Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 518 - 109: The Storm Gathers

The first clash between the Giant Team and the Softbank Team during the exchange match period has ended, but the revelry belonging to this night has just begun.

Struggling to break free from his teammates’ embraces, Lin Guanglai raised his hand once more to salute the spectators at Tokyo Dome, thanking them for applauding him despite being opponents.

Such a scene, in the realm of sports, is indeed worthy of being chronicled: getting the opponent’s recognition, momentarily abandoning the rivalry to offer applause, signifies this match has transcended mere victory or defeat for many, and Lin Guanglai has truly won over the discerning Giant Team fans with his performance.

Shortly after returning to the locker room, the staff at Tokyo Dome delivered the balls used in today’s game to the locker room—it’s worth mentioning that the Giant Team players also displayed their gentlemanly manners as all nine starting players today signed their names on the baseball.

Receiving the baseball from Manager Akiyama, Lin Guanglai naturally handed it over to his teammates who played alongside him today for signatures as a keepsake.

Afterwards, led by the on-site staff, Lin Guanglai proceeded to the interview area, preparing for the customary post-match interview.

In the designated interview area, journalists and photographers from various media outlets had already packed the space; as Lin Guanglai pushed the door open and entered, cameras rapidly focused on him with flashes going off wildly like daylight.

In the lens view, Lin Guanglai appeared to have just taken a shower, wearing clean clothes, with his hair still wet, and his face, regardless of the time, always impressively stunning.

"Lin, congratulations on achieving a no-hitter game; this is also your first no-hitter in your professional baseball career. How are you feeling at this moment?" As soon as Lin Guanglai stood still, the reporters eagerly asked their long-prepared question, each of their eyes gleaming like hungry predators.

Lin Guanglai took the microphone, slightly bowed towards the reporters in front, and spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice:

"Thank you all for your support. Achieving a no-hitter is naturally delightful, although I have attained no-hitters quite often before, this is the first in the professional arena... Thanks to the manager and coaches for their trust, thank my teammates for the perfect defense, also thank Brother Shen Ye for his guidance and the support of the fans today—this achievement belongs to our entire team!"

After formally thanking everyone on the team, Lin Guanglai paused for a moment, then mischievously smiled and added, "Of course, I have to thank myself as well, as my pitching felt really good today."

His manner elicited laughter from the reporters on site, with "hahaha" sounds filling the interview area.

"Lin, in today’s game, you completely suppressed the Giant Team’s prestigious lineup. Noteworthy is a forkball that clocked over 150 km/h—is this a new pitch that you’ve developed? How do you view the potential impact of this pitch on the sport of baseball?"

"This forkball is one of the results of my professional career, after all, both I and my team have put in a lot of effort to enhance this pitch..." Lin Guanglai pondered for a while and responded thoughtfully, "However, it’s just a slightly improved pitch type, and I’m glad it worked effectively, but obviously baseball games aren’t won by a single pitch, there’s much more I need to do."

Evidently, this response wasn’t satisfying enough for the ravenous reporters, as they continued to pursue follow-up questions, attempting to inject more tension into the interview:

"From today’s game, it’s clear that this pitch struck out several strong batters including player Abe. I suppose each team’s data division is likely working full throttle to analyze this ball—Lin, do you have anything to say regarding potential upcoming challenges?"

"I welcome all challenges." In the camera view, Lin Guanglai appeared confident, "As a pitcher, my job is to continuously pitch balls to retire batters. I’ve done it before, and I’ll continue to do it no matter the analysis or not, the outcome won’t change."

"Plus, you can all look forward to it—I might even bring some surprises next time?"

While the post-match interview continued systematically, the online world was already in an uproar at the moment the match ended: On the professional baseball forums, fans from different teams engaged in an intense discussion about this match.

[Floor 1: Terrifying, is Lin Guanglai really still an Earthling? A forkball at 150 km/h—can anyone really hit this? Probably better to concede it and hope the opponent can’t get it into the strike zone.]

[Floor 12: Upstairs, keep in mind, he’s only 19 this year, and combined with Softbank’s financial muscle, I reckon there’s no suspense over the Pacific League’s landscape in the next few years. My team better train newcomers during this period...]

[Floor 23: Can a Major League team hurry and recruit him? What’s the point of keeping someone like him domestically? Last year, without Tanaka, he was the rookie pitcher of the year and won four crowns, and this year, barely two months into the season, he’s nearing double-digit wins; what’s the point of battling on?]

[Floor 44: Jealous of other teams’ fans upstairs, we Softbank fans are grinning, handsome and a great player, he’s practically a chosen one—I’m putting my money down; this year my team Pacific League victory + Japan’s Number One, Lin Guanglai MVP + Eiji Sawamura Award, unafraid of history and time! Welcome with a Luoyang shovel then!]