Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 539 - 119: Upset? But I Refuse!

Located in the West District of Osaka Prefecture, the Kyocera Dome, which can accommodate 55,000 people, was utterly silent at this moment.

The fans wearing the Orix Buffaloes’ home white jerseys were clutching their heads in disbelief as they watched their own players hang their heads on the field. The scoreboard above the outfield displayed the current score—

Orix Buffaloes 1:2 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

The second-ranked Orix in the regular season had lost! Despite having the home field advantage, they were upset and eliminated by the third-ranked Ham Fighters!

Although they fell short against SoftBank and settled for second in the Pacific League during the regular season, Orix fans were generally satisfied with their team’s performance this year. They had even hoped that in the short-term championship format, their home team could perform a legendary "underdog triumph."

However, their last bit of hope was ruthlessly shattered by their opponents: Orix indeed participated in an underdog match, but the role they played was merely a footnote to the Ham Team.

In the studio, looking at the Orix players continually bowing to their fans to express apologies and supervisor Moriwaki Koji comforting his players, the commentator was also deeply moved: 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"For Orix, this has been a season mixed with sweetness and bitterness—they once occupied the top of the Pacific League in the first half of the season, seemingly with a good chance to claim the league victory that had eluded the team since 1996."

"However, perhaps due to peaking too early, the entire Orix organization experienced intense fluctuations in their form during the mid to late season. It was right before the All-Star game that they were overtaken by the SoftBank Team and never regained the lead, eventually witnessing their rivals being crowned on their home field."

"And now, in the first round of the championship games, they have lost to the Pacific League’s third-place Ham Fighters with a record of 1 win and 2 losses, ending the season in a somewhat anemic manner—31-year-old Kaneko Chiharu, 33-year-old Yoshitomo Itoi, 30-year-old Hiroshi Hirano... As many key players age, Orix’s window for contention is getting narrower. How long will it take for them to find another Ichiro, the destined one to lead the team to victory?"

As the camera turned to the other side of the field, and the young Ohtani Shohai’s radiant face appeared at the center of the screen, the commentator’s voice lifted:

"Of course, the Ham Fighters also deserve this series victory, especially considering they have so many young talents from Japan. The better such a team develops, the more glorious the future of Japanese baseball will be: 20-year-old Ohtani Shohai, 22-year-old Nishikawa Haruki, 21-year-old Kondo Kensuke, 25-year-old Nakata Shou... With some more room to grow, this young guard will surely shine even brighter!"

"Also, player Ohtani Shohai, who challenges professional baseball with dual swordsmanship, has clearly hit his stride after adjusting to professional baseball last season: This year, he hit 10 home runs and secured 10 wins, becoming the second player after Lin Guanglai to achieve the dual 10 feats in a single season. He also performed outstandingly in this series against Orix, claiming his first championship game victory."

While the commentator was speaking, the broadcast signal on the TV screen also showed a preview prepared in advance by the program team, with arranged schedules next to the figures of the young talents Lin Guanglai and Ohtani Shohai battling on the field.

"Starting the day after tomorrow, the decisive battle of the championship games will officially kick off. The teams of these two young talents will face off directly: The winner represents their league to advance to the Japan Series, fighting for the title of Japan’s Number One; while the loser can only end the season on a slightly imperfect note."

"Will it be Lin Guanglai leading the SoftBank Team, continuing their strength, and giving Manager Akiyama a beautiful end as he nears retirement; or will the third-place Ham Fighters overturn the league standings and realize a Cinderella fairy tale?"

"Dear viewers, we’ll meet you at the Fukuoka Yahoo Dome the day after tomorrow..."

-----------------

Exploding, exploding—if you were to ask, besides the fans of the Ham Fighters, who else was most eager to see them face off against the SoftBank Team, then perhaps other than the Nippon Professional Baseball officials, there wouldn’t be a second answer.

Compared to the fiercely competitive Kantou and Kansai regions, neither Kyushu, where the SoftBank Team is located, nor Hokkaido, home to the Ham Fighters, has other professional baseball teams. This means the face-off between the two teams is destined not to disappoint in terms of ratings.

Secondly, the SoftBank Team is full of stars, from veterans like Nakagawa Seiichi and Matsuda Naohiro to the super rookie Lin Guanglai. Their fan base’s loyalty and spending power are incredibly strong; on the other hand, the Ham Fighters are the best at marketing fan economies among the twelve Nippon Professional Baseball teams. Going back and forth, the sales of surrounding products for both teams will be significantly boosted, which is a substantial income.

Most importantly, Lin Guanglai and Ohtani Shohai, these two young players, have incredibly high topic value: the same age, the same Takayama stars, the same dual swordsmanship... These two are like entwined light and shadow, and the sense of destined entanglement they exude perfectly hits the sweet spot for many Japanese people, making it irresistible.