episode_0343

“Damn, it’s intense.”

Whether long or short, a year spent as a professional player taught me one thing – baseball is a sport of momentum, always ready to embrace uncertainty.

“Ball.”

Now, facing leadoff hitter Ahn Sihun and giving him two consecutive balls, a chilling sensation crept over me. Last year’s closer, Park Jinhyuk, demoted to the minor leagues, was replaced by Kim Yunho on the mound. As he threw a ball that sharply curved outside, reminiscent of his predecessor, and the second pitch skidded low on the ground, a year’s worth of data whispered to me. This was the moment of truth.

“I hope my gut feeling is right.”

Thunk!

Just as I had that thought, Sihun’s bat swung, sending the ball bouncing between Kim Yunho’s legs towards second base.

“It’s mine!”

Though I dashed towards second at the impact, the instincts honed through countless practices told me I couldn’t catch this one. Still, I couldn’t give up. Diving towards the ball, I extended my arm fully.

Thud!

“Did I catch it?”

Feeling something collide with my glove, I quickly closed my hand around it. Trying to retrieve the ball reflexively, my hand came up empty.

“Where the hell is the ball?”

“Hey! Focus!”

“It’s curving towards left field!”

Upon hearing Rossbi’s words, I glanced towards left field to see Kisangju running to catch the rolling ball. Yun Sungtae, who had also dived near me, was still sprawled nearby.

“Block second base!”

And an unknown voice shouted. Sihun, the lucky hitter, was sprinting from first to second.

“Get it!”

As Kisangju’s throw headed my way, Yun Sungtae rose slightly, creating space. I positioned myself near the base, extending my gloved hand. Thwack! Feeling the ball in my glove, I closed it and swiftly turned, bringing the glove towards the sliding runner. The dust kicked up by the slide obscured my vision.

“Tag!”

Though the timing wasn’t certain, I yelled at the second base umpire. He seemed indecisive.

“…Safe!”

And the call came, “Safe.”

“Hyung! Did you see that?”

I immediately turned to Yun Sungtae, awaiting his response. From my angle trying to make the tag, the situation wasn’t clear, but Sungtae, watching from the side, knew for sure. I waited for his answer.

“…Looks like he made it.”

“…Damn.”

If Sungtae, my teammate, said that, then it must be true.

“Damn, luck isn’t on our side.”

It was just bad luck. The hit landed between me and Sungtae, both diving for it, with no shortstop to cut off the ball heading towards left field. We did our best, but it resulted in a double.

Ever since Kim Yunho threw those two consecutive balls, things felt ominous, leading to this outcome.

“Getting hit by a 1% batter, unbelievable…”

Displayed on the scoreboard, Ahn Sihun’s current batting average stood at .280. Before this hit, his average was .100. A 1% batter, the leadoff hitter, hitting a double and getting on base? In my experience, this always led to scoring.

Moreover, the remaining batters were Kim Dongjin, Kim Junghyun, and Joo Seungcheol – a lineup of hitters following Han Cheol. All three were good enough to be selected for the national team, with Kim Dongjin even playing in the Asian Games. Regardless, Han Cheol’s top hitters were among the best in the league.

“Blocking the best with a 1-point lead….”

The issue was that Ju Seung-cheol’s form seemed off. Creating all of Han Cheol’s scores today, Ju Seung-cheol exuded a daunting pressure even from the sidelines.

“It’s okay, Yoonho! Let’s focus and get the next batter out!”

With Choi Jin-chul’s encouragement, Kim Dong-jin steps up to the plate. His stance is for a bunt. One can feel Han Cheol’s bench determination to send the runner to third base no matter what. In line with that stance, the defensive coach signals an aggressive defense.

“Are they signaling for a fake bunt and slash?”

Although the sign from the defensive coach was for an aggressive defense, it also indicated not to commit fully to a fake bunt and slash. This made the infielders’ judgment crucial. As the infielders positioned themselves, Kim Yoonho settled into his pitching stance.

“That guy’s fast.”

And Rossbi’s voice rang out. Glancing sideways at his words, I noticed the second base runner, Ahn Sihun, sprinting.

“If he does this….”

Kim Dong-jin grips his bat tightly, waiting for Kim Yoonho’s first pitch as Ahn Sihun halts his steps towards first base upon seeing him run.

Thwack!

“A ground ball to the infield!”

The ball hit by Kim Dong-jin took a bounce in front of the plate, swiftly approaching the gap between first and second base, the area I was guarding.

“First or third base?”

“Throw to third base!”

There was little hesitation, and the decision was swift. When it came to baseball, Rossbi’s word was law. I caught the ball, removed it from my glove, and swiftly threw it towards third base, even though no one was there yet. I believed someone would be there to catch it. And…

“Out!”

Kim Suho successfully tagged Ahn Sihun as he returned to third base as per my belief. A rush of excitement ran through me with the umpire’s out call. It was my first time successfully executing such a challenging defensive play, and the satisfaction surpassed hitting a home run.

“Nice!”

“Damn, that’s it!”

“Mangho, well done.”

“Suho senior received it well.”

It was a truly difficult situation, but Kim Suho handled it well. In such situations, catching the baserunner was textbook, so if Kim Suho hadn’t caught it, it would have been a frustrating moment without words.

“Senior, thank you.”

“I just did what needed to be done.”

In response to my gratitude, Kim Suho coolly replied as usual. As I conversed with him, I glanced at Kim Yoonho’s face and sensed a release of tension. It seemed like my defensive play had been a significant help to Kim Yoonho, considering how momentum-driven baseball could be.

“Phew, crisis averted.”

[Highlight Reel: Mangho’s fantastic defense! Successfully intercepts the second base runner heading to third base!]

[Wow! Isn’t this defense amazing? Although there are still runners on base, it could potentially turn into one out at third base instead of one out at first base!]

[Wow, this defense is impressive upon rewatch. Kim Dong-jin attempted a fake bunt and slash, aiming his hit towards Mangho. Then, Mangho made a quick throw to third base, tagging out the second base runner, Ahn Sihun.]

[Ahn Sihun may have slowed down due to age, but his baserunning sense is top-notch in the KBA league, and Mangho manages to tag him out. That’s huge. In a one-run game situation, whether a runner is in scoring position makes a significant difference in the pressure felt by the pitcher. This can be seen as a defensive play preventing a run.]

[Mangho. Despite a month-long hiatus, he shows no signs of rust.]

“This is innate, isn’t it? It’s called baseball IQ, BQ. Typically, most players would throw to first base to get the batter-runner out, right? But making the split-second decision to throw to third base without any hesitation… That’s something. It’s like watching a play from the Major Leagues. Impressive.”

“And we can’t forget about Kim Suho’s tag, can we?”

-Yes. It was a very fundamental play. If it were an inexperienced player, they might not have thought to return to third base in that situation, but like a seasoned veteran, even though he came out for an aggressive defensive play upon hearing the sound of the hit, he immediately went back to third base. Even if Jimaengho had made a good judgment, it could have been a disaster if there was no one at third base, but Kim Suho also displayed good defense.

-Wow, what was that defensive play by Jimaengho just now? Did he throw to third base from there?

-He’s insane, seriously.

-I thought I was watching the majors.

-He’s really got some skills.

-Did you see Maengho’s shoulder just now?

-Wow, they say he’s slowed down, but he caught it cleanly.

-He was crazy, lol.

-He interrupted the flow. Let’s keep going like this.

-For real, it almost went south, but Maengho’s great defense stopped it nicely.

The leadoff hitter hitting a double and getting on base, everyone thinking about scoring in a tough situation. When an unusual situation arose with an infield ground ball targeting the runner from third to second, AT’s fans sighed in relief.

“Kim Junghyun’s hit! Deep to the outfield! Center fielder! Center fielder! He catches it! Jung Hwichul’s diving catch! Once again, AT Thunderz benefit from outstanding defense!”

And when the next batter, Kim Junghyun, was also thwarted by the center fielder’s excellent defense, AT’s fans erupted in cheers.

-Can we relax now?

-No, Ju Seungcheol is still up.

However, despite this, AT’s fans couldn’t relax. It was because the remaining batter was Ju Seungcheol, who was showcasing exceptional batting prowess today. Normally, if after consecutive great defensive plays the inning ended without any runs scored, it would be considered typical, but everyone watching the game felt something different.

They sensed that Ju Seungcheol’s batting prowess today was extraordinary. Longtime baseball fans saw shades of another player in Ju Seungcheol’s performance.

They saw the image of Ju Hyeongjin, Ju Seungcheol’s father and a hero of Korean baseball.

“Oh, why so anxious?”

“Ju Seungcheol, that guy looks like he’s going to hit…”

“Now Ju Seungcheol steps up to the plate. Can Ju Seungcheol, who is responsible for all of today’s points, become the hero of the day?”

And then the first pitch thrown to Ju Seungcheol.

Crack!

Ju Seungcheol’s bat swung like lightning. His hit split the gap between the center fielder and right fielder, rolling all the way to the wall.

“This hit goes to the wall! It hits and bounces back! Kim Dongjin, who was already running, rounds second, third! Third base! Rounding third! Home! Home! Home! He comes in! Ju Seungcheol’s tying RBI hit! The balance of the game is now restored! 4:4! Tie game! And Ju Seungcheol is tagged out at third base!”

“Ju Seungcheol’s fantastic hit and AT Thunderz’s stellar defense shine once again. Second baseman Jimaengho caught the ball and immediately threw it to third base. Perhaps feeling confident at home, his quick throw to third base turned out to be a good decision for AT.”

“From son of a hero to a hero himself! The hottest hitter this season, Ju Seungcheol, once again saves Hancheol from defeat!”

A clutch RBI hit in the top of the 9th inning. Fortunately, Jimaengho, who received the ball in right field to start the relay play, successfully threw to third base to tag Ju Seungcheol out, ending the tense top of the 9th inning.

Then came AT’s offensive in the bottom of the 9th.

“Out! Now the game heads to the 10th inning, into extra innings.”

Pinch hitter Lee Inhyuk managed to get on base with a hit, but ultimately, other batters were put out, ending AT’s offensive disappointingly.

“Ah, damn. They’re so persistent.”

As the AT players prepared for defense in the dugout, there was one player who stood out, his eyes gleaming unlike the rest.

“Phew, does this mean Suho-senpai starts the next inning? Yeah, that’s how it should be. That’ll be fun.”

It was none other than Jimaengho, excited at the thought of somehow becoming the hero to end the game.