episode_0389

“Now it’s Vogatz.”

At the start of the first inning, with two outs, Vogatz steps up to the plate. If you were to ask who the top star of the Netherlands national team is, without a doubt, Vogatz would be the answer. Just the fact that he signed a $280 million contract over 11 years speaks volumes about Vogatz’s exceptional skills.

“Damn, so jealous, damn it. $280 million over 11 years? How much is that per year? So, dividing $280 million by 11, around $13 million per year? Multiply that by 1300… Ah, damn, this guy’s seriously ballin’.”

The calculations might have been tricky, but one thing was certain—he was making a fortune. It wasn’t that I was greedy for money; I had enough to live comfortably buying baseball gear and condoms. However, it was undeniably enviable how a pro’s skill was valued in terms of salary.

And it wasn’t just about the money.

From what I gathered during the pre-game analysis sessions, although he struggled enough last year to hear rumors of match-fixing, this season he had bounced back, hitting double-digit home runs around the .300 mark as usual. And all of this in the Major Leagues, playing shortstop.

Honestly, shortstop was one of the toughest positions among fielders. While catcher might be considered the most demanding position, I personally found shortstop more challenging. Not because I played infield, but shortstop held significant importance. Catcher required communication with the pitcher and sitting all day, which could be tiring, but I didn’t find it particularly challenging.

Shortstop, on the other hand, was different. It was truly tough to play defense. Usually, second base sees the most action, but shortstop was similar in terms of fielding balls, yet its difficulty level surpassed that of second base. Especially as the throwing distance to first base increased, the difficulty of the throw exponentially rose for the shortstop position. Moving away from first base meant having to pivot to make the throw.

That’s why in amateur baseball, the best player often played shortstop. It was the position that required the most athleticism and baseball sense. And the man touted as one of the best in the world at that shortstop position was Vogatz, the Netherlands’ third batter.

“Well, he’s more recognized for his offense than defense.”

Nevertheless, showcasing that level of offensive prowess from the most challenging position in the field, after catcher, was a testament to being a monster beyond imagination.

Whizz!

“Strike!”

“His swing is fierce.”

Was there a qualitative difference in his swing compared to the two batters before him? The intimidation factor of a top-class Major League hitter was indeed different. Hence, the sign exchange between Jung Woo-sung and Lee Yong-ki dragged on. And then the second pitch was thrown.

Thud!

This time, Vogatz made solid contact with the bat. The hit ball sped towards the shortstop. Just when they thought it was going to be a hit,

-Whoa!!!

Choi Joo-tae’s incredible diving catch snatched Vogatz’s hit out of the air. Rising swiftly as if it were a single motion, Choi Joo-tae threw to first base.

“Out!”

“Nice!”

“Joo-tae! Thank you!”

Choi Joo-tae was also a player confidently holding his own as a shortstop in the Major Leagues, where only monsters congregated. While he might feel awkward comparing offensive capabilities, this play proved his defensive prowess was nothing to scoff at. In fact, his defense was so outstanding that some might say Choi Joo-tae excelled even more in that aspect.

“Senior, can you hit a bit?”

“This is the Major Leagues. Have you learned anything from watching?”

“Gee, as expected, senior. I’ll keep it in mind.”

After exchanging a high-five with Choi Joo-tae, they headed towards the dugout, where Jung Woo-sung awaited them, tipping his hat in gratitude.

“Thank you.”

As the leadoff hitter playing second base and Choi Joo-tae as the last batter playing shortstop, it was a hit that wouldn’t have been surprising if it weren’t for us, so Jung Woo-sung seemed quite pleased. However, objectively speaking, it wasn’t a situation to be too happy about.

Of course, receiving thanks from the pitcher was always nice, but in other words, it also meant that two-thirds of Jung Woo-sung’s pitches today resulted in hits. Even if every ball that came into contact with the bat was considered a hit, given that he struck out the second batter, Bernadina, it was not unexpected.

While the Dutch players were somewhat skilled, there was an unavoidable sense of unease.

“Am I supposed to give up runs after all? Heh heh.”

The opportunity to showcase my skills in front of a global audience had arrived. While the World Baseball Classic was a significant stage, it couldn’t quite compare to the Olympics. Moreover, this was Dodger Stadium, home of the LA Dodgers. Surely scouts would be present.

“Bogaerts got $280 million, so I should modestly aim for around $300 million…”

A golden opportunity to increase my value.

“Senior Joo-tae, I request one on-base.”

“I’m planning to go out without asking.”

The team’s leadoff hitter, Choi Joo-tae, confidently uttered these words before heading to the batter’s box. Although I had heard similar statements before, Choi Joo-tae always seemed the most reliable. After all, he was the starting shortstop in the Major Leagues, even for a team like the Angels.

“Let’s see what the pitcher’s got, shall we?”

The Netherlands’ starting pitcher was Van den Berg. A mercenary who had also played in Korea, he was a familiar name in my memory for not paying much attention to the KBA. I remembered him achieving some title like Most Wins or Best ERA, performing well in the KBA before returning to the Major Leagues and securing a spot as a starter. He could be considered the ace of the Netherlands.

It was somewhat surprising that they were fielding their ace against us, the expected first-place team. However, considering the rules of this Olympic tournament, even finishing third with a good winning percentage could secure a spot in the quarterfinals. Especially since tiebreakers in each group considered factors beyond just win-loss records, deploying their ace against us could be seen as a strategic choice.

Their strategy seemed to aim for minimal runs against us or even a victory, looking to defeat Panama and Cuba with the remaining starters and climb to 2nd or 3rd place. Furthermore, by starting with their ace in the first game, there was also a possibility of him starting again in the quarterfinals.

“Strike!”

And the ace chosen by the Netherlands, Van den Berg, seemed quite formidable. While his average fastball speed was around 148-150 mph, with a top speed of 155 mph, the strike thrown to Choi Joo-tae clocked in at about 95 miles per hour or 153 km/h. Perhaps due to the Olympics, his fastball seemed to be coming in faster than usual.

“Hmm, I’d like to see a changeup too.”

Van den Berg threw a variety of changeups: cutters, sliders, sinkers, curves, and changeups, except for splitters. It would have been nice to see more pitch types. Even for me, hitting a new pitcher’s unfamiliar changeup on the first try was challenging.

“Ball.”

The second pitch against Choi Joo-tae curved to the left.

“Rossby, what kind of pitch was that just now?”

“It was a cutter.”

Having seen the cutter, I wanted to see the slider too…

Thunk!

Unfortunately, Choi Joo-tae made contact with the third pitch,

“Wow!!”

producing a hit that slightly surpassed the second baseman’s reach.

“That was a fastball, right?”

“Yeah.”

As expected, Choi Joo-tae. Did I miss the second fastball? It was a shame not to see the ball well, but it wasn’t a bad situation to have a runner on first base. Moreover, Choi Joo-tae is a player who steals double-digit bases even in the Major Leagues. Although his stolen bases decreased after becoming a free agent, his stealing ability had not disappeared.

“[Hello.]”

He finished his batting routine as usual and greeted the umpire and catcher. Of course, there was no response. Just like in the Olympics, the Dutch catcher seemed to be playing cautiously.

‘With this level of caution, they must know about me, right?’

In the previous WBC, I was a perfect rookie. I only had records from high school leagues. But now, things were different. After winning MVP at KBA last year and hitting 60 home runs with a .400 average, there was no way my information wasn’t known. They probably wouldn’t throw curves or changeups.

‘Fastball.’

The first pitch was a fastball. Considering that all the pitches thrown to Choi Joo-tae were around the strike zone, there was a good chance for me to make a bold move.

‘If I were to point out my weakness, it would be high fastballs, so they’ll probably throw high fastballs, right?’

Not wanting to hit such an unfamiliar pitch from a new pitcher, I decided to watch the first pitch.

“Ball.”

‘As expected…’

The first pitch was a high fastball outside. My prediction was correct, but I didn’t feel too good about it. These guys had definitely done their research on me.

‘If they threw a high fastball, then curveballs or changeups are unlikely, right? So, what’s left? Sinkers, sliders, cutters?’

Excluding curveballs and changeups, the slowest pitch among the remaining types was the slider. Among them, the one to be most cautious of was, indeed, the sinker. Its speed wasn’t much different from the fastball, and the breaking angle seen in videos was quite good.

‘Sinker.’

‘Okay.’

“Ball.”

‘Good thing I didn’t swing.’

And the confirmed sinker felt like a pitch thrown by a major leaguer. Now the count was two balls and no strikes, favorable for the batter.

‘Come on. I want to put one in the zone.’

‘Slider.’

If it’s a slider here, the intention was simple. To throw an outside-breaking slider to induce a swing-and-miss and prevent extra-base hits if by chance it connects. Van den Berg goes into his pitching motion and swings his arm.

The trajectory coming towards the middle slightly starts to break. However, my bat was already meeting his pitch,

Crack!

The hit flies towards right field like a shot. Despite pushing it, the ball, almost like a line drive, starts descending near the fence.

‘Will it go over?’

The right fielder gives up catching the ball and looks towards the fence. And then,

-Whoa!!!

After hitting the fence once, the ball enters the right fielder’s glove. But by then, I was already near second base.

‘I caught it!’

The ball was moving fast, so I hadn’t reached second base yet, but this was enough to aim for third base.

“I’m going for 3rd base! Rossby!”

“Coming! Sliding!”

The third baseman was ready to catch the ball just a step away from third base, and I, along with Rossby’s shout, slid towards third base, reaching out my hand. The feeling of the glove near my leg as I touched the base. I touched the base and looked up at the third base coach.

“……”

The third base coach looked at us for a few seconds, then raised his hand and opened his mouth, making a decision.