CHAPTER 70: CHAPTER 70: SENSATION IN TAKAYAMA

Hanshin Koshien Stadium.

Because today’s schedule includes another match, the players from Waseda Jitsugyo hurriedly packed their equipment and left the field in an orderly fashion after acknowledging the fans who had come to the Alps Stand to support them, under the leadership of their captain.

Just as they entered the player tunnel, Takano Ren staff called Lin Guanglai over and led him to the interview area—where a large number of media reporters had already gathered.

Accompanied by Takano Ren staff, Lin Guanglai stepped onto the player interview platform—much like the tradition of the victor singing the school song after the match, only the best player of the game is qualified to stand on the interview platform and enjoy this moment of honor.

In this game, Lin Guanglai performed spectacularly in both pitching and batting: 6 innings with 8 strikeouts, 0 conceded points; three at-bats in total, all resulting in hits, including two home runs totaling 5 RBIs—such impressive statistics are almost unprecedented in Takano matches.

As the most outstanding player of the entire game, having Lin Guanglai receive the post-match interview, the reporters naturally had no objections—they were actually eagerly anticipating this!

"Mr. Lin, congratulations on winning the second round!" The interviewers first expressed their congratulations to Lin Guanglai, then asked, "As a first-year student getting the chance to play in Summer甲 for the first time, winning your first victory, Mr. Lin, how do you feel now?"

If, at first, Lin Guanglai seemed somewhat nervous during interviews, now, with ample experience, even faced with dozens of high-definition cameras, he answered the reporter’s questions in a relaxed manner:

"Right now, of course, I’m very excited because we won the match."

"Besides being excited, I’m grateful—grateful to my senior teammates because without their solid defense, I couldn’t have kept the scoreless streak; and grateful to the supporters who came to cheer us on, whether on the pitching mound or in the batting zone, I could feel the power they conveyed, yes, that’s it."

The reporter nodding in agreement then continued to ask, "What about today’s opponents, Aichi’s representative Chukyo University, Mr. Lin, what are your thoughts?"

This is not an easy question to answer—if it were a closely matched game, no matter how Lin Guanglai responded, it would be fine; but today’s match was a comprehensive rout, and any remarks could be interpreted as the victor’s superiority, easily causing displeasure.

After carefully thinking through his words, Lin Guanglai slowly replied, "Well... I think today’s game wasn’t really like the score reflected... I feel we just had better ability to seize opportunities and react at crucial moments. Chukyo University is very strong, yes, very strong indeed."

After saying this, Lin Guanglai didn’t add any more comments, clearly not wanting to dwell on the matter further.

The reporter evidently realized the sensitivity of the question —this is pure high school baseball, not adult professional baseball; choosing suggestive questions for news topics would incur public criticism in Takano. To ease the awkwardness, the reporter quickly changed the subject: "Mr. Lin, you’ve created a new record in Summer甲 today, how do you feel about that?"

"A new record?" Lin Guanglai, unaware of this, looked questioningly at the staff beside him, and upon receiving their confirmation, posed this puzzled query.

Seeing his clueless expression, the reporter quickly explained with a smile, "As a first-year student hitting two home runs in a single Koshien tournament, you’re the first since 1983’s Masumi Kuwata; and as a first-year student hitting two home runs in a single game, in the 92-year history of Koshien, you’re the only one to achieve this."

"Talk about your feelings, what were the moments like hitting those two home runs?"

"Um... it’s an honor to be on par with such a legendary player as Mr. Kiyohara."

"As for the feeling, at the time of hitting, I didn’t think too much. Since the bases were loaded and our team was leading by 2 points, I wasn’t under much pressure during the hit, just thinking about getting the ball out."

After saying this, Lin Guanglai even joked with the reporters present: "After all, I’m just a ninth-batter hitter, even if my hit gets caught, the seniors wouldn’t blame me, hahaha."

The reporters present also burst into good-natured laughter.

"Hitting a home run at Koshien is truly thrilling—being able to hit such a ball in the first game at Hanshin Koshien, I won’t forget it for many years to come."

He then added, "I hope this record can pass on Mr. Kiyohara’s strength to us—after all, PL Academy won the championship in that Koshien."

His words seemed genuine, filled with confidence in his team and himself.

The interview process was quick, with just a few more questions before wrapping up—by the time Lin Guanglai left the player interview platform, the reporters on the scene seemed still unsatisfied.

Young, extraordinarily talented, powerful, confident, with outstanding looks and a good personality—as long as there are no surprises, someone like this is destined to shine in the high school baseball scene, and possibly make a mark in professional baseball.

Such a player is not only beloved by baseball fans, but also by the media and reporters involved in the industry.

After concluding the routine post-match interview, Lin Guanglai’s tasks were not yet over; he still needed to take part in an interview with the "Hot Battle Koshien" program—this is the most popular TV show about high school baseball, successfully attracting countless baseball-loving viewers by sharing stories behind schools and players.

The current host of "Hot Battle Koshien" is Kuriyama Hideki, a former professional baseball player who played for seven years with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, mainly as a shortstop and outfielder, but had to retire early due to Meniere’s disease.

This interview went very well for both sides, and Lin Guanglai learned a lot about professional baseball from the veteran host.

Back at the hotel, the effects of adrenaline withdrawal after intense exercise gradually began to show: during dinner, Lin Guanglai almost ate while drowsily, and later nearly fell asleep in the bath.

After today’s game, Waseda Jitsugyo’s next opponent is Kantou Number One, also representing the Tokyo Region; if they can overcome this hurdle, the following matches will almost be continuous battles without rest intervals, posing a huge challenge to the players’ mental and physical endurance.

As Lin Guanglai was already deep in slumber, he was unaware that with the news reports and TV program broadcasts, the names Waseda Industries and Lin Guanglai had once again caused a stir among the Takano baseball fans.