CHAPTER 86: CHAPTER 86: TOPPLING THE HIGH WALL

As Kenshu Yasuda stepped into the batter’s box and got into position, the umpire behind home plate signaled the pitcher to start pitching:

"Play Ball."

From the Alps Stand came the loud drumbeats and the synchronized claps — sounds made by the five to six thousand Waseda supporters. Under their encouragement, the atmosphere on-site grew increasingly fervent, erasing the boundary between the field and the stands, melding them into one.

"Yasuda, clap clap; Yasuda, clap clap!!!"

The Waseda supporters shouted Kenshu Yasuda’s name while clapping, hoping to cheer him on in this way—after all, they were just one hit away from victory.

Under the sway of the Waseda Industries cheering squad, many lively neutral spectators also began shouting for Kenshu Yasuda; waves of cheers and clapping erupted repeatedly, pressing immense pressure on Narita as the defending side, as if they were some kind of villains.

In the Narita player’s area on the first base side, the substitute players came out one by one; they nervously watched the unfolding scenario on the field, clasping their hands together in hope, muttering, "We have to hold on."

For Narita, who had also been fighting valiantly throughout the match, this was the out they absolutely had to secure—if Kenshu Yasuda hit this ball out, they would be left with nothing.

First pitch.

The first pitch came in as an inside pitch, located roughly in the middle left of the strike zone, not too tricky a pitch—it’s hittable!

Kenshu Yasuda did not hesitate due to so-called pressure, instead immediately showcasing his aggression.

With a swift "whoosh," he decisively swung his bat towards the position where the ball was flying—meanwhile, Lin Guanglai at third base further expanded his lead off the base, moving closer in the direction of home plate.

"Clang!"

Although the spot on the ball was hit, there was a discrepancy between the actual timing of the ball entering the strike zone and Kenshu Yasuda’s prediction—it ended up flying directly into the stands rather than staying within bounds.

"Foul ball!"

The count: 0 balls, 1 strike.

Second pitch, Nakagawa Ryosuke delivered an even trickier inside pitch, with the ball almost brushing Kenshu Yasuda’s arm as it dived into the strike zone—in those fraction of a seconds, Kenshu Yasuda decided to let this pitch pass.

"Pop!"

"Strike!"

The count: 0 balls, 2 strikes.

Disappointed sighs rose from the stands of Koshien—under the circumstances of 2 outs, with the batter being chased quickly into a 0-2 count, it seemed yet another inning would end leaving runners stranded.

On the pitcher’s mound, Nakagawa Ryosuke took the ball passed over by the catcher, glancing towards third base—Lin Guanglai’s lead was too audacious, almost half the distance between bases.

Just as Nakagawa Ryosuke was about to make a pick-off move to keep the baserunner Lin Guanglai in check, Lin seemed to notice as well, hurriedly retreating a few steps towards the direction of the third base bag.

Seeing that he’d achieved his intention, Nakagawa Ryosuke no longer concerned himself with him; he motioned for his teammates to move slightly towards first base, prioritizing the batter’s out.

After finishing the defensive setup, Nakagawa Ryosuke lowered his head, continuously rubbing the baseball in his hands, clearly thinking about the next pitch.

Lin Guanglai might be the calmest person on the entire field now—standing near third base, he was entirely unfazed by the constantly changing atmosphere, instead carefully observing Narita’s defense:

Straight ahead, Nakagawa Ryosuke on the mound seemed to think he’d been intimidated by the earlier pick-off move, hence lowered his head, ready to focus entirely on the batter in front;

On the left side, due to the repositioning on the field, third baseman Daiki Anzui was also standing some distance away from the third base bag, evidently unable to get back quickly;

First base, second base, shortstop—these infield defensive players, like Nakagawa Ryosuke, were all attracted to the batter Kenshu Yasuda.

To ensure the reliability of his observations, Lin Guanglai inadvertently moved a bit closer to home plate—his current position was far from being a safe distance, about two-fifths of the distance from third base.

However, Narita’s defense did not notice him, no one reminded the pitcher and third baseman, no one realized his current position—they were all focused on the batter.

"This is it! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Without any hesitation, or signaling to his teammates, Lin Guanglai directly sprinted towards home plate.

The first to notice the situation was Kenshu Yasuda—seeing Lin Guanglai dash towards home plate, he was initially startled;

But due to absolute trust in his teammate, he reacted instantaneously, swiftly taking a few small steps back from the batter’s box, leaving all the space for Lin Guanglai’s sprint.

The next to react was Narita’s catcher, Kondo Tomoya—as soon as Kenshu Yasuda backed out of the batter’s box, Kondo Tomoya stood up from the ground and frantically shouted toward his pitcher: "Ball! Ball! Ball! Throw the ball over!!!"

Yet it was too late—just as Kondo Tomoya caught the ball, Lin Guanglai had already flung his entire body forward, both hands simultaneously touching the home plate.

Only at this moment did the commentators and spectators realize what had happened—the audience, who had been seated due to the situation of 2 outs and the batter being down 0-2, suddenly sprang to their feet, erupting with wild and enthusiastic cheers, their faces struck with disbelief.

In the commentary box, Tanaka Shuji and Takumi Tanchisha were at a loss for words, unsure where to start—for even after years of working with baseball, they had never seen such a situation.

Once he got over the initial shock, Tanaka Shuji fired up:

"Aaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!"

"What is this! What is this! What is this!"

"Bottom of the tenth inning! Lin Guanglai! Walk-off steal of home!!!"

"Sayonara! Sayonara! Sayonara!"

"Narita’s ace pitcher, Nakagawa Ryosuke, threw a total of 160 pitches, striking out 8 batters—he was like a great wall, blocking Waseda Industries’ progress."

"However, a genius is a genius because they can think what others dare not think, and do what others cannot do!"

"Any viewer with a basic understanding of baseball wouldn’t dare attempt a steal of home with 2 outs in the bottom of the tenth inning—but Lin, he dared!"

"After a grueling battle over ten innings, Waseda Industries, they finally broke down this great wall completely!"