episode_0404

[South Korea and the United States, the semi-finals of the LA Olympics between the two countries. Indeed, a match that garners much attention, right?]

[That’s correct. As the LA Olympics are approaching its end, there aren’t many events left where a gold medal can be won. It would be great if the South Korean baseball team wins this game and advances to the finals to secure the gold medal.]

[You yourself won a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics during your active years, didn’t you?]

[Haha, yes, those were the days.]

[How did it feel back then?]

[It felt great. Oh, it’s hard to put into words… If I had to pick the happiest moment of my life, it would probably be that moment.]

[There are players on the current national team who participated in the Olympics back then, right?]

[That’s correct. Seonghyun and Kanghanbeom were the youngest members of the team at that time. They are now playing key roles in the current national team, taking on the roles of the eldest brothers. Time has flown by so quickly. Seeing those young players now playing crucial roles in the national team is quite moving.]

[Especially Seonghyun, who showcased his resilience by pitching 6 scoreless innings against Cuba? He’s also the starting pitcher today.]

[Yes, Seonghyun is an exceptional player. A top pitcher with 98 career wins in the Major Leagues. His performance wasn’t as good last year due to injuries, but he has returned to Korea this year and is showing signs of revival. Although his velocity has decreased from his prime, his experience and control are still top-notch. Even if he were to return to the Majors right now, he could easily achieve 10 wins.]

[Moreover, today’s matchup features Garrett Cole, who used to be teammates with the Yankees.]

[Garrett Cole is a remarkable player. However, despite being a player with many home runs, our players can handle him. Many players in the league casually hit 20 home runs. South Korea can do it. We just need to enter without losing first. Fighting!]

[Haha, it would be great if the supportive spirit of Kim, who cares for his juniors, is passed on to the national team. Now, let me announce the lineup. In the 1st inning, it’s the USA’s turn to bat. 1st batter, Mookie Betts; 2nd batter, Mike Trout; 3rd batter, Paul Goldschmidt; 4th batter, Aaron Judge; 5th batter, Freddie Freeman; 6th batter, Nolan Arenado; 7th batter, Trea Turner; 8th batter, Will Smith; 9th batter, Marcus Semien. Except for Freeman, they are all right-handed hitters, right?]

[Actually, for players of that caliber, whether they are left-handed or right-handed doesn’t matter much.]

[Now, let’s look at South Korea’s defensive lineup. Starting pitcher Seonghyun, battery mate Yiyonggi, and starting from the infield…]

The showdown between Seonghyun and Garrett Cole. Since both pitchers were contenders for the Cy Young Award, most Korean fans believed that it would be a pitching battle.

No, they thought it should be a pitching battle. When considering the possibility of beating the United States, it seemed more realistic to lead the game through Seonghyun’s pitching rather than engaging in a hitting battle against the All-Star and MVP-caliber American batters.

Although it had been a while since Seonghyun’s prime, his current performance in Korea was promising enough to raise expectations among Korean fans for his pitching. However, there weren’t many people who truly believed that they could beat the United States.

Nevertheless, as the national team, they had no choice but to support and cheer for victory.

[Ah, Mookie Betts takes this pitch. Leadoff walk.]

[It’s okay. It’s still okay.]

However, from the leadoff batter onwards, the game didn’t flow smoothly.

[Trout’s hit! It goes past the infield! The leadoff runner makes it to third base! To third base! He reaches safely. Seonghyun faces a crisis with runners on first and third from the 1st inning…]

The situation is still manageable. With Seonghyun’s crisis management skills, he can certainly overcome this crisis.

Leadoff hitter walks, followed by a hit from the second batter. A crisis with runners on first and third from the first inning… And at bat is Goldschmidt, who has been performing well in the Major Leagues since winning the 2022 National League MVP title.

Thud!

[Grounder! A grounder to the shortstop! Choi Jutae! Ji Maengho! And Gu Jinmo! Turning into a double play with a 6-4-3! Two outs and an exchange for one run.]

[That’s fortunate. It’s a relief. One run is fine. As expected, Seonghyun. He induces a ground ball with a changeup in that crisis. The hit was solid, right? But we’ve successfully overcome a major obstacle. I was worried because Goldschmidt showed strength against Seonghyun, but luckily, it went to the shortstop.]

[Now the score is 1:0. But two outs are secured.]

Still, Seonghyun remained true to himself. In a situation where a massive run could have followed, he brought out his signature changeup to induce a double play.

“Alright! Let’s consider this the beginning and focus!”

“One run isn’t a big deal!”

Amidst the crisis, cheers from the infielders poured in behind Seonghyun after his best play. Was it thanks to such support?

[Strike! Out! Seonghyun, Korea’s ace, finishes off Aaron Judge with a strikeout!]

“Well done. You swung at the outside fastball, right? Looking at Seonghyun’s stats, the first inning is usually his weakest, so holding them to one run in the first inning today is commendable.”

As Seonghyun strikes out Judge, what seemed like a dangerous first inning ended with just one run allowed.

“Now, Korea’s batting lineup. Leadoff hitter Choi Jutae, followed by Ji Maengho, Kim Sangju, Ju Seungcheol, Gu Jinmo, Lee Yonggi, Kim Junghyun, Kim Suho, and Kang Hanbeom. Kang Hanbeom as the ninth batter? Has Kang Hanbeom ever been placed as the ninth batter since his debut?”

“Well… Not that I know of. Probably because Kang Hanbeom hasn’t been performing well in this tournament, they’re trying to alleviate the pressure. Kim Junghyun and Kim Suho are capable of being the top two batters, so it’s reasonable to consider Kang Hanbeom as the focal point of this new lineup.”

“Korea brings out a new lineup. Trailing by one run, Korea’s offense begins.”

—

“Nice! Let’s keep up the momentum!”

One run from the top of the first inning. Honestly, in a usual game, scoring in the first inning wouldn’t be such a big deal. But now, it’s the Olympic semifinals, facing the United States with Betts, Trout, Goldschmidt, and Judge…

‘This isn’t too bad. Well, Seonghyun senior did let a runner slip, though.’

Even though it’s only the first inning, seeing Seonghyun sweating profusely made me feel like I should help out.

“Senior Jutae. You know?”

I tried talking to Choi Jutae as he walked up to the plate, but all I got back was a stern look. He’s been giving me the cold shoulder since yesterday. If it wasn’t a senior, I would have given him a piece of my mind… I miss AT, where juniors would lift my spirits after practice.

‘I hope they’re training properly back in Korea. I should be looking out for them.’

I’m worried about the juniors left behind in Korea, but now is the time to focus on the game. I cleared my mind of distractions and focused on Garrett Cole’s pitch.

“Strike!”

The first pitch was a strike. A high strike piercing the inside corner for the right-handed batter. That pitch, which could be called Garrett Cole’s trademark, tailing towards the right-handed batter, was a ball that often resulted in home runs but also struck out many batters.

When aiming, it’s a home run, but due to the sliders, cutters, changeups, and curves thrown by Garrett Cole, it’s a ball that can’t be aimed at for sure. Knowing this fact, Garrett Cole didn’t just throw fastballs. Not now.

“Ball.”

Choi Joo-tae holds back the slider that breaks away from the zone. It was a natural choice as the strategy was to aim for fastballs until the count got tight. Even after picking one ball,

“Swing! Strike!”

With the swing on the fourth pitch, the count suddenly becomes two strikes and two balls. The speed displayed on the scoreboard for Garrett Cole’s pitch was 98.6 miles per hour (158.6 km/h), faster than the average speed. Perhaps because of the Olympic quarterfinals stage, there was a feeling of giving it their all from the first batter.

It was expected. Besides Cole, the American bullpen was filled with monsters of Major League All-Star caliber. One should probably consider that the average speed was about 1-2 miles per hour faster than what is thrown in the Major Leagues.

“Hmm, getting on base is tough… Huh?”

“Ack!”

While Choi Joo-tae seemed to think he wouldn’t be able to get on base with two strikes, a loud noise came from the batter’s box. Clearly Choi Joo-tae’s voice, or rather, a scream.

In the midst of thinking about something else, Garrett Cole’s pitch hit Choi Joo-tae right in the buttocks.

“Senior Joo-tae!”

Startled, I called out Choi Joo-tae’s name loudly, but he gestured as if it was nothing.

“What? Such luck…”

To throw a pitch hitting the leadoff batter in the first inning. Well, fundamentally, a pitch over 150 would hurt, but honestly, I hadn’t had such luck. Choi Joo-tae walked to first base without even rubbing his buttocks, as if the scream earlier was a lie.

“Is this how Major Leaguers act?”

I’ve heard that in the big leagues, you shouldn’t act like you’re hurt when hit by a pitch, but seeing it in person was a bit intriguing. Even the pitcher who hit him, Garrett Cole, didn’t apologize and just spat once and waited for me.

When throwing a walk, quite different from the KBO where they take off their hats and apologize.

“Lack of determination. Should have run straight away.”

“…How do you clear the benches in the Olympics?”

“You need that kind of guts, baseball player.”

Rossby didn’t seem to like this either. Anyway, with Choi Joo-tae on first base due to the walk, it was an opportunity. My steps into the batter’s box felt light.

“Mr. Rossby?”

“Don’t rush me, Wonsoong-ah. It’s not decided yet.”

“Hehe, even the great Garrett Cole seems nervous in front of me.”

“…Idiot. First pitch is a changeup. Outside.”

“A changeup against me? Alcantara did get me good with his changeup, but that was because Alcantara’s changeup was an off-speed pitch outside the norm, and honestly, Garrett Cole’s changeup wasn’t that intimidating. His changeup averaged around 89 miles per hour. A changeup around 143-145 was more like begging me to hit it over the fence.

“Surely, he must have analyzed me…”

At that moment, one possibility flashed through my mind. The American battery might have figured out our strategy by watching Choi Joo-tae’s swings. Both of Choi Joo-tae’s swings were fastballs. Did they figure out the strategy from those two swings? The likelihood was quite high.

“Well, Yonggi-hyung could pull something like that off.”

The pitcher receiving Garrett Cole’s pitch was also a top-notch catcher in the Major Leagues. The possibility was sufficient. And…

“This is sweet, isn’t it?”

From my perspective, it was like luck had struck twice. Missing out on such an opportunity would be foolish!

Thinking of the changeup I saw in the video, I prepare to time it as his kicking motion finishes and his arm swings.

As Rossby said, the guy’s changeup seemed to flow outward, but his changeup curled in towards Utaja’s body at the end. Now! Just like this!

Thud – Ah!

A taste of a pitch that doesn’t need to be confirmed.

“Damn it! That’s it!”

A home run that immediately reverses the score right after giving up a run in the first inning, and that too in the Olympic quarterfinals! Against Garrett Cole!

“I can’t stand it, damn it!”

I aimed towards Garrett Cole as if sniping with a gun, then after bouncing once, I threw the bat.

“Fuck! Fuck!”

Covering my mouth with the glove, curses could still be heard.

Indeed, curses heard after hitting a home run always felt exhilarating no matter when you heard them.