Facing Sakamoto Yuuto, he changed his usual straightforward approach and, under Takeshima Shinya's guidance, threw a dazzling array of breaking balls, including some he would never usually use.
Amidst the audience's collective gasps and sighs, Sakamoto Yuuto, entangled with six or seven pitches, was tempted by Lin Guanglai's final inside slider and swung, resulting in a strikeout that eliminated him.
Following a ground ball that took out Hanshin's second baseman Nishikawa Gou, Lin Guanglai once again faced Valentin on the All-Star stage—a player who had caused him significant trouble in the past and had overtaken Blanco in the home run rankings with 27 homers to lead the Central League.
