Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 613 - 154: I Want It All! (Part 2)

With his top-notch pitch selection and adaptability to multiple positions, Kondo Kensuke, though not highly ranked in the draft, quickly caught the eye of Kuriyama Hideki after a few years of struggle in Nippon Professional Baseball's minor league, and was promoted to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters' first team. This season, he secured his position as the main Left Fielder with a batting average over .300 and an incredibly difficult-to-strike out ability.

According to SoftBank's data on Kondo Kensuke's hitting hot spot map, he has a batting average of over .400 in the key zones of low inside, low outside, and high outside pitches, making him a rather troublesome opponent for pitchers;

The only weakness in his strike zone coverage is the high middle area, which falls in the number 2 grid of the nine-square grid—with an overall batting average of .328, Kondo Kensuke's average for high pitches in this spot is only .184.

The starting pitcher and catcher for SoftBank exchanged glances, and Takeshima Shinya quickly gave the pitch sign; Lin Guanglai nodded slightly, then confidently pitched the ball, targeting the weak high middle part of Kondo Kensuke's strike zone.

Much thought went into Lin Guanglai's pitch to retain its allure to the batter, even sacrificing some speed; but in the batter's box, Kondo Kensuke felt quite uncomfortable with the pitch:

The high middle pitch wasn't particularly his forte or preference in the strike zone, and Lin Guanglai's pitch just clipped the upper edge, which, judging by Lin's renowned pitch control, would likely be called a strike by the umpire—an advantage already demonstrated earlier by Nishikawa Haruki.

Determined not to follow in his teammate's footsteps, Kondo Kensuke was forced to swing—altering his body posture significantly to strike firmly, contorting his body into a twist, which though allowed follow-through power, made him uncomfortable.

"Crack!" With a crisp sound, Kondo Kensuke's bat barely tapped the ball, and it wobbled into the field in front of the home plate. Almost simultaneously with the batter's sprint towards first base, Takeshima Shinya quickly snatched up the ball and flung it toward first base with a swift, agile throw.

After Lee Dae-ho's departure, the aging former outfielder, Nakagawa Seiichi, assumed the first baseman role. With his experienced positioning, the seasoned veteran simply extended his glove to easily complete the out.

The umpire signaled the runner out at first base, and though the game had just started, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters already had two men out; on the third base side, outside the player's area, Kuriyama Hideki stood calmly, patting the returning player's shoulder for reassurance without showing much emotion.

He first glanced at Lin Guanglai, commanding the defense on the mound, and then turned his gaze toward his own player stepping out from the on-deck circle, heading towards the plate. If anyone on the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters could be expected to first hit safely off Lin Guanglai, surely it would be—

"Third hitter, designated hitter, number 11, Ohtani Shohei."

"Third hitter, designated hitter, number 11, Ohtani Shohei."

Under the broadcast at Yahoo Dome, Ohtani Shohei slowly walked into the batter's box and took his stance.

After more than three years of training, Ohtani Shohei has now become one of the top-tier players in Nippon Professional Baseball. This season, playing as a dual swordsmanship player, he has made significant contributions to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in both pitching and hitting.

In the pitching role, though his win count dropped from 15 to 10 games, it was mostly due to lackluster support from the lineup, and his ERA still reached an all-time career high, achieving a sub-2.00 level;

As for his batting stats, they were all significantly outstanding: hitting in 104 games as a batter, Ohtani Shohei posted a slash line of .322/.416/.588, and his OPS broke the 1.000 mark for the first time, with 104 hits, 22 home runs, becoming the main offensive power of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters' lineup.

Considering these stats, which were even the result of Kuriyama Hideki consciously controlling his load, it's no wonder some said before the draft that he was naturally more suited as a batter.

Likewise, an old hand in Nippon Professional Baseball once remarked, Lin Guanglai was born to be a powerhouse pitcher on the mound, savoring his natural talent.

Now, the "born batter" and the "born pitcher" meet head-to-head on the stage that decides the league championship, how could this not ignite excitement?

In the stands of Yahoo Dome, nearly all the fans stood up, fixating their unblinking eyes on the two central players on the field. Many took out cameras pointed at the field, unwilling to miss what might happen next.

Even Sun Zhengyi, the SoftBank Group's president, and Wang Zhenzhi, the Honorary President of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, present in the VIP stands, stood from their seats, eager to witness the looming interaction firsthand.

On the mound, Lin Guanglai displayed an unprecedented solemn expression, as neither a friend in private nor a multi-year rival knows Ohtani Shohei's capabilities and talent better than he does. Even if most people deem him vastly superior, Lin did not choose to believe this wholeheartedly; 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Similarly, Ohtani Shohei, who since joining professional baseball has always felt trailing Lin Guanglai, showed deep apprehension, his eyes fixed intently on his opponent's pitching hand, daring not to lose focus for even a moment.

Lin Guanglai moved on the mound, raising his long front leg high, and the fierce power of his strong body unfurled smoothly with his pitching action, all culminating in the baseball clutched in his hand; after the arm swung, the baseball rocketed toward the low inside corner to challenge the batter.

Facing this swift incoming pitch, Ohtani Shohei exhibited no sign of panic; instead, he fluidly adjusted his stance, swinging forcefully towards the pitch's path—possessing superior pitch selection, exceptional flexibility, and rapidly mounting strength, the current Ohtani Shohei holds the capability of effortlessly driving inside pitches far. Against any ordinary pitcher, this ball would very likely be knocked out of the park eight or nine times out of ten.

But Lin Guanglai is different.

Numerous top batters in Nippon Professional Baseball have commented during interviews that Lin Guanglai is the adversary they'd most prefer to avoid, primarily because his pitches not only possess incredible speed but also heavy and sinking movement, making it challenging for many to effectively pull the ball after contact, inevitably losing some of the force.

This pitch proved typical; at the moment of contact, Ohtani Shohei felt a sharp, intense pain shooting through his hand, severely hampering his intention to pull the ball to right field, preventing full execution of power.

Ultimately, the result was a lofty but shallow fly ball drifting towards deep right field, taking its time to descend until Hasegawa Yu reached position, ready and prepared to catch.

With a "pop," the baseball nestled into Hasegawa Yu's glove, and as Ohtani Shohei was caught out, he also handed Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters their third out of this half-inning.

For Lin Guanglai's performance in this inning, SoftBank's announcers showered him with praise: "This is Lin Guanglai, this is our SoftBank's pride—using merely five pitches, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters' first three batters all went down empty-handed; currently, only he in all of Japan could achieve this!"

"Today's victory, the Pacific League title, and a new record for a sub-1.00 ERA—Lin Guanglai, he wants it all!!!"