Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 571 - 135: Celestial God, Buddha, and Lin Guanglai

Before the seventh inning began, seeing the team still fighting despite trailing 0-3, hope indeed began to rise in the hearts of the fans; however, it wasn't long before this grand slam became the final straw, crushing all remnants of their wishful thinking.

The same world, different joys and sorrows, this scene is simultaneously playing out in many corners of Japan.

Even though the game is not actually over yet, and the Hanshin Tigers still have ample opportunity to equalize, nothing can now stop the SoftBank fans from going wild—they have every reason to believe that their team will absolutely not falter at this critical moment, and they will surely end the suspense of Japan's Number One tonight!

Returning to Yahoo Dome, after confirming the baseball had flown into the stands, Lin Guanglai excitedly tossed his bat into the air, then began circling the bases with large strides.

As he passed first base, he turned his head to see Manager Akiyama and teammates in the dugout celebrating almost crazily; running toward second base, the Hanshin infielders' heads were hung low while their undisguisable despair came into his view; passing by third base, the coach in charge of third base guidance seemed eager to rush into the field and give him a bear hug.

Finally, when he stepped onto home plate, his teammates who had arrived there earlier surged forward immediately, continuously patting his head and back with faces full of irrepressible joy; afterwards, the spectators in the stands also reacted, led by the fan club, they began chanting in unison —

"MVP——! MVP——! MVP——!"

The cheers of MVP echoed in Yahoo Dome, and the momentum of this chant showed no sign of diminishing — it was the truest expression of emotion from the live fans at that moment, dedicating the cheers not only to Lin Guanglai's grand slam but also to his divine performance throughout this series and the entire season.

In the broadcast studio, Sakurai Koji, who was responsible for commentary today, was also infected by the emotions emanating from the stadium's home fans. He was now racking his brains, searching for related rhetoric to express his own shock at Lin Guanglai's performance in this series.

Faces of well-known players and related news reports emerged in his mind, and ultimately, he found an exceedingly suitable rhetoric for the current scene.

After organizing the language in his mind, Sakurai Koji teased the audience instead of immediately speaking the sentence. He first summarized and introduced Lin Guanglai's performance this season:

"Winning 20 games in the regular season, an ERA barely 1.80, with 255 strikeouts — he's the 12th pitcher in history to achieve the quadruple crown, this is Lin Guanglai at 19 showing his prowess as a pitcher — if it weren't for Manager Akiyama strictly controlling his complete games, even achieving a quintuple crown as a pitcher would pose no problem!"

"Even when compared to somewhat lower performance as a batter, he's still among the league leaders: a .330 batting average ranked second in the Pacific League and 28 home runs placed fourth — I must remind everyone, these stats are from Lin Guanglai having played 30 to 40 fewer games than other ranked players!"

"On his playoff journey, both of his starting appearances were complete game shutouts without conceding a run, and his batting stats exploded comprehensively — up till now, his postseason batting average exceeds .400, contributing 3 home runs in the series against Tokyo, and in the four Japan Championship games, he's already hit 5 home runs, completing solo shots, two-run homers, three-run homers, and grand slams — a truly incredible achievement from both old and new!"

"Given the current scenario, to express his performance in a few words or even a sentence, I'll say —"

Looking at the wild fans in the stands, the happy SoftBank players in the home team dugout, and the tall and handsome figure in the center of the camera, Sakurai Koji, in front of millions of TV viewers, adapted the famous quote that previously drove all Japan into a frenzy:

"'God, Buddha, Lin,' nothing better expresses my feelings at this moment than this!"

The meaning of these words is simple, easy to understand literally: Celestial God, Buddha, and Lin Guanglai — In Japanese culture, regarded as divine entities of all extraordinary existence between heaven and earth, now standing alongside Lin Guanglai, signifying Sakurai Koji's praise and esteem for Lin Guanglai.

In 1958, at 21 years old, Iwao Kazuhiko, despite trailing the South Hawks by 11 game wins in the regular season and the Yomiuri Giants by 0-3 in the Japan Championship, led his team to complete two stunning reversals relying solely on his personal ability, and won all individual and team honors that season.

After his championship victory, his hometown newspaper used a headline "Celestial God, Buddha, Lord Iwao" to report; and since then, such flattering words became a renowned anecdote in Japanese baseball, used only to describe god-like performances by professional players.

And now, at the stage of the fourth game of the 2014 Japan Championship, this long-missed phrase of praise from the audience appears once again:

Considering the modern development and scientific approach to baseball, Iwao Kazuhiko's single-season 72 appearances, 33 game wins, consecutive starts in a single series can no longer be seen. Lin Guanglai's stunning achievements in pitching and batting are already comparable to this legendary player!

This home run practically declared the death penalty for the Hanshin Tigers team, as their morale fell completely, unable to organize any effective offense: Top of the eighth inning, the setup pitcher Igarashi Ryouta, replacing Shetsu Shou, delivered three outs on three downs, with consecutive fireballs leaving the Hanshin batters unable to cope.

Following the top of the ninth inning, amidst emotionally charged entrance music, SoftBank's guardian deity, the best closer of this season, Sarfate, strode onto the pitcher's mound — upon his entrance, he quickly used his formidable speed and ball power to suppress the Hanshin batters, soon achieving two outs.

On the electronic screen of Eagle's Vision, the score of 4-0 shone brightly in Fukuoka's night. Within Yahoo Dome, the forty thousand home fans now held their breath; tens of thousands of eyes were drawn to the center of the field, becoming much quieter.

But everyone knew, this silence was merely the calm before the coming storm; when the third out occurred, this wave would break through the dome.

On the mound, Sarfate took a deep breath, his gaze sharp as an eagle's; in the catcher's area, Takeshima Shinya crouched down, signaling the sign — lifting his leg, swinging his arm, every inch of his body's muscles coordinated exertion, and that white baseball, with the sweat and expectations of an entire season, was hurled towards home plate.

Then —

"Swish!"

"Swing and a miss!"

The umpire's booming announcement akin to an unlocking spell, or igniting a festival's sacred flame, engulfed all of Yahoo Dome in a torrent of ecstasy.

"We did it! Japan's Number One!"

"Champions! We are the champions!"

Almost simultaneous with the end of the game, SoftBank's players hustled onto the field, embracing with every teammate, coach, and staff they could grasp; photographers on the field instantly aimed cameras at Lin Guanglai walking out from the dugout: in the lens, this greatest hero who led SoftBank to championship victory displayed the radiant smile of youth.

Golden confetti fell like a snowstorm, 'Japan's Number One champion flag' was lifted high by the gathered players, unfurling in the wind amidst the skyfull of streamers and spotlights —

The entire Fukuoka, sleepless tonight; the entire Kyushu, sleepless tonight!

At this moment, none of them had imagined that this night belonging to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks was the beginning of a legend and the foundation of a dynasty.