Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 396 - 45: Return to Koshien

Standing in the players’ tunnel at Koshien Stadium, Lin Guanglai’s heart was full of emotion.

The last time he came to Koshien Stadium was nearly a year ago. In the summer of 2012, right in this stadium, he defeated the invincible Osaka Tsubaki, firmly securing his place at the top of high school baseball history.

To Lin Guanglai, Koshien is an unquestionable treasure trove, carrying all his beautiful memories of high school baseball:

Records like the most strikeouts in a game, most home runs, single tournament highest strikeouts, home runs, RBIs, consecutive games hitting home runs, total strikeouts, home runs, and wins in Spring and Summer Koshien... this land witnessed him setting record after record, both unprecedented and perhaps never to be surpassed again, drawing cheers and applause from countless fans.

And today, he returned here once more; only this time, he came as a professional baseball player of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

That’s why, despite not much time passing, Lin Guanglai felt a sense of things being different now.

"What’s wrong, Guanglai—nervous?" Just as Lin Guanglai was looking around, Nakagawa Seiichi walked up to him and asked.

After the highly respected former captain Kohkubo Yuuki retired at the end of last season, although no new captain was appointed officially, in the locker room, everyone assumed Nakagawa Seiichi, a 12-year veteran, as the next captain—whether in maintaining strict self-discipline or in coordinating locker room relations, Nakagawa Seiichi performed exceptionally well.

In response to the captain’s inquiry, Lin Guanglai merely shook his head and answered:

"No, Senior Nakagawa—it’s just that coming here again makes me feel time flies so fast, it made me disoriented for a moment."

"After all, less than a year ago, I was fighting here for the Summer Koshien championship; now all of a sudden, I’ve transformed into a professional player. This time feels unreal, time truly flies..."

At this point, Lin Guanglai paused, once again casting his gaze at the exit of the players’ tunnel in the distance—he suddenly missed his high school teammates, wondering what they were doing now.

"When we return to Tokyo and play against Yakult and the Giant Team, I’ll find a day off to reunite with them..."

"Haha—" Hearing Lin Guanglai’s answer, Nakagawa Seiichi also laughed—for someone like him, born in 1982 and never having been to Koshien during the Takayama era, Lin Guanglai’s words were indeed a bit "Versailles" in nature.

"Then for today’s game, I’ll be looking forward to you bringing us a victory—as, when it comes to winning at Koshien, your experience is likely unmatched by the rest of the team combined, right?"

The captain’s teasing also made Lin Guanglai laugh, so he assured the other person, "No worries, Captain—Private Lin Guanglai guarantees mission accomplishment today."

After speaking, Lin Guanglai made a symbolic salute gesture to Nakagawa Seiichi, making both of them burst into laughter.

Patted on the shoulder, Lin Guanglai received Nakagawa Seiichi’s support and encouragement in this manner before he turned to rally his teammates:

"Alright everyone, get ready to enter the field—let’s ensure we win today’s game!"

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"Long time no see, Fujinami—looks like you’re doing well with the Hanshin Tigers?"

After the pre-game warm-up, it was another time for players from both teams to catch up. This time Lin Guanglai didn’t daze off alone like he did against Rakuten—he had already spotted Fujinami Jintaro in the Hanshin team when entering the field, although Fujinami wasn’t pitching today, he followed protocol and arrived at Koshien.

"I’m just barely managing to pitch in the main team, nowhere near as good as you, winning the monthly best pitcher award in your first month as a rookie." In response to Lin Guanglai’s compliment, Fujinami Jintaro simply shook his head, indicating that he had not done enough.

Unlike the SoftBank Team, whose starters were unpredictable and prone to inconsistency, Hanshin Tigers had a relatively fixed starting rotation this season, leaving fewer opportunities for rookies.

But as a genius player pursued by four teams, Fujinami Jintaro was given due treatment—he not only joined the main roster at the season’s start but was also fielded in a game during the three-match series against Yakult and performed quite well.

As of now, in his rookie season, Fujinami Jintaro started 5 games, earning 3 wins and 2 losses, with an impressive ERA of 1.97. Although he hasn’t completely secured a constant starting role with the Hanshin Tigers, he isn’t far from earning a stable position.

The two adversaries, who played alongside each other in classic high school matchups at this very stadium, exchanged pleasantries on the edge of Koshien Stadium; this scene was also captured by journalists on the sidelines, likely to be reported extensively after today’s game. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

With the game about to begin, Lin Guanglai and Fujinami Jintaro tacitly ended their greetings and prepared to return to their teams—though before leaving, neither could help but exchange a few words of banter:

"Lin, I hope you can last till the bottom of the sixth inning today; our Hanshin lineup is quite strong."

"Is that so? Then I’ll show you a shutout—I have quite a wealth of experience winning in this stadium, you know."

"This isn’t high school baseball; this is professional—we Hanshin Tigers will bring you back to reality."

"Whether in Takayama or the pros, it’s all the same to me—Mr. Fujinami, I think I’ve proven with my actions that I’m a born winner, haven’t I?"

"Then let’s let the game do the talking!"

As game time approached, the stands at Koshien Stadium became increasingly crowded, home fans passionately singing the Hanshin Tigers’ official cheering anthems, engulfing Koshien in noise—this experience was quite different from Lin Guanglai’s days in Takayama.

Kansai fans are known for their clear love and hatred. Besides cheering for their home team during matches, they have also composed various songs, even insulting ones, for the visiting team and their players; Lin Guanglai wasn’t sure if he’d face such treatment today.

But one thing he was certain of, returning to Koshien felt like coming home for him—as for facing any opponent on the mound in this stadium, he’s confident he can handle them!