Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 349 - 3: Declaration
"The future of Lin Guanglai is finally about to be revealed!!!"
On October 15, 2012, just 10 days before the highly-anticipated 2012 rookie selection convention, baseball media keenly monitoring the draft of major popular players received invitations from Waseda Jitsugyo. They were invited to the campus of Waseda Industries the next day, where the nation’s high school baseball star Lin Guanglai would announce his decision.
Although there were always rumors that Lin Guanglai had accepted an invitation from the Seattle Mariners, planning to head directly to the United States after graduation, no matter how credible those rumors were, they were merely hearsay in the end. It’s important to note that Lin Guanglai, being the central figure, had never publicly expressed his stance since the news broke.
Journalists who received the invitations exchanged glances with people around them, unsure of what Waseda and Lin Guanglai were planning:
So, is this going to be just like Ohtani Shohei, announcing in front of all of Japan that he’s going to the United States? Or did some Japanese professional team offer an irresistible condition to Lin Guanglai that made him reconsider and decide to stay in Japan?
Quite a few reporters with decent connections in the industry started using their networks to inquire about the situation, but Waseda’s confidentiality work was quite solid this time. The incident where Mariners’ scouts extending an invitation was not witnessed again. Those professional media personnel and journalists went in circles but couldn’t determine what exactly Lin Guanglai was going to announce the next day.
"Forget it, anyway, no matter how mysterious it is, we will know by tomorrow. At worst, we just have to wait for one more night!" A journalist said this, attracting voices of agreement from his colleagues.
October 16, 2012, morning, Waseda Industrial School Auditorium.
There was still some time left before the live broadcast would begin, and there were not many people in the auditorium seats yet.
"A little to the left, yes, just about right... no, no, it’s a bit too far left again, move it a bit to the right!"
Under the instructions of Minister Sasaki, other members of the Waseda Jitsugyo Baseball Club were orderly arranging the conference site.
The team members, busy with their tasks, also started discussing the future of Lin Guanglai directly:
"Captain, if you are going to play professional baseball, it would be great if you stayed in Tokyo—no matter if it’s the Giants or the Swallows, so everyone can often come to see you!"
"Yeah, yeah, and I hear the Giants have really luxurious locker rooms and sponsorships. If you get drafted by the Giants, with Guanglai’s popularity, I feel like you wouldn’t have to worry for many years!"
"But the Giants probably won’t draft, right... after all, everyone knows Tokai University’s Sugano is the former supervisor’s nephew. Last year, he refused to join Ham even as a free agent, preferring to wander instead of joining Ham. I reckon the Giants will definitely pick him this year...."
"Then go to the Yakult Swallows. Anyway, we are most familiar with Shengong Stadium, and predecessors have hit many home runs there! This way, when we are in college, as long as there are no classes, we can go to Shengong Stadium to watch games and cheer our seniors on, how great is that!"
"Guanglai, no matter where you go, we’ll try to be there to watch your games—make sure you remember to get some complementary tickets for us, haha—"
With chatter and laughter, the venue was soon ready; as the scheduled time approached, more media reporters began entering, and Waseda’s auditorium quickly filled up.
Dressed in a formal school uniform and accompanied by Izumi Minoru, today’s protagonist Lin Guanglai walked up to the podium and took his seat.
As the tall, long-legged Lin Guanglai stepped up, many journalists and fans watching the live broadcast couldn’t help but be captivated:
Handsome, really handsome, truly charming.
Since stepping back from the baseball team, no longer bound by strict regulations, Lin Guanglai’s hair gradually grew, and the buzzcut that couldn’t hide his good looks now made him appear even more handsome.
In Japan, where fan economics is crucial, professional teams not only serve the older baseball fans but also focus on female fans who adore handsome and talented players, often outspending the former group significantly.
Just Lin Guanglai’s face alone made him worth signing without reservation; insiders familiar with the commercial operations of professional teams couldn’t help but gasp when estimating the potential fan economy generated by that face.
As everyone settled in, with all eyes on him, Lin Guanglai completed the professional baseball support application form in his hand, stamped it with his personal seal, and raised it with both hands to show the camera in front of him.
Boom—!!!
With a stone triggering a thousand waves, many in the media displayed exuberant expressions, eager to announce this news to the world at once!
The initial rumors spreading true left many believing that Lin Guanglai had firmly decided to venture to the United States; Ohtani Shohei’s announcement only reinforced this belief, speculating they might have planned to go together.
And now, a surprise arrived: the best high-schooler of this generation in Japan, the epoch-making Heisei monster, astonishingly abandoned the U.S. contract to remain in Japan!
