episode_0273

Facing three batters, the pitches thrown by the Chinese starting pitcher amounted to just three. They were absurdly off-target balls. The hit that Kim Hwanyeong received was a sloppy pitch coming straight into his zone, while the one given to Ju Seungcheol was a bit inside.

“If Seungcheol-hyung didn’t swing, that would have been a strike too, right? So, let’s think about it. It probably means they’ll call 1-2 of those balls strikes. Damn, I wish they’d throw me some bad pitches too… Well, if it comes close, I gotta swing. Dongjin looks so irritated… I shouldn’t end up like that.”

Determined not to be the victim of mere jests and feel embarrassed, he stepped into the batter’s box.

“It’s a fastball.”

“Okay. Looks like I won’t be able to resist it anyway.”

With the mindset of hitting whenever it comes close, he awaited the pitcher’s first pitch, but unfortunately, the ball landed far outside.

“Ball.”

“No matter how sharp my eyes are, they won’t call this a strike.”

A pitch that missed by about four balls. It was a ball that wouldn’t even be considered a strike in elementary baseball.

“[But did you analyze a bit? Seeing it go far from the first pitch?]”

“……! ……! ……!”

“What the hell are you saying? Speak in English, damn it.”

He tried to scratch the catcher a bit, but unfortunately, it seemed he didn’t understand English. At that moment, the coach signaled. A sign indicating the runner on first base should run, leaving the decision to swing to the batter.

“But if Seungcheol-hyung runs, won’t they definitely walk me?”

Although he seemed to have analyzed the first pitch to some extent, he felt that if first base was open, they would surely walk him. Judging by Ju Seungcheol’s stealing ability, failure didn’t seem likely, so if Seungcheol stole second base, it was as good as a walk being scheduled.

“I just have to hit it.”

Already annoyed for various reasons including drug testing, he didn’t want to reach base with a walk, so he decided to hit no matter what and waited for the pitcher’s second pitch.

“It’s a changeup.”

“Huh? Changeup? It’s been ages since I hit a changeup. Haven’t had much data recently to analyze this, though.”

Whether due to lack of data or improper analysis, choosing a changeup was surprising. A changeup is a pitch used to deceive the batter. The probability of it flying near the strike zone was high.

“Since the fastball speed is in the mid-130s, will it come around 120? Hmm…, but it’s intriguing.”

“What? That they’re throwing you a changeup?”

“No. That they can throw a changeup.”

Even among Chinese pitchers, there was someone who could throw a changeup. It was slightly astonishing.

While conversing with Rosby, the pitcher took the setup position and soon threw the ball. Noticeably slower than the fastball seen earlier. He fixed his lower body, watched the ball all the way, and swung the bat as it came.

“Huh? Damn. The ball…?”

Thud – Crack!

As the sound of the ball splitting echoed, the hit soared far. However, despite the loud hit, he instinctively felt something was wrong when he made contact.

“Will it clear?”

Though it flew far, the launch angle was too high. Kim Hwanyeong was preparing to retouch at third base, and Ju Seungcheol, who had run to second base, returned between first and second.

As the runners settled, the ball gradually descended, losing power and hitting the fence. Naturally, the Chinese center fielder couldn’t catch the ball.

“Ah, damn.”

The outcome was a double that only brought in Kim Hwanyeong. Failing to turn such a hit into a home run was his mistake.

“What a waste, Maengho. You couldn’t handle the changeup. It’s almost like I’m seeing it for the first time. Is that bastard’s changeup really that good?”

The coach approached, handing over the batting gloves. It seemed even the coach was surprised I hadn’t hit a home run.

“It’s not that. It’s just too poor.”

“Huh?”

The reason for not hitting a home run was simple. Despite expecting a changeup at KBA level, the pitch lacked any significant variation, merely resembling a slow fastball.

Even a changeup with minimal movement typically drops lower than a fastball, but this one showed no such deviation. It was entirely my mistake, overestimating his abilities.

“Figures.”

“Just tell them his changeup is like a slow fastball.”

“Okay.”

The coach, now geared up, walked away.

“Darn it, could this really end up screwing me over? Shouldn’t be adapting to these guys…”

The fear of adapting to their low level was unsettling. As I pondered intense training upon return, Lee Yong-gi, the fifth batter, swung at the ball.

Thunk!

A reckless hit seemingly aimed at the strike zone. The ball headed towards the shortstop. Fortunately, as I was already running from third base, there was no chance of getting out at third. The shortstop, thinking he was late for home, threw the ball to first base.

“First!”

Stepping on third base and glancing towards first, something felt off.

“Huh? Watch out!”

The first baseman’s foot was deep into first base. Lee Yong-gi sprinted his best towards first, given it was a national team match. And there was the first baseman’s foot blocking him. Luckily, Lee Yong-gi’s speed was slower than expected.

The ball thrown by the shortstop reached first base before Lee Yong-gi did. Sensing the situation, Lee Yong-gi slowed down, avoiding the first baseman.

“Out!”

Declared out, Lee Yong-gi seemed to say something to the first base coach, but his voice didn’t carry. Seemingly dissatisfied, he returned to the dugout.

“Was that intentional?”

“As an expert, it seems intentional, but these guys are so clueless.”

“To me, it looks intentional… Are they having fun playing?”

From ball calls to defense, while I’ve heard China plays dirty, I never imagined it would be this bad. It sent a shiver down my spine.

“Good. Need to relieve some stress.”

With opponents like that, I had nothing to hold back.

Thunk!

Just then, Choi Si-woo hit a single. I comfortably made it home, extending our lead to three points. Upon entering the dugout, I approached Lee Yong-gi.

“Senior.”

“Yeah?”

“That guy intentionally put his leg in earlier, right?”

Final confirmation. The intent is best felt by the party involved. If it was deliberate…

“Seems like it? Anyway, they play dirty as hell. Think they can win like that? Saw him sneakily put his foot in as I ran.”

“Glad you’re not hurt.”

“Yeah, watch yourself too. Well, you probably won’t hit a ground ball in the infield.”

“You never know. Haha.”

Confirmation done.

“Should be fun after a long time.”

With Rossby’s excited voice, the first inning ended. Seeing how the Chinese played, I prepared myself firmly, knowing defense wouldn’t be easy.

[Despite questionable ball calls, the South Korean national baseball team scored three runs, ending the top of the first inning.]

[In truth, when strikes are called that generously, batters have no choice. Scoring three runs is something to be proud of.]

[Now, the starting pitcher for Korea steps onto the mound. Korea’s starting pitcher is Jang Woo-joo of the Future Buffaloes. This season, he has recorded a 2.71 ERA with a record of 10 wins and 6 losses, along with 176 strikeouts.]

[Jang Woo-joo, along with Ji Maeng-ho, the cleanup hitter for the national team, can be considered the future of Korean baseball. Despite the Future Buffaloes struggling in the lower ranks, he is a pitcher with remarkable pitching skills to achieve 10 wins. His main weapon is a fastball that reaches close to 100 miles per hour, approximately 160 km/h. Although he tends to give up some home runs, it signifies engaging in thrilling matchups. So, we can expect an exciting pitching performance from him today.]

“What do you consider the key point to watch? Commentator?”

“The key point would undoubtedly be the strike zone, right? I wonder if the strike zone will remain consistent like in the first inning, or if the umpire will make adjustments.”

“Commentator, your thoughts…”

The caster intervenes amidst the commentator’s heated remarks. However, fans watching the broadcast found the commentator’s statements refreshing. Due to the absurd strike zone and risky behavior by the first baseman, fans were also incensed.

“Oh, sorry. Well, regardless of whether the strike zone is wide or narrow, it doesn’t matter to this player. Calling 100 miles a dream speed is not without reason. It’s a pitch that you can’t hit even if you know what’s coming. That’s Jang Woo-joo’s fastball for you.”

And so, Jang Woo-joo’s pitching begins.

“Strike!”

A 156 km/h fastball right down the middle. While pitchers in the KBA occasionally throw such pitches, for a Chinese player, it was a speed they had never seen before, leaving them frozen as they watched the ball go by.

“Strike!”

“Swing and a miss! Out!”

“Three strikes, three outs! Jang Woo-joo delivers once again!”

“He did swing at the last one, but it seemed more like a reactionary swing. With that kind of swing, you can’t hit Jang Woo-joo’s pitches.”

Having struck out the leadoff batter, Jang Woo-joo confidently adds another strikeout by catching the second batter. Then comes the third batter to the plate. Jang Woo-joo throws his usual pitch, and the ball he throws grazes the inside corner.

“Ball!”

While it might have been a good pitch that could have been hit under normal circumstances, this is China’s home ground. Naturally, it was called a ball.

“Oh, that’s a ball on that pitch.”

And after a full count battle, a walk is declared.

“Ump, are you not doing your job properly? Have you sold your conscience?”

Korean curses fly from the stands, but the umpire remains unfazed, showing no change in expression, ignoring both the incomprehensible insults and any potential understanding of them.

The reason for the umpire’s biased calls was simple. Besides having home advantage, the Chinese baseball community was fighting for its survival in this Asian Games. Due to national disasters and poor performances in the WBC, Chinese baseball was on the decline, needing a medal win to revive the sport. Despite knowing his actions were wrong, the umpire persisted in his biased calls.

“Woo-joo, don’t worry about it. Send one towards my side.”

Amidst such biased calls, there was another person who remained unfazed. That person was second baseman Ji Maeng-ho. As the national team, composed of young players, became agitated by the outrageous walk, Ji Maeng-ho’s expression remained cooler than anyone else’s.

“Okay.”

Encouraged by Ji Maeng-ho, Jang Woo-joo confidently nodded his head.

[Now, stepping up to the plate for China is their cleanup hitter, Cheon Tao-oh.]

Cheon Tao, currently a player under China’s Suzhou Lions, is the only player in the Chinese team who has experienced the minor leagues, albeit for just a year in the AA League. He faced pitches around 160 and was the sole player to have encountered such balls.

Jang Woo-joo throws the first pitch!

Like facing any other player, Jang Woo-joo aimed a bodyline pitch at Cheon Tao.

Thud!

And just like a seasoned minor league player, Cheon Tao successfully made contact with Jang Woo-joo’s pitch. However, his bat was too fast,

“Just a routine ground ball to second base, right?”

The ball got trapped in the infield. Cheon Tao’s hit headed towards the second baseman at quite a speed, prompting the runner on first base, who had reached on a walk, to sprint towards second base at full speed. Knowing that the umpires were on his side, the runner’s path was near Ji Maeng-ho’s defensive position. A baserunning play reflecting the runner’s determination to disrupt the defense even slightly.

“Of course it turns out like this, doesn’t it?”

Glancing at the runner’s position, Ji Maeng-ho swiftly dashed forward and successfully caught the ball in front of the runner.

“First base!”

“As expected of Ji Maeng-ho! He never misses such plays, right?”

Just as everyone watching the game anticipated a routine 2nd base ground ball out, at that moment,

“Huh? A wild throw!”

Ji Maeng-ho’s throw veered in a different direction from the first baseman’s mitt.

“Aaaah!”