episode_0290

Entering the third round with a determination to win, Jimaengho took the lead by hitting a grand slam in the first inning, but Ladd didn’t crumble in one blow.

“Out!”

“Out!”

“Hmm, a double play here?”

As Jung Yoon-cheol hit into a double play, the first inning came to an end, and Hanchul started chasing from the bottom of the first inning. The batter who ignited this chase from the first game was Juseungcheol, showing peak hitting prowess since the first round.

Thud!

-Wow!!

-Juseungcheol! Juseungcheol!

With Kim Jung-hyun’s walk and stolen base, followed by Juseungcheol’s double, they scored a run, and Lee Yong-gi’s consecutive hit narrowed the score to a two-run difference. Although Jang Yoon managed to get the 5th and 6th batters out in succession to end the bottom of the first inning, the momentum that surged with the grand slam had already subsided.

“It’s definitely not easy…”

“As expected of Hanchul?”

Unlike us, who couldn’t recover after losing points significantly, Hanchul gave up four points but quickly followed behind with a two-run difference. As a member of AT, it’s not my place to say, but his concentration was evident, showing why Hanchul has dominated as a strong team in the league.

“It’s okay! It’s okay! Let’s run away too!”

Although Gisangju’s antics intimidated the players,

“Out!”

“Strike! Out!”

“Strike! Out!”

Our offense in the second inning ended in a three-up, three-down against the awakened Ladd. Fortunately, Jang Yoon also regained focus and prevented any runs in the bottom of the second inning. As the third inning approached, Gisangju, the leadoff batter, spoke to me just before stepping into the batter’s box.

“Maengho, we have to do this.”

“Yes. Senior, just get on base. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Alright, I trust you. I’ll do my best too.”

“Got it.”

With a determined expression, Gisangju headed towards the batter’s box and lifted Ladd’s third pitch, sending the ball between the second baseman and shortstop.

-Gisangju! Gisangju! Gisangju!

“Yonggi hyung, high spirits.”

“Ready?”

Having seen enough of Ladd’s pitches in the first at-bat, there was no need to see more. With the mindset that he would swing at the first pitch if it came in the zone, Maengho waited for Ladd’s first pitch.

“A sinker.”

“Sinker? Okay.”

The sinker looked quite good today. Ladd, who threw a variety of pitches like sinkers, sliders, and changeups, was a pitcher who could vary his pitches so well that each game felt like a different winning shot. Today, Ladd’s winning shot was the sinker. The pitch that got Jung Yoon-cheol out on a double play was a sinker, and he had been getting most batters out with sinkers today.

“Did he throw 150 in the first inning?”

Remembering the speed of the sinker, Maengho waited for his pitch. And as Ladd went into his pitching motion,

“Here it comes.”

Reacting to the sinking movement of the pitch, Maengho swung his bat,

Thud!

“I hit it right!”

A well-connected swing. It seemed like a clean double heading towards left field, so he was preparing to run when suddenly,

Whack!

“What?!”

An unexpected sound echoed. Third baseman Park Jung-gi made an unbelievable jump to catch Maengho’s hit that seemed destined for the gap. A super catch that you’d only see in a game.

“Out!”

And the white ball flew towards first base. Gisangju, who was heading towards second base, couldn’t retreat to first base, looking bewildered with his hand on his waist.

“Wow… Damn. Did he catch that?”

Throughout the season, I had hit into only three double plays. To have one happen in this game was beyond belief. It was a perfect line drive, and for it to be caught…

“Wow, if it wasn’t Jung-gi, it would’ve gone through, right? Too bad. What can you do? Just head back to the dugout.”

Damn it… Without much to say in response to Lee Yong-gi’s words, I had no choice but to return to the dugout.

“Ugh, Jung-gi isn’t usually that good at defense.”

Gisangju, who was

“Unlucky. Luck. This wasn’t a ball meant to be caught. Sigh, should have looked a bit more before running.”

In the commentator’s tone, a deep sense of regret seeped through.

“Ha, damn it, should’ve waited. Mr. Rosby, what should we have done?”

“You call that a question? You could still get out by sending the ball into the ground. It was just bad luck. Didn’t I keep telling you to hit a home run?”

Is the only answer really a home run? No matter how well you hit the ball, there was always the risk of being caught by the fielder unless you cleared the fence. Just like in the recent at-bat where the fielder made a superb play.

“Oh! He hit it! Ah….”

While trying to maintain my composure, Choi Jin-cheol’s hit soared high but ultimately couldn’t clear the wall at Jamsil, landing safely in the right fielder’s glove. So, our 3rd inning offensive started well with the leadoff batter getting on base, but it ended after just three batters, and I had no choice but to grab my glove and head back to the field.

*

Thud!

[Ju Seung-cheol with a hit! Cleverly bypasses the shortstop’s reach! Ju Seung-cheol records his second hit in two at-bats!]

Whack – Ouch!

[Lee Yong-gi hits it big! High! But it’s not caught! The wall at Jamsil remains thick as ever!]

“After both teams scored in the 1st inning, it seemed like a hitting battle was brewing, but as expected of good pitchers, it turned into a pitching duel.”

With both teams scoring in the 1st inning, leading to an anticipated hitting showdown after La Dodgers gave up 4 runs and Chang Yun gave up 2, the game unexpectedly turned into a pitcher’s duel. By the end of the 4th inning, the score difference remained at 2 runs, and fans were eagerly awaiting a hit that would break this balance.

And in the top of the 5th, with Kim Soo-ho reaching base, Ji Maeng-ho stepped up to the plate with two outs and a runner on first. Having hit into a double play in his previous at-bat, Ji Maeng-ho did his best to get the ball over,

Thud – Ouch!

“Is this hit a big one?”

Ji Maeng-ho’s hit flew high towards right field. In another ballpark, it might have been a home run, with the ball still in the air. However, leaning against the wall, AT Thunder’s right fielder Kim Jung-hyun reached out and caught Ji Maeng-ho’s hit.

“It’s not easy to clear Jamsil, huh?”

“Even though it’s near the foul line, sending it that far, impressive. Ji Maeng-ho’s power is remarkable.”

The momentum of the 3rd game, which had been a series of zeros, shifted in the 6th inning as the starting pitchers began to tire.

“Out!”

“Out!”

With Choi Jin-cheol and Woo Kwan-hyung making consecutive outs, everyone was preparing for defense when suddenly, the 7th batter Yoon Sung-tae unexpectedly hit a home run.

“Yoon Sung-tae! This hit! Clears the right field wall! Score 5:2! AT Thunders lead by 3 runs!”

“Wow, Sung-tae!”

“Sung-tae did it?”

“Hey, don’t use dialect so poorly.”

Thus, despite starting the 6th inning defense on a positive note, AT’s starting pitcher Jang Yun was also feeling the strain.

“Ju Seung-cheol with a double! Three hits in three at-bats today! Oh, Jang Yun is coming off the mound.”

Starting with Ju Seung-cheol’s double, Han Cheol’s lineup put pressure on starting pitcher Jang Yun, igniting a fire,

“Park Jung-ki with a 2-run RBI hit! Score 5:5! The game is back to square one.”

“He’s been performing well in defense and offense today, hasn’t he?”

In the bottom of the 6th, Han Cheol turned the game around to a tie.

“Alright, focus! We haven’t lost yet!”

“We tied it up, let’s turn this around now!”

Both the chased AT players and the chasing Han Cheol players began the 7th inning with full concentration, but neither team managed to score, keeping the game tied. And in the top of the 8th,

“The leadoff batter this inning is Ji Maeng-ho. From AT’s perspective, it’s crucial to score in this inning with Ji Maeng-ho, Choi Jin-cheol

[Oh? Manager Park Dae-hoon sends in Jung Tae-hwan to close out the game.]

[Coach Park Dae-hoon made a bold move by sending in Jung Tae-hwan to face the strong batting lineup in the bullpen.]

To counter AT’s lineup of Ji Maeng-ho, Choi Jin-cheol, and Woo Gwan-hyung, coach Han-cheol sent Kang Soo to the mound.

“Taehwan. Be prepared for two innings. Got it?”

“Yes, Coach. Leave it to me.”

“Alright, I trust you.”

*

‘They’re bringing in Jung Tae-hwan here? It’s been so long since we last met. Was it July or August the last time we faced off?’

The last game with Han-cheol was in August. Since then, due to the Asian Games, there hadn’t been an opportunity to face Jung Tae-hwan, making it feel like a long time ago.

‘The problem is scoring here…’

If we don’t score this inning, considering the lineup for the next inning, it seemed challenging to score. Looking at our bullpen, it felt like we should at least be leading by one run.

After nodding several times, Jung Tae-hwan settled on his pitch.

‘It’s a fastball.’

‘A fastball? Noted.’

There’s an old saying in baseball: “Watch for the changed pitcher’s first pitch.” Jung Tae-hwan, the closer coming in the 8th inning. He was brought in to stop our lineup from the start. Surely, he wants to seize the momentum.

And there I am, failing to get a hit in two consecutive at-bats.

‘He probably wants to throw inside.’

Despite being silent in my last two at-bats, my form wasn’t that bad today. So, I decided to bet on his first pitch.

“Here we go!”

Jung Tae-hwan winds up and releases the ball. The trajectory is outside. And low. Anticipating the ball’s path, I meet it out in front, driving it with force.

Crack!

This time, a hit aiming towards the left-field wall. As the distance seemed uncertain, I dropped the bat and sprinted to first base. And as soon as I approached first base, cheers erupted.

“Wow!!”

“Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho!”

Cheers calling out my name.

‘Phew, that’s it.’

I raised my hand towards the fans in response to their cheers before quietly starting to trot around the field. The score now stands at 6-5. This hit against Han-cheol’s guys who brought in the closer from the 8th inning will surely be a thorn in their side.

“A home run?!”

“Wow, he’s aiming for it right there!”

“Seniors, let’s win today’s game!”

*

[Game over! Closer Park Jin-hyuk secures a 2-run lead as AT Thunderz claim victory. Only one game left until the playoffs! AT Thunderz mark their territory!]

In the back-and-forth third game, ultimately, Ji Maeng-ho’s home run determined the flow of the game. In the top of the 8th, fueled by Ji Maeng-ho’s solo homer, AT Thunderz continued to target Han-cheol’s closer Jung Tae-hwan and managed to score an additional run in the bottom of the 9th.

While Han-cheol’s slugger Ju Seung-chul recorded a perfect 4-for-4, he couldn’t turn the game around.

-[PO Qualifier] 4-for-2 with 2 homers! Ji Maeng-ho leads AT to victory!

……On that day, Ji Maeng-ho led the team to victory with two home runs in the 1st and 8th innings. Han-cheol Grizzlies’ #3 hitter Ju Seung-chul also shined with a perfect 4-for-4 performance, but couldn’t prevent the team’s defeat……

ㄴㅇㅅㅁㅎㅅ

ㄴJi Maeng-ho is insane

ㄴJu Seung-chul is no joke lol

ㄴYeah, hitting 4-for-4~ In the end, baseball is all about home runs~

-[PO Qualifier] 1st game Ji Maeng-ho, 2nd game Ju Seung-chul, 3rd game Ji Maeng-ho. So, who’s for the 4th game?

Intensely unfolding playoffs. What catches the fans’ eyes are the blazing bats of the star players from both teams. AT Thunder’s 4th batter, Ji Maeng-ho, has recorded 5 hits, including 3 home runs, in 8 at-bats, including two intentional walks. On the other hand, Han Cheol Grizzlies’ 3rd batter, Joo Seung-cheol, has tallied 7 hits, including 2 home runs, in 9 at-bats. As the attention of baseball fans focuses on the pivotal 4th game of the playoffs, who will lead their team to victory…

-Both players are incredible.

-Look at their stats, are they even human?

-Fall season is when they show their form.

-The tension rises in this crucial matchup.

-[PO Playoffs] Starting pitchers for the 4th game? Na Seung-yoon VS Park Jun-hyung!

…AT chooses Park Jun-hyung, while Han Cheol goes with Na Seung-yoon as their starters. AT’s coach Lee Soo-hyun promises an all-out effort for the win…

-Park Jun-hyung and Han Cheol are damn good, huh?

-Why the hell Na Seung-yoon? Can’t they just bring up Patrick Ollie? He could have rested for 3 days and come up.

-Tomorrow will definitely be a hitting game.