Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 646 - 10: First Appearance

Under Cashman's guidance, Lin Guanglai and his party did not immediately enter the interior of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx but first went to a temporarily specially constructed room.

This place was set up as the signing scene, with a large Yankees emblem hanging on the deep blue curtain backdrop, and in front of it was a long table covered with a tablecloth bearing the Yankees emblem; in the center of the long table lay a packaged contract document, along with a signature pen still full of Yankees elements.

As Lin Guanglai, Cashman, and Girardi walked into this room, the muffled and dense sound of camera shutters immediately filled the air, the frequency quick as a hummingbird flapping its wings; the flash of the cameras flickered incessantly, converging into a silver-white ocean, dazzling Lin Guanglai, making it hard for him to keep his eyes open.

To show the century-old Yankees team's importance on Lin Guanglai, almost all media outlets, big and small, across New York were called over; in addition, many Asian newspaper divisions in the United States also dispatched relevant teams for the purpose of getting the first-hand news.

Sitting in his place, Lin Guanglai took the contract from Cashman on the table, glanced over it symbolically, then picked up the weighty pen and signed his name in the designated spot.

In fact, the formal contract had already been negotiated and completed by Lin Guanglai's agent team a long time ago, and today's ceremony was just for show; even the so-called contract on the table was just a thin piece of paper.

The soft sound of the pen's tip gliding over the paper was amplified infinitely in the quiet room. When Lin Guanglai's final stroke fell, a warm round of applause broke out on the scene—from today on, he officially becomes a member of the New York Yankees!

Almost simultaneously, the team's head coach Joe Girardi quickly stood up and walked over to Lin Guanglai, giving him a big hug: "Lin, welcome to the Yankees—are you ready to fight for the World Series championship?"

In response, Lin Guanglai, full of smiles, happily agreed, "Yes, Coach! I'm ready!"

Next was the jersey presentation segment. Receiving the No. 13 home team jersey from the staff, Girardi personally handed it to Lin Guanglai; on the other side, Cashman handed a classic Yankees baseball cap to Lin Guanglai.

Cashman and Girardi stood on either side of Lin Guanglai, facing the cameras with standard smiles; Lin Guanglai, standing in the middle, put on the Yankees cap and presented the jersey bearing his number to the media before him with poise and confidence.

All at once, the scene's camera flashes fell like a sudden rainstorm, and this moment was captured by countless media outlets—with the viral spread speed of New York media, this photo would circulate worldwide in minutes, seen by everyone keeping an eye on this ceremony;

And if Lin Guanglai firmly establishes himself in Major League Baseball and even becomes a top superstar, this photo will accompany his entire baseball career, being revisited again and again for countless years to come.

Then, the door leading to the interior of the stadium opened.

Surrounded by reporters, Lin Guanglai followed Cashman and Girardi, through the somewhat dim passage, climbing up the steps leading to Yankee Stadium's field, setting foot for the first time onto the grounds of this stadium.

Feeling the solid touch of the dirt and turf under his feet, Lin Guanglai found himself breathless, captivated by the sight:

The sky was unobstructed, covered by the somewhat somber winter skies of New York; the seating, divided into three levels, stood like steep cliffs, converging toward the field from all four sides, providing a physical sense of oppression just from sight alone.

Above the central field, the massive electronic scoreboard stood silently, displaying a video montage specially made by the Yankees for Lin Guanglai—a series of frames showing him pitching and hitting in his SoftBank team jersey, accompanied by exhilarating music.

Unexpectedly for Lin Guanglai, at the front of the fan stands, there were some fans present to watch his signing ceremony: though not many, about two thousand people, it was more than enough to bring him a feeling of surprise.

After all, despite setting records in Japan that future players find hard to surpass, he was still a complete rookie on American soil, struggling to claim any fan base—apart from those exchange students or seasoned fans focusing on Asian baseball, he didn't think many would pay attention to him.

Waving to the fans not far away, causing bursts of cheers, Lin Guanglai was guided to the temporary stage built behind home plate, where the Yankees had prepared a podium for him.

Lin Guanglai walked up the podium with giant strides. Only when he lifted his gaze into the distance did he truly feel the effort the Yankees put in: this specially built temporary stage faced Monument Park, resting with countless great souls of Yankees history; from the stage, he could see the pitcher's mound, the infield diamond, and the iconic right field of the Bronx all coming into his view.