Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 537 - 118: Home Field Coronation Ceremony

The night in Fukuoka had yet to fully arrive, but the surrounding streets were already surging with the black and white tide: fans of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, dressed in home and away jerseys or the newest championship commemorative shirts, each wore proud and expectant smiles as they flocked to the Yahoo Dome, as if attending a long-awaited grand celebration.

After a full week of away games, SoftBank’s players had finally returned to Fukuoka, to the Yahoo Dome, and could finally share the glory of their victory with the fans at home.

As the game time approached, the stands of the Yahoo Dome, the sanctuary of Fukuoka baseball, were already packed with tens of thousands; the four-sided stands surrounding the baseball field had transformed into a boundless ocean of black and white, flags waving, applause, drumbeats, and cheers thunderous.

Above the outfield stands, on the Eagle’s Vision, the glorious moments of the team’s championship game were repeatedly played before the match began: even though the live audience had long imprinted those iconic scenes into the deepest parts of their memory, every replay could still evoke continuous cheers.

At five-thirty in the afternoon local time, the lights inside the Yahoo Dome dimmed slowly, plunging the entire stadium into deep darkness, except for a few spotlights continuously moving back and forth across the center of the field.

A solemn and thick voice echoed through the sound system throughout the stadium, once again pushing the atmosphere of the Yahoo Dome to its peak:

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our heroes and the 2014 season Pacific League champions, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players, with your warmest applause and cheers!!!"

Instantly, an avalanche of applause and shouts erupted, the immense momentum seemingly ready to completely lift off the dome’s ceiling.

Suddenly, the image on the Eagle’s Vision screen split in the middle, and the lights quickly focused on the exit of the player tunnel; amidst the fervent cheers of the entire stadium’s fans, led by Matsuda Naohiro holding the victory flag, the SoftBank team’s players streamed out from the tunnel.

At this moment, time seemed to stand still: the fans’ gazes in the stands were drawn to the deep purple victory flag in the center of the field, their eyes filled with various emotions; some even reached their hands towards the field, as if they could personally touch the soft flag surface.

The classic song "We Are the Champions" played at the right time, merging with the deafening chorus of the fans. Alongside the music, face after face appeared on the big screen at the scene:

Among them were elderly people over seventy, their hair already gray, quietly wiping tears as they remembered the past years of glory; fathers with children on their shoulders enthusiastically explaining the significance of this moment to the bewildered child; and couples witnessing the event together at the scene, embracing and kissing to the melody of the song... At this moment, the Yahoo Dome had already become an ocean of joy. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

When the lights shone again, the SoftBank players in the center of the field quickly ran back to the dugout, making final preparations for today’s game; although the championship was already secured, how could they disappoint the home fans in the first game back at home?

In this match, facing last season’s league champions and Japan’s Number One Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Akiyama Koji still sent out relatively the strongest starting lineup, only making minor adjustments in certain positions.

The arrangement, on one hand, was to reward the home fans, aiming for a victory to give them a perfect day; on the other hand, it was to prepare for the climax match that was to come.

After all, for the championship-winning SoftBank team, having a bye in the first round of the climax match meant they had nearly half a month without feeling the intensity of official games, and if the players rested for too long, they might lose the hard-earned form, so adjusted rotations were also part of what he needed to consider as a supervisor.

In this match, Lin Guanglai, who had already secured 18 wins, took the mound as the starter. So far, whether it be wins, strikeouts, or ERA—these three key metrics for evaluating pitchers—Lin Guanglai was leading the Pacific League without peer; after securing the team’s honor, his next primary goal was to hit the record of 20 wins in a single season.

After all, since 1985, fewer than ten people in all of Japan have achieved this feat, and in the last decade, only Iwakuma Hisashi in 2008 and Tanaka Masahiro last year managed to accomplish it; in other words, if Lin Guanglai could achieve the single-season 20-win milestone, he would almost be prematurely sealing this season’s Eiji Sawamura Award (though now it seems there’s hardly any suspense anyway).

Ironically, the Rakuten Team’s starting pitcher today was Matsui Yuuki, who had previously been battered by SoftBank’s hitters—the opponent was sent down to the second team for adjustment mid-season, only being brought up again after the conclusion of Rakuten’s struggle for a position at the bottom became all but certain, to continue receiving professional baseball education.

Even Lin Guanglai didn’t know if his high school rival was lucky or unlucky: saying he’s lucky, having the chance to start as a pitcher in a championship team’s friendly match showed Rakuten’s regard for him; saying he’s unlucky, Matsui Yuuki always found himself starting when SoftBank had a must-win reason, risking a harsh lesson each time.