Baseball: A Two-Way Player

Compared to the frenzied teammates on the sidelines and the passionate spectators in the stands, the closer it gets to the key moment that determines victory or defeat, the calmer Lin Guanglai's heart becomes:

He understands very clearly what terrifying power can be unleashed when a person is in a desperate situation—at this critical moment, just one good ball away from the victory banner, he absolutely won't allow any unexpected events to occur.

With the advantage of two strikes, Lin Guanglai still adhered to the same strategy as in previous at-bats: fully utilize the allowance for balls, cool down the heated game a bit, and then decide the winner with the batter.

The third pitch, a low slider.

"Ball."

The fourth pitch, a high fastball.

"Ball."

The fifth pitch, an inside fastball.

"Ball."

"Wa la la la la la—" As Lin Guanglai consecutively threw balls, a rustle of discussion erupted among the spectators in the stands, and the atmosphere became noisy.

Some knowledgeable spectators calculated the number of pitches Lin Guanglai had thrown in this game and noted that it was almost at the limit of his arm strength; moreover, the pressure of pitching in the finals consumes more than in the usual games—Lin Guanglai's performance at this moment seemed reasonable.

When a pitcher's control is unstable and they can't get the ball into the strike zone for a long time, it's a very serious matter—it affects not only the player's personal state but can also impact the whole team; especially in the current situation, it's even more nerve-wracking.

In the Alps Stand, Lin Xinglai's face showed a rare expression of worry.

Although from her perspective, her brother on the pitcher's mound didn't show any signs of panic, as a close family member, she naturally hoped her brother could secure this out smoothly and win the victory with a perfect posture.

"Xiaoguang, hang in there—"

At this moment, Lin Xinglai could only silently cheer for her brother in her heart.

Next to her, including Lin's father and mother, the supporters of Waseda Jitsugyo also showed rare expressions of concern on their faces.

"Guanglai should be at his limit now, shouldn't Mr. Izumi consider changing pitchers at this moment—after all, it's just one out, it shouldn't be that difficult, right?"

"If a new pitcher comes in now, what if they haven't adjusted their touch? If our four-point lead gets caught up, even if we still have the bottom of the ninth to play, the team's mindset will completely collapse by then..."

"But isn't the current situation the same? Guanglai is tired and can't control the ball, what if there are continuous walks on four balls?"

As the stands were in unending debate over whether to change the pitcher, the television broadcast first focused on Izumi Minoru standing outside the first base dugout:

The coach, who has had the experience of winning the Summer甲, displayed a countenance that remained unchanged despite the impending collapse of Mount Tai, completely not looking like he was going to change pitchers;

People carefully thought about it and found it understandable—after all, in 2006, even with Saito Yuuki pitching complete games for two consecutive days, Izumi Minoru still chose to respect the players' opinions to the greatest extent possible and didn't choose to change pitchers.

The camera then shifted back to Koshien Stadium, and with a close-up, it focused on Lin Guanglai's face.

The handsome face in the image, because of the match, was already covered in sweat; but to the surprise of those watching the game, Lin Guanglai was smiling in the picture.

Yes, he was smiling.

Even after throwing three consecutive balls, even when just one out away from the victory, even in such a tense moment, Lin Guanglai was smiling.

It's unclear what magic was in this smile, but when the worried Waseda fans saw the smile on his face, they actually felt a sense of reassurance.

In fact, even Lin Guanglai hadn't expected the at-bat to unfold to this extent—originally, with the scenario of having two strikes first, his intention was to win by inducing a swing with a ball, using the safest and most secure method to secure victory.

But what he didn't expect was that Ushida Tetsuya, almost on the brink of despair, could stabilize his mindset at the critical moment, selecting three consecutive bad pitches, thereby transferring the pressure back onto him as the pitcher.

In that case, for the last pitch, let's go head-to-head with a fastball—holding onto such belief, Lin Guanglai collected his smile, then sent a signal towards the catcher's spot.

High! Fastball! Direct confrontation!

The pitcher and catcher of Waseda Jitsugyo reached an agreement, Uesugi Yasuyuki extended the thick, wide catcher's glove, placing it where Lin Guanglai wanted it.

On the pitcher's mound, Lin Guanglai appeared determined, his gaze firmly locked onto the catcher's open glove—at this moment, only one thought occupied his mind:

Get the ball in!

Stepping onto the pitcher's plate, feeling the unique firm sensation underfoot belonging to the pitcher's mound, Lin Guanglai set into motion—

The leading foot lifted high, subsequently driving the entire body to accumulate power; when the power was fully gathered, the lifted leading leg thrust forcefully down onto the ground, instantly erupting the strength of the entire lower body, driving the upper body to twist.

Toes, calves, thighs, and the core, almost every part of the body that could be used, was enlisted by Lin Guanglai; propelled by immense force, his upper body twisted swiftly, driving his long arm forward.

This motion, over many past years, and countless days and nights during his high school career, he had done countless times; the sweat and tears shed, the expectations borne, now all turned into his strength, propelling the small white baseball forward.

When the flung arm reached the familiar position, Lin Guanglai released his right hand gripping the baseball, allowing it to move forward along the fingertips, suddenly flying towards home plate.

The baseball, like a meteor tearing across the sky, traced a rainbow through the air between the pitcher's mound and home plate, rushing accurately towards Uesugi Yasuyuki's glove.

In the batter's box, without any retreat, Ushida Tetsuya was equally unwilling to back down—during the past three years, he had also put in countless days and nights of effort, and behind him, too, were countless expected hopes.

Filled with resolve, the black bat in Ushida Tetsuya's hand swung out fiercely.

Nearer, nearer, the distance between baseball and bat closed—

Time seemed to stand still, and the previously noisy Koshien fell into a strange silence—but the more than forty thousand spectators in the stadium, and the total of 36 players within the stadium, all knew that this silence was merely the prelude to the approaching storm.

Before the eyes of the multitude, in the wholehearted struggle of players from both sides, the black bat ultimately brushed past the red and white small ball—the baseball flew into the catcher's glove, producing a dull "pop" sound.

"Strikeout! Strikeout!"

"The game is over!!!!"

"The 83rd Spring Tournament, Waseda Industries, victory achieved!!!"

"Whoa——!!!!!!" At the same time, the entire Koshien exploded into fervor.

In the wave of cheering, Uesugi Yasuyuki behind home plate jumped up with a "whoosh," threw aside the mask, and, along with teammates coming from all directions, rushed onto the pitcher's mound.

Under the azure sky of Koshien, amidst the crowded throng on the pitcher's mound, only the smile on the young man's face never changed.