episode_0354

“Can he handle this much pressure? As expected, interesting. If it were our team, we would have taught him more. Well, if he’s a batter like Ji Maeng-ho, there must be something to learn from this at-bat.”

Although I’ve never thrown a pitch to Ji Maeng-ho in this game, his reaction shows that he is indeed a natural player.

“This time, a changeup. It’s a predictable timing, but it’s all about deception anyway. No intention of putting it in the zone. I’ll throw it outside.”

“Yes.”

A changeup with a trajectory similar to a fastball but slower and with a larger break. Even in the Major Leagues, there aren’t many batters who can hit this pitch. It would be nice to induce a swing-and-miss, but since this showdown’s protagonist wasn’t him, a bit of deception would be enough.

“Ball.”

And Ji Maeng-ho’s bat stops as he resists the urge to swing.

“He’s holding back?”

For an ordinary batter, it wouldn’t be surprising for the bat to come forward even on such a pitch, but seeing him hold back indicates he’s a player worth teaching. Just by resisting this pitch, he was already a decent batter, but Seong-hyun had higher expectations. The future of Korean baseball. Ji Maeng-ho needed to grow further.

“I’ll add one more pitch than before.”

“Another changeup? Isn’t it risky for Ji Maeng-ho?”

“It’s fine. Up to this point, even if he swings, he won’t make solid contact.”

Will he be able to anticipate another changeup this time? And even if he times it right, can he make solid contact with this pitch? Based on experience facing numerous batters in the Major Leagues, the location he was throwing to now was one where hitting a solid shot was nearly impossible.

Thunk!

“Foul!”

Just like now.

“Did you anticipate the changeup?”

Seeing this, Seong-hyun couldn’t help but smile slightly without anyone noticing. Ji Maeng-ho’s struggle was commendable in its own right. If he hadn’t anticipated the changeup, it would have been a ball to watch or a swing-and-miss opportunity, but making contact with the bat indicated he had some expectation of the changeup.

However, predicting what pitch will be thrown doesn’t always lead to a favorable outcome in baseball. When a player anticipates a certain pitch and it comes, the bat tends to follow naturally. Hitting a known pitch on the expected trajectory gives confidence to swing.

But hitting a pitch like this could result in a lucky hit escaping the infield, but most of the time, it would only worsen the ball count, as it did now.

“Now it’s two strikes, one ball. What if a slow fastball comes in the same spot next?”

Seong-hyun chose a fastball as the fourth pitch. A fastball after a changeup. A common pitch sequence. However, upon examining the speed, it wasn’t as straightforward. After throwing a changeup, a fastball that looks faster than usual due to the contrast is a common choice for many pitchers, but Seong-hyun’s fastball was different.

If thrown with less power, the fastball, which didn’t differ much in speed from the changeup, would not break and would land in the same spot as before. Even if one predicted the pitch type, could they anticipate the speed?

With anticipation, Seong-hyun threw the fourth pitch.

Thwack!

The ball curved sharply towards right field, clearing the foul pole. If the placement had been slightly more inside, it would have been a home run. And at that hit,

“…He predicted this far?”

Confusion dominated Seong-hyun. However, like a veteran, he quickly dispelled that confusion.

“Oh, are you fixated only on fastballs and changeups? Erase everything else.”

It was a method that made sense. Typically, even the best pitchers remove some variations based on the fastball. Perhaps what Jimaengho is aiming for are off-speed pitches with not too much break. Seonghyun figured out what pitch Jimaengho was aiming for with this pitch.

No, he thought he figured it out.

Thwack!

“Huh?”

[Jimaengho steals Seonghyun’s fifth pitch! It’s heading towards the left fence! Over the fence! …But it’s a foul.]

“Wow, a massive foul home run. Seonghyun must have felt a chill down his spine, right?”

However, a big, fast slider disappears over the left pole. The direction of the hit indicates that it was nearly perfectly timed. Luckily, the count was in his favor; if it had been an unfavorable strike count, he would have almost hit a home run trying to put it into John.

“What? He was aiming for a fastball-changeup mix and almost timed my slider perfectly? Did he really anticipate it this far?”

Maintaining a veteran poker face, Seonghyun’s mind, which had intended to give a lesson, became confused.

“Hyung! Not a curveball!”

Although he intended to throw a curveball, Yiyonggi vehemently refuses the sign.

“I’ll throw it low. So he can’t touch it.”

Knowing that Jimaengho is particularly strong against curves, Seonghyun signals for a low delivery before Yiyonggi finally allows the curveball.

“Sigh, understood.”

Despite Yiyonggi’s reluctance, the curveball is thrown.

“Ball.”

However, as if he anticipated everything, Jimaengho simply watches the curveball without flinching.

“He’s not reacting at all here? Could it be that he really anticipated this pitch too?”

On the mound to offer a lesson, but facing Jimaengho’s reactions as if he knows every pitch, Seonghyun sweats coldly behind him. Six pitches have been thrown to Jimaengho so far. However, he hasn’t come close to timing any of them or even swung the bat as if he knows them all.

Up, down, left, right, and six different pitches. Simply put, out of 24 possibilities, the chance of hitting one correctly is 4%. With six attempts, the chance of not missing any is 0.6%. Naturally, even without getting everything perfect, he could still produce a hit like just now.

…Denying that Jimaengho broke through the 0.6% probability by sheer force would be unreasonable.

Considering both the fastball and changeup were similar in speed, assuming one type of pitch, batters with good reaction times could manage to make contact even without properly predicting the location. Moreover, since the curveball’s timing was predictable even to himself, thinking that he threw five pitches…

“…2%? That doesn’t make sense either. Rather…”

…It seemed more plausible that Jimaengho had read his mind about this pitch. No, it really felt like that. He had never seen a batter like this even in the Major Leagues.

“What’s with this guy?”

After throwing six pitches and realizing conclusively, he understood that this rookie hitter was more adept at mind games than him. And he was only in his second year since his debut!

-What are you waiting for? Not gonna throw?

The look in Jimaengho’s eyes seemed to say just that. That gaze, shifting between Korea and the United States, intimidated Seonghyun, a veteran pitcher with over 200 wins. A gaze that seemed to read all his thoughts.

Like a devil.

Though he had stepped up to offer a lesson on the mound, such thoughts were now nowhere to be found. Only the determination to win remained.

“Fastball.”

“Here? Isn’t it too obvious?”

“No, it’s my most confident pitch right now.”

“His winning shot was a changeup, but his most confident pitch was undoubtedly the fastball he had thrown the most. Though there were two balls left in the count, to walk someone here meant conceding defeat. Seonghyun was a pitcher as well, having vied for the top spot in the Major Leagues, making him someone with more pride and competitiveness than anyone else.

Even if he were to lose the game, he didn’t want to shy away from the challenge here. It was Seonghyun’s pride built over nearly 30 years of pitching. Everyone inevitably faced an unavoidable moment, and for Seonghyun, that moment was now.

‘…The location?’

And sensing Seonghyun’s determination, Yooongki, who made up the battery, caught on.

‘Towards the body. Deep.’

A fastball risking it all towards the body.

[Seonghyun winds up. Facing Jimaengho in the 7th pitch!]

After releasing the ball, Seonghyun felt the most refreshing sensation he had experienced among the fastballs he had thrown in recent years. Following his injury, he hadn’t thought he would feel this way again, but as the ball left his hand, Seonghyun’s mind filled with the exhilaration of throwing the perfect pitch.

‘This too…!’

Thud – Crack!

And Jimaengho’s bat resounded loudly as it met Seonghyun’s fastball.

[This hit…!]

Even without the caster finishing their sentence, everyone could tell the direction of the hit from the sound. Seonghyun couldn’t bear to watch the hit fly and shook his head.

[Seonghyun’s first home run since his return! Last season’s MVP and AT’s 4th batter Jimaengho ties the game with a solo home run! The game is back to square one!]

‘Ha… I was too arrogant. Even though we’re fellow players, who am I to teach…’

And feeling ashamed of his futile thoughts of giving lessons just minutes ago, Seonghyun’s face reddened. Jimaengho was overpowering him in every aspect. It felt like Jimaengho knew exactly what pitch was coming, almost as if he was pitching naked. A complete defeat. Jimaengho was ahead of him by several moves, or perhaps even more.

‘I thought I was the best just because I threw some balls in the Majors. Seonghyun, you still have a long way to go.’

With that embarrassment in mind, as he raised his head, Jimaengho, still standing at the plate, caught his eye.

‘Huh?’

And Jimaengho pointed the bat towards himself, smirked, and seemed about to say something as he opened his mouth.

‘…What?’

What was he trying to say? Seonghyun focused intently, mimicking Jimaengho’s mouth movements, and blurted out the words Jimaengho seemed to be muttering.

“…Welcome to KBA?”

Then, as if aiming the bat at himself like a gun, Jimaengho bounced it once and then tossed it away.

“……”

As memories of a teammate in the US performing a Korean ceremony flashed before Seonghyun’s eyes, his thoughts paused for a moment. And…

“…Pfft!”

A self-deprecating laugh escaped him.

It was like receiving a lesson from someone he used to look down upon as a veteran, chastising himself for judging other players with a narrow-minded belief in his own correctness, and realizing his arrogance in thinking there was no one in Korea who could match him.

So, he laughed.

[Oh! Jimaengho’s fiery ceremony! Seonghyun is laughing?]

[It’s the first time Seonghyun has directly witnessed such a scene. It’s a cute provocation from the young junior that Seonghyun is handling well.]

‘Yes, let’s think and act like a rookie who just debuted, Hyuna. You are not the best.’

Seonghyun, once hailed as one of Korea’s greatest pitchers in his youth, gained yet another lesson.

-AT Thunderz! Victory over the Volcano Falcons with a score of 3:2!”

At the end of a fierce battle that went into extra innings, Thunderz claimed victory over Volcan Falcons with a 0.5-game difference. This match drew attention as a showdown between Seonghyun and Crongs in the starting lineup, with our team’s fourth batter, Ji Maeng-ho, and Lee Yong-gi each scoring 2 RBIs, showcasing their presence. The game was decided in the 11th inning when leadoff hitter Ji Maeng-ho successfully stole bases twice and the next batter, Choi Jin-cheol, hit a sacrifice fly to the outfield, adding one more run.

Meanwhile, Seonghyun pitched a solid 8 innings allowing only 2 runs, but in the 8th inning, he gave up a solo home run to Ji Maeng-ho, marking his first surrendered home run upon his return.

NMSH

NMSH

Ji Maeng-ho is insane lol

Seonghyun, you trash, got wrecked by Maengho, can’t handle it lol

Wow, today’s game was seriously intense.

That punk Ji Maeng-ho has no manners. Celebrating against Seonghyun, his attitude is disgusting.

He’s so annoying, celebrating after hitting a home run, damn it.

Both Seonghyun and Ji Maeng-ho are impressive. The level was high today after a long time.