Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 534 - 116: Crowned King (Part 2)

And as the league’s top closing pitcher, Takeshima Shinya had a simple plan: for a batter who easily swings at bad balls, increasing the proportion of pitches on the edge of the strike zone could easily put the opponent at a disadvantage.

The first pitch, an outside low breaking ball, T-Okada chose to swing and foul it off, 0 balls and 1 strike.

The second pitch, a pressing inside straight pitch, the batter had no choice but to let it go, 0 balls and 2 strikes.

The third pitch, an outside high straight pitch, this time T-Okada restrained himself from swinging, and the umpire made no call, 1 ball and 2 strikes.

Staring at the signal passed by Takeshima Shinya, Sarfate nodded, and after a moment’s adjustment, the baseball was thrown with an arm swing: outside direction, change-up!

By the time T-Okada reacted, his rhythm had already been disrupted by the dropping ball path, and all that awaited him was the fate of a missed swing.

"Swing and miss strikeout!"

Two outs!!

"Roar——!!!" The SoftBank team’s dugout was boiling over, no one on the bench could sit still; among the crowd, Lin Guanglai leaned on the railing, watching intently, waiting for the next scene to unfold on the field.

Even though his career never lacked championship honors, faced with the allure of his first league title, his slightly trembling hands revealed what he thought:

This was not a championship scraped together by young players relying on veteran performance; this was a victory he truly won with each pitch and home run!

Orix’s last batter, Esteban German, stepped into the batting area: his expression was a bit heavy, similar to the home team fans in the stands, like a warrior going to die, filled with resolve.

Sarfate’s eyes met with the catcher’s, no words needed, they both knew what the other was thinking.

Lift the leg, swing the arm, Sarfate’s body completely stretched—once this smooth action ended, a forkball, with some twist, roared towards home plate from between his fingers.

From a god’s-eye view, this forkball wasn’t particularly high quality, especially with its insufficient dropping movement control, the baseball didn’t completely fall—but at other times, the batter would have a great chance to hit the ball out of the park.

But under the pressure of deciding the team’s season fate, German merely managed to hit the ball towards the outfield, yet the strength couldn’t fully transfer, nor hit the sweet spot.

"Thud!"

With fierce reverse spin, the baseball became a white arc flying straight towards the deep outfield!

Time, at this moment, was infinitely elongated.

That small red and white ball drew everyone’s attention.

On the bench, Lin Guanglai clutched his head with both hands, his gaze following along, seeing Yanagida Yuuki, who guarded central field: faced with the rapidly dropping baseball, Yanagida Yuuki quickly judged the ball’s landing point, then without hesitation sprinted towards the deep portion of center field.

At the edge of the outfield, he finally gave a powerful push, his body fully stretched, leaping right rearward with effort—the huge outfield glove made a beautiful arc in the air, reaching toward the ball, nearly touching the ground.

"Pop."

...Caught!!!

At the moment before losing balance, Yanagida Yuuki securely, tightly received the ball into the deepest part of the glove; then, borrowing the momentum, he rolled on the ground, holding the glove tightly to his chest.

Afterward, facing the direction of his team’s zone, Yanagida Yuuki quickly raised his left hand high, overwhelmed by immense joy.

The outfield umpire’s arm decisively raised:

"Three outs! Game over!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhh——!!!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

When the chief umpire announced the end of the game, no one could wait another second:

The restrained ecstasy erupted like a nuclear bomb, SoftBank’s player zone, all players, coaching staff members, and support staff surged into a black tide, rushing toward the center of the field.

On the pitcher’s mound, Sarfate who had been focused on the outfield direction, now finally sighed with relief, the tightened body at last able to relax: his knees buckled, then he knelt down. As he completely let go of the burden in his heart, tears also uncontrollably flowed from his eyes.

For the 33-year-old Sarfate this year, this was undoubtedly the pinnacle of his career: in the Major League’s early years, he always played the role of failure, merely a disposable member of the team; but now, he can proudly declare he is a true champion!

And on the turf of the outfield where the game finally concluded, Yanagida Yuuki had just climbed up from the ground one second ago, and the next second was tackled by Lin Guanglai who rushed out from the bench.

Following this, other teammates came one after another, tackling in succession, one, two, three...like stacking dolls, they pressed Yanagida Yuuki firmly at the bottom.

"We’re the champions! Ah—Brother Yuuki, we’re the champions!" Lin Guanglai continuously shouted these few words. At such a moment, all language had lost meaning, leaving only the most primitive, exhilarating roars and cries.

Perhaps due to having won countless times in his career, Akiyama Koji was the calmest among the SoftBank:

Unlike other coaches and teammates, he didn’t rush into the field but stood with arms akimbo, watching the players celebrating recklessly within the field.

But amidst the cameras, the slight moisture in his eyes exposed the mixed and complex feelings of his heart at this moment.

At the entrance of Kyocera Dome, Sun Zhengyi and Wang Zhenzhi, previously watching from the VIP seats, had now come down to the field: as the team’s owners and honorary chairman, they too were receiving congratulations from numerous staff around them, unable to suppress their smiles.

But in front of this ocean of black joy was the bewildered faces of Orix’s manager, coaches, and players:

The home players were like sculptures frozen in time, standing or sitting motionless; some covered their heads with towels, not wanting the cameras to capture their uncontrollable expressions; some, with reddened eyes, shed unstoppable tears.

As the leader of this team, Moriwaki Koji’s face, though expressionless, showed visible spiritual fatigue and regret.

This was Moriwaki Koji’s third year as Orix’s manager, his second complete season. Logic says leading a bottom-ranked team to this stage is an accomplishment to be proud of; yet when the final outcome was confirmed, a bit of unwillingness ignited in his heart.

Clearly at the season’s start, everything was smooth: victories were natural for them, players gradually moved away from a loser’s mentality, beginning to possess a mindset ever striving for victory—but then why did everything turn out like this?

In the stands, many Orix fans had tear-stained faces, people began to exit one after another; in contrast, in the visitor fan area, under president Otake Masao’s lead, SoftBank’s loyal fans started singing songs of victory.

Soon, under captain Matsuda Naohiro’s call, SoftBank players scattered, poured towards Akiyama Koji in manager’s spot, enclosing him within the camera lens, then lifted him high towards the sky.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, they are the 2014 Pacific League, the new champions!!!