August 16, 2011, Tuesday, Hanshin Koshien Stadium.

Day 11 of the tournament, third round, Game 2.

As the "Wooo—Wooo—Wooo—" air raid siren sounded, the match officially began at 10:30 am.

First base side, Sakushin Gakuin, offense first;

Third base side, Waseda Real, offense second.

For Sakushin Gakuin, today's starting pitcher for this third-round game is still their second-year ace left-handed pitcher, Ohtani Shuhiro—height 180 cm, weight 83 kg, fastest pitch 141 km/h, skilled in sliders, curveballs, and changeups. His excellent physical talents give his fastballs significant power.

But compared to his opponent today, Lin Guanglai, the physique and strength of Ohtani Shuhiro seem somewhat lacking:

The ace of Waseda Industries, Senbatsu High School Baseball Tournament champion pitcher Lin Guanglai, stands at 193 cm, weighs 82 kg, and has a fastest pitch of 151 km/h, specializing in sliders, curveballs, and forkballs. Such a level of physique and talent is rare even in the long history of Japan's high school baseball, not just Sakushin Gakuin's Ohtani Shuhiro.

Top of the first inning, Sakushin Gakuin's offense, the top three hitters who performed quite well in the previous two games of this tournament, faltered before Lin Guanglai, not gaining an advantage at all—a three-up-three-down outcome was no surprise under such circumstances.

This summer, whenever Lin Guanglai stands on the mound, Waseda's supporters feel immensely assured; with a strong pitcher holding the central ground, the game feels easy and artistic.

The two sides quickly swapped fields, and the second half of the first inning, it was Waseda's turn to bat.

Although Ohtani Shuhiro, the left-handed pitcher, is indeed formidable, his fastest pitch of 141 km/h means his average speed is around 130 km/h—effective against ordinary schools with average skills, but clearly inadequate against the Waseda batters who endure Lin Guanglai's "torment" daily:

Leading off, Shigetsugu Shinjiro enters the batter's box, adhering to home plate discipline while relying on his sharp batting eye to select a favorable 3-1 count;

Then, seizing the opponent's eagerness to narrow the ball count gap, Shigetsugu Shinjiro decisively swings, sending the ball to a weak spot in the defense towards the third base-shortstop area, punching through Sakushin Gakuin's infield defense and successfully advancing to second base.

Seeing the lead batter's effective hit, outside the third base coach's box, Izumi Minoru waves a big hand, signaling Kenta Matsunaga to bunt and advance. The second batter, Kenta Matsunaga, equally excelled in fulfilling his task, advancing Shigetsugu Shinjiro from second to third base at the cost of one out.

The third batter, Kenshu Yasuda, continued the offensive rhythm of the prior order, with an economical and effective single, bringing Shigetsugu Shinjiro from third base back to home plate.

One out, a runner on first—this is the scenario as Lin Guanglai steps onto the field.

From the Alps Stand, the sound of personal support songs is incessant, accompanied by the cheers of supporters, conveying boundless strength.

Yet what greets him is a pitch that hits the body.

Perhaps due to Lin Guanglai's overwhelming presence, Ohtani Shuhiro's control shockingly falters:

The left-handed pitcher's inside pitch not only misses the strike zone but also heavily hits Lin Guanglai—fortunately, Lin Guanglai's reaction is quick, turning his back to face the oncoming ball, blocking it.

As a strong batter himself, Lin Guanglai has frequently been greeted by hit-by-pitches since his rise to fame; most are pressure-induced misthrows, with occasional deliberate hits—over time, he's gained experience in handling such pitches: if nerves react in time, it's best to take them with the solid back; if not, avoid letting it hit crucial areas like elbows and wrists.

Exiting the batter's box, laying down the bat, Lin Guanglai walked towards the first base bag—not even reaching it before he started to stir, along with Kenshu Yasuda on second base, both began to shift.

The motions of the bases' runners greatly distracted Sakushin Gakuin's pitcher-catcher duo and infielders, forcing them to spend more energy guarding against Waseda's potential double steal tactic—Sakushin Gakuin, having thoroughly studied today's opponent, knows they're capable of it.

Lin Guanglai near first base continually observed Sakushin Gakuin's infield defense direction: the opponent kept a close eye on him, even at the cost of loosening their attention on Kenshu Yasuda in the scoring position—a clear indication that for Sakushin Gakuin, Lin Guanglai at first base posed the biggest threat.

Finding no opportunities for the moment, Lin Guanglai could only continue posturing, helping relieve his teammates' offensive pressure on second and home base.

Beside the batter's box at home plate, Hagiyama Mitsuo is poised in stance, ready to face Ohtani Shuhiro's pitch—as a slugger, his swings are a pure gamble, akin to playing by luck.

And this time, Ohtani Shuhiro's pitch was precisely what he bet on!

Having started the at-bat with two strikes, eager to strike out the batter, Ohtani Shuhiro threw a slow curveball as the decisive pitch, which Hagiyama Mitsuo hit with pinpoint accuracy, the ball soared, slicing through all of Koshien, ultimately landing in the stands.

Just after the ball was hit, Lin Guanglai worried about an outfield catch, so he observed from between first and second base without advancing rashly; moments later, as the ball left the field, there was no need to run—all he had to do was leisurely run back to home plate, stepping on the base, exchanging high-fives and embraces with teammates before and after him, a smile dominating Lin Guanglai's heroic face.

Thanks to this homer soaring into the stands, Hagiyama Mitsuo became the second Waseda player to hit a home run in this tournament, aside from Lin Guanglai. Thus, upon returning to where the players were, his teammates excitedly smacked his back, ruffled his hair.

Outside the players' area, watching his jubilant team, coach Izumi Minoru nodded—visibly, the team's state continually improved, and this home run greatly boosted everyone's morale.

In this third-round match against Sakushin Gakuin, it was only the first half of the opening inning, and Waseda already secured a 4-0 lead—could there be a better outcome?

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