Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 488 - 94: The Last Dance (Part 2)

"In the new year, the SoftBank team’s goal has and only has one—winning the Pacific League, and becoming Japan’s Number One! Do you have any objections to this goal?"

"No! Coach!" the players roared with the loudest decibels, their eyes burning with boundless fighting spirit.

Even if Akiyama Koji didn’t say it, the SoftBank players would have set the same goal in their hearts: Last season, even with a shortage of players, they fought their way to the finals of the climactic battle and only narrowly lost to the final champion, Tohoku Rakuten;

After comprehensive reinforcement during the off-season in all weak positions, on paper strength alone, this brand-new SoftBank team is undoubtedly the strongest in the Pacific League, strong in all aspects of base running, offense, defense, and pitching without any weakness; now, the only thing lacking is some degree of mutual understanding and coordination.

Most importantly, several of the main competitors within the league have been weakened to varying extents during this off-season:

Last season’s victor over SoftBank, Rakuten, saw Tanaka Masahiro join the New York Yankees with a huge contract of 20 million dollars in posting fees, and a 7-year, 155 million-dollar deal, considerably weakening their pitching lineup;

Although Rakuten Team secured top rookie Matsui Yuuki amid competition from four other ball clubs, pinning hopes on an 18-year-old pitcher fresh out of high school to be the ace is quite unrealistic—after all, not everyone has Lin Guanglai’s talent or luck.

Another climactic battle opponent, the Saitama Seibu Lions, constrained by the limited financial power of its parent company, saw its guardian angel Sappelt taken away by SoftBank, and infield core Kataoka Jidai secured by the Giant Team with a sky-high contract of 350 million;

Despite having decent points in the draft meeting, acquiring strong hitters Mori Yuuya and Yamakawa Hodaka through clever strategy, the issue remains that young players need time to grow, and it’s rare for them to be instant force upon entry.

As for the other teams that didn’t make the climactic battle, except for the Orix team, whose pitching lineup boasted the best defensive efficiency in the league last season and acquired Takayama Yuuji, familiar with SoftBank, as a coach, the rest pose no threat.

For this SoftBank lineup valued at a total of 4 billion, failing to claim league victory or the Japan’s Number One title is tantamount to failure.

"Very well, then let’s strive for this goal!"

Looking at the energetic players before him, Akiyama Koji showed a satisfied smile; then, as if he had thought of something, his expression suddenly tightened, and he took a deep breath, announcing another piece of news:

"Originally, I planned to wait until the end of the season to say this, but seeing you all in this state now, I think it’s better to tell everyone in advance..." Akiyama Koji spoke again, his voice carrying a subtle yet palpable tremor that made everyone’s heart tighten, "The upcoming 2014 season will be my last season as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks’ coach, accompanying you all."

The atmosphere on the field instantly froze—followed by a silence, nothing but silence.

In the queue, the expressions on the faces of the SoftBank players shifted from focus to confusion, as if they didn’t understand the statement. Some even instinctively tilted their heads; Lin Guanglai exchanged incredulous glances with a teammate beside him.

"Well," Akiyama Koji’s voice choked with emotion, "my wife...she is ill, with a very serious illness...As her husband, I must return home to accompany her—I believe those of you who are married will understand this feeling."

"Therefore, after this season, I will officially resign as coach."

"Boom—" This news hit every SoftBank team player’s heart like a heavy hammer. Shock, bewilderment, sadness...such emotions swept over the entire queue like surging tides.

Lin Guanglai had once met Akiyama Chie during a game day; she was a Yamato Nadeshiko type of woman, gentle in her speech, and was said to be "the only one who could calm Angry Coach Akiyama" by the seniors—married for over 20 years, they’ve always respected each other as guests.

If possible, the SoftBank players would rather hope this was an elaborate joke or hoax by Coach Akiyama; but when they looked into his eyes for a clue, they found nothing but a deep, unpretentious resolution and frankness.

Just as unrest was about to break out among the players, Akiyama Koji raised his hand lightly, making a gesture to press down, calming all the sounds.

His mouth even curled into a faint liberating smile.

"There is no need to feel sad for me. Being the coach of this great ball club and leading players like you is one of the greatest honors of my life." Akiyama Koji’s voice regained its strength and power, "Just like a baseball game, my life has simply entered another inning—the first half, I led you in offense, and the second half, I will guard my home base."

Almost instantly, Akiyama Koji’s voice rose sharply, commanding his players in an unquestionable tone:

"Save your sympathy and tears for the real farewell at the end of the season! We still have an entire season until our real goodbye!"

"Now, on this field, there’s only one thing we need to do—" Akiyama Koji’s eyes were like a torch, sweeping over every player in front of him, "Use every pitch, every swing, every victory, along with the league championship and Japan’s Number One flag, to send off this old guy!"

"Tell me! Are you willing to use a championship to draw the perfect ending for all of us with me?"

The next second, a huge, almost roaring response shook the entire training field.

"Yes!!! Coach!!! We are willing!!!

No hesitation, no delay. The overwhelming sadness and shock that was about to erupt a moment ago was instantly replaced by a stronger determination and fighting spirit.

Within the queue, tears glistened in the eyes of the players who had worked with Coach Akiyama—Lin Guanglai and Yanagida Yuuki exchanged glances and saw the same conviction in each other’s eyes:

"This season, we must win all the championships, and draw the perfect ending for Coach Akiyama’s SoftBank career!"

Soon after, the first practice of the 2014 spring training officially began.

On this day, in the training field where the SoftBank team resided, the steps of players running bases were particularly forceful, the sounds of batting especially loud—each and every one of them unanimously shrugged off the lethargy of the off-season and threw themselves wholeheartedly into the various exercises of spring training.

And when the preseason warm-up games began, the remaining 11 teams of Nippon Professional Baseball witnessed the intensity of this brand-new SoftBank team for the first time—it was as if they had discovered some formula for victory, with both the pitching lineup and batting order entering competitive form at remarkable speed.

Which was followed by victory, victory, victory... In a total of 19 preseason warm-up games, with most main players only playing 2-3 innings per game, the SoftBank team still secured 15 wins, 2 ties, and 2 losses, winning nearly every game with scores of over 10 points, leaving opponents, media, and fans astonished.

All the media tried to dig into the truth behind this team’s excellent state, but the players remained tight-lipped—all of this was known only to the club’s upper management and the players at that moment, with Akiyama Koji himself not intending to announce it so early.

And in this tone, the new season arrived.