Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 328 - 181: Luck Runs Out

"Guanglai, whether it’s high school baseball or Koshien, it’s just a small part of your life—your talent shouldn’t be wasted on such a tiny stage. Professional baseball, even the Major League, should be where you truly soar."

"Of course, I’m not saying this to make excuses for myself—if you need to vent all your emotions, then blame it all on me. No matter how much you resent me, it’s okay, because as your elder I believe I made the right decision as an educator."

After patting the dejected Lin Guanglai on the back, Izumi Minoru walked alone outside the player’s area; he had said all he needed to. The game wasn’t over, and as the coach, he still needed to be responsible for the players on the field.

This game finally concluded in the thirteenth inning. The substitute player Tanaka Justice put on a spectacular performance but still couldn’t withstand the onslaught from Osaka Tsubaki—at the bottom of the thirteenth, with a walk-off hit by Yasui Kouki, this battle lasting over three hours finally came to an end.

The scene on the field was polarized: Osaka Tsubaki’s players were embracing each other in celebration, while many of Waseda Jitsugyo’s players lay on the bases, crying in despair.

Lin Guanglai walked off the pitcher’s mound. Even though he felt dejected from the defeat, he managed not to show too much emotion on the surface—he was no longer the freshman who hid behind his seniors and cried bitterly after losing in the summer tournament; he was a senior, a captain, the team’s star player, and the backbone of everyone in the team—and now, he had to fulfill his responsibilities as the leader.

On the pitcher’s mound, the substitute pitcher Tanaka Justice was curled up on the ground, tears streaming down his face, crying almost to the point of losing his voice. Lin Guanglai approached and squatted down, gave him a hug, and continuously comforted the younger player wrapped in self-blame.

"Senior... I’m sorry... I couldn’t hold... the lead. I’m really sorry... If only I were stronger... If only I could be a bit stronger..."

"Justice, it’s not your fault, you’ve done very well..."

Lin Guanglai didn’t say much more because he knew from personal experience that the bitterness of defeat could only be slowly digested by oneself; all he could do now was offer some support from behind.

This scene was faithfully captured by the broadcasting cameras on site—watching the scene through the camera lens, the commentator present couldn’t help but express their feelings:

"Osaka Tsubaki’s victory isn’t exactly a surprising outcome... but honestly, I still feel a bit sorry for Waseda Jitsugyo. After all, they might have been just one step away from victory."

"The reigning champion’s journey in the Senbatsu High School Baseball Tournament ends here—they’ve battled hard against a championship favorite for thirteen innings, and reaching the semifinals is actually quite commendable. But, evidently, for the players on the field shedding tears, this isn’t the result they wanted."

"To be honest, considering the paper ranking of team strength, no one would think this Waseda team could contend for the championship; reaching the semifinals has largely been due to explosive form and individual performance—and now, as the clock strikes midnight, Cinderella’s magic has ended."

"However, I have every reason to believe that this cohort of players will continue to improve in the coming months; they can cry over defeat because they’ve never ceased to have an insatiable thirst for victory!"

"As the reigning Summer League champions, they have a whole half year ahead of them to defend their Summer League title; personally, I sincerely hope to see this resilient team take the stage at Summer League again."

Even the commentator, who prided themselves on fairness and objectivity, couldn’t help but sigh here, with complex emotions, as they expressed their best wishes for Waseda Jitsugyo.

In Japan, a country that cherishes the aesthetics of the underdog triumphing over the strong, seeing the Waseda players, slightly lacking in strength, battle fiercely against Osaka Tsubaki, even getting tied by the opponent in the ninth inning and still persisting for thirteen innings, pursuing tirelessly—such perseverance would tug at the heartstrings of anyone with a bit of sentiment—let alone the fact that this team boasts a captain with an immensely heroic allure, whose skills and popularity are nearly unmatched in the Takayama scene.

Once Tanaka Justice’s emotions slightly calmed down, Lin Guanglai gathered all the Waseda players by his side, and they all moved to the home plate for the post-game bow.

"Thank you for the game!"

"Thank you for the game!"

The players from both teams approached each other face-to-face, and Lin Guanglai extended his right hand to tightly shake the hand of the incoming Fujinami Jintaro.

The moment their hands clasped, Fujinami Jintaro was quick to express his admiration:

"You were amazing, Mr. Lin!"

Lin Guanglai didn’t directly respond to the compliment; he simply took a deep breath and earnestly said, "But in the end, it’s your team, Osaka Tsubaki, that won the game, isn’t it? A loss is a loss. Still, congratulations on reaching the finals—whether you face Mitsuhoshi or Kantou Number One in the finals, I hope you can secure the championship; I surely wouldn’t want the team that beat us to only take the runner-up spot."

Fujinami Jintaro immediately replied firmly, "Of course! No matter what, I will help our team win this Senbatsu championship, Mr. Lin, just watch! Today you were so much better than me—I hope we can face each other again in Summer League, and by that time, I’ll make sure to win in every aspect!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Guanglai also smiled, his competitive spirit ignited as he retorted to Fujinami on the opposite side, "Next time we meet, I assure you I’ll be the one who wins—just make sure, Mr. Fujinami, you don’t cry then."

The two exchanged a knowing smile and then turned to walk back to their respective teams—on Waseda’s side, although the atmosphere was still a bit somber, the emotions of many had started to calm down.

After taking the team to express gratitude below the support stands and concluding the post-game activities, this national attention-grabbing Senbatsu semifinal came to a close.

But for the team’s coach Izumi Minoru and captain Lin Guanglai, they still had to face the stormy interrogation from the reporters.

"No, at least from the situation at that time, Guanglai’s condition wasn’t that bad, and the players were very eager to continue the game—but considering that he was already quite exhausted, I ultimately chose to replace him..."

"Yes, substituting Guanglai was a decision I made alone as the team’s coach and it had nothing to do with the player himself; as the coach, I will take responsibility for this game. After returning, the team will also have a thorough review, aiming for good results in the upcoming summer season." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

As the coach, Izumi Minoru naturally bore the brunt of the reporters’ harsh questioning—for his given explanation, opinions were divided:

One side argued that since the player’s willingness was strong and his body had no issues, why not let him continue pitching? From the situation at the time, Osaka Tsubaki had no way to handle Lin Guanglai, and if he hadn’t been substituted, maybe it would be Waseda receiving the victory interview right now;

The other side lavishly praised Izumi Minoru’s decision, viewing him as an excellent educator—in their view, risking an injury to Lin Guanglai, a gem of the baseball world, would be a loss not only for his own future but also for the development of baseball in Japan; saving his talents for professional baseball is what he should currently focus on.

As the person involved, facing the dazzling flashes of cameras, Lin Guanglai gave his response:

"It’s certainly a pity not making it to the finals, but I want to focus more on the future now."

"In the summer games, no matter who we face, we absolutely won’t lose again!"