CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44: THE BIRTH OF A MONSTER

After Okamondo, the ninth batter, was struck out, the next batter for Nihon University Tsurugaoka was their leadoff hitter, Enomoto Yu.

This was Enomoto Yu’s fourth at-bat of the game: In their previous encounters, not only had he failed to hit a single, he hadn’t even made contact with the ball once, striking out in all three at-bats — as the team’s most adept hitter, this record was nothing short of shameful.

"This time, no matter what, I have to hit the ball properly!" Standing in the batter’s box, Enomoto Yu vowed fiercely in his heart.

On the other hand, Lin Guanglai on the pitcher’s mound seemed completely at ease — while contemplating his pitching strategy, he was even listening with interest to the brass band music emanating from Nihon University Tsurugaoka’s support stands.

Despite the increasing outs diminishing their chances of winning, Nihon University Tsurugaoka’s supporters were still fervently cheering on the players, hoping to witness a miracle.

"Whoa, isn’t this the theme from Saint Seiya! Ah~ such a familiar feeling, maybe I should change my support song next time?" Lin Guanglai wondered as he listened.

Even though the grand and relentless sound of music was meant to cheer on the opponent, it didn’t affect Lin Guanglai’s performance in the slightest. Returning from his musical reverie, after a slight adjustment, he pitched the first ball of the at-bat.

"Thwack—"

"Foul!"

Faced with the ball coming at him aggressively towards the high outside corner, Enomoto Yu did not hesitate and swung. Though he made contact, he failed to keep the ball in play.

This was a slider pitched by Lin Guanglai towards the high outside corner.

From the batter’s perspective, it looked indistinguishable from a fastball; however, the horizontal movement distinctive to sliders would cause the ball to slide out of the strike zone, changing the point of contact with the bat, so Enomoto Yu’s choice to swing as if hitting a fastball inevitably sent the ball foul.

The second pitch.

A fastball low and outside.

To entice the batter to let the ball go, Lin Guanglai deliberately pitched it very low and tight, passing through the strike zone from a critical angle into the catcher’s mitt.

The distinction between a ball and a strike was incredibly fine, and even Lin Guanglai himself was unsure — it was up to Umpire Sakurai behind the plate to decide.

After a moment’s thought, standing behind Tsuchiya Ryota, Umpire Sakurai raised his right fist, extending two fingers; along with the motion came a clear and assertive call:

"Strike!"

The game promptly shifted to 0 balls, 2 strikes, with the pitcher at a distinct advantage.

On the mound, Lin Guanglai exhaled lightly, raised his right fist for encouragement, while in the batter’s box, Enomoto Yu displayed a look of frustration, clearly annoyed at his hesitation to swing.

Following the 2 strikes, for the third pitch, aiming for the low outside corner, Lin Guanglai threw the ball —

"Ball."

This slightly enticing slider just missed the edge of the strike zone by the width of a ball, but even as he lifted his foot and stored energy, Enomoto Yu held back from swinging.

ball, 2 strikes.

Lin Guanglai raised his hand and subtly touched the brim of his cap with his right hand — it was a unique signal between him and Senior Tsuchiya, indicating that the next pitch would be the deciding one.

Spreading his index and middle fingers widely, he placed the ball between them, raised his front leg, coiled his body to store power, then, like a slingshot, lunged forward and flung the ball.

Again targeting the low outside corner, Enomoto Yu in the batter’s box chose to swing the bat without hesitation this time — just as it neared home plate, the baseball seemed to lose all its gravity, plummeting away from the strike zone miles toward the ground.

Behind home plate, Tsuchiya Ryota, already prepared, opened his glove wide and swiftly snared the forkball.

Having swung and missed the bat, Enomoto Yu understandably struck out swinging, leaving in disgrace.

"Swinging strikeout! Swinging strikeout! One more out, just one more out!" In the commentary booth, Ikezaki Fusho couldn’t contain his excitement and blurted it out.

Similarly, unable to hold back their cries, the Waseda Jitsugyo players on and off the field were just one out away from a no-hitter, and from returning to Koshien after three years!

"Great pitch, Guanglai!!!" shouted Onoda Shunsuke from deep in the outfield behind Lin Guanglai.

In the Waseda Jitsugyo dugout, no one could stay seated on the benches; they all leaned eagerly over the railing, shouting simplistic phrases like "Great ball," "Great pitcher," and "Just one more."

In the Nihon University Tsurugaoka dugout, the players also leaned forward, their eyes red, but they still shouted hoarsely for their team — although there was a tinge of desperate heroism in their voices.

Enomoto Yu walked dejectedly back to the dugout, handing the bat to the second batter, Sato Hide, and said with a choked voice:

"I’m sorry, Hide; I couldn’t do it."

"It’s up to you now!"

"..." His reply was met with silence.

On the pitcher’s mound, Lin Guanglai was feeling a bit overwhelmed; he could clearly hear the pounding of his heart echoing like a heavy hammer.

Watching the opposing batter stepping into the box, Lin Guanglai took a deep breath — for this pitch, he decided to throw a strike and let him hit.

Lifting his leg, storing energy, twisting, and pitching — with that all-too-familiar set of motions, Lin Guanglai sent the ball flying.

In the batter’s box, Sato Hide coiled back and swung the bat forward forcefully, meeting the incoming ball squarely.

"Thwack—" The collision of bat and ball was deafening, as the ball grounded heavily towards the space between first and second base.

"Hiss—" The entire Shengong Stadium audience gasped simultaneously, the combined voices of thousands merged into a surging energy.

The bouncing ball on the field seemed to connect with everyone’s emotions, each bounce provoking another wave of excitement.

As the second baseman Fukasawa Kouta stepped forward and gloved the ball, and Sugai Natsuki on first base prepared, reaching for it, the sound inside the stadium erupted like a tidal wave — everyone realized that they were about to witness a momentous event.

Under the watchful eyes of thousands, Fukasawa Kouta flicked his arm, delivering the ball steadily into Sugai Natsuki’s glove.

"Boom—" Shengong Stadium erupted like a volcano, the audience’s cheers piercing the sky, drowning out the umpire’s call, and overshadowing the tears of the defeated.

"Buzz—" Equally ignited was Lin Guanglai’s mind: "Yes, I did it, a no-hitter, I really did it!"

He felt a rush of blood from his chest to his head, compelling him to toss his glove into the air — only when he came to his senses did he realize he was engulfed by his rushing teammates.

"Three outs! The game is over!!!"

"They did it; Waseda Industries, back to Summer Koshien after four years, for the 28th appearance!!!"

"He did it too! Lin Guanglai! A first-year student, a no-hitter achieved!!!"

"A genius, an absolute genius!!!"

"Right now, at this very moment, a legend was born at Shengong Stadium!!!"