Seeing that he had gained a lead in ball count, the pitcher Randy Mason and catcher Fujiwara Akira both let out a sigh of relief, but their expressions quickly turned serious again.
Likewise, even though conceding a good ball count was the cost, Lin Guanglai knew well in his heart that such a trade-off was worthwhile:
He is inherently one of the best hitters of inner-corner pitches in all of Nippon Professional Baseball; ordinary inner-corner pitches are practically a feast for him, and even under pressure, he has the ability to send such pitches flying; keeping the current situation is undoubtedly more advantageous for him in the long run.
Seeing Lin Guanglai unmoved, firmly occupying the inner corner space, catcher Fujiwara Akira quickly changed his strategy, subtly moving his glove to the low outer corner and signaling for a slider.
