Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 435 - 70: Explosive Season Stats
"Ah? Went for an interview? Didn’t I reject all such requests! Oh, it’s a personal interview specifically requested by the pro baseball organization through Boss Sun and President Wang? That’s alright then..."
"Speaking of which, the data he contributed in his rookie season indeed deserves a special feature interview."
Apart from the regular team rankings, several earth-shattering events occurred this season in Nippon Professional Baseball:
In the Central League, Yakult Swallows’ Vladimir Balentien hit 60 home runs in a single season, breaking the record set by Wang Zhenzhi in 1964, which had been maintained for nearly 50 years—especially considering the ever-evolving professional baseball and the current situation in Nippon Professional Baseball where pitching is stronger than batting, this record looks even more terrifying.
On the Pacific League side, Rakuten’s ace, the "Divine Son" Tanaka Masahiro, was not to be outdone, delivering the greatest pitching performance in Nippon Professional Baseball history: 28 appearances, 24 wins and 0 losses, and an ERA of 1.27 in a single season, dominating the titles of the best ERA, first in winning percentage, and most wins, a performance that can be described as unprecedented; not to mention that under his lead, the Rakuten Team also secured the team’s first Pacific League victory trophy and is this season’s largest contender for Japan’s Number One.
And besides these two, the outstanding performance of rookie Lin Guanglai unquestionably makes him the most notable rookie player in all of Japan, perhaps even worth removing the word rookie.
As the most sensational rookie of the season, Lin Guanglai is now sitting on a soft sofa chair, receiving services from a makeup artist—the preparatory training for today just ended not long ago, and as soon as he finished showering, Lin Guanglai was brought over by the team staff, saying there was an official Nippon Professional Baseball interview waiting for him.
Since he already received consent from the team’s higher-ups and supervision, there was no reason for Lin Guanglai to refuse—such a high-level interview is beneficial for his personal reputation, the team’s interests, and even the entire professional baseball’s development.
The makeup artist sent by the team is helping Lin Guanglai style his hair; looking at the mirror at that delicate yet manly face, even a makeup artist who has worked with many idols has to sigh that God has shown too much favoritism towards Lin Guanglai—with such a face, even if he didn’t play baseball, he would certainly be very popular as an idol, effortlessly gathering a legion of die-hard fans.
As time passed, under the skillful hands of the makeup artist, Lin Guanglai’s new image emerged from her styling.
"All done! Lin, please confirm, is this alright?"
The makeup artist’s gentle voice from behind instantly pulled Lin Guanglai’s thoughts back from elsewhere; he opened his eyes, which had been closed for resting, and looked at himself in the mirror, instantly seeing a self completely different from usual.
Because almost all his energy is focused on baseball, Lin Guanglai doesn’t pay special attention to casual dress in daily life, basically wearing whatever clothes are available. His fans would say that it’s only because of his face and the perfect 9.5-headed golden ratio standing there; otherwise, those clothes would be a disaster on anyone else.
His hair was styled like an adult seen on TV, and with some light makeup on his already exquisite face, Lin Guanglai’s entire aura lost some youthfulness and gained some maturity.
"Thank you very much—I’m very satisfied!" After continuing to chat with the makeup artist with a few more words, making her cover her mouth and smile lightly, Lin, now in his formal attire, was led by SoftBank’s staff to the scheduled interview location.
Walking through the corridors of the Yahoo Dome, Lin Guanglai could clearly feel many eyes staring at him along the way; among them were even teasing looks from teammates who had just finished their training and were prepared to go home, making him feel a bit embarrassed.
"Lin, this is an official interview by Nippon Professional Baseball, and it’s to be published for all baseball fans across Japan—remember to always keep a smile during the interview, with no signs of impatience or discontent, as it concerns the team’s honor."
"When answering questions, if it’s a controversial topic, you can choose not to answer, or simply give a vague response to get by; it’s best to make the fans happy and satisfied..."
Though Lin Guanglai often accepts many interviews, such a large scale is indeed his first; along the way, the team staff kept reminding him of various notes for the interview, ensuring he pays attention to them—Lin naturally nodded and agreed to each.
When Lin Guanglai entered the interview location, the on-site staff responsible for the interview also noticed and were clearly amazed by seeing a Lin Guanglai who looked completely different from usual:
With rookie season data being so explosive, coupled with such an outstanding appearance, everyone present shared the thought that it is likely by the year after next, Lin will become Nippon Professional Baseball’s marketing ace.
"Excuse me—Mr. Furuta, I didn’t expect it would be you conducting today’s interview!"
When Lin Guanglai saw who was hosting the interview today, he quickly bowed to express his respect; Nippon Professional Baseball had evidently spared no expense, even inviting the legendary catcher Furuta Atsuya—Lin had met him once during high school and had been interviewed by him a few times after joining professional baseball; he naturally holds great respect for this senior in Nippon Professional Baseball.
As the interview began, the first topic Furuta Atsuya brought up was Lin Guanglai’s "Dual Swordsmanship" declaration at the draft submission conference: when he publicly announced the challenge of practicing "Dual Swordsmanship," although many people supported him, at that time many professionals, critics, and fans were not optimistic about his future. Even though the talent he displayed in Takayama was unparalleled, they believed he should stick to conventional wisdom and specialize in one position.
But the results Lin Guanglai submitted in his rookie professional season mercilessly slapped the faces of those who doubted and criticized him:
As a pitcher, he appeared 25 times, securing 16 wins and 4 losses, with an ERA of 2.01; more importantly, besides these statistics, he also achieved 220 strikeouts in those games—this figure also allowed him to surpass Orix’s Kaneko Chiharu and capture the season’s strikeout king title.
What kind of concept is this statistic?
To put it this way, if this season had not encountered Tanaka Masahiro in his prime or chosen by a Central League team, then with 16 wins, an 80% winning rate, 220 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.01, Lin would undoubtedly be crowned "Pitcher Quadruple Crown" in his rookie season, winning the league MVP, Best Nine, and Gold Glove without any suspense, with a significant chance of contending for the highest honor Eiji Sawamura Award, directly achieving individual pitching honors grand slam in his rookie season.
Know that the last pitcher to achieve this was called Nomo Hideo—that super pitcher who pioneered a place for Asian players in the Major League with his "Nomo Tornado."
On the batter’s side, although not as dazzling and explosive compared to his role as a pitcher, Lin Guanglai’s contributed statistics also meet Nippon Professional Baseball’s first-class batter standards:
A .298 batting average, ranking tenth in the Pacific League; 20 home runs, ranking eighth in the Pacific League; most importantly, Lin Guanglai’s OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) is as high as 0.887 (Note 1), this figure ranks third in the Pacific League, indicating he is a top-notch batter strong enough to serve at the center lineup of any team.
These statistics are still based on him being a dual-role player, unable to consistently serve as a top-order batter, and having significantly fewer appearances than other competitors.
Such a performance, even Babe Ruth as a dual-role player has never achieved; in other words, the current Lin Guanglai can already be called another pioneer on the dual-role player track, every step he takes next is paving a brand-new future for the sport of baseball.
The interview with Lin Guanglai by Furuta Atsuya ranged from his days in Takayama to professional baseball, from games to daily life, thoroughly unfolding Lin’s story.
It looks like upon receiving news of Tanaka Masahiro’s upcoming challenge of the Major League, Nippon Professional Baseball has indeed sped up their schedule, wanting to package Lin Guanglai as the next generation’s professional baseball idol.
Before coming, even with a full understanding of Lin Guanglai’s talent, Furuta Atsuya thought the actions of professional baseball were somewhat rushed; but he made a slight change in his perspective after this interview.
Perhaps, Lin Guanglai will really become the new generation’s national baseball idol, and not just limited to Japan, but the entire world!
