Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 1: The Genius Pitcher
March, 2010. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฃ๐ธ๐ซ๐ฎ๐.๐๐๐ถ
Although spring has arrived, March in Tokyo is still bitingly cold.
A decent-sized crowd has gathered on a baseball fieldโlooks like thereโs a practice match today.
The scoreboard next to the stands shows the current situation on the field:
Bottom of the ninth inning, the home team is leading 3:2, one out, runners on first and third, full count.
In this moment, the entire field is enveloped in a strange silence, with spectators clustering in small groups and their eyes fixated on the figure standing on the pitcherโs moundโa young boy.
Itโs undeniable that the boyโs physical talents are exceptional: at just fifteen or sixteen years old, heโs nearly 190 cm tall; his looks arenโt far behind, with sharply defined features that give him a rugged handsomeness.
But more captivating is the sight of the boy when pitching: he stomped the ground around the pitcherโs mound, gripped the ballโs seams tightly with his right hand, gathered all his strength, and lifted one leg off the ground to prepare to pitchโ
Under everyoneโs gaze, the small baseball left the boyโs fingertips, slicing the air like an arrow and tracing an arc before landing solidly in the catcherโs mitt, right at the center of his receiving gesture.
Facing this lightning-fast pitch, the batter in the box didnโt have time to react, unable even to swing his bat, standing there in stunned silence.
"Strike!" The umpire behind the catcher made an exaggerated gesture and shouted loudly.
The previously silent air buzzed with activity, with exclamations of "wow" and screams erupting around.
"Oh my god, a speed of 135 km/h! Thatโs already on par with the ace pitchers of typical high school teams!" exclaimed spectators who followed baseball closely.
"Itโs bad enough that heโs so good at baseball, but heโs also that handsome? Come on, how are us average folks supposed to live?" lamented an ordinary-looking guy painfully.
"Ahhh! Such a handsome boy!!! Does anyone know him? Whatโs his name? How old is he? Does he have a girlfriend? Ahhh!" the classic enthusiastic cries erupted.
Compared to the audienceโs strong reactions, Lin Guanglai himself didnโt feel very excitedโ
After all, the bottom of the ninth inning is the most dangerous moment in a baseball game, and a single mistake could lead to a catastrophic error.
Besides, for todayโs game, Mr. Izumi from the Waseda Industrial School baseball team was personally there to assess his performance, and it concerned his future, so he couldnโt afford any carelessness.
Shaking his head to clear his mind of complicated thoughts, Lin Guanglai began observing the batter in front of him.
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In a corner of the stands, Izumi Minoru muttered to himself while looking at the information in his hand:
"Lin Guanglai, 15 years old, height 187 cm, weight 68 kg. Right-hand pitcher and left-hand batter, Chinese."
"He came to Japan for formal training because of his talent for baseball, and he has not even entered high school yet, but his fastest pitch is already nearly 140 km/h."
If he hadnโt just seen it with his own eyes, Izumi Minoru would indeed find it hard to believe that a middle school student could achieve this.
"Furthermore, based on my observations, although his pitch is fast, his control is also quite good, especially his slider, which is at a remarkably high level for a player of his age."
No sooner had he spoken, cheers erupted around againโLin Guanglai had just used a high-quality slider to deceive the batter into swinging and missing.
Upon seeing this, Izumi Minoru stood upโ
As the supervisor of the Waseda Industrial Baseball Club, he had been following the famous local talent Lin Guanglai for some time, and theyโd discussed future academic plans several times;
For Izumi Minoru, last summerโs Summer็ฒ regional selection defeat was still fresh in his memoryโin last yearโs West Tokyo Conference, Waseda Industries, as a traditional powerhouse, was stopped in the fourth round: they suffered a devastating 0:10 loss to East Asia Academy.
And to secure Koshien participation rights in the competitive West Tokyo Region over the next few years, finding an arm full of talent was undoubtedly the top priority.
Watching todayโs game in person, Izumiโs mind reached a conclusion: Lin Guanglaiโs current level of completion is already very high, fully capable of handling high school baseball; his potential is also clearly visible;
โIzumi Minoru privately resolved to secure this player, as he is undoubtedly a genius player capable of leading Waseda Real forward in the next three years!
Looking at the figure pitching on the field, for some reason, Izumi Minoru suddenly recalled that figure from the summer of 2006.
He had a vague premonition that Lin Guanglai, now standing on the field, would become someone no less than or perhaps even surpassing Saito Yuuki in the future.
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Bottom of the ninth inning, two outs, bases loaded.
Lin Guanglai took a deep breath, then rubbed his shoulder and arm, trying to relax his muscles.
โThe recent walk was largely due to muscle tension resulting from high-intensity pitching throughout the nine innings.
The current situation on the field wasnโt optimistic: although the opposing team had two outs, they were only one run behind.
With a bases-loaded disadvantage, the upcoming at-bat was the oppositionโs fifth batter, a left-handed hitter theoretically strong against right-handed pitchers. Even a slight mistake could ruin the efforts of the entire game.
In previous innings, Lin Guanglai had roughly figured out this batterโs habits: the opponent loved to swing the bat hard but wasnโt sensitive to changes in the pitch and lacked a defined hitting strategy, relying on instinct.
Targeting this characteristic, Lin Guanglai unsuspectingly changed his grip on the ball and confirmed the signal with the catcher behind home plate using hand gestures.
The baseball flew out of his hand, and a noticeable rubbing sensation came from the finger padsโit appeared to be an unremarkable fastball.
The batter in the box fixed his eyes on the ball, using all his strength to swing the bat vigorously.
Just as the baseball was about to cross the plate and collide heavily with the bat, its trajectory suddenly deviated, shifting toward the inside corner away from the batter.
โIt was a cutter pitch!
Due to the pitch deviation, the anticipated heavy contact didnโt occur.
Instead, the baseball glanced off the middle of the bat and hit the ground, then weakly drifted toward the middle of the space between first and second base.
The second baseman positioned between first and second base easily fielded the ball and threw it to first base. It was a simple, straightforward out.
Three outs, the game was over.
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Having just finished an intense game, Lin Guanglai walked off the pitcherโs mound, briefly celebrated with his teammates, and then began his post-game stretching alone.
Due to scheduling, this practice game was very tightโhaving just finished semifinals in the morning, they would face the advancing team from the other bracket in the finals in the afternoon.
As the teamโs starting pitcher, Lin Guanglaiโs physical condition greatly influenced the teamโs defensive quality; moreover, he was someone who always paid attention to maintaining his bodyโhaving undergone baseball training from a young age, Lin Guanglai had developed an instinct to always monitor his physical state and actively take care of his body.
"Kenta, has the result of the other bracketโs match come out? Who are we facing this afternoon? Do they have any players worth paying attention to?" Lin Guanglai asked, directing his inquiry towards the teamโs rest area.
The teamโs substitute player and manager, Tsuchiya Kenta, heard his question and replied calmly, "Oh, the results are out, but I feel like thereโs no need for you to worry too much, Guanglai."
"What do you mean?"
Chatting with his teammates, Tsuchiya Kenta shrugged and replied, "The opponent seems to be a team from the countryside of Iwate Prefecture, and their overall strength is not very strong. I think as long as we play normally, it should be quite easy for us to beat them and win the championship."
"If thereโs any player worth noting," Tsuchiya Kenta glanced at the information in his hand, "it should be the pitcher who also bats cleanup for their teamโthis team reaching the finals somewhat relies on that personโs outstanding performance."
Hearing about such a player, Lin Guanglai became interestedโafter all, as a pitcher, one of his favorite things was to enjoy watching battersโ disappointed expressions after they struck out; if the opponent happened to be a cleanup hitter, heโd feel even more satisfied.
So he eagerly asked Tsuchiya Kenta, "Whatโs his name?"
Tsuchiya Kenta thought for a moment, "If I remember correctly, theyโre from Oomura City Waterzawa South Middle School, whatโs their name, let me see," Tsuchiya Kenta flipped through the papers in his hand, "Their name seems to be Ohtani Shohei."
