Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 527 - 113: King’s Move (Part 2)

After speaking, Akiyama Koji left the press conference, leaving only his back to the reporters present.

Akiyama Koji left, but his decision left the atmosphere at the entire press conference momentarily frozen. Immediately, a huge shock transformed into unstoppable commotion, with the sound of gasps and whispers of disbelief filling the scene.

"Why now?" — This was the question almost bursting in the minds of all the reporters:

Anyone with eyes could see that, with Lin Guanglai’s rapid growth and with the formation of the main lineup, the SoftBank team, almost entirely coached by Akiyama Koji, was in the best period since its formation.

If a normal transition between the old and new players was completed in the coming years, it was really hard to imagine any other team being able to stop this team, rich in resources and comprising three generations — some even thought that if Lin Guanglai remained with the team, the miraculous feat of replicating the Giant’s V9 dynasty wasn’t entirely impossible. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

But who would have thought that at such a moment, as the captain of this Galaxy Battleship, Akiyama Koji would choose to retire on a high note, which truly exceeded everyone’s expectations present at the scene.

And when this news was revealed by reporters, undoubtedly, it caused a huge stir off the field as well — some more aggressive SoftBank fans even felt that it was fake news fabricated by fans of other ballclubs to obstruct their victory.

When the broadcast signal at the Kyocera Dome was connected, the camera rarely focused on Akiyama Koji on the bench, clearly recognizing who the protagonist of the day was.

In the footage, the manager appeared as usual, covering his mouth with his hand while talking to Guo Taiyuan, showing no signs of sadness; and the players not far away were also earnestly doing their pre-match warm-ups, as if completely unaffected by the news.

In the eyes of conspiracy theorists who didn’t wish SoftBank well, such a scene was undoubtedly interpreted as Akiyama Koji losing control of the locker room, suggesting he didn’t leave voluntarily but was ousted by the players.

But soon, a brief interview with Lin Guanglai before the game began completely shattered this conspiracy theory.

"Yes, Manager Akiyama told us about his upcoming retirement early in the season." Before the key match against Orix, Lin Guanglai frankly disclosed during an interview.

"Manager Akiyama has been my guide since I entered professional baseball. Without him, I wouldn’t be who I am today — so, whether it’s tonight’s game or subsequent crucial battles, including the Japan Series, we will give our all to help him achieve a ’perfect ending’!"

Lin Guanglai’s words echoed the sentiments of the entire SoftBank team. For today’s match against Orix, they were determined to win!

"Good evening, baseball fans, welcome to tonight’s exciting match at the Kyocera Dome."

"In the previous two matches, Lin Guanglai secured a shutout victory in his 18th win of the season against Orix, marking a strong start to the series; in the second game, Oonari Kenji, who returned mid-season from injury, gave an exceptional performance by allowing just 2 runs over 7 innings, while the lineup’s explosive offense helped SoftBank secure another win."

"In today’s match, if visiting SoftBank defeats their opponent, they will secure the Pacific League title for this season in advance."

"The starting pitcher for this match is Shetsu Shou, who has a record of 10 wins and 7 losses this season. Despite a slight decline in form, he remains a reliable top starter."

"In the lineup, Lin Guanglai is making his return as the lead-off batter, joined by strong hitters like Uchikawa, Matsuda, Hasegawa, and Yanagita — this starting arrangement clearly reflects SoftBank’s determination."

"The deep blue championship pennant of the Pacific League has been officially transported to Osaka by the Nippon Professional Baseball organization this morning; will SoftBank clinch victory here today?"

Before long, the time approached six in the evening. With the umpire’s command, this eagerly awaited top-of-the-table clash officially commenced!

In the top of the first inning, it was SoftBank’s turn to bat, and lead-off hitter Lin Guanglai stepped into the batter’s box.

Having experienced the bitterness of Kaneko Chiharu in the series opener and seeing their second matchup’s pitcher Yuuki being overpowered by SoftBank’s lineup, this game saw Orix opting to start young pitcher Takahiro Matsuba, who had been performing well this season, hoping to inject some youthful vigor into the team.

Matsuba’s arsenal includes a fastball that can reach speeds of up to 149 km/h, alongside sliders, curveballs, and forkballs. Although his velocity isn’t particularly fast, his exceptional control allows him to effectively prevent batters from locking onto his pitches, producing numerous weak contacts.

The first pitch came on the outside corner and appeared to be a fastball. Yet, upon closer inspection, there was some added movement in its trajectory.

Lin Guanglai held his ground, opting not to swing impulsively.

The pitch landed in a tough spot on the plate, and the home plate umpire raised his right arm — Strike!

A smattering of applause resonated from the stands at Kyocera Dome: although it was a crucial championship battle, the presence of Orix fans in the stands was less than anticipated.

In the Osaka Metropolitan Area, the Hanshin Tigers have always been the main attraction, and Orix, often overshadowed, frequently goes underappreciated; not to mention, after numerous relocations and mergers, the historical legacy and regional ties once belonging to the Hankyu Braves and Orix BlueWave have been significantly diminished.

The second pitch was a slider from Matsuba, skimming across the edge of the strike zone horizontally. Lin Guanglai once again restrained himself from swinging, watching the ball cross the plate — the umpire made no call, bringing the count to one ball and one strike.

Although the opponent’s average fastball speed is just over 130 km/h, as discussed in the pre-game analysis, Matsuba’s delivery motion for each pitch type is like it was cut from the same mold, which adds to the difficulty for batters in opposing him.

Lin Guanglai knew that facing a pitcher with such excellent control, he must not easily fall into the pitcher’s rhythm.

The fourth pitch soon came, and as it was released, it maintained that indistinguishable pitching style. But this time, Lin Guanglai’s eyes clearly tracked the baseball’s trajectory — although it seemed to blend into the fastball at first glance, he noticed it was a cutter diving toward his inner corner!

It’s now!!!

His body reacted almost quicker than his mind, with Lin Guanglai decisively taking action. Planting his lower body firmly, his powerful core exploded with energy, channeling all his strength into his arms as the bat whipped forcefully toward the incoming white sphere.

Full body, full spirit, full speed, full power!

"Crack——!!!"

With intense backspin, the baseball soared skyward — it sailed over the infield, over the retreating central fielders, unwaveringly flying toward the depths of the central field stands.

After a brief moment of absolute silence, a tidal wave of noise erupted from the visiting team’s dugout and the ranks of SoftBank’s traveling fans, powerful enough to blow the roof off.

A flood of immense joy swept through him, and as Lin Guanglai rounded third base headed home, adrenaline led him to execute a classic move:

He pointed at Manager Akiyama nearby, and then, under the gaze of tens of thousands of eyes, executed a cartwheel propelled by his forward momentum, and then launched into a backflip, performed flawlessly with fluidity and vigor.

His body twisted in the air, the world inverted and righted itself before his eyes, as Lin Guanglai landed steadily with both feet planted directly on home plate.

The camera instantly zeroed in on Akiyama Koji at the side, as an uncontrollable surge of emotion rose to his eyes, rendering them slightly moist.