episode_0401

“[Jimaengho! I’m going to lift Alcantara’s sinker! This hit is high! Far! Left field wall! Left field wall!]”

As the game begins, Caster’s voice grows louder with the first hit that goes over the outfielders’ heads. Following Caster’s call, Jimaengho’s hit flies towards the left field wall.

However, unlike the initial momentum with which it flew, it began to sink near the wall gradually.

“[Left fielder! Can’t catch it! Jimaengho’s hit hitting the wall and falling! Jimaengho crosses 2nd base! 3rd base! Oh, he’s turning back. Jimaengho makes a double against Alcantara!]”

Fortunately, Dominica’s left fielder, Soto, wasn’t known for his exceptional defense. If he were a better defender, he could have caught the hit. It was a well-struck ball, but one could also attribute it to luck.

“Jimaengho reaches scoring position with one out!”

“As expected, Jimaengho delivers!”

“Now up at bat is the 3rd batter, Kisangju. He recorded a .500 batting average and one home run in this Olympics.”

“Jimaengho exits, and Kisangju steps in. You could say it’s the Thunder’s formula for scoring. Jimaengho is a player who can aim for 3rd base at any time, so there are expectations. While Sanchez has a strong arm, considering Jimaengho’s stealing ability, it’s quite possible.”

Jimaengho has a total of 93 stolen bases in the KBA league. Given his history of stealing 3rd base frequently, fans watching the game were hoping for another steal. With one out and a runner on 3rd, barring special situations like an infield fly or a strikeout, it was a scoring opportunity.

And Jimaengho was known for always attempting to steal 3rd base in such situations.

However,

“Are you going to run?”

“Are you crazy? How can you run to 3rd base?”

Ironically, Jimaengho, standing on 2nd base, had no intention of stealing 3rd. His stealing mechanism was simple: he ran when the pitcher threw an off-speed pitch. Unlike the fastball typically thrown at 140-150 km/h, the speed of an off-speed pitch ranged from 120-130 km/h. While a 10 km/h difference might not seem significant, in a sport where split-second decisions matter, it made a world of difference.

But Alcantara wasn’t the kind of player who could steal bases using such a mechanism. With his slider or changeup clocking in at a minimum of 90 miles per hour, around 144-145 km/h, the risk was too high. Stealing 3rd from 2nd with one out?

“That would be a disaster… Can’t die here when I might get on base again.”

Even with a success rate of around 99%, it was hard not to consider the 1% chance of failure.

“Still, I have to do it. Rossbi, let me know.”

Of course, given the rare opportunity, he couldn’t just stand still on 2nd base.

“It’s a sinker.”

After adjusting his glove and stealing the sign once, indicating an outside pitch, he checked the shortstop while pretending to check the second baseman. Then, he brushed off dirt from his uniform twice. Once for a fastball, twice for a sinker, thrice for a changeup.

“What? Did you figure it out?”

Kisangju’s eyes widened as he realized what the sign meant, despite having heard it during the pre-game meeting.

In reality, stealing signs on such a stage was unheard of. Changing signs after every game was common practice, and even in South Korea alone, they changed signs every inning.

Yet he knew. He knew that Jimaengho’s signs were genuine. Having experienced it countless times in the league.

Whenever the performance analysis team asked how he managed to decipher the battery’s signs that even they couldn’t catch, he would always smile and say, “That’s Jimaengho for you.” But his signs were almost always accurate.

Therefore, he focused solely on Alcantara’s sinker, aiming for a hit.

[Swing! Strike.]

“The bat was a bit late, wasn’t it?”

“The pitch clocked in at 99.3 miles per hour (159.8 km/h).”

However, Alcantara’s sinker was not a ball that could be easily anticipated. If one could claim to understand 160 km/h, no baseball player would call 100 miles per hour the dream speed.

A ball at such a speed even curves?

“Mangho, how did you hit that tight pitch?”

He glanced towards second base once more. Mangho signaled again.

“It’s another sinker this time. Outside again.”

However, he had to hit it. For the sake of his country’s victory.

Behind him, Kang Han-beom, who had been struggling in this tournament with only one hit in thirteen at-bats. Although Ju Seung-cheol, the fifth batter, had been swinging powerfully with seven hits in twelve at-bats in this tournament, if he got out, there was a possibility that the inning would end with Kang Han-beom.

The weight of the nation’s fate rested on his shoulders.

Thud!

And such pressure was not the kind of emotion that helped at the plate.

“A hit by Gisangju! Rolling towards the shortstop. The shortstop catches the ball and tosses to first base. Out! Another easy out count added by Dominica. Now the situation is two outs with a runner on third base.”

“Damn!”

After stepping on the base, Gisangju spat out a curse while tossing his helmet, but the outcome remained unchanged.

“Now up to bat for South Korea is the cleanup hitter, Kang Han-beom, batting fourth. Kang Han-beom’s record in this tournament is one hit in thirteen at-bats. He has recorded a hit against Panama in a previous game.”

“Kang Han-beom may be struggling, but he’s a player who can deliver at any moment. Moreover, he has hit a home run against Alcantara in 2021, so there’s reason to hope.”

“In fact, there were fans suggesting that Kang Han-beom should be removed from the lineup, right?”

“That’s correct. However, Manager Lee Geum-hyun believes in his players’ track records, just like he did when they won in 2008. And Kang Han-beom is not the kind of player you can just take out because he has a few bad games.”

Thud!

“Kang Han-beom swings at the first pitch! It goes high! The pitcher raises his hand. Out. That ends the inning.”

“Ugh, damn. It looks like his form is crumbling, obvious to anyone. Take him out already. If not, at least adjust the batting order…”

The commentator held back a string of curses, then continued.

“…It’s still the third inning. Even though there haven’t been any runs scored, Jung Woo-sung has been shutting down the Dominican batters perfectly.”

“Now we move into the bottom of the fourth inning.”

South Korea’s fourth inning attack, which yielded no results, came to an end, but that didn’t mean South Korea was falling apart. Starting pitcher Jung Woo-sung was dealing effectively on the mound.

“Swing! Strikeout! Jung Woo-sung finishes the inning without allowing any runs, despite putting two batters on base!”

The fifth inning followed a similar pattern. Lee Yong-gi reached base but was shut down without scoring, and although Jung Woo-sung faced a threat by allowing a double and a walk, he induced a double play to prevent any runs.

– Jung Woo-sung seems to be losing steam, should we change him?

┗ Seriously, make a change, damn it.

┗┗ How can you change the ace when he’s pitching a scoreless game?

┗┗ Who doesn’t know that Jung Woo-sung loses strength after the fifth inning?

However, Jung Woo-sung’s pitches began to lose their edge, and it wasn’t surprising that runs might come at any time. In a desperate need for runs…

And the sixth inning.

[Without a runner on second base, Jimang-ho steps up to bat. … Jimang-ho’s hit! Caught in front of the wall… Jimang-ho, who had been sending balls to the farthest corners of the stadium. However, this hit is not caught.]

[Oh… it should have gone over, Jimang-ho. Truly disappointing performance today. Ah… but hitting the ball near the center wall shows a good sense of contact.]

Alcantara blocked 63 pitches from South Korea over 6 innings.

[In the 6th inning, Jung Woo-sung takes the mound for South Korea. At bat is Fernando Tatis Jr. He hits it! This ball… goes over… creating a 1-0 lead for Fernando Tatis Jr.]

[Oh… truly an outstanding player.]

As the bottom of the 6th inning begins, with signs of a comeback looming, Jung Woo-sung gives up a home run to the leadoff batter, allowing a run,

[Machado’s double… Jung Woo-sung is shaken…]

[…Maybe it’s time to change the pitcher…]

[…Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits! Ah, it goes over the wall. It looks like it’s the end for Jung Woo-sung. The pitcher is being replaced. The next pitcher is Choi Jung-hoon. From Hyunseong Mad Cats this season…]

– Damn, should’ve taken him out when he gave up a homer to a weak hitter.

– Why change now? The game’s already lost damn it.

– This sucks.

With Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s two-run homer and another run scored, Dominican Republic creates a big inning leading 4-0 as the bottom of the 6th inning concludes.

4-0. As darkness looms over the faces of Korean baseball fans due to the despairing score difference, a glimmer of hope shines through.

[In the top of the 7th, the pitcher on the mound is…, Felix Batista. A player known for his powerful fastball and the best splitter in Major League Baseball.]

Sandi Alcantara, who seemed unstoppable, steps down from the mound.

[Wow, they’re taking Sandi Alcantara out here. In fact, Alcantara was on track for a complete game… Perhaps thinking about the next game? Considering Alcantara’s remarkable stamina, even after throwing 63 pitches, he might be able to appear in the championship game. If he just goes up.]

In modern baseball, putting a pitcher on the mound without even observing a rest day was a move that would typically earn the pitcher a lot of criticism.

However, Alcantara was known as the last romantic pitcher of his era. Confident in his stamina, he accepted such a risky plan from the coach, even in a situation where a player’s life could be at stake for the country’s victory.

It was a pitcher change that showed determination to take a day off after the Round of 8 and still compete in the semifinals.

But this pitcher change stemmed partly from the misconception that they had completely dominated Korea.

‘Damn bastards, they’re totally ignoring us, aren’t they?’

[100 miles per hour! Batista’s first pitch hits 100 mph.]

[Wow, seems like every pitcher coming in throws 100 mph. The scary thing is that most of the Dominican pitchers throw fastballs like this. But if their control isn’t that great, if you wait…]

[Kisung-joo hits it! A ball that sneaks between the second baseman and shortstop! Kisung-joo reaches first base.]

The dream-like 100 mph fastball. However, unfortunately for the Dominicans, Korean batters had been facing 100 mph pitches throughout the game.

While Felix’s pitches were slightly faster than Alcantara’s, the difference wasn’t significant, and compared to Alcantara’s mix of sinkers, fastballs, and changeups, his pitches were straightforward.

Either a fastball or a splitter. Kisung-joo, known for having the best contact ability in Korea, aims for the fastball, finally succeeding in making contact with the 100 mph fastball.

Kang Han-beom, two and two. Ah, a strikeout here. Kang Han-beom just swinging at the splitter. Runner on first base. Now Ju Seung-cheol steps up to the plate. Today, Ju Seung-cheol’s record stands at 0 hits in 2 at-bats.

“Hoo, I can do this.”

Ju Seung-cheol took a deep breath as he stepped into the batter’s box. Facing Alcantara, his record so far was 0 hits in 2 at-bats. But it wasn’t that his hitting was off. He could see Alcantara’s pitches just fine.

Preparing for the Olympics, he had been training with his father to face pitchers throwing over 100 miles per hour, so seeing fast pitches was no problem. In fact, even in his last at-bat against Alcantara, he had managed to center the ball on the bat. It was a pitch that could easily be caught by the left fielder if hit too squarely.

“All that’s left is choosing between the fastball or the splitter.”

Though he wanted to persist stubbornly, looking at the condition of the following batters, he knew it had to be him. So, the pitch to anticipate was one: the fastball.

“Seung-cheol, aim for the fastball.”

His father, who coached hitting for the national team, seemed to be on the same page, signaling for him to target the fastball.

“Father…”

Nodding, Ju Seung-cheol recalled the battles of the two batters before him. The pitch to Gisangju was a fastball, while the sequence to Kang Han-beom was fastball-splitter-splitter-fastball-splitter.

At that moment, one thought crossed Ju Seung-cheol’s mind.

“Could they really throw three consecutive first-pitch fastballs?”

Somehow, he felt like this pitch might be a splitter. Even though his highly respected father signaled for a fastball, instinct told him it might be a splitter.

If they throw a first-pitch splitter, wouldn’t it likely be slightly lower to induce a swing-and-miss? Lowering the trajectory of the bat, even lower…

“Bautista goes into his windup. First pitch! Ju Seung-cheol!”

Ju Seung-cheol swung his bat in sync with his instincts for the timing of the splitter.

Crack!

A crisp sound of contact, a tingling sensation through his body… A perfect parabolic hit. The ball sailing over the fence erased all the torment he had endured until then, replaced by a refreshing sensation.

“Ahh!”

With one triumphant roar, Ju Seung-cheol clenched his fist towards the dugout.

“Ju Seung-cheol! Ju Seung-cheol! Ju Seung-cheol! A two-run homer clearing the left-field fence! The score now stands at 4-2! From ‘Son of a Hero’ to the new ‘Hero of South Korea,’ Ju Seung-cheol breaks the deadlock and scores the first runs for South Korea! The new hero of South Korea! His name is Ju Seung-cheol! The game is not over yet!”