"The Yankees-Red Sox battle truly deserves to be the most historic and intense rivalry in MLB; no matter how many times I watch such a game, I'll never tire of it—this match was incredibly thrilling!"

As the commentator screamed out such an assessment, Yankee Stadium was already in chaos: a large group of home-team fans wearing pinstripes excitedly jumped up from their seats, hugging and celebrating with friends and family around them.

The reason they did so was simple: in the just-ended bottom of the eighth inning, the New York Yankees, playing at home, not only retook the lead with Lin Guanglai's three-run homer, but also extended the gap between the Yankees and Red Sox to two runs.

With 108 wins in the regular season, the Yankees successfully topped the league as number one, allowing them to wait for challengers without rush, and to gain home advantage in all future series;

Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox, with 103 wins in the season, ranking second, fell into the wildcard due to being overtaken by the Yankees in the division, forcing them into a wildcard sudden-death match against the Oakland Athletics—the result was naturally predictable, and the Red Sox crushed the Athletics at home, advancing to the playoffs to meet the Yankees in the division series.

This round of the Yankees-Red Sox battle has been hailed by many professional media and fans as one of the most classic series of the 21st century:

In the first game of the series, the home team Yankees, predictably, dispatched Lin Guanglai, while the Red Sox, to be cautious, refrained from fielding ace Chris Sale head-on, opting instead for David Price to start.

In the direct confrontation between the two Cy Young pitchers, the New York Yankees and Lin Guanglai had the last laugh:

The Boston Red Sox's super lineup, whose stats all rank among the top two in the league, failed to achieve anything in front of Lin Guanglai, managing only 1 hit and scoring 0 runs, losing the Bronx opener 0:8.

In the second game of the series, the Boston Red Sox, knowing another loss would leave them no retreat, fought back fiercely, relying on the consistent performance of their super lefty Chris Sale and the lineup's recovery, strongly leveling the series score and returning home with a total score of 1:1.

In the third game of the series, at a packed Fenway Park, the returning Red Sox lineup exploded again:

The Red Sox's main second baseman, Brock Holt, who had been underperforming previously, played the night of his career, sending the Yankees pitchers' balls into the stand three times during the game, including two grand slams—winning this victory, the Red Sox overturned the series score, and with one more win, they could complete the upset and utterly end the Yankees' dream of title defense.

Just like last year against the Cleveland Indians, losing the third game put the Yankees on the cliff's edge, with every subsequent game as a life-and-death battle; it was under such adverse conditions that the Yankees exploded.

In the fourth game of the series, still at Fenway Park, the Yankees' lineup showed extraordinary focus from the start, scoring 10 runs in just three and a half innings;

The central lineup, composed of young players Lin Guanglai, Aaron Judge, and Gary Sanchez, displayed their immense power, forcing former Cy Young winner Rick Porcello to leave the mound without even finishing half an inning.

In Boston's fourth game, the final match score was 16:1.

When the chief umpire announced the end of the game, all of Boston fell silent: every Red Sox fan's face showed either bewilderment or numbness, with many having already left the stadium early, unwilling to watch any longer.

With the series score back to a tie, alongside the bloodbath in Game 4 in Boston, the balance of victory seemed to tilt back towards the league-leading Yankees;

Yet when the ultimate showdown began, the visiting Boston Red Sox exploded with an extreme desire for victory, extending the score to 3:0 amid the overwhelming boos from New York fans.

The Yankees launched a frantic counterattack afterward, continuously closing the score gap, until the just-ended bottom of the eighth inning, where they finally retook the lead with a smooth offensive surge. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

What was coming up was the top of the ninth inning, possibly deciding the fate of both teams' entire season, determining who would proceed, and who would be stopped here.

"Lin, how's your stamina holding up?" In the first base side of the home team's dugout, Don Mattingly asked Lin Guanglai, looking serious.

After receiving a positive answer from Lin, Mattingly waved his hand broadly, announcing his decision: "Alright, then it's up to you to close the game in the bottom of the ninth—can you do it?"

Due to the exhausting hand-to-hand combat in every game of this series, the Yankees' original ace closer Aroldis Chapman has been overly drained, fielding him now might lead to errors due to lack of control;

Considering the uniqueness of the Yankees-Red Sox battle and the tremendous pressure of playing at home, after a thoughtful consideration, Lin Guanglai seemed to be the only one Mattingly could completely trust in the team's pitcher reserves.