Back in the players’ area, after high-fiving and celebrating with his teammates, Lin Guanglai walked over to Yanagida Yuuki with a grin, "Brother Yuuki, I’ve done what I said I would do before the ga, now it’s up to you!"
Yanagida Yuuki glanced at him a bit annoyed, without saying a word—hitting a ho run off a giant pitcher like Kaneko Chiharu is no easy task!
Lin Guanglai was able to hit a ho run off Kaneko Chiharu not just because of his outstanding skills, but also partly because the ga had just started and the opponent hadn’t fully settled into the ga.
It is foreseeable that after being hit by Lin Guanglai’s tying solo shot right at the start, Kaneko Chiharu and Orix’s defense players will be more cautious in the forthcoming ga, leaving SoftBank’s batters with fewer opportunities.
Being targeted by a pitcher with an average speed of 144km/h, a top speed of 154km/h, along with highly refined ball control, is not a pleasant feeling...
However, how could a man admit he can’t do it? Even if he really can’t, you should at least talk tough when needed.
Yanagida Yuuki snorted and then threw down a challenge to Lin Guanglai, "Just wait and see, Guanglai—I’ll definitely hit a hor off Senior Kaneko in this ga. You’re the leadoff hitter, winning first doesn’t count as winning, we should compete on who scores more RBIs in the end."
Having just hit a ho run, Lin Guanglai was in high spirits, so he naturally agreed to the bet, "Alright then, let’s compete on who can score more RBIs in this ga..."
At that point, he felt the bet was missing sothing, so he quickly added, "The loser... hmm... the loser should treat the other to a al, and the place will be decided by the winner!"
"Alright! It’s a deal then—humph, Guanglai, since you’ve said that, I’ll have no choice but to make you spend..." As if fearing Lin Guanglai would back out, Yanagida Yuuki imdiately agreed to the proposal.
Just as Yanagida Yuuki predicted, Lin Guanglai’s solo ho run served as a wake-up call for Orix, and Kaneko Chiharu’s form quickly recovered:
The three batters who followed Lin Guanglai took the stage one after another, only to be struck out by Kaneko. Especially in a 2-2 count, the amazing vertical slider that struck out Lee Dae-ho was replayed several tis on the broadcast signal.
When it was SoftBank’s turn to defend, their players were not to be outdone: especially Okajima Hideki, who started today, seed to relive his peak monts with exceptionally high-quality pitches, the change of pace leaving Orix’s batters struggling—in a confrontation spanning 8 consecutive balls, Okajima Hideki struck out Orix’s ninth batter, catcher Ito Mitsuo, with a high inside breaking ball, ending the inning with three up, three down.
In the bottom of the second inning, last season’s hit king, placed in the fifth spot by Coach Akiyama Koji this season, Hasegawa Yu, continued his consistent excellent hitting form, hitting a double to right field on the first pitch, quickly helping the team gain a scoring position advantage.
"Kaneko’s suppression power feels much worse today than usual..." Yanagida Yuuki said to Lin Guanglai as he put on his gear, watching the ongoing ga on the field.
Lin Guanglai thought for a mont and offered his opinion, "Is it because their coach Moriwaki Koji adjusted the starting rotation? Originally, Kaneko’s rotation day should be synchronized with mine..."
"Hmm, you’re making a good point, Guanglai—if that’s the case, then I must help the team regain the score!" Yanagida Yuuki nodded, his expression becoming more spirited, eagerly grabbing the bat and heading to the on-deck circle.
Before long, the opportunity he was waiting for ca: the sixth batter, Matsuda Dou, didn’t manage to get a hit, but he hit the ball far enough, allowing Hasegawa Yu to advance to third base.
Now, with just a simple hit, Yanagida Yuuki could not only tie Lin Guanglai’s RBI but also give the team the crucial run to move ahead.
However, under the well-coordinated partnership of the longti battery Kaneko Chiharu and Ito Mitsuo, Yanagida Yuuki’s eagerness to attack was entirely captured, quickly falling into a 0-2 count dilemma.
But on the next pitch, the usually stable Kaneko Chiharu made a slight control miscue, which was precisely captured by Yanagida Yuuki—
"Yanagida Yuuki, a single! This ball completely pierces through Orix’s infield defense! Hasegawa Yu also takes off right away; this ball has no issues at all!"
"No doubt the lineup with the strongest firepower in the league, managing to pull ahead in just two and a half innings against the opponent!"
Amid the passionate comntary in the broadcast studio at Yahoo Do, the stands below also erupted with thunderous cheers from SoftBank fans; in the ho fans’ cheers, Yanagida Yuuki stood on first base and gave a "yeah" towards Lin Guanglai in the dugout—evidently, this was his response to Lin Guanglai.
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