Under Cashman's guidance, Lin Guanglai and his party did not imdiately enter the interior of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx but first went to a temporarily specially constructed room.
This place was set up as the signing scene, with a large Yankees emblem hanging on the deep blue curtain backdrop, and in front of it was a long table covered with a tablecloth bearing the Yankees emblem; in the center of the long table lay a packaged contract docunt, along with a signature pen still full of Yankees elents.
As Lin Guanglai, Cashman, and Girardi walked into this room, the muffled and dense sound of cara shutters imdiately filled the air, the frequency quick as a hummingbird flapping its wings; the flash of the caras flickered incessantly, converging into a silver-white ocean, dazzling Lin Guanglai, making it hard for him to keep his eyes open.
To show the century-old Yankees team's importance on Lin Guanglai, almost all dia outlets, big and small, across New York were called over; in addition, many Asian newspaper divisions in the United States also dispatched relevant teams for the purpose of getting the first-hand news.
Sitting in his place, Lin Guanglai took the contract from Cashman on the table, glanced over it symbolically, then picked up the weighty pen and signed his na in the designated spot.
In fact, the formal contract had already been negotiated and completed by Lin Guanglai's agent team a long ti ago, and today's ceremony was just for show; even the so-called contract on the table was just a thin piece of paper.
The soft sound of the pen's tip gliding over the paper was amplified infinitely in the quiet room. When Lin Guanglai's final stroke fell, a warm round of applause broke out on the scene—from today on, he officially becos a mber of the New York Yankees!
Almost simultaneously, the team's head coach Joe Girardi quickly stood up and walked over to Lin Guanglai, giving him a big hug: "Lin, welco to the Yankees—are you ready to fight for the World Series championship?"
In response, Lin Guanglai, full of smiles, happily agreed, "Yes, Coach! I'm ready!"
Next was the jersey presentation segnt. Receiving the No. 13 ho team jersey from the staff, Girardi personally handed it to Lin Guanglai; on the other side, Cashman handed a classic Yankees baseball cap to Lin Guanglai.
Cashman and Girardi stood on either side of Lin Guanglai, facing the caras with standard smiles; Lin Guanglai, standing in the middle, put on the Yankees cap and presented the jersey bearing his number to the dia before him with poise and confidence.
All at once, the scene's cara flashes fell like a sudden rainstorm, and this mont was captured by countless dia outlets—with the viral spread speed of New York dia, this photo would circulate worldwide in minutes, seen by everyone keeping an eye on this ceremony;
And if Lin Guanglai firmly establishes himself in Major League Baseball and even becos a top superstar, this photo will accompany his entire baseball career, being revisited again and again for countless years to co.
Then, the door leading to the interior of the stadium opened.
Surrounded by reporters, Lin Guanglai followed Cashman and Girardi, through the sowhat dim passage, climbing up the steps leading to Yankee Stadium's field, setting foot for the first ti onto the grounds of this stadium.
Feeling the solid touch of the dirt and turf under his feet, Lin Guanglai found himself breathless, captivated by the sight:
The sky was unobstructed, covered by the sowhat somber winter skies of New York; the seating, divided into three levels, stood like steep cliffs, converging toward the field from all four sides, providing a physical sense of oppression just from sight alone.
Above the central field, the massive electronic scoreboard stood silently, displaying a video montage specially made by the Yankees for Lin Guanglai—a series of fras showing him pitching and hitting in his SoftBank team jersey, accompanied by exhilarating music.
Unexpectedly for Lin Guanglai, at the front of the fan stands, there were so fans present to watch his signing ceremony: though not many, about two thousand people, it was more than enough to bring him a feeling of surprise.
After all, despite setting records in Japan that future players find hard to surpass, he was still a complete rookie on Arican soil, struggling to claim any fan base—apart from those exchange students or seasoned fans focusing on Asian baseball, he didn't think many would pay attention to him.
Waving to the fans not far away, causing bursts of cheers, Lin Guanglai was guided to the temporary stage built behind ho plate, where the Yankees had prepared a podium for him.
Lin Guanglai walked up the podium with giant strides. Only when he lifted his gaze into the distance did he truly feel the effort the Yankees put in: this specially built temporary stage faced Monunt Park, resting with countless great souls of Yankees history; from the stage, he could see the pitcher's mound, the infield diamond, and the iconic right field of the Bronx all coming into his view.
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