Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 492 - 96: A New Hero 2

"Guanglai - strike him out!" Initially, it was just a few scattered shouts from the audience; but soon, similar cries surged like a tidal wave, sweeping through the entire stands of the Yahoo Dome.

"Strike - Strike - Strike!!!" The originally diverse and chaotic cheers and slogans were now replaced by this single word; the SoftBank fans in the stands clapped their hands and raised them above their heads, with tens of thousands of eyes simultaneously fixed on the pitcher’s mound.

As the focal point of the crowd’s gaze, Lin Guanglai subtly shook his head and chuckled silently: maybe this is what people mean by "love turns to hate"?

The way SoftBank fans were acting displayed a sense of show-off; it’s like meeting an ex with a new partner, using this method to prove that one can live well without the other.

"See? After you left, not only did we win the championship, but now we have a younger, more handsome, and stronger new face - it proves that we, Softbank, can live well without you!" - this was likely the most genuine thought of these SoftBank fans on the stands.

For the veteran Tadahito Iguchi, Lin Guanglai had no personal grievance with him; but as a member of the Softbank Team, since their fans called for such cheers, he felt it was necessary to respond to their request.

Putting away his smile, Lin Guanglai’s gaze focused on Tadahito Iguchi, who had stepped into the right-handed batter’s box: although 39 years old this year, as a hitter who once stood firm in the Major League, Tadahito Iguchi was certainly not someone to be underestimated.

In his youth, Tadahito Iguchi was a versatile three-tool player, especially adept at hitting long-distance hits, as evident in his performance against the "Heisei Monster" Matsuzaka Daisuke: in his professional career against Matsuzaka Daisuke, 85 at-bats, 31 hits, including 3 home runs and 9 RBIs, a batting average of .365 that earned him the title "Matsuzaka Killer."

After returning to Japan and joining Rode, the aging Tadahito Iguchi honed a sharp eye for the ball, consistently ranking among the top in selector ability across 12 teams in recent years; in addition, his average batting rate over .300 against outside pitches further increased his threat to right-handed pitchers.

Last season, he posted a .297/.390/.511 slash line and hit 23 home runs, with an OPS as high as .902, marking a second spring in his career.

If not for a minor injury during the preseason, he should have started this game; Ito Kei bringing him in now was in part to let him regain the feel of official games.

After nearly 20 years of honing in the professional baseball league, Tadahito Iguchi had almost no obvious technical weaknesses, with experience enough to overshadow other players on the field - facing such a truly "top hitter," Lin Guanglai focused intently, calmly and attentively communicating with Takeshima Shinya about the strategy for this round.

The opponent was indeed strong, but a baseball game often cannot be won by strength alone - for this at-bat, Lin Guanglai planned to engage in a psychological battle with this veteran.

From the catcher’s seat, Takeshima Shinya signaled the pitch selection, while on the mound, Lin Guanglai bent slightly, using his glove to cover most of his face, nodding twice towards his partner.

The next second, without any feints, his right arm snapped like a whip, the baseball shooting through the air above the mound like a cannonball, powerfully heading towards Tadahito Iguchi’s inside corner.

In the batter’s box, Tadahito Iguchi’s pupils dilated, and his body instinctively prepared to strike; just as the baseball drew closer to home plate, his years of experience curbed his impulse to swing, allowing the ball to pass.

The baseball smacked sharply into Takeshima Shinya’s catcher’s mitt with a "pop."

"Ball!" The umpire immediately made his call.

"Not bad, although it cost a ball, at least it achieved part of its purpose." Receiving the returned ball from the catcher, Lin Guanglai calculated in his mind.

Having pitched the entire game, he was certainly aware of the umpire’s strict judgment on the strike zone’s boundaries today, so his initial intent with this pitch was to pressure Tadahito Iguchi—it’s the old adage: as a pitcher, you must make the batter wary of inside pressure.

Soon after, the second pitch duel began: Takeshima Shinya silently moved his glove towards the outside low corner of Tadahito Iguchi; Lin Guanglai nodded slightly, his arm swing as swift as before, except with a slight wrist adjustment when releasing the ball.

Watching the ball intently, the trajectory appeared aimed at his inside corner - seeing this, Tadahito Iguchi prepared to shift his weight for a swing, only to find the baseball drifting laterally towards the outside corner before reaching the plate.

"Slider!" Tadahito Iguchi sensed something amiss, quickly trying to halt his power strike using all his muscle strength; under his control, the bat lightly tipped the incoming ball, spoiling the low outside slider into a foul territory.

Once the entire sequence ended, as a batter, Tadahito Iguchi could finally breathe a sigh of relief: that pitch nearly fooled him, a strike at his initial angle would’ve likely ended the game right then.

The count stood at 1 ball and 1 strike.

Having secured the necessary strike, Takeshima Shinya seized the momentum, swiftly extending his mitt toward the low inside corner, stopping it very close to Tadahito Iguchi.

As a catcher adhering to the "pitcher-first" philosophy, with any other pitcher, Takeshima Shinya would definitely not want such an inside pitch; but Lin Guanglai’s control was something he knew all too well.

The baseball was then delivered towards Takeshima Shinya’s mitt with a slight lateral movement.

"Inside pitch!" Almost the moment the ball was released, Tadahito Iguchi reacted immediately, his body recoiling rapidly, swinging his bat to protect his inside corner.

Ultimately, with Tadahito Iguchi completely pressured, he could only tap the ball from the bat’s handle into foul ground again, giving Lin Guanglai his second strike of the at-bat.

Being continuously pressured, the seasoned batter showed a hint of almost undetectable agitation on his face, his rhythm visibly disturbed.

On the mound, Lin Guanglai signaled to Takeshima Shinya, who signaled back with understanding - it was their unique signal, indicating that the next pitch would be the decisive strike.

Lin Guanglai took a deep breath, and the next second, he threw the ball clutched between his index and middle fingers with all his might, the arm swing and position indistinguishable from a fastball.

"Outside fastball, can be pushed to right field!" Watching the ball’s trajectory, Tadahito Iguchi immediately made this judgment, his center of gravity instantly shifting, his swing decisive and fluid.

Yet, just as the baseball approached home plate, the pitch path suddenly and dramatically dropped without warning.

Tadahito Iguchi’s eyes widened starkly, and his brain issued a desperate alarm:

Outside forkball!!!

But at this point, pulling back the bat was impossible, leaving Tadahito Iguchi to desperately try and catch the rapidly disappearing forkball.

The result of this at-bat was predictable: the bat weakly brushed the air above the ball, followed by a "swish" of a failed swing, then the resounding "bang" of a solid catch.

The Yahoo Dome remained silent for about half a second before erupting into tsunami-like cheers.

Lin Guanglai slowly retracted his movements, then clenched his fists to the fans in all directions, prompting waves of screams; in the batter’s box, Tadahito Iguchi simply stood there, looking down at the spot where the ball disappeared earlier, shaking his head in resignation.

The once-beloved hero of the Eagles also glanced towards the stands, recognizing some familiar faces; but unlike before, the cheers there no longer belonged to him.

Fukuoka’s fans had found their new hero.