Faced with this situation, Takayuki Kishi and Ginjiro Sumitani had two options: either take the huge risk of a hit-by-pitch and throw inside to Lin Guanglai to reestablish the pitcher's authority; or increase the proportion of breaking balls, but that also presents a massive test for the pitcher's control.
Lin Guanglai had full confidence in his batting abilities, and his batting strategy for this at-bat was to decisively swing unless it was an obviously bad ball, continually pressuring the pitcher.
Clearly, Ginjiro Sumitani, who was squatting behind Lin Guanglai, also noticed this. As the successor to Ito Kei and Hosokawa Kei, and a Golden Glove-level catcher, he signaled instructions to his team's pitcher on the mound:
Since Lin Guanglai dared to stand so close to the plate, they naturally had to respond in kind—
