Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 545 - 121: The Must-Win Third Battle (Part 2)

The balance of victory in this match seemed to favor the visiting Ham Team from the very beginning.

In the top half of the first inning, today’s starting pitcher Shetsu Shou quickly got two outs: a fly ball to the outfield and a strikeout swiftly dealt with the first two batters of the Ham Team. It seemed like a relatively easy half inning.

However, when Dai-Kang Yang chose to swing fiercely at the first pitch of his first at-bat and sent the ball into the right-field stands in front of forty thousand home spectators, the rhythm of the game suddenly went awry.

As a pitcher who heavily relies on control and breaking balls, Shetsu Shou’s pitching rhythm was disrupted right from the start; he had little time to adjust before facing Ham Team’s heart of the lineup again.

Nakata Shou and Ohtani Shohai hit consecutive singles, and with pressure mounting at first and second base, Shetsu Shou made another mistake:

The Ham Team’s sixth batter, Kotono Eiichi, took the count to 2 balls and 2 strikes, then seized the opportunity, launching the ball onto the left-field stands for a three-run homer!

Almost on the brink of despair, the Ham Team erupted with astonishing momentum in this match: in just two and a half innings, they slashed 7 runs off Shetsu Shou, starkly forcing the once-legendary player off the mound.

The Yahoo Dome fell into a bit of silence, with even the commentators in the studio left speechless. Ohtani Shuhei sneaked a glance at the nearby Kohkubo Yuuki, whose expression wasn’t great either at the moment.

"This game, we can start treating it as a lost battle..." Kohkubo Yuuki sighed lightly and finally spoke his mind, "Even though falling behind by 7 runs in the first two innings theoretically doesn’t eliminate the chance for a comeback, considering the unique nature of the climax series, it’s better not to burn the bullpen."

Considering the team’s significant deficit, home team fans must be in a bad mood right now, and Kohkubo Yuuki also began finding highlights in the team’s performance: "Actually, compared to yesterday, today’s lineup coordination was quite good, showing a return to form; when Lin Guanglai re-joins the lineup rotation tomorrow, that’ll be the truly complete lineup."

"This loss also serves as a wake-up call for Softbank’s players; even the champions can stumble in the climax series. Tomorrow night’s third game, the players must fight with all they’ve got—that’s a battle we cannot afford to lose. If we win, we can trap the Ham Team in a corner!"

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The morning after the second game against the Ham Team, Akiyama Koji woke up from his bed in Fukuoka. There was no one beside him; his wife was in the hospital receiving treatment, temporarily cared for by her family—from a week before the climax series began, his wife had asked him to fully dedicate himself to the games and not go to the hospital anymore.

From the start of the series against the Ham Team, Akiyama Koji knew it wouldn’t be easy, and he and the coaching staff were well-prepared; however, the outcome of yesterday’s game was still beyond his expectations:

The typically reliable second ace, Shetsu Shou, suffered the most painful defeat of his career on the climax series stage, allowing 7 runs in less than two innings before being replaced. The young players brought in subsequently for defeat management couldn’t stop the building momentum of the Ham Team either—in the end, the home-playing Softbank was washed out with a score of 4-12, bringing the total series score to 2-1.

Today’s game is quite critical; if Softbank can secure it, they’ll complete the series on the cusp of victory, while also pushing the Ham Team to the brink of defeat. But if they lose, not only will the series score be tied, but the team’s morale might take a further hit.

Although, theoretically speaking, the longer the series extends, the more advantageous it is for the deeper-bench Softbank Team, who knows what might happen along the way? To avoid prolonging uncertainties, it’s naturally better to resolve opponents as soon as possible.

After a brief wash, Akiyama Koji set off from home, driving to the Yahoo Dome. Once inside, he rushed to convene a brief morning meeting with the coaching staff, leaving no time for breakfast.

After confirming everyone had arrived, Akiyama Koji presented his idea:

"For tonight’s game, I’m planning to put Guanglai in the fifth spot—what do you all think?"

The other coaches exchanged puzzled glances, unsure how to respond to their supervisor; only the batting coach Fujii Yasuo lowered his head in deep thought. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Moments later, Fujii Yasuo lifted his head, eyes meeting Akiyama Koji’s, responding:

"I think it’s feasible. I’ve actually been wanting to try placing him in the heart of the lineup for a while now—considering Guanglai’s power-hitting ability, putting him as the leadoff hitter feels a bit wasted..."

"Moreover, judging from the first two games, the Ham Team has thoroughly studied our lineup habits. Each time our combined offensive momentum ramps up, they timely exploit a weak point to cut it off—with Guanglai added to the heart of the lineup, we can leverage the powerful upper lineup to unleash a more formidable offense!"

Relishing the idea, Fujii Yasuo’s eyes brightened, "Besides, the Ham Team surely didn’t anticipate such an arrangement. Their previous preparations might fall short—it’s worth knowing that a high batting average and power hitter standing at the leadoff and fifth spot are two completely different concepts!"

"Not to mention, the runs a home run can bring could very likely escalate from 1 run to 2, 3, or even 4 runs..."

As Fujii Yasuo eagerly spoke, Akiyama Koji nodded repeatedly.

This idea had lingered in his mind for some time, but considering Lin Guanglai’s stamina, he originally planned to gradually implement it starting next season.

But now with the climax series’ unpredictable pace, in order to win tonight’s must-win showdown, they felt a need to infuse a bit of "disruption" into the game.

When Softbank’s head coach Ogawa Shu posted today’s starting lineup in the players’ dressing room, the lineup initially drew little attention.

It wasn’t until Yanagida Yuuki noticed the name "Lin Guanglai" boldly listed in the fifth spot that he shouted, catching everyone’s attention.

"Guanglai, you better play well as the fifth hitter today— the more hits you get, the more RBIs I might score..." With a teasing look, Yanagida Yuuki leaned halfway against Lin Guanglai.

In response, Lin Guanglai chuckled and retorted, "Don’t worry, Brother Yuuki, I’ll send the seniors on base home before you even get up—just be a good pioneer for the back hitters behind me!"

This banter truly amused the other players in the dressing room, who laughed heartily watching Lin Guanglai and Yanagida Yuuki, both good friends, bicker without a hint of dejection from losing a game.

And with some time left before the game, the Ham Team also received today’s latest starting lineup—when they saw Lin Guanglai’s name in the fifth spot, the wrinkles on Kuriyama Hideki’s face deepened slightly.

For Lin Guanglai as a leadoff hitter, the Ham Team had formulated a substantial number of strategies to target him; but once the lineup position changed to fifth, it meant those arrangements had to change accordingly.

Inaba Atsunori stood beside Ohtani Shohai, watching his talented junior with interest, and slowly spoke:

"What do you say, Shohei, fifth hitter against fifth hitter—do you have the confidence to beat him?"

A burning fighting spirit erupted in Ohtani Shohai’s eyes as he replied, word by word:

"Rest assured, senior, I’m eager for this!!!"