Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 504 - 102: Tonight, God Wears Number 21! (Part 2)

The photographers responsible for capturing the moment were frantically reviewing their shots, searching for that one picture among a mass of photos that captured the most tension: Was it the instant when Lin Guanglai’s bat connected with the baseball? Or was it his majestic roar to the sky after hitting the home run? Or perhaps the scene where he was engulfed by the crowd, being lifted high into the air by his teammates?

Each photo required careful selection, as every single one of them could potentially become tomorrow’s front-page headline candidate.

Meanwhile, some journalists from international media outlets were furiously writing: As reporters from the birthplace of baseball, the United States, they usually carried an inherent sense of superiority towards Asian baseball; but at this moment, such condescending expressions had vanished without a trace from their faces.

It wouldn’t be long before news related to the "Ultimate Home Run" achievement would be sent worldwide — and Lin Guanglai, who accomplished this feat, might just attract many Major League teams to Japan based on his performance in this single game.

In the live broadcast studio, the commentator, responsible for the broadcast, was already hoarse, "Ladies and gentlemen, we... we’ve just witnessed the most incredible, unimaginable individual performance since the birth of baseball! This isn’t a video game; this is truly happening in real life!"

"Since the first recorded baseball game took place in Cooperstown in 1839, the 175 years have given rise to countless hitters great enough to go down in history — Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Barry Bonds... These individuals have continually pushed the boundaries of baseball, creating countless records that leave future challengers in despair."

"Yet, even with these names that couldn’t be greater, none have ever achieved the feat of an ’Ultimate Home Run’ in a single game. A challenge deemed impossible was actually accomplished today!"

At this point, the commentator’s voice became somewhat choked, "I don’t know what you, the audience, are feeling right now, but as a commentator with over 20 years of experience, I just feel incredibly fortunate to witness the birth of this moment on-site!"

"Tonight! God is wearing the SoftBank number 21 jersey! Without a doubt, with just this one game, we can declare the birth of a new legend!"

The game was still ongoing, but neither the players, the commentators, the reporters, nor the audience were focused on the match anymore:

After Lin Guanglai hit the grand slam, the subsequent Softbank batters offered little resistance, quickly getting out to end the bottom of the eighth inning;

And in the top of the ninth inning, Orix was already demoralized, not wanting to continue fighting; players from both sides went through the motions, putting a rather sloppy end to this historically destined game.

After the game ended, led by their captain Matsuda Naohiro, the Softbank players circled the field to express their gratitude to the home fans who supported them at the venue; Lin Guanglai was pulled to the front center of the lineup by his teammates, basking in the cheers and adulation of the home fans. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

If it weren’t for the massive, sturdy wire net separating the baseball field from the spectator stands, the passionate fans might have rushed onto the field like soccer matches to interact with the players.

A moment later, the lights at Yahoo Dome dimmed instantly, and a giant spotlight shone on the hero’s podium erected at the center of the field, where Lin Guanglai stood beside the host on stage, smiling and waving to the home team fans.

The host’s voice was tremulous with emotion, "Ladies and gentlemen, please once again give your most enthusiastic applause to tonight’s legend — Lin Guanglai!!!"

In an instant, the entire arena erupted in thunderous applause, and the fans’ cheers were deafening.

"Lin, congratulations on setting a new record — first, we must ask, in the face of a loaded base situation, knowing you were just one grand slam away from creating a new miracle, what was going on in your mind?"

"My mind went blank at that moment." Lin Guanglai took the microphone from the other party, took a deep breath, and replied, "I wasn’t thinking about records or history at all; the only thing on my mind was not to disappoint everyone’s expectations, and I had to hit the ball out of the park — fortunately, I did it! Thanks to all my teammates and all the fans who support us!"

The host nodded, "Indeed, prior to your grand slam, four teammates paved the way for you in various ways; do you have anything you’d like to say to them?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Guanglai’s expression turned serious, "As I’ve always said, this record belongs to everyone on our team. After all, without them, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to hit a home run above one point — they are all participants in this miracle, and this hero’s podium should be for all of us to stand on together!"

Not far from the hero’s podium, Lin Guanglai’s teammates immediately erupted into loud cheers and applause, their faces beaming with joy.

"One last question — having achieved an unprecedented and unparalleled feat tonight, what does it mean to you?"

Lin Guanglai pondered for a while before providing his reply: "This is undoubtedly a great achievement, but I think this achievement is ultimately just a beautiful gem — rather than holding the gem alone, I hope to set it in the center of the crown! My goal, our goal, is always that crown called ’Japan’s Number One’!"

Just as Lin Guanglai finished speaking, Yanagida Yuuki suddenly appeared behind him on stage. In that first moment, he poured a large bucket of ice water over Lin’s head, igniting the atmosphere within the dome once again.

Caught off guard, Lin Guanglai was drenched with a chill, laughing heartily as he wiped the water from his face, while his teammates displayed expressions that couldn’t seem to get enough of the excitement.

The crazier celebration took place in the locker room after the game: surrounded by his teammates, Lin Guanglai returned to the locker room; as the door closed the next second, a bottle of non-alcoholic beverage (because he couldn’t drink champagne due to being under 20) was shaken by a teammate beside him, then sprayed onto his face.

The players sang loudly, celebrating this achievement that would etch every one of their names into history, none could keep a clear head; soon, team president Goto Youkou also came in, accompanied by supervisor Akiyama Koji and the coaching staff, hugging each player and extending congratulations to Lin Guanglai.

And at the end of the celebration, a staff member at Yahoo Dome carefully brought in a baseball — the very ball that witnessed history, witnessed the miracle of the grand slam; to reclaim this ball from the fans, SoftBank offered a season ticket behind home plate for ten years and a chance for close interaction with the player.

But it was all worth it.

With Lin Guanglai’s consent, the baseball was kept safe by the staff and would soon appear in the SoftBank Team History Museum within the dome.

By the following day, with further media coverage expansion, nearly every newspaper’s sports section and even the front-page headlines were dominated by the same news.

Leading media outlets such as Yomiuri, Asahi, Mainichi, and Sankei reported the news, employing phrases full of utmost admiration; Fukuoka’s local newspapers went as far as placing Lin Guanglai’s moment of hitting the ball on the front-page headline, with a title that said simply:

"Creating a Myth."

Throughout the city streets, on buses and subways, there was only one topic of conversation among people; most newsstands saw newspapers about yesterday’s match sold out; according to SoftBank’s official statistics, after yesterday’s game, sales of Lin Guanglai’s jerseys spiked more than tenfold.

This night would be eternally etched in history.