Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 531 - 115: Pivotal Advance (Part 2)

Lin Guanglai, he’s on the move!

This time it’s not the usual provocation or testing; it’s an all-out sprint. In the broadcast footage, those long legs unleash a terrifying speed that belies his frame. Lin Guanglai’s massive body transforms into an arrow shot from the bow, heading straight for second base.

In the catcher’s seat, Orix’s ace catcher Ito Mitsuo rises almost at the same moment he receives the ball, swiftly sending it toward second base with a seamless motion.

However, Lin Guanglai’s explosive start and long strides gave him too big of an advantage. Even though Ito Mitsuo reacted quickly, he still couldn’t prevent Lin Guanglai from sliding into second base just before the Orix shortstop could tag him out.

"Safe!" Once again, the arms extend outward to signal safety, but this time it’s the second base umpire making the call.

Lin Guanglai rises slowly from the ground, as calmly as ever, brushing the dirt off his clothes. But this time, he no longer stood in such an aggressive spot as before.

Not to mention that stealing third base is much harder than stealing second. With a no-outs and a man-on-second situation, there’s no need for him to employ such aggressive tactics to open up the game—his teammates are some of the best in the entire league. Lin Guanglai firmly believes they will get him back home.

Watching Lin Guanglai successfully steal a base, Imamiya Kenta in the batter’s box doesn’t hesitate a bit, decisively assuming a bunting stance and directing Sato Tatsuya’s pitch towards third base.

Facing a baseball that rolls almost along the third base line, Orix’s third baseman Geman is forced to leave the base and move forward to field the ball—his only option is to throw to first and get the batter out.

The good news for Orix is they did manage to get Imamiya Kenta out; but bad news follows: that tall figure in a black jersey is now standing firm on third base.

"Time-out!" Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Ito Mitsuo quickly rises from the catcher’s seat, jogs to the pitcher’s mound and gathers the infield teammates to discuss the next strategy.

"Tatsuya, stop worrying about the baserunner! Focus entirely on the batter, I’ll guide you through the pitch!" Ito Mitsuo promises confidently while looking directly at the pitcher, "Focus first on striking out Nakagawa, don’t give the other team any chance to get a lead!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Yes, Tatsuya, just relax and pitch—all the rest we have covered, we’re definitely going to back you up!" assured the gathered Orix infield players.

With his teammates’ comfort and encouragement, Sato Tatsuya’s anxious heart began to calm down; he nodded to the people around him, "Okay, I will do it!"

And indeed, he did—facing Nakagawa Seiichi, determined to bring Lin Guanglai home, Ito Mitsuo, with his rich experience and in his prime, deftly sensed the opponent’s eagerness in attack and leveraged it to guide his pitcher’s throw.

"Swing and a miss—strikeout!!!" With the energetic voice of the on-site commentator and the snaps from the stands by Orix players, Sato Tatsuya’s emotions ran high—gripping his fists tightly, he let out a long roar, releasing all the pent-up pressure.

"No problem, Tatsuya—just keep pitching like that! You can do it!" Ito Mitsuo snapped his arm, sending the baseball to the mound while continuing to boost his pitcher, aiding him in building confidence.

With Nakagawa Seiichi out, the circumstances on the field became somewhat unfavorable for the SoftBank Team:

With two outs and a man on third, if the upcoming Lee Dae-ho is stopped by Orix, then the momentum would completely reverse; carrying such momentum into the bottom of the ninth inning, at the opponent’s home turf, clearly spells trouble for SoftBank Team with their sights set on clinching the championship in this game.

In the stands of Kyocera Dome, neither the home Orix fans nor the visiting SoftBank fans could stay seated any longer: they all stood up, with many gripping the railing, leaning forward, trying to get closer to the field and the players.

"Lee Dae-ho, so far this season, he has hit 27 home runs, making him the most powerful individual force in the SoftBank Team—and now, in this potentially season-defining moment for the Pacific League championship, can he deliver?"

Before stepping into the batter’s box, Lee Dae-ho takes a deep breath.

As the home run king of the Korean Baseball Organization and one of the strongest hitters in South Korea, he’s not a blind slugger who either strikes out or hits home runs randomly; counting this season, he’s never had a batting average drop below .300 in his three years in Nippon Professional Baseball. This is precisely why SoftBank Team was willing to spend 900 million over two years on him.

Sato Tatsuya glances towards home plate, nodding lightly twice, then turns his body, beginning the pitch.