Even though almost 20 years have passed since that 1992 game, and the players on the field hadn't even been born when it happened—if you follow baseball, you couldn't possibly be unaware of that iconic game.

Nonetheless, perspectives on the Narashino players' intentional walk strategy have become divided among today's high school baseball fans.

Those who truly experienced that passionate era and still harbor a special Showa-era sentiment for high school baseball naturally oppose the practice of intentionally walking a batter.

In their view, we, the old folks, travel thousands of miles and spend money on tickets to witness the passionate rivalry among high school students firsthand—if the students resort to any means necessary to win, what's the point of watching such amateur matches when you could watch professional teams nearby?

Because of this, when Narashino's pitcher intentionally walked Lin Guanglai for two consecutive at-bats, some of the older spectators in the Koshien stands erupted in anger—of course, they didn't directly insult the players but directed all their fury at the Narashino coach Tetsuya Kobayashi and manager Hiroaki Kase, believing it was these adults who brought such utilitarian vibes into the pure Koshien.

Of course, other people see intentionally walking Lin Guanglai as an absolutely reasonable choice.

Since this tournament began, Lin Guanglai has been red-hot at the plate, not only homering in every game but achieving jaw-dropping feats like four homers in one game and 15 RBIs over four games—considering that there have been 26 home runs in total in this tournament, Lin Guanglai alone contributed seven, leading all of Japan in firepower.

At least, in the eyes of this tournament's audience, there's currently no high school player who can match his batting abilities.

Moreover, in daily footage and pre-game interviews released officially by Asahi, Narashino's coach and players have frequently hinted that they might employ the intentional walk strategy against Lin Guanglai.

For those holding this perspective, although such actions might seem unsightly and tarnish a potential victory in an emotional sense, they can comprehend the Narashino coach and players' approach—after all, with the Summer League finals, a lifelong dream for many players, within reach, from a different standpoint, who wouldn't want to seize victory?

This semifinal took place at noon, under a blazing sun and sweltering heat—in this scorching atmosphere, the audience held firm in their differing opinions, unable to persuade each other.

Outside the field was chaos, and the Waseda Jitsugyo players weren't calm either.

Although Lin Guanglai, at the center of the event, reacted rather nonchalantly, his teammates weren't as forgiving; particularly the batters hitting behind him felt aggrieved:

In a no-out, runner-on-first situation, Narashino's pitcher chose to intentionally walk Lin Guanglai, creating a no-out, runners-on-first-and-second scenario—what does that mean?

It means they believed the batters behind Lin Guanglai were inconsequential and easily handled, so they could afford to intentionally walk him without worrying about conceding runs.

Waseda Jitsugyo's players are young, sixteen or seventeen, and as young people, they surely possess youthful pride—in response to the opponents' underestimation, the hitters led by Hagiyama Mitsuo and Yagaki Kentaro decided to teach their rivals a lesson.

While Hagiyama Mitsuo was preparing outside the batter's box, Izumi Minoru also began to move in the first-base runner's area.

He first touched his head, then his face, signaling to Kenshu Yasuda and Lin Guanglai on base to initiate the signal; afterward, he grasped his right wrist with his right hand, repeating the motion twice before stopping.

The duo on base, having received the signal, tapped the brim of their batting helmets with their knuckles to indicate they understood the command.

Subsequently, Izumi Minoru turned toward home plate and made another set of gestures, which Hagiyama Mitsuo responded to with the same actions to show he understood.

These gestures were prearranged codes within Waseda Jitsugyo for various commands, with their meanings known only to team members—for a baseball game emphasizing strategic coordination, signals are the foundation of any team, serving huge purposes in both offense and defense.

To prevent their signals from being deciphered by opponents, Izumi Minoru often performed deceptive gestures, aiming to confuse the opposition, or even lead them to misinterpret the commands.

As Kazuki Nabara on the pitcher's mound clenched his glove, lifting his front foot, the two base runners, having already taken large leads, dashed toward the next base.

At the plate, Hagiyama Mitsuo suddenly changed his stance, decisively opting for a bunt, precisely directing the ball pitched by Kazuki Nabara while also blocking the view of Mikawa Kenta, the catcher behind home plate.

Bunt strategy combined with a double steal!!!

Waseda Jitsugyo's strategy proved highly successful, catching Narashino completely off guard with the sudden change in tempo—

You see, to guard against a power hitter like Hagiyama Mitsuo, with high long-range potential but low average, Narashino's defensive formation was set back. When the catcher's movements were delayed, the ball nudged out by Hagiyama Mitsuo became unattended for a short time!

This strategic cooperation precisely exploited Narashino's defensive formation flaws, unraveling the previous composed arrangement into chaos.

A single misstep, a chain of errors.

The flustered Kazuki Nabara rushed off the mound to capture the rolling grounder, but even the slower-running Hagiyama Mitsuo reached two-thirds of the way—acting instinctively, even before his brain could process it, Kazuki twisted his body and flung the baseball toward first base.

Yet, the moment the ball left his hand, his heart sank—this was bad; something was about to go wrong!

The baseball flying toward first base did not land accurately in the mitt of Narashino's first baseman Daisuke Matsuyama but instead sailed just over his head, out of play.

Witnessing their errant throw, the Waseda Jitsugyo third base coach frantically signaled with twirling arms, loudly urging his teammates on the field:

"It's an overthrow! Run!! Hurry up and run!!!"

The long-dormant passion in Koshien roared back to life at last—in the cheers from the spectators, Kenshu Yasuda and Lin Guanglai successively returned to home plate, stepping on it to score; and surprisingly, Hagiyama Mitsuo's sacrifice bunt fortuitously landed him on second base, an unexpected delight.

Koshien's spectators cheered, for the score change implied a more exciting match;

Waseda Jitsugyo's players cheered, for they finally shifted the momentum, and the ticket to the finals was within sight;

Yet at this moment, the players of Narashino couldn't bring themselves to smile.

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