Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 670 - 20: The Legend Returns Home (Part 3)

"All 20 seasons of his career spent with the Yankees; first in team history in hits, games played, at-bats, doubles, stolen bases; an 11-year captaincy; and 5 World Series titles—this is the great legacy Jeter leaves for the Yankees, and starting today, his No. 2 jersey will officially be retired!"

"With this, all single-digit jersey numbers for the New York Yankees are declared permanently retired, and Derek Jeter becomes the 22nd player in Yankees history to receive this honor."

"We have every reason to believe that once the five-year retirement requirement is met, this greatest star in Yankees history will be inducted into Cooperstown without suspense, and his statue will be sent into Monument Park, becoming a spiritual pillar for generations to come…"

In the commentator's eloquent narration, Jeter personally unveiled the plaque bearing his jersey number and delivered a touching speech.

Watching the emotional Jeter in tears at the center of the field, many fans in the stands who had watched him grow burst into tears as well—their thoughts seemed to be brought back to the 1990s, the era belonging to the New York Yankees, the "Evil Empire."

As they broke free from nostalgic thoughts, the people on the field had already changed: Derek Jeter stepped off the field, and the new generation of Yankees, represented by Lin Guanglai and Aaron Judge, made their appearance.

Yankee Stadium became noisy again, but this time the cheers were for the young players.

However, just as Yankees fans hoped the team would offer them a fierce battle, the situation of the game greatly surprised them.

Masahiro Tanaka, today's starting pitcher, was completely crushed by Astros' batters in just 1.2 innings: he only recorded 3 Ks, was hit for 7 hits, and conceded 8 earned runs.

By the end of the initial three innings, the Yankees were already 9 points behind—the game had hardly started and seemed already over: from any angle, a 9-point deficit was almost an insurmountable chasm.

"Although the Yankees have never given a definitive answer, looking at Masahiro Tanaka's performance this season, those rumors about his injury are not unfounded—this ace, heavily relied on by the Yankees in previous seasons, has rapidly declined this season, and it seems injuries have greatly affected his form…"

Masahiro Tanaka had experienced torn elbow ligaments in previous years but chose to treat conservatively with platelet-rich plasma injections instead of TJ surgery;

Even this season, his injuries have been recurring, with frequent shoulder inflammation that somewhat affects the Yankees' starting rotation setup.

With the cheers of the Astros players as a backdrop, the Bronx was so silent; even Jeter in the VIP stands showed a serious expression, completely missing the previous happiness.

The Yankees' dugout shared a similar atmosphere, and even Coach Girardi was considering treating the game as a defeat.

But Lin Guanglai thought otherwise.

"Aaron, I don't want to just concede—we've only played 3 innings, and I think we have the ability to come back, what do you think?"

He asked Aaron Judge beside him, as he saw the same unwilling spark in his eyes.

Judge, who had been silently bowing his head, lifted it, looking at Lin Guanglai's fist extended towards him, as if he had made up his mind, he forcefully bumped it.

"Of course—Texans think they've won, let's show them what we're capable of!"

Lin Guanglai replied to him with a smile:

"Gladly."