Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 572 - 136: The Monster Returns
November 26, 2014, Tokyo, outside the New Takarazuka Hotel, this moment was already crowded with people—they wore jerseys printed with player names, holding banners and various supporter items, eagerly looking into the distance.
Today, here, the 2014 Nippon Professional Baseball season award ceremony was going to be held, and stars from the 12 ball clubs who were on the awards list would come and receive their accolades; for this reason, many local fans from Tokyo had gathered early outside, preparing to get a close view of the stars.
After waiting for some time, guests arriving to attend the awards ceremony began to show up one after another.
Luxury cars stopped by the roadside one after another, with players stepping down from the vehicles, each wearing a well-fitting suit, with faces expertly prepared by professional makeup artists—for many of them, such an honor was not one they received every season; naturally, at this important moment of their lives, they cherished it well.
Stepping onto the red carpet, facing the dense flashes from both sides of the road, amid the cheers and shutter sounds from the audience, one familiar face after another to Nippon Professional Baseball fans walked toward the main entrance.
Although all who were invited today to the ceremony were among the best and most outstanding players in Nippon Professional Baseball over the past season, the cheering from fans alongside the road clearly reflected the varying popularity of each player.
For example, Toriyama Kei, the Hanshin Tigers' top star and the Central League's best shortstop, did not receive high welcome at the site.
Because this was Tokyo, not Osaka, the city and its surrounding area belonged to the Yomiuri Giants and Yakult Swallows, and the fans of the Giant Army and the Swallows did not have much good appraisal of their Kansai rivals, even if the opponent was indeed strong.
And when the Yomiuri Giants' pitching-catching duo, Sugano Tomoyuki and Abe Shinjiro, appeared side by side, the cheers at the scene reached the first climax.
As a main player of the Giant Team and a veteran who had served the team for 14 years, Abe Shinjiro was naturally a city hero in Tokyo, with unquestionable popularity; while Sugano Tomoyuki, entering the group with a "relationship" identity, had not embarrassed his uncle, Manager Hara Tatsunori, this year, at 25 years old and in his second year with the group, he had already become the ace of the team, and was also the Central League MVP of the season.
In contrast, players from the Pacific League received relatively less attention upon entry: after all, compared to the Central League, which boasted two popular teams, even though the Pacific League was superior in strength to its rival, it still lagged behind in popularity; aside from those frequently seen in variety shows or sports news, many new award recipients faced cold receptions, leaving everyone somewhat embarrassed.
Of course, there were exceptions, as considering the past season, if anyone was the most striking, leaving the strongest impression on audiences, surely everyone's answer was the same…
"Lin Guanglai is coming—!!!"
A young girl standing at the front of the crowd, holding a cartoon-themed support item featuring Lin Guanglai, pointed her finger at the figure getting out of a car in the distance, immediately drawing almost everyone's attention at the scene.
"The baseball association's arrangement is quite interesting, letting you appear after Senior Jinzi, not sure what they were thinking…" seeing Lin Guanglai beside him preparing to get out, Yanagida Yuuki who rode in the same vehicle laughed.
In the past season, thanks to his outstanding performance on the field, Yanagida Yuuki would not only officially take over the legendary No. 9 jersey next season but also had won the Best Nine title, and it was predictable that his salary would get a substantial increase during the off-season, which explained his current happiness.
Lin Guanglai shrugged, seeming unsurprised, "Isn't this very normal? Without such arrangements, where would be the buzz? Just capture the scene of me and Senior Jinzi together, and the news has something to write about again."
After all, the competition between Lin Guanglai of SoftBank and Kaneko Chiharu of Orix had been the focus for Nippon Professional Baseball fans for a long time during the 2014 season:
Their data at the pitcher position far surpassed others, their clubs were direct competitors for a long time, naturally inviting comparisons—although Lin Guanglai ultimately gained a sweeping victory and surrounded Kaneko Chiharu comprehensively, the performance of the opponent and Orix should not be underestimated.
Saying this, Lin Guanglai turned around and cast a glance at Yanagida Yuuki, "Brother Yuuki, are you coming or not? If not, I'll go by myself…"
Upon seeing this, Yanagida Yuuki also jumped off the car, walking shoulder to shoulder with Lin Guanglai toward the entrance.
And when Lin Guanglai and Yanagida Yuuki both stepped onto the red carpet, the atmosphere at the scene instantly reached another climax:
The already striking physique and looks of Lin Guanglai, enhanced by makeup and formal wear, made him even more handsome and dashing, directly elevating his allure to female spectators by another level—from stepping onto the red carpet to entering the door, the sounds of screams and shutters never ceased for even a second, hordes of fans waving photos and support items of Lin Guanglai, hoping he would cast more than just a glance at them.
