"Strike! Strikeout!"
Despite Sou Kumamoto from Luzheng Society's seventh spot focusing intently on the ball, seeing and hitting are two entirely different things—Lin Guanglai had just thrown a slider that, to Kumamoto's eyes, seemed to be several ball-widths away from the strike zone's outer edge, but ultimately made a wide arc to squeeze into the corner of the strike zone just before reaching the plate.
Facing such a bizarre and tricky pitch, even the experienced batters of Luzheng Society found themselves at a loss.
Back on the pitcher's mound, Lin Guanglai, having finished this half of the inning, took off his glove and chatted and laughed with his teammates as they briskly walked back to the first-base dugout;
Meanwhile, on Luzheng Society's side at third base, many players were left with dry throats, momentarily unable to speak, displaying expressions of utter dejection.
The gigantic scoreboard above the outfield unmistakably displayed the current score:
