From the commentary booth, looking around at the stands, Tanaka Shuji could feel the ground beneath him shaking incessantly—the entire Koshien had sunk into a frenzy as fans caused a miniature earthquake: not only in Takayama, but even in Nihon Professional Baseball or the Major League, this walk-off steal of home plate is a scene rarely seen in a hundred years.
Amidst cheers from the crowd and in front of tens of thousands of spectators, the hero of the game slowly rose from the ground—he raised his fists high, fully unleashing the emotions overflowing from his heart, before being engulfed by his teammates who sprinted from the dugout.
On the sidelines at the media booth, dozens of reporters simultaneously pressed their shutters, wanting to capture this moment forever—at that moment, the flashes shone like fireworks at a summer festival.
On the same field, two different worlds were on display:
