Baseball: A Two-Way Player

If it were someone composed and steady, it might be different, but for a pitcher like Valdez, who's already a hot-headed powder keg, he might even throw the ball at his own teammates when he goes berserk; coupled with Soto's slight provocation, on the pitcher's mound, Valdez's breathing audibly turned heavier.

A pitcher who has lost his cool facing a batter with extraordinary selection skills naturally leads to a predictable outcome: Soto's batting dance successfully disrupted Valdez, causing him to throw a series of balls, resulting in a walk on four pitches.

Juan Soto, having been walked, casually tossed his bat towards the sideline and leisurely walked towards first base; Valdez, though furious inside, no longer had the energy to engage further in the conflict.

Gazing at the towering figure walking into the right batter's box, Valdez could only feel the cold sweat profusely streaming down his forehead.

Aaron Judge, AKA "The Bronx Judge," universally regarded as the generational top batter from the 2010s to date, four-time World Series champion, MVP/Silver Slugger Award/Hank Aaron Award grand slam winner, record holder of many Yankees and Major League Baseball honors—since entering the majors in 2016, in every season where he has played more than 150 games, Aaron Judge's OPS has never fallen below 1, and his home run count has never dipped below 50.

Particularly with increased experience and continuous refinement of his batting skills, the Judge's formerly high strikeout rate keeps declining, and his adaptability to breaking balls keeps improving; in other words, he is now a truly well-rounded, flawless hexagonal batter.

For many pitchers, just seeing the Judge standing opposite them exudes an aura that is enough to instill fear.

Especially for Valdez on the pitcher's mound now, his emotions have far from calmed down after the face-off with Soto, and his impatient mentality of wanting to casually settle the Judge in a few pitches is bound to be punished.

Seizing on the fastball pitched inside, Aaron Judge subtly tightened his body within the batter's box, casually swinging the bat in the ball's direction, effortlessly sending the ball towards right field.

If not for the field characteristics of Minute Maid Park, which caught the Judge's batted ball perfectly within the framework of the building, turning it into a ground-rule double, it would likely have flown into the stands as a two-run homer.

However, the current situation is still acceptable for the Yankees: with one out, Soto and Judge have occupied scoring position, and the next up to clear the bases is none other than the team's current captain, the absolute core of the 21st-century Yankees dynasty, Lin Guanglai!

In the new season, Lin Guanglai, who will serve as the designated hitter full-time, is entrusted with a heavy responsibility by Coach Martinli, placing him in the cleanup hitter spot; situations like this are when the team needs him to step up.

Slowly stepping into the batter's box, Lin Guanglai gently swings the bat a few times, searching for the feeling of a formal game.

Since his season-ending injury last year, this is his first official game in nearly a year: Valdez does make a good opponent for him to find his form, as he is neither a top-notch pitcher nor someone who can be easily toyed with. Using him as the initial target for his comeback, it couldn't be more suitable.

Once he posed for the hit, the Astros' catcher Yainer Diaz communicated with Valdez on the pitcher's mound, then returned behind the home plate and crouched down.

Valdez took a deep breath, then opened his eyes, looking directly at Lin Guanglai; as their gazes met, Valdez pitched the ball accordingly, and Lin Guanglai, facing the oncoming ball, slightly bent, assuming a power-gathering stance, with his eyes fixated on the approaching ball, tracking its trajectory.

The baseball's initial speed was fast, and its first-half trajectory was almost no different from a typical fastball. For those rookies who just entered the Major League, they'd likely be deceived, swinging to ground the ball, followed by an out;

But Lin Guanglai maintained considerable patience, only activating his body and making the swing motion as the ball reached the plate area and the trajectory began to change—the seemingly effortless action is by no means easy. In fact, unless one has absolute confidence in their bat speed and spatial control, even top-tier batters rarely opt for a delayed swing mechanism.

As the ball drew closer to the catcher's mitt behind the plate, Lin Guanglai's black and gold-colored bat precisely hit the oncoming ball. After an intense clash, Lin Guanglai in the batter's box swung his arms in a "drawing a full moon bow" posture, sending the ball towards right field in Minute Maid Park.

A muffled "thud" resounded above the stadium, and Lin Guanglai, standing at home plate, confidently discarded his bat without even looking, starting his trot around the bases with assured strides;

Meanwhile, the Astros fans, who were previously jubilant due to their ace's excellent pitching, fell into a collective, deathly silence—those people, with puzzled expressions, incessantly raised similar questions in their hearts: A home run is clearly not an easy feat, so why does it appear as simple as eating and drinking for Lin Guanglai? Is baseball not supposed to be like this!

Yet perhaps in the short term, no one will answer their questions—the Yankees players on the field have already started celebrating. Scoring three quick points in the first half of the new season opener has relieved everyone's tension, and now, they can settle into a steady and strategic game.

Lin Guanglai's three-run homer opened the floodgates for the Yankees, allowing his teammates to step into the batter's box with a more relaxed mindset: following him, the fifth batter Machado and the sixth batter Rizzo both hit singles.

By the end of the first half-inning, Valdez, who claimed before the game to shut down Lin Guanglai, was replaced by a relief pitcher; as he stepped off the mound, the entire Astros ace seemed bewildered as if completely unaware of why the game turned out this way.

The starting pitcher being forced off after just one half-inning is nothing short of a catastrophe for the home-playing Astros:

In recent years, having invested significantly but achieved nothing, repeatedly being halted just a step away from the World Series by the Yankees, the Astros' owner is no longer willing to continue burning money;

This year, their pitching depth was already subpar, and now with Valdez being knocked out, it's hard to find a relief pitcher in the bullpen capable of covering long innings, forcing them into a bullpen carousel strategy.

Due to Gerrit Cole's preseason injury, requiring a three-week rest, the Yankees' opening game starting pitcher was Zack Wheeler, who just renewed his contract with the team late last year. For several years, he has consistently ranked in the top five of Cy Young voting, and is similarly a key accomplishment for the Yankees—during the bottom half of an inning, Wheeler smoothly delivered a three-up, three-down, giving the Astros not even a sliver of a chance.

In the top half of the second inning, it was Lin Guanglai's turn to bat again, with two outs and a runner on third; correspondingly, when the Astros' relief pitcher threw a 99.8 mph fastball into his sweet spot, Lin Guanglai accepted the gift without hesitation.

The off-season muscle-building and strength training played a significant role at this point, with his significantly enhanced core quickly transferring the explosive power from his lower body to his upper body, releasing it along with the swing.

Still accompanied by a "thud" of impact, the intense crash resounded once more, the ball lifted from Lin Guanglai's bat, rapidly ascending skyward;

In the desperate gazes of tens of thousands in Minute Maid Park, this time the baseball flew into the left field stands, aggressively plowing into the crowd, adding another two points for the Yankees.

The Astros fans gritted their teeth to powder, collectively glaring at Lin Guanglai, who was circling the bases on the field; at this moment, the same phrase appeared in their hearts, desperately wishing to grab Lin Guanglai and confront him face-to-face with a question:

"Why is it always you!!!"