Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 498 - 99: Saturation Bombardment

"So, Guanglai, how about that RBI single I just hit?" As soon as the inning ended, Yanagida Yuuki returned to the dugout and immediately looked for Lin Guanglai to boast about his performance, "Now we’re tied at 1-1. I want to eat at ITSUBOSHI. Remember to reserve a table after the game; the seats there are quite exclusive."

Faced with such premature champagne-popping news from the other side, Lin Guanglai could only respond with a "haha" to express his feelings, "Brother Yuuki, let’s not even talk about how my score was a home run, which is definitely stronger than your single. Right now, the score is indeed tied at 1-1, but I’m the first batter, which means I get more at-bats. How are you convinced that you can win?"

Yanagida Yuuki was not weak in comebacks either, retorting directly, "Hmph, it’s true that you’re the first batter, but I have senior players in the core batting order before me. Maybe your three home runs won’t even match my bases-clearing hit."

The two friends bantered with each other for a while, neither willing to back down first. Just as Yanagida Yuuki was taking his glove to prepare for defense, Lin Guanglai threw a parting shot at him—

"Well, then, Brother Yuuki, just watch from the bench—I will make this game a memory Kaneko-senpai will never forget in his entire career! You’re going to lose!"

In the bottom of the third inning, designated hitter Lin Guanglai stepped up to bat again.

Before entering the batter’s box, Lin Guanglai glanced outside the dugout at Manager Akiyama Koji. According to Softbank Team’s strategic layout, in a close-score situation like this, all but the core players are required to sacrifice bunt to advance teammates.

Although Lin Guanglai wasn’t too happy about this in his heart, he wouldn’t disobey the manager’s orders if asked.

Fortunately, Akiyama Koji did not make such a request; he merely indicated with his eyes that Lin Guanglai was free to play his game.

This allowed Lin Guanglai to breathe a sigh of relief before he cast his gaze back toward the pitcher’s mound, where Kaneko Chiharu was stationed—he would prove Manager Akiyama’s decision right with practical action.

The Softbank Team still led Orix 2-1, with no outs on the field at the moment; Nakamura Akira, playing ninth, was itching to move from the first base bag.

In a situation where they’re behind with runners on base, a top pitcher like Kaneko Chiharu absolutely would not tolerate giving up another run; the best way to resolve this crisis is undoubtedly to secure a double play.

Thinking from this angle, the pitch types the opponent might choose become evident:

Breaking balls, especially vertical breaking balls on the outside or middle outside the strike zone—this was Lin Guanglai’s target for this at-bat to hit with precision.

When would the opponent throw the type of pitch Lin Guanglai was anticipating? This calls for a bit of luck for a batter. Unlike his aggressive first at-bat, Lin Guanglai planned only to swing at outside-corner or middle-level vertical breaking balls this time.

Having confirmed his hitting strategy, a confident Lin Guanglai swung the bat a few times, and the breeze cleared any distractions from his mind; at that moment, his mind focused only on the strategy he laid out and the baseball in Kaneko Chiharu’s hand.

The first pitch, Ito Mitsuo, the catcher, placed his mitt high in the strike zone. Kaneko Chiharu nodded without any hesitation, lifting his leg, rotating, and swinging his arm—sending the baseball like a white light rocketing towards home plate.

"High inside fastball!" Lin Guanglai’s brain processed the trajectory of this straight and fast pitch almost instantly, letting the ball pass behind the home plate.

"Strike!" The umpire’s voice rang out immediately from behind, but Lin Guanglai remained calm—everything was unfolding as he had anticipated.

The first pitch chosen was a high inside fastball, pressuring the batter while opening up vast options on the outer corner for future pitch calls. Following this, Kaneko Chiharu and Ito Mitsuo’s attack would likely target the outside corner.

Lin Guanglai’s brain quickly processed the hidden information revealed by this first pitch choice. Instead of moving outward, his body stealthily took a small step inward while the opponents were off-guard.

Ito Mitsuo subtly shifted his mitt to the outside low position, switching signals with his fingers between his legs before giving the final pitching sign; up on the mound, Kaneko Chiharu nodded slightly and tossed the ball once more—the pitching motion almost identical to the previous pitch!

"Here it comes!!!" As the baseball darted from Kaneko Chiharu’s hand, every nerve in Lin Guanglai’s body became taut. On first glance, the ball appeared to be a fastball aimed at the outer corner. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

But during its flight, with his exceptionally keen dynamic vision, Lin Guanglai noticed the unique spin of the ball—

Forkball!

With Kaneko Chiharu’s excellent control, he had the ability to precisely press this forkball down the bottom edge of the strike zone, a type of pitch that 99% of batters disdain.

Even if the contact point is slightly off, the batter is likely to hit a high, shallow fly ball or a weak ground ball—the former reliably results in an out, while the latter is primed for the much-needed double play.

With the baseball ever nearing the plate, Lin Guanglai still took no action; it seemed like he intended to let this pitch go once again, waiting for the next opportunity... or did he?

In the batter’s box, Lin Guanglai had completed his power gathering stance, yet he didn’t rush to initiate; he was waiting for an opportunity—a chance for a decisive, lethal strike!

Under the influence of Magnetic Force, the forkball lost the support to continue its flight, and its trajectory started to descend; it was precisely at this moment that Lin Guanglai’s long-charged frame, like a tightly wound spring, released its energy.

His swing path carried a slight upward tilt, cleanly lifting the descending ball just at the right spot; the crisp "thud" sound indicated all the energy stored in his body channeled perfectly through the maple bat into the small sphere, a solid contact feeling all too familiar to him.

The little white ball shot up like a rocket, its white trail slicing through the sky beneath the dome of Yahoo Dome, seemingly threatening to tear the entire dome apart; its arc wasn’t particularly high, yet it spun violently with impressive speed.

Orix’s right fielder could only tilt his head back to track the ball’s trajectory, retreating, retreating, until he bumped into the tall, solid outfield wall of Yahoo Dome, ceasing his chase, watching the ball fly over his head and disappear into the cheering crowd in the stands.

From first base, Hasegawa Yu had already excitedly dashed back to home plate, while Lin Guanglai leisurely jogged toward second base.

"First, a solo homer, now a two-run blast—Lin Guanglai, through his powerful bat, has conquered the mound of Kaneko Chiharu in this high-stakes showdown today, silencing his critics once again!"

When his foot touched home plate, adding another point to his team’s score, Lin Guanglai turned to look at the pitcher’s mound: Kaneko Chiharu had already caught the new ball returned by the catcher.

He simply used his cleats to even out the dirt on the mound, his face expressionless.

Returning to the dugout, Lin Guanglai mimicked Yanagida Yuuki’s earlier bragging, flaunting at him:

"Brother Yanagida, now it’s 3-1, you know."