Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 489 - 95: The Flames of War Ignite Again

March 28th, 2014, Friday.

In the stands of Yahoo Dome, about an hour before the official start of the game, members of the early-entrance fan club were busy hanging supportive banners, most of which expressed expectations for the team’s new season.

Among them, there were many office workers in a hurry; there were also families experiencing the atmosphere, as well as some older fans, undaunted, wearing old jerseys that had been washed to the point of fading and wrinkling, talking passionately about the team’s glorious past with younger fans beside them.

Everyone’s face was filled with a long-suppressed desire—after a narrow defeat last season, one move short of victory, and a frantic off-season, the new season has finally arrived!

Above the outfield, the electronic screen of Eagle’s Vision started playing this season’s promotional video: highlights from last season, intense moments from spring training, and unstoppable performances from the pre-season warm-up phase were all presented.

Soon, as the lights in Yahoo Dome dimmed and the spotlight shone on the players, the voice of the onsite MC echoed, introducing today’s starting players to the home fans one by one.

With each face appearing on Eagle’s Vision and each name being called, the fans erupted with waves of thunderous applause that grew louder and louder—under the guidance of the home MC, even though the game hadn’t started, the atmosphere had already reached its peak.

"Have you heard the cheers coming from the stands of the Dome?" In the SoftBank team’s dugout, Akiyama Koji glanced around at his players, "The fans love this team so dearly, they love you—you, as players, must strive to repay their love!"

"Remember the feeling of the pre-season warm-ups, and enjoy it all—this is the first game of the new season, let’s play baseball in the unique SoftBank style and bring victory to the home fans!"

Without lengthy tactical layouts or clichéd speeches, Akiyama Koji inspired his players with the simplest words and the hottest passion. Guided by the newly appointed team captain, Matsuda Naohiro, the SoftBank players gathered together, folding their right hands over each other.

With a loud "Yeah!!!", the morale of the entire team instantly reached its peak.

The starting nine rushed out of the dugout, heading to their respective positions they were tasked to guard—in the eager gaze of tens of thousands of onlookers, the pitcher for this opening match, Lin Guanglai, walked alone to the pitcher’s mound, leveling the dirt on the mound with his shoes; nearby, infielders shouted to each other, completing their final quick throws, as the baseball flew back and forth between positions, creating a series of crisp sounds.

In the VIP seats of Yahoo Dome, watching the tall and handsome figure on the mound, Mizuno Akito, the Mizuno president who came to the scene, nodded and gave a satisfied smile to Itabashi Kenji accompanying him.

Tall, handsome, young, and capable, with a strong appeal among young people and women, and almost certain to challenge the Major League in the future—is there a more perfect signing target?

That billion-dollar contract was worth it!

In the Yahoo Dome broadcast room, Takeshita Yohei adjusted his microphone in front of him, and spoke with a tone full of anticipation:

"Hello everyone, welcome to the opening match of the new season! After a frantic off-season of reinforcements and unstoppable pre-season warm-ups, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, who ranked second in the Pacific League last season, finally welcome their first official match of the new season against the Chiba Lotte Marines—Mr. Shiroyama, what are your thoughts on SoftBank’s prospects this season?"

Takeshita Yohei turned his attention to the special guest next to him: Shiroyama Kenshi, the legendary catcher of the Daiei Hawks promoted by manager Wang Zhenzhi, and also the only player in Asia who has served as a key catcher in MLB so far.

Shiroyama Kenshi coughed a few times and then said, "Without a doubt, SoftBank is the biggest favorite to win the Pacific League this season—their frantic reinforcements during the off-season almost filled all the gaps from last season, both in batting and pitching, they can be described as top-notch."

"But often, paper strength doesn’t necessarily determine the outcome of the game. If SoftBank wants to reclaim the league championship and the title of Japan’s Number One this season, I believe the performance of Lin Guanglai will be crucial—as a Dual Swordsmanship player last season, he made outstanding contributions in both pitching and hitting..." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Praising Lin Guanglai’s performance first, Shiroyama Kenshi then changed his tone, "But this also means that in the new season, whether from within the team, the media, or the fans, he will no longer be regarded as a rookie, but as the team’s core player."

"This means he is bound to be scrutinized under a microscope by professional analysis teams—as a young rookie, facing pressure far beyond what his age would suggest, he will either be crushed or erupt with amazing energy and soar into the sky."

"As a senior from the Eagles, I am more inclined toward the latter."

Nodding to express agreement with Shiroyama Kenshi’s viewpoint, Takeshita Yohei’s voice suddenly raised a few degrees, "Alright, the opening ceremonies have all concluded, and the starting pitcher for this game, Lin Guanglai, has also completed his warm-up throws—"