in his mind.

This ball can be hit!!!

Having made up his mind, Lin Guanglai didn't hesitate any longer; he decisively adjusted his batting stance and powerfully swung at the incoming ball—using an uncommon violent circular swing, as if to vent all the pent-up frustration of this match.

His eyes kept track of the flying baseball, Lin Guanglai gripped the bat tightly with both hands, unleashing all the power in his body—at the moment the bat and baseball connected, he felt the familiar solid impact in his hands.

After completing the swing, Lin Guanglai casually tossed the bat behind him and started running around the bases in large strides—it wasn't necessary for him to exert so much effort, but he did it because he wanted to.

"It's a hit! What a loud sound!"

"The ball is flying high!!!"

"Nihon University's right fielder has already given up the chase!!!"

All eyes turned towards the right field, where Nihon University's right fielder Takayama Shun sprinted all the way to the fence, but eventually had to stop, watching the baseball fly into the stands for the fourth time of the game.

At the same time, Shengong Second Stadium erupted once more.

"Ooooooooh!!!"

"Lin Guanglai! Three homers in a single game! He did it again!"

"Bottom of the eighth inning! A two-run shot that couldn't be more timely!"

"Waseda 5:8 Nihon University, the gap is closing, just three runs behind!"

Sugai Masakazu, responsible for commentating the match, shouted passionately as the stands at Shengong Second Stadium buzzed with discussions about the game from the audience.

On Nihon University's cheer section, baseball team members who couldn't play hugged their heads, as if witnessing something unbelievable:

"No way, this freshman on the other side is on fire with three homers in a single game, are we really going to be overturned by them?"

"Stay calm, stay calm, believe in Kentarou, he's the pride of our school, he will not let us down!"

In Waseda's cheer section, it was a completely different scene—fans naturally had to celebrate after a home run:

"Wuhu, incredible Guanglai, if I remember correctly, this is his fifth homer of the tournament—isn't he truly our Waseda's prodigy!"

"Yes, yes, keep playing like this, we still have hope of turning this around!"

However, amid the celebrations, some couldn't help but express their concerns:

"No one else in the lineup can stand out besides Guanglai, this homer went out but it doesn't help much!"

"The lineup will go down to the lower order next—how can we catch up with the remaining 3 points!"

"Please, let the rest step up—if our main player hits three homers and we still can't win, I won't be able to sleep tonight!"

...

"Three outs!"

"Game Over!"

Top of the ninth inning, Waseda's offense was easily nullified by Nihon University, with two strikeouts and one out, three up three down, announcing the end of the match at the same time.

"The 63rd Autumn Tokyo Tournament, final match, Waseda Real versus Nihon University has ended."

"Nihon University 8:5 Waseda Real, champions of the Autumn Tournament!"

"They will also represent the Tokyo Region in the 41st Meiji Shrine Baseball Tournament in November!"

"ACE Yoshinaga Kentarou, achieved 10 strikeouts in a single match, complete game victory!"