episode_0104

‘After trying so hard, I finally hit one.’

How easy would it be to live if everything you want comes true if you work hard? I knew that the world was not that easy.

I tried to kill myself for three years in high school, but I still couldn’t get out of the trap of throwing batting balls. However, when I saw Ki Ki-joo hit a hit against Verlander, my heart was touched.

‘Is that what you tried? Hehe, when I first saw you, you were worse than an elementary school student.’

‘… i know. ‘I am lacking something.’

In fact, if I was a player as gifted as Ki-Cheol Ki, he wouldn’t have removed me from the starting lineup in the first place, no matter how jealous Lee Ki-Cheol was of me.

… Thinking about it makes me angry. Hyejin’s sister was all searched. Fuck! I will eat you like a dog in front of Lee Ki-cheol!

‘hmm… . Isn’t that a bit much? ‘I don’t have enough money to raise a child yet.’

Moreover, considering Hyejin’s spending patterns, it seemed like she was spending a lot of money. Lee Ki-cheol is born with a silver spoon and has earned a lot of money, so he can afford it.

‘I think I’ve calmed down a bit now.’

‘yes?’

‘The guy who was shaking just a moment ago is now stable.’

‘is that so?’

Is it because you’re thinking of Hyejin? Rossby seemed to have calmed down a bit. I was definitely shaking a little. Because Verlander had even more monstrous results than Ohtani. In addition, I had done a lot of imagination training to deal with Ohtani, but I may have been unconsciously scared because it was my first time dealing with Verlander.

‘It definitely seems to have calmed down. ‘Let’s go now.’

‘okay. ‘Just do what you normally do.’

‘yes!’

As I entered the batter’s box, I could see Verlander’s face a little more clearly.

‘It looks a little bit like a chick…’ . ‘You mean he married a famous model with a face like that?’

A face that cannot be called handsome even with empty words. To marry a woman like that with a face like that… . As long as you have good baseball skills… . I picture myself enjoying a crazy sex party on a yacht with Hollywood actors.

Defeat Verlander here and make that fantasy come true! I felt like my baseball ability increased by 200% compared to usual. Perfect concentration.

‘Fastball, low to the body.’

Verlander’s ball lands deep near his knee. I don’t know why, but the moment I throw it, I can see the thread rotating and it feels like its trajectory is predicted. My condition is now at its best.

‘Next ball!’

‘Change-up. This time outside and low.’

‘All right!’

I see it, I see it! Verlander’s pitching motion looked interrupted, like a split motion, and the moment the ball flew, I could see that the rotation of the seam was different from before. I swung the bat while feeling this sensation.

Ta – evil!

done… ?

Paang!

“out!”

“out!!”

Are you sure you hit it right? Right before I even took my foot off the plate, the batted ball flew like a bullet towards the shortstop, who caught my batted ball by jumping about 2 meters from the spot. And a lightning throw to second base. Jinmo Koo, the runner on second base who could not return to base, was left out. I felt like I was going to get mad at the situation that happened less than 2 seconds after I hit the ball.

‘It fits so well. ‘Unlucky.’

‘Is that the end? Didn’t that guy use some kind of item? Something like a high jump catch.’

‘What kind of idiot is that? This type of batted ball is a ball that can be caught like a meal even in the majors. What kind of fuss is this over catching one batted ball like this? ‘Prepare your defense.’

The ball I hit with the perfect hitting feeling was caught. What is this… ? When you hit a ball like this, didn’t it usually hit left-center?

“You played so well. Don’t be too intimidated. “I’ve caught a lot of balls like this.”

A weak voice that makes it difficult to believe that this is Ki Ki-joo, who gathered the players together after the first inning and gave a passionate speech. It was a voice that broke something. Nevertheless, you encouraged me because you were afraid I would blame myself… .

“It was a waste.”

Following Ki Ki-joo, Koo Jin-mo also gave encouragement to me, who was frozen at the plate, and walked towards the dugout.

‘however… , How many times have you been caught doing something like this?’

It wasn’t a home run ball, but among all the balls that hit the ground, it was one of the best hits I’ve ever hit in my life.

‘… You’re a defensive shortstop, right? Otherwise it wouldn’t make sense to catch this batted ball!’

“What are you doing? “Aren’t you ready for defense?”

At the urging of the weatherman, I followed the weatherman with steady steps. A somewhat lonely look… . But now I felt like I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night without answering my questions.

“Seniors. “Is he a guy who plays defense?”

“It was about average until last year, but there are guys in the majors who are different from year to year… .”

“Isn’t he a guy who was famous for his defense?”

Please tell me it’s right.

“… no.”

… Fuck.

“It was a waste. “It’s Meng Hao.”

“It fits so well… .”

“Hey, raise your eyebrows! “It was good!”

As I entered the dugout, other seniors also encouraged me. Originally, it wasn’t like this when a double play came in. It was so heartwarming. In other words, it was a situation that could not be helped by human power.

“hey!”

Ugh… ! Choi Joo-tae threw my glove.

“Get it out of your head. “When you play in the majors, it’s a defense that comes up once a week.”

“… “Have you ever played defense like that?”

“If you can’t do that level, you won’t be able to move up from the minors. … Still, I played well. “If the launch angle had been even 1 degree higher, I wouldn’t have been able to catch it.”

Fuck… . Is this the average major league defense? I just thought that defense was a super catch that would be played once in 10 years, something that would be played at that shortstop’s funeral.

But it comes out once a week? The burden is overwhelming. Can I break through this infield? Should I adjust my swing angle a little more?

‘Stop fucking doing what you’re doing. If you change your striking form, I’ll tear your limbs apart.’

‘… yes.’

*

“hey! Turner! Good catch. “I thought I was completely lost.”

Turner was a little embarrassed when he saw Verlander thanking him as soon as he entered the dugout. Because he was a player with an eccentric personality, I didn’t think he would receive such a thank you.

“My hands still feel numb.”

Turner joked and shook his hands. But just because he was joking didn’t mean he was lying. Even though I was wearing gloves, my hands were still numb.

“I heard from James and he said the exit speed was 120.3 mph. “If I hit it wrong, it could have been dangerous.”

At 120.3 mph, it was a speed that could be in the top 5 among all batted ball speeds released in a year. I instinctively jumped and caught the ball flying towards my head, and it was a hit with that much speed.

‘Fuck, I almost got lost.’

If I had made even the slightest mistake, my bones would have been crushed. I was able to catch the ball because I had been hit tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of times… .

Turner sighed inwardly.

*

‘The major league defense is definitely different. After all, is this the major league?’

The defense of Turner, the U.S. national team’s shortstop, was still lingering in my mind. Does that mean you have to be that good at defense to get to the major leagues?

In fact, when it came to batting, I thought I had nothing to do with being a major leaguer. But the difference in defense was too big. If we had played defense like this in spring training, surely the fielder wouldn’t have been able to react?

Should I ask Rossby to do some defensive training as well?

‘It won’t be of any use. The quality of grass and types of gloves between the era I played in and the current era. Hitting speed. Because everything is different.’

‘Then how do you catch a ball like that? Mr. Rossby was also a major leaguer.’

‘How do you hit a ball at 160km/h?’

‘yes?’

‘It’s actually ridiculous for a human to hit a ball traveling at 160 km/h. I don’t know exactly, but it should be possible to control up to 1/100 of a second.’

‘I just guess by feel, right?’

‘You damn shoes. All other hitters also hit by feel. I guess this is enough to get us this far. At this rate, it will bend here.’

‘… is it?’

‘okay. It’s all based on experience. That’s why it’s important to see the ball a lot. The same goes for defense. You have to catch a lot of balls to catch those kinds of hits. Imagine you were standing there. ‘Could you have caught it?’

‘… no.’

American shortstop Turner was similar in height to me. I also felt like I was slightly taller. But if I were there, I would have just looked at that batted ball. No, I wouldn’t have even been able to look at it. Because it was so fucking fast.

Fuck. In the end, it’s all about effort.

Yes, there are many things that don’t work out if you try hard, but if you don’t try, things that don’t work out will never work out.

In the end, like the weatherman who hit Verlander’s ball, Turner must have made a huge effort to catch it. Major League Baseball is a place where talented people cannot succeed unless they work hard. No, this is a league where success cannot be guaranteed even if talented people make an effort.

It wouldn’t have been possible for the weather chief to lose his mind for a day and hit Verlander’s ball. You must have continued to work hard. I could tell, having shared the same room throughout the national team. Because Ki Ki-joo was crazy about baseball.

Considering that Gi Ki-joo, who was one of the best talents in Korea despite trying so hard, failed in the major leagues… .

And then the pinnacle of talent, American League MVP Judge, came to the plate.

Ta – evil!

And that peak of talent must have continued to work hard, right? It was a perfect swing, as if I was swinging lightly even though I felt like I was carrying my weight perfectly. It can’t come out without effort.

‘It flies well. ‘Is this a home run in two consecutive at-bats?’

I once had this thought. No matter how bad it is, it will be difficult to beat the AT Thunders… .

‘hmm… . ‘Maybe it’s possible in Jersey?’

6:0. The game has gone far away.

*

Even if the game has gone too far, the game continues. Because there were no cold games in the finals. The Korean national team continued to struggle after that, but it was inevitable that they would be battered by America’s superb batting lineup. The U.S. lowered Verlander to show fans a variety of pitchers at the festival, but it was difficult for the Korean national team to score points against major league players.

Just like now.

“ah… . “It’s a double play again.”

The second batter, Kim Jeong-hyeon, somehow managed to draw a walk, but the inning ended with a double play. Our defense takes 30 minutes each, while our attacks take about 3 to 5 minutes. The fielders were getting tired.

“Ha, I can’t maintain tension.”

Choi Joo-tae enters the dugout and mutters in a low voice. The atmosphere in the dugout was so depressed that you could hear that little muttering to yourself. The atmosphere clearly speaks for itself.

I lost.

If we were to boil and lose, I would cry, but seeing them lose so completely made me feel calm rather than tearful.

‘But you hit one hit against the Cy Young winner.’

‘What does that mean?’

Although he had a hit against Verlander, he only got a single, and the next batter, Su-ho Kim, struck out and couldn’t even reach second base.

“now! “Let’s focus on defense!”

We just walked helplessly into the field like cattle being led to the slaughterhouse again. How many minutes will this defense take?

Sigh!

Perfect!

-Wow!

The perfect festival for Americans. The decision of the Major League Baseball office to bring in all the superstars to increase the popularity of the Major League was a perfect fit. Because the fans who visit this place are happy.

Come to think of it, I heard that the death penalty was a festival in the Middle Ages, and it feels like we also participated in that festival. The role was a death row inmate.

‘That sucks. ‘Fuck.’

I mean, I don’t like it. Even though it was someone else’s banquet, I wanted to sprinkle shit on it.

Even though the game was already 8-0, I wanted to get a shot in the arm. Moreover, I wanted to put pressure on that arrogant snob who changed pitchers as if he was making fun of someone.

“Please just one person leave. “I’ll give it a shot.”