Baseball: A Two-Way Player

When the baseball bypassed the interception of the bat and flew into the catcher's glove behind home plate, the spectators at Koshien were momentarily caught off-guard, and the entire stadium remained in an eerie silence.

But once the audience realized what had happened, the cheers began with one person, and the enormous wave of sound instantly spread out, enveloping the entire Koshien.

After more than two hours of fierce battle, the game was finally reaching its final moment.

On the field, Waseda Industries players were overwhelmed by a sense of ecstasy, and their only response was to rush towards the pitcher's mound, find someone to hug, and laugh loudly—this joy was what they had dreamt of during countless days and nights and would be remembered for life.

Amidst the wave of cheers, the infield teammates swarmed, followed by the outfield group from behind, and then the teammates from the bench near first base also rushed into the field.

They hugged, celebrated, laughed—this feeling was like a dream.

Lin Guanglai, carried by Uesugi Yasuyuki, wore the same smile on his face after the initial chaos, raised his right arm, and pointed a finger towards the azure sky;

This time, he could finally proudly tell everyone:

Waseda is Japan's Number One; and I, Lin Guanglai, am Japan's Number One pitcher!

The supporters of Waseda on the stands were equally excited as the players on the field: these sincere young men, with their outstanding performance all the way, helped the team reach the peak again—how could this not make them feel proud?

On the Alps Stand, waves of enthusiastic applause continued endlessly; smiles occupied everyone's faces, and even some old OBs invited to spectate couldn't help but shed tears of joy.

After being put down by Uesugi Yasuyuki, Lin Guanglai looked at the joyful faces in front of him, and then at the tide of people on the first base side, his heart inevitably surged with excitement again, and his mouth couldn't help but lift—baseball's meaning, isn't it bringing joy to all those who support them?

Taking a deep breath, Lin Guanglai slightly contained his excitement, calling on his teammates to line up—they still had the post-match ceremony to complete.

When the players from both sides stood near home plate, the cruelty of competitive sports was mercilessly revealed at this moment:

Standing opposite Lin Guanglai and his team, the players of Tokai University Sagami High School had lifeless eyes and lacked energy, clearly still not over the result of losing the match.

It's said that "second place is the biggest loser," even if high school baseball emphasizes enjoying the process and doesn't deliberately pursue results; but losing in the Koshien final for two consecutive years affected these players too much—they need a long time to digest these feelings.

Seeing both teams stand in place, the chief umpire began to announce the match result:

"7 to 3, the winner, Waseda Industrial School, both sides salute!!!"

As the chief umpire's words fell, the air raid siren in Koshien sounded again—this was the last warning siren of the tournament, and now in the ears of Waseda players, this sound was so pleasant.

Lin Guanglai took off his cap and shook hands with the players from Tokai University Sagami High School coming forward to meet face-to-face; although their players were still in the sadness of losing, they still graciously said "Congratulations" to him.

After completing this segment, the players of Tokai University Sagami High School quickly retreated to the rest area on the third base side, while Waseda players stayed on the field, standing in a horizontal line at home plate.

Next is the exclusive moment of glory for the champions!

In the outfield, the flag of Waseda Industrial School rose, proudly flying halfway up the flagpole; meanwhile, the loud school song that had echoed many times over the past month was played:

"Waseda in the city~"

"Majesty of Changpan Forest~"

"Is a symbol of my character~"

"Full ears of rice adorning the emblem~"

"Practically embracing the school's ethos~"

"We youthful athletes vow to inherit~"

After this spring at Koshien, Waseda players had sung this familiar school song many times; but singing it again after securing the championship revealed totally different feelings.

Sure enough, when people are happy, everything they do is filled with joy.

After this segment was completed, the stadium staff began the award ceremony arrangements; inside the field, Waseda players joyfully came to the bottom of the first base stand, thanking the supporters for their full support.

Undeniably, in terms of support intensity, Waseda's school indeed did their best: they not only brought the school's students but also gathered former baseball club OBs and family members of players to Hyogo, to Koshien's stands—

Sharing the moment of victory with beloved family and respected seniors brought limitless joy.

Then, while other teammates stayed on the field waiting for the award ceremony to begin, Supervisor Izumi Minoru and Lin Guanglai were pulled away to accept the post-match interview—for the reporters, there were simply too many aspects of this match worth exploring.

Seeing Lin Guanglai step onto the interview stage, the reporters appeared like wolves hungry for three days and nights spotting a lamb, and displayed greedy expressions, each vying to ask him questions.

"Lin, congrats on the victory! How does it feel to win the Senbatsu High School Baseball Tournament?"

"Um… Very happy, it feels like everything in the past has been rewarded—last summer we fell in the semi-finals, before the semi-final with Nihon University Third this time, I decided I must win the championship, now that the dream has come true, I'm really happy!"

"Lin, congratulations on the victory—in this final, you not only pitched a complete game but also completed the second perfect batting record in Senbatsu history, creating another new record at Koshien, the outside world even gave you a nickname 'Record Maker', what do you think about this?"

"Hahaha—actually, when I first realized I had a chance to complete a perfect batting cycle, I didn't think much about it, nor did I specifically aim for a bunt during the final at-bat; Nagata's pitch really had great suppression, I could only forcefully hit it, and unexpectedly it ended up being a single by coincidence, I can only say it was really coincidental; regarding the nickname 'Record Maker'—"

"Being able to break the records set by predecessors naturally makes me happy because it proves my strength; but ultimately, this can't represent much since I'm merely standing on the shoulders of giants."

"Then Lin, after Senbatsu, the summer season will soon arrive—what are your expectations for this summer?"

Hearing this question, Lin Guanglai paused, then put away his smile, and solemnly said:

"The spring results show that we are inherently a very strong team; soon new first-years will enroll, summer is also fast approaching…"

"This summer, I hope to replicate the achievements Konan High School set last year—only by winning the Summer甲 championship can I truthfully say I am the real national champion!"