Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 567 - 132: A Life-or-Death Struggle (Part 2)

His gaze turned toward the center of the field, on the pitcher's mound stood the setup pitcher just replaced for the Hanshin Tigers, a distinguished veteran who has served the team for 14 years, the 37-year-old Ando Yuuya.

Although a setup pitcher, Ando Yuuya, originally a starting pitcher, boasts a rich arsenal of pitches. In addition to his fastball which can reach speeds of up to 150km/h, he can skillfully deploy various breaking balls, including sliders, shooting balls, forkballs, and curveballs.

The rich variety of pitches, combined with his ability to precisely place the ball in the low inside corner of the strike zone for left-handed batters, and his textbook-perfect, graceful pitching form, make Ando Yuuya hold a significant position in the bullpen of the prestigious Hanshin Tigers, and he is one of the best setup pitchers in the Central League.

Of course, the SoftBank Team's batters are not to be underestimated either; in terms of strike force, they dare claim second place, with no other team in Nippon Professional Baseball able to confidently say they surpass them.

As the chief umpire declared "Play Ball," the bottom of the seventh inning began; the gears of fate quietly started to turn at this moment.

The SoftBank team's lineup was up again in this half of the inning, leading off was the first batter, Yanagida Yuuki; in the lead-off batter position, Yanagida Yuuki's batting strategy was more conservative, focusing mainly on maintaining plate discipline and prioritizing getting on base.

And his goal was quickly realized: perhaps due to not being fully in the zone having just come on, or perhaps due to the intense pressure of the game, Ando Yuuya had minor lapses in his usually impeccable control, failing to control the outside high fastball, issuing a walk right at the start of the inning.

Having drawn a walk, Yanagida Yuuki casually tossed the bat to the edge of the field and soon stood on first base; simultaneously, the stands erupted with expectant cheers, igniting the flame of hope.

Immediately following, the second batter, Imamiya Kenta, decisively executed the coach's instruction, a sacrifice bunt towards third base; although he was grounded out at first base, he successfully advanced Yanagida Yuuki from first base to second base.

One out, runner on second base, as Yanagida Yuuki advanced to scoring position, the SoftBank Team's offensive momentum took shape again!

The offensive continued as the third batter, Nakagawa Seiichi, actively engaged in a duel with Ando Yuuya, after a six-pitch battle, hitting a single that pierced through Hanshin's infield defense.

One out, runners on first and third! An absolute scoring opportunity!

Yahoo Dome erupted, the flame of hope burned ever stronger, and the overwhelming waves of sound from the crowd seemed to burst through the dome, white and yellow support towels waving wildly in their hands, their immense volume even causing a slight dizziness among the players on the field.

Hanshin's catcher, Fujiwara Akira, called for a timeout, then jogged to the mound, waving to the infielders to help stabilize the pitcher's mentality — after a brief adjustment, the game resumed.

Judging from the result of the fourth at-bat, Ando Yuuya obviously hadn't recovered from the tense situation, his supposedly most stable control wavered once more, resulting in Lee Dae-ho choosing a ball significantly outside the strike zone for another walk.

The situation on the field instantly turned into—

"Bases loaded! Bases loaded! Bases loaded!" Yahoo Dome fell into madness as the home fans howled crazily, seemingly ready to release all the pent-up emotions from most of the game.

And seeing the figure stepping into the batter's box, led by an unseen force, more than forty thousand spectators began to chant his name:

"Lin Guanglai, home run! Lin Guanglai, home run! Lin Guanglai, home run!"

This was a perfect opportunity to break the deadlock, a heaven-sent chance to almost embrace the championship trophy, and standing before this opportunity was the most stable and outstanding player of the series and the entire season, Lin Guanglai.

Hanshin Tigers' manager Wada Toyohiko couldn't sit still, his complexion looking rather grim in the cameras. Now, as the team's manager, he had to make a crucial decision—

Should they choose to intentionally walk Lin Guanglai, sacrificing a pivotal run to catch an out from the subsequent batters; or should they trust their pitcher, allowing him to confront Lin Guanglai head-on?

Each strategy had its advantages, but also harbored significant risks:

If the first option worked as planned, getting an out right after the intentional walk might be acceptable; however, the problem was, Lin Guanglai was followed by Matsuda Naohiro, who had almost 1000 career hits, and on the bench was last season's top hitter Nagatagawa Yuuya—if subsequent batters continuously hit, the losses might be even greater.

But to choose direct confrontation, Lin Guanglai's performance in this series said it all: giving him a bases-loaded chance really scared Wada Toyohiko of the possibility the opponent might use a grand slam to crush Hanshin Tigers' last hope.

While he hesitated, someone patted his shoulder — it was Randy Mason, the team's most trusted foreign player.

Through the translator, Randy Mason's intentions reached Wada Toyohiko's ears: he wished to pitch at this critical juncture, to help the team weather the crisis!

"But it's only been over three days since you last pitched, can your arm withstand such intensity? And you haven't really warmed up for this game either..." Wada Toyohiko admitted that Randy Mason's proactive offer indeed made him consider; but as the team's manager, he still had to consider from an asset-protection standpoint.

"Manager, you know, I usually pitch every four days..." Randy Mason spoke as his translator quickly conveyed his meaning, "Counting the day off we had on the travel day, today is just about the fourth day."

"As for warming up, I've just taken some time in the bullpen, at least right now it feels okay." Seeing Wada Toyohiko still hesitating in front of him, Randy Mason's tone grew urgent, unable to resist urging him: "Don't hesitate, Manager Wada — do we have any other options now? Ando is clearly affected by the atmosphere, unable to adjust in a short time..."

"If there's anyone in our team who could strike out that kid in such a situation, it is definitely me, Randy Mason! Let me on the field, Manager Wada, losing this game will leave us with nothing!"

Sensing the intense emotions transmitted from Randy Mason, under his influence, Wada Toyohiko's inner Showa spirit ignited after a long time.

He raised his head, his gaze growing resolute, nodding to Randy Mason, "Alright, then it's up to you, Randy — hold down this inning for us, and then bring victory to the team!"

As he spoke, Wada Toyohiko signaled to the chief umpire to make the pitching change.

Watching Randy Mason's tall figure stride confidently toward the mound, for some reason, Wada Toyohiko had an inexplicable feeling—

In the 1958 Japan Series, facing a similar 0:3 desperate situation, Nishitetsu Lions' legendary Iwao Kazuhiko similarly volunteered to lead the team to a miraculous comeback.

And today, 56 years later, a similar scene was unfolding in the Yahoo Dome — perhaps, this game, the Hanshin Tigers might truly create a miracle?