Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 482 - 92: Custom-Made

Afterward, Kubota Goichi took a caliper from the pocket of his work uniform and meticulously measured and recorded the dimensions of Lin Guanglai’s palm and each finger’s length, preparing to use this data to ensure the thickness of the baseball bat’s handle would allow him to grip it firmly while enabling agile wrist movement.

"We’ll turn it into a part of your body, Lin, please look forward to its creation; I believe it won’t disappoint you," he said.

Kubota Goichi gently stroked the piece of wood selected by Lin Guanglai, with a soft and loving gaze, as if caressing his beloved.

After a brief rest in Gifu Prefecture, Lin Guanglai set off once more: this time, their destination was the Yamazaki Factory in Yamazaki Town, Hyogo Prefecture, where Mizuno’s product lines, including casual shoes, middle and long-distance running shoes, soccer shoes, and baseball shoes, were established.

Compared to the relatively traditional Honda Factory, Yamazaki Factory appeared more modern: here, a mix of modern production lines and handmade customization areas occupied certain spaces, creating a sense of both retro and modern fusion.

Guided by staff, Lin Guanglai arrived in a room filled with various instruments and underwent a range of tests and data collection there.

First, Lin Guanglai was asked to stand on a specific 3D scanner, which captured the complete three-dimensional form and relevant data of his foot from all angles within seconds:

Foot length and width precise to the millimeter; a three-dimensional contour model including instep height, arch shape, ankle bone protrusion, heel width; even the pressure distribution on the soles (forefoot, arch, heel) while standing still was presented as images by the instrument.

Soon, a comprehensive, 360-degree rotatable digital foot model was showcased on the electronic screen in front of Lin Guanglai, which was truly impressive.

To ensure data accuracy, the shoemaking artisans manually cross-verified the measurements of Lin Guanglai’s feet with traditional calipers and measuring tapes to ensure perfection.

Additionally, because baseball is a dynamic sport, beyond the static data of foot models, Mizuno needed to capture Lin Guanglai’s data under various movement states.

Donning special equipment with sensors, Lin Guanglai performed various baseball-specific movements on a customized pressure-sensing platform: sprinting to simulate running bases and outfield defense, pitching with emphasis, batting and turning...

One movement after another was executed by Lin Guanglai, while a high-speed camera nearby flashed continuously; meanwhile, a series of data appeared on professional instruments along with his movement changes.

Based on the collected data, the engineers and designers serving Lin Guanglai began creating a customized shoe last, uniquely replicating his foot shape, with the ensuing product to be manufactured according to this shoe last data.

During this period, Lin Guanglai engaged in face-to-face discussions with the sneaker designer, talking about material choices, configuration, and appearance for the sneakers.

As a Dual Swordsmanship athlete, Lin Guanglai’s requirements differed from others: the pitcher position demanded better support from his shoes, while as a batter he wished for the sneakers to be as lightweight as possible—balancing both positions’ needs, he ultimately chose lightweight yet supportive synthetic leather for the upper; for the cleats, a hybrid design was adopted, using metal spikes at the forefoot for added support and grip on the pitcher’s mound, and TPU spikes in the heel for movement flexibility.

As for the sneaker color scheme, Lin Guanglai followed the SoftBank Team’s jersey colors, main home jerseys with white and yellow, and chose the timeless black and gold for away games; the inside of the shoe tongue bore the Chinese character "Lin" and his number 21.

The staff at Yamazaki Factory stated that upon the completion of the first sample shoes, they would personally deliver them to Lin Guanglai for initial fitting and obtain corresponding firsthand feedback; if Lin Guanglai felt any modification was needed, a second creation could also be conducted; including during the season start and mid-season adjustments as necessary.

Waving goodbye to the Yamazaki Factory, the final stop on this personal customization journey was when Lin Guanglai accompanied by many arrived at the Hokkaido Factory in Hyogo Prefecture, Hokkaido Town.

Just standing outside the gate, the attending Mizuno staff proudly raised their chests; though the area isn’t large, this site is world-renowned in the baseball community in Asia and indeed globally, known as the Hokkaido Factory.

Baseball gloves embossed with the "Hokkaido" stamp are the undisputed king in Mizuno’s product line, representing the pinnacle of Mizuno’s baseball team, with the highest quality in materials and craftsmanship around the world, including a batch handcrafted by Mizuno’s legendary artisans.

Glove prices from Hokkaido Factory average upwards of 77,000 yen each, with only 2,500 produced annually; if a highly renowned top craftsman participates in creation, the price could go up significantly.

Today’s craftsman serving Lin Guanglai is, in fact, the type mentioned, whose name alone embossed on a glove can indeed double its value, a true legend.

Tsubata Nobuyoshi, the former leading glove artisan at Mizuno’s Hokkaido Factory, since 1973 dedicated to glove creation, served countless professional athletes such as Wang Zhenzhi, Hara Tatsunori, Ichiro Suzuki, Matsui Hideki, Nomo Hideo, Matsuzaka Daisuke, these resounding names included.

Now aged 80, Tsubata Nobuyoshi retired in 2008 and, apart from working with Ichiro Suzuki over the years, does not ordinarily provide glove services anymore; this opportunity for Lin Guanglai was sought personally by Mizuno’s senior management, demonstrating how highly Mizuno values Lin Guanglai.

Under Tsubata Nobuyoshi’s guidance, Lin Guanglai entered his private workshop at the Hokkaido Factory.

Rather than just another mass production handcraft factory, this was more akin to a small-scale private leather artistry studio, where the air was filled with the rich, pleasant scent of tanned leather.

The worktable was lined with various cowhides, plus hammers, punches, needles, and threads; a cabinet nearby housed numerous honors and awards Tsubata Nobuyoshi earned over many years, alongside memorabilia given by athletes he worked with.

Considering Lin Guanglai’s Dual Swordsmanship specialty, besides the usual pitcher’s glove, he also needed an outfielder’s glove just in case.

The core design of a pitcher’s glove is the fully enclosed webbing, connecting the index and thumb fingers with a solid piece of leather — to block batters’ and base runners’ line of sight as completely as possible, obscuring the type of pitch being thrown, and increasing batting and base-running difficulty. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

At the same time, to ensure the pitcher’s flexibility handling situations, the glove should not be too heavy, or opportunities within fractions of a second in certain situations might be missed.

Conversely, the outfielder’s glove’s core design goal is to catch any incoming baseballs — thus, its length is generally much longer to reach those marginally distant lobs; and the glove pocket must be as deep as possible to prevent fly balls from popping out during running or diving catches.

As for the webbing, classic "Tongue" or single/double "Cross" webbing is typically chosen to ensure catching stability.

For the pitcher’s glove, Lin Guanglai chose a 12-inch shut webbing, while the outfielder’s glove reached 12.75 inches, both in traditional black premium cowhide.

On the leather on the outer thumb, Lin Guanglai embroidered his full name; inside the wrist lining were the characters "Flowing like the clouds and water," expressing his aspiration toward his playing style.

Tsubata Nobuyoshi and his assistant recorded Lin Guanglai’s requirements meticulously, smiling as they said, "Rest assured, Lin — I think it’s bound to become your most trusted companion on the field."

After a weeklong journey, Lin Guanglai was nearly fully equipped with custom professional gear from head to toe, now just awaiting a grand appearance in front of baseball fans across Japan!