Chapter 808 79: The Accentuated Note of History (Part 2)

This kind of stance has prompted the Yankees' officials to once again strengthen security measures at the stadium for the game day, for fear that the sardine-packed journalists would gobble Lin Guanglai up alive.

On social media, spearheaded by Major League Baseball's official channels, multiple tags, including #RoadTo74 and #LinMania, have exploded in popularity, surpassing all political news of the season and topping the regional topic list on X platform;

On YouTube, various baseball bloggers are creating over ten to twenty videos a day on this topic, covering Lin Guanglai's journey to his performance this season, offering a plethora of diverse content.

By six in the morning on the day of the game, East 161 Street outside Yankee Stadium was already clogged with broadcasting trucks, showcasing the media's attention, which even events like the World Series or the Super Bowl seldom receive on such a scale.

Outside the entrance passage of Yankee's home ground, extending along the street, is a winding line of tents, folding chairs, and sleeping bags—though the sky over New York hadn't yet brightened, masses of fans were already gathered at the gates.

Not all of them have tickets, yet this does not deter people from wanting to personally experience this potentially historic moment near the stadium: many gather around the temporary photo walls outside, taking commemorative photos against the massive backdrop labeled "74?"

And when the Yankees' fan shop finally opens, many in the crowd rush inside and sweep away all memorabilia related to Lin Guanglai:

Lin Guanglai's No. 13 jersey, home run record commemorative T-shirts, signed souvenir baseballs… even though the Yankees fan shop is priced 10% to 20% higher than elsewhere, it doesn't stop fans' fervent purchasing desire in the slightest.

If someone arrives in New York at this time, whether taking a taxi, checking into a hotel, or having a drink at a bar, the only topic of conversation concerning this city is Lin Guanglai of the New York Yankees.

The entire Big Apple City has been thrown into complete frenzy over Lin Guanglai.

"From tonight onwards, our entire team must be on standby at Yankee Stadium… even a minor mistake by any of you could involve transactions worth millions of dollars, responsibilities we cannot bear, so I expect everyone to be on the utmost alert!"

In the MLB conference room, league officials are giving their final briefing to the team of about 20 people standing before him, whose sole task is to ensure that Lin Guanglai's record-breaking ball is flawless.

To ensure the legitimacy and historical value of the ball, MLB will implement nearly espionage-level protection measures:

Every ball used in the Yankees and Dodgers series carries a special invisible DNA code and miniature sensors, with the umpire replacing the ball every time Lin Guanglai bats.

This process ensures the authenticity of the ball with which Lin Guanglai hits the 74th home run, making it absolutely impossible to fake.

In order to prevent chaos due to potential interest-related disputes on-site, the MLB even collaborates with the Yankees to deploy a dedicated security team on the outfield stands—on game day, it is expected that burly security personnel will fill every corner of the outfield stands to prevent stampedes or fights among fans scrambling for the ball.

Don't think such actions are overkill: according to auction house experts, if a fan retrieves Lin Guanglai's record-breaking ball, its value will undoubtedly be no less than 5 million USD and it's highly likely to reach upwards of 8 million USD—amidst such astronomical temptation, fans are indeed capable of irreversible actions for interests.

By three in the afternoon, the gates to the stadium finally open. As the first batch of fans floods in, they erupt in cheers akin to pilgrims witnessing the Holy City.

As MLB's most prestigious team, the New York Yankees, having produced over 20 Hall of Fame players throughout its history, clearly knows how to manage such historic moments—under the team staff's decoration, the entire Yankee Stadium is like a palace welcoming its king.

The massive LED screen at the stadium's center continually loops historical footage: Babe Ruth's 60 home runs, Roger Maris's 61 home runs, and Aaron Judge's 62 home run clips… as these legendary players' moments skim over, the final face appearing on the screen is that of Lin Guanglai, handsome as ever.

Accompanied by the stadium broadcast's uplifting music, highlights from the past 7 seasons of his remarkable performances are showcased, leading up to the ongoing 2024 season, displaying everything from the first home run hit against the Astros in the season opener, to the 73rd homer tied not long ago, all presented before the fans.

The Yankees have spared no expense in promoting Lin Guanglai:

For the next three home game days, every fan entering Yankee Stadium will receive an official commemorative jersey, placed on each seat—by doing so, the Yankees hope every fan present will don the home pinstripes jersey to witness the arrival of a great moment together.

And as one of the Yankees' official partners, Lobel's Meat Market has also launched an event:

If Lin Guanglai can hit the record-breaking home run during the three home game days against the Dodgers, the Lobel family will distribute 740 free "No. 74 HR" meal sets at each remaining Yankees home game days this season (including playoffs).

"Hmm—there are so many people today, fortunately, we arrived early, otherwise squeezing into the stadium would have been challenging…" Traversing through the crowd took Lin Senior over half an hour before arriving at his seat.

"Dad," beside Lin Senior, his son, Junior Lin, complained to his father, "Why didn't you listen to me and sell these two tickets? Do you know how much these two seats are fetching on the secondary market now? Combined, they could sell for nearly 50,000 USD! If we sell them, sis wouldn't have to work so hard repaying her student loans, and there might even be some left over…"

Lin Senior didn't refute his son's complaint: in fact, everyone in the family has been urging him to sell the two tickets in the fourth row of the right-field stands, his fixed viewing seat as a longtime season ticket holder; these days, he hasn't been spared resentment from his wife and son, accusing him of failing to empathize with his family elders.

Yet, somehow, as a Yankees fan for over forty years, Lin Senior's love for the team surpasses the value of those 50,000 dollars, leading him to reject many offers from familiar buyers, opting to sit at this seat.

He glanced around, seeing many unfamiliar faces holding hefty baseball gloves, evidently bounty hunters targeting that ball;

Regarding this, Lin Senior simply shook his head helplessly and sat down, humming "New York, New York" softly.

Of course, he has fantasized about catching that 74th ball and becoming rich overnight, but ultimately, it's just an unrealistic dream; being here today is simply to witness a potentially historic occurrence.

Lin Senior has already planned that if Lin Guanglai doesn't hit the 74th homer today, he will heed his son's advice and sell his seats for the following two days—after all, at the end of the day, to be a man with a family also means being considerate of family.

By 5:30 in the afternoon, Lin Guanglai appeared at the dugout entrance carrying his equipment bag, causing the previously noisy Yankee Stadium to fall silent for a half-second before erupting in cheers that nearly lifted the stadium's roof.

The grand show is about to begin.

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