Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 366 - 16: The Orient Express (Part 2)

"If your goal is just to establish yourself on the Softbank team’s pitcher’s mound, secure a position in the starting rotation, and earn a high salary of over a billion, then participate in some variety shows in the off-season—I don’t even need to teach you anything. Because with your current velocity, as long as you play more games and familiarize yourself with the style and intensity of Nippon Professional Baseball hitters, making a name for yourself in Nippon Professional Baseball is not difficult at all."

"But if your goal is to become one of the best pitchers—note, when I say the best, I’m not referring to Nippon Professional Baseball, but the best measured by Major League standards—then what you have right now is merely a ticket called ’talent’."

"So, Lin, tell me, what kind of pitcher do you want to become?"

Silence, nothing but silence—and the atmosphere, which was initially relaxed, suddenly became serious because of Mr. Guo’s question.

After pondering for a while, Lin Guanglai lifted his head and slowly began to speak, "Mr. Guo, I will certainly go to the Major League, and if possible, I don’t want to wait until I’m 25 to be drafted—so, let’s set a timeframe of 5 years."

"Within 5 years, I hope to grow from an ordinary high school graduate into Japan’s best player!"

"Therefore, please hold me to that standard in the upcoming training! I’m serious about this sport of baseball."

As he spoke these words, his tone was firm, filled with boundless confidence—at least to Lin Guanglai himself, he’s truly confident in becoming Japan’s best baseball player within 5 years.

Upon hearing such a satisfying answer, Mr. Guo’s expression also softened, he praised Lin Guanglai, saying:

"Very good, Lin, I have indeed not misjudged you—from the first moment I saw you, I knew you absolutely wouldn’t just settle in at Nippon Professional Baseball, earn high pay, enjoy celebrity treatment and lack ambition; I also believe that with your talent, the Major League mound and batting box are where you truly belong."

"Let’s waste no time and review yesterday’s game first—you know why you pitched so strugglingly?"

"The strength of the first few batters of the Seibu Lions is one reason, but the bigger reason lies in yourself."

"Lin, your pitching intent was too obvious—just like the run-scoring hit Spili achieved in the fifth inning, your pitching intent was seen through by him from the start."

Seeing Lin Guanglai’s face showing a puzzled expression, Mr. Guo simply asked Lin Guanglai to stand directly in the left batter’s box, playing the role of yesterday’s hitter, Spili; as for himself, he imitated Lin Guanglai’s throwing motion and made a pitching pose.

"Can you see the problem?"

Lin Guanglai shook his head.

Mr. Guo took the catcher’s return ball and pitched again—but this time, he changed the pitching posture.

"How about now?"

Lin Guanglai nodded slightly and shared his observation, "Is it the difference in the way the pitcher sets his hands?"

Mr. Guo nodded, showing a teachable expression, and continued:

"With your current pitching posture, batters in the box can see your ball-gripping right hand from the start, which means they have more time to prepare—in Japan, where pitching is strong and batting is weak, dealing with most domestic hitters and triple-A level foreign players might not show much difference because your velocity is fast, and quality is good, even giving them an extra fraction of a second to react, most of their abilities won’t keep up."

"But in international competitions or the Major League, the hitters there, whether in batting skills or physical qualities, are the best on the planet—at that time, the battles between pitching and hitting often boil down to differences in the details; against those Major League level monsters, that half second likely decides between a strikeout and a home run."

"So, to become stronger..."

Mr. Guo paused and offered his suggestion for Lin Guanglai:

"Try changing your pitching posture, Lin!"

"Baseball is a constantly evolving and changing sport, and if us pitchers don’t evolve, eventual elimination is a sure thing."

"Why not try minimizing the backward arm pull and emphasizing the forward arm swing, hiding your right hand behind your body—imagine in the batter’s eyes, a pitcher who can throw a 160km fastball keeps his pitching hand hidden until it suddenly leaps out during the delivery, what a stunning picture that would be! How many batters could react in time?"

"And such a pitching mechanism can also affect the hitter’s perception of speed. As a starting pitcher, you ought to know the benefits of this: we are not those who pitch only one frame of middle relief, nor can we continuously throw 10 fastballs without regards to any consequences to suppress the hitters—your velocity is already very good; but if you want to become an ace, instead of throwing a 160km fastball, think about how to make a ball slightly over 140, 150 kilometers appear as 160 kilometers or even higher in visual effect is more worth considering."

"Moreover, although you have a wide grasp of Breaking balls, those reaching professional standards are still somewhat limited—just in terms of the demands on pitchers, I even think the requirements in Nippon Professional Baseball might be higher than in the United States, a pitcher mastering fewer than five types of Breaking balls would find it hard to come out in Japan..."

"And if you want to strive for the Eiji Sawamura Award before heading to the Major League, it should be your key research focus next—the requirements are at least 25 starts, complete more than 10 games, win over 15 victories, and pitch for over 200 innings... Those old guys in professional baseball are strict, if you fail to meet the criteria, they would prefer leaving the award vacant; and neither requirement is one a pitcher relying solely on velocity can sustain."

"Apart from adjusting pitching posture, understanding the mind games in batter confrontations, adjusting and allocating the arsenal of pitch types, collaborating with catchers, handling various situations as a pitcher, and how to maintain your arm—there’s so much more to learn to become a top-tier pitcher..."

"If you’re willing to learn, I’m willing to teach you all my experiences, whether as a veteran of professional baseball who hopes for younger generations to succeed or in the duties of a Softbank First Team pitching coach, I’ll spare no effort to help you perfect yourself."

"Of course, these are just my suggestions, the choice ultimately lies with you..."

Before Mr. Guo could finish his words, Lin Guanglai quickly expressed his attitude—he rushed from the batter’s box to the mound, grabbed Mr. Guo’s hand excitedly, and said:

"No need to say any more, Mr. Guo, I want to train!! My goal is to become this country’s... no, the best player on this planet!!!"

"Not just Rookie of the Year, nor just the Eiji Sawamura Award—if possible, I hope to become the first Asian in history to win the Cy Young Award! Please train me to that goal!"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Guo didn’t spare words, he replied:

"Then, let’s not waste words, let’s start now—my demands are very strict, hope you are mentally prepared!"

"No way, try again!!!"

"This time was a little better, but still not enough!!!"

"Hmm, slightly improved, continue!!!"

"Good, keep this up!!!"

"I pledge by my vision that if you can fulfill your talent, the world will know your name!"