episode_0409

[Hello, viewers! The 2024 LA Olympics. Korea and Japan, Japan and Korea. The finals unfolding as the Korea-Japan match. It begins now.]

[A lot of people must be expecting the gold medal. Just as they rose by defeating the United States, the South Korean national team can certainly do it too.]

[Let me introduce the key players from both teams. In Korea, we have second baseman Ji Maeng-ho, and in Japan, pitcher and batter Shohei Ohtani has been selected as the key player.]

[Ohtani is, of course, an outstanding player. In fact, Babe Ruth didn’t spend a long time as both a batter and a pitcher simultaneously. However, Ohtani continues to pitch and bat despite experts’ evaluations that he will eventually focus on one. A player creating new rules in the Major Leagues. That player is none other than Ohtani. However, Ji Maeng-ho is not overshadowed by him.]

[That’s right. Ji Maeng-ho is also an exceptional player.]

[Indeed, he is one of the few players in pro leagues to achieve a batting average close to .400 since Ted Williams. There is a significant gap between the Major Leagues and the KBA League. However, even so, if a Major League player comes to the KBA, can they hit close to .400?]

[Hmm, wouldn’t that be difficult?]

[Exactly. I don’t think so. Moreover, what’s more frightening about Ji Maeng-ho is his power to aim for 60 home runs while hitting close to .400. It’s not just luck that he achieved a high batting average with hurried swings; it’s his ability to maintain his swing and hit close to .400 that makes Ji Maeng-ho a formidable player. From what I’ve seen, Ji Maeng-ho will undoubtedly succeed even in the Major Leagues.]

[That’s true. In this Olympics, Ji Maeng-ho recorded 9 hits in 17 at-bats, a batting average of .529, 6 home runs, and an OPS of 2.519. Most of the players Ji Maeng-ho faced were from the Major Leagues, right?]

[That’s correct.]

[Now, let’s begin the game between Korea and Japan. Japan will start the top of the 1st inning.]

*

“Sunbae, how about Ohtani?”

Just before the game started, I asked Choi Joo-tae, who was playing catch with me.

“Ohtani? He’s the best. Good character, good at baseball. Ah… we should have won a championship together when we had the chance…”

Choi Joo-tae’s answer was filled with deep regret. But that wasn’t the answer I was looking for.

“No, forget about that. How do you think I compare to him?”

I wanted to know how I stacked up against Ohtani now.

“Are you crazy? Of course, Ohtani is better. He throws well, hits well.”

“…What about just as a batter?”

“…Still think Ohtani is better, right? When he hit 58 home runs last year, I thought he was insane, really.”

“I hit .400 with 60 home runs though?”

“Hey, does the Major Leagues look like a joke to you? The level of pitchers is on a different dimension, damn it.”

It was a harsh but accepting response. Choi Joo-tae had experienced both the KBA and the Major Leagues, so he knew the difference well.

“Look at the big picture. This. Hey, you should be grateful to Ohtani.”

“…Me? Why?”

Why should I be grateful when Ohtani hasn’t done anything for me?

“Don’t you know? Do you know that the KBA posting system changes next year? Oh, is this a secret? I heard it from the coach.”

“Yes, I know.”

Why is he suddenly asking about that?

“Do you know what kind of agreement Ohtani had in the U.S.? Did you know he played in the Major Leagues with a minor league contract and received the minimum salary because of some labor agreement when he was under 25 and in his fourth year?”

“…He did?”

I had no idea. Were there such rules in the Major Leagues?

“However, because of him, the rules changed in the next agreement. Even players with less than four years of experience under the age of 22 can sign and go to the majors.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“Hey, you too can get a major contract instead of a minor one when you go to the majors, you know?”

“Contracts… are they divided like that?”

Contracts… it was a complicated matter. I had no idea about that side since I had everything taken care of by my agent and never had money problems because of Soyoung.

“There are three types of major league contracts, right? Anyway, it’s a bit complicated… Hey, what am I going to tell you? You seem clueless. Just focus on playing sports diligently.”

Choi Jutae, who was about to explain, gave up with a gesture of shaking his head. Slightly choked up, but since it was true that I didn’t understand, I couldn’t say anything.

“Anyway, you should be thankful to Otani.”

“Why be thankful for that? If you don’t have money, just live without it.”

Whether it was a minor league contract or a major league contract, it was something unrelated to me.

“Sigh.”

“Senior, judging by what you’re saying, you’re totally obsessed with Otani, aren’t you?”

“Hey, try being on the same team with Otani. It’s impossible not to be obsessed. He’s nice and good at baseball.”

“…Are you an Otani fan?”

In the league, they matched Charlotte Cheolja and Keystone Combo, but in the national team, they had to match Ilbong and Keystone Combo. Could luck really be this bad when it came to partners?

“What are you saying! Damn it, who’s Ilbong! Don’t you know I hit an RBI in the Japan-Korea game during the WBC?”

“…Ilbong who received orders to hit an RBI.”

“Are you crazy?!”

Choi Jutae threw the ball even harder towards me than before. Bang! When I heard the sound coming from the glove, it seemed like it would be at least 150 miles per hour. To throw such a fast ball from this distance…

‘Is he trying to challenge me, Korea’s ace?’

I was becoming more suspicious.

“Damn it! No way! What’s with your eyes! Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…You’re not trying to challenge me now, are you? By orders.”

“What nonsense! Seriously! Sangju! Why is this guy like this?!”

“He’s always been like that. It’s easier if you give up.”

Indeed, Senior Sangju. Seeing him take my side, Senior Sangju might have also sensed something about my nature before me since we were classmates.

“Damn it, I won’t fall for it!”

…That’s what I vowed, but,

“Nice!”

“Thank you, senior!”

In the first inning, seeing Choi Jutae catch Otani’s fast and strong hit with a super catch made me wonder if I had misjudged.

“Senior, how did you catch that?”

“Hey, I’m a major leaguer, bro.”

With Choi Jutae’s super catch, it was now two outs. And was it all thanks to catching that ‘Otani’? Jang Woojoo’s pitch hit the strike zone.

“Swing! Strike! Out!”

Three consecutive strikeouts against Japan. The speed of the pitch that struck down Murakami was 99.1 miles per hour (159.4 km/h). Today, Jang Woojoo seemed to be in top condition.

“Nice!”

“Woojoo! What’s gotten into you?!”

“I’m going to pitch with all my strength from now on!”

…It seemed a bit forced. But still, it was the right thing to do. With rest days and all pitchers except Seonghyun able to pitch in this game, there was no issue with the number of pitchers. Even Jung Woosung, who started as a pitcher in the Dominican game, was waiting in the bullpen, so Jang Woojoo just had to do his best to throw his pitches every moment.

Knowing this fact, Jang Woojoo had been throwing pitches around 150 mph from the first inning. At this pace, it would probably last about three innings, but that was enough.

“Alright! Let’s score from the first inning and go!”

“Yes!”

“Jutae! Hit a home run!”

Receiving encouragement from his teammates, Choi Joo-tae steps out of the dugout. Since I was the next batter, I grab my bat and walk alongside him as Choi Joo-tae strikes up a conversation with me.

“Hey, did you see the defense earlier?”

“Yes. It was damn good, right?”

“Geez, I told you I’m not a pushover. Watch closely this time at bat. Whether I’m a pushover or not.”

It seemed like he took to heart that I called him a pushover. Can a Major Leaguer be this petty… It was unbelievable, but seeing his determination, I felt like he might really hit one out of the park.

“If Joo-tae senior gets on base….”

A home run scores two runs. That should give the pitcher some breathing room.

And as if to prove his determination, Choi Joo-tae’s bat swings smoothly. Once, twice,… thrice.

“…Sorry.”

Choi Joo-tae, coming back after striking out against Otani, leaves for the dugout without even meeting my eyes, leaving behind a brief apology.

“Well, that’s that. Wasn’t expecting much anyway. Am I the only one after all?”

The unparalleled best baseball player who can be considered to have reserved both the MVPs unanimously twice and once again this season, …was.

“But watching Jang Woo-ju getting out makes it seem like nothing special.”

But looking at the batter’s box, did it seem like nothing special? If a batter who is said to be better than the pitcher is just that, then what about the pitcher….

“Yeah, yeah. Got it. Let me know the pitch.”

“First pitch is a fastball. Inside,”

An inside fastball? A pitch that’s hard to throw unless you’re pretty confident. A ball that could go over the fence anytime if hit. Even if it becomes a ball, there was no reason not to aim for this pitch. After preparing for the hit, I patiently wait for his pitch.

Finally, he lifts his foot and swings his hand like a whip.

“Ugh – dang!”

The first pitch lands in the third base stands foul.

“Was it a ball?”

“If I had let it go, it would’ve been a ball.”

Although I felt like I swung too eagerly from the first pitch, if he saw this swing, it seemed difficult for him to come inside so recklessly.

“…Slider. Outside.”

“Is he finally throwing it?”

Otani’s slider, almost treated like a freebie in the Major Leagues. Known as the ‘Swiper,’ this pitch had more lateral movement than other sliders. Otani’s decision to step up as a pitcher was to perfect this slider and elevate its importance, making it a pitch that could be considered his signature pitch.

“Well, no need to swing at it.”

My swing is a thorough uppercut. There was no need to forcefully hit a pitch with significant lateral movement. The Swiper, which adds more lateral movement, was reintroduced by many batters to counter the increased launch angle, so there was no need to aim for a pitch with unfavorable matchups.

What I’m aiming for are the fastballs that left a good impression from the previous WBC or the splitter that arrogantly dives into the zone. Batting coach Ju Hyeong-jin also advised me not to aim for the Swiper if I could distinguish it, so I didn’t want to hit this pitch.

“Ball.”

Otani’s pitch slides outside the zone. It certainly felt like a larger lateral trajectory than a typical slider?

As I endure his pitch, a slight smile appears on his lips. It was a look that seemed to say, ‘You endured that?’

“Arrogant. Dropping it from above, huh?”

“Slider. Outside again.”

“Again?”

Throwing the same pitch twice in a row must be to test whether I can differentiate his pitches or not.

“Ball.”

Once again, I casually let the ball pass. One strike, two balls.

“This time, it’s a fastball. It’s on the outside.”

Here it comes. The pitch I’ve been aiming for. Throwing a sweeper twice in a row and then throwing an outside pitch means putting it in the strike zone. Since I knew the location, there was no need to ponder over the pitcher’s intentions.

Ohtani winds up again.

“Bring it on!”

The awaited pitch! Swinging the bat confidently.

Thwack!

But at the moment of contact, it felt like the bat connected towards the upper part. A hit flying towards center field.

“Damn.”

I had a feeling it was going to clear the fence, so I ran towards first base. And just before reaching second base, the ball slowly sank in front of the fence. A fly ball heading towards the warning track.

“Well, he threw quite well. Was that intentional?”

“I don’t think so, from what I can see.”

I thought it would come into the strike zone, but it seemed to have veered slightly outside resulting in this hit. It may be an out, but there was no rush or panic. The game was long anyway, and Jang Woo-joo’s condition was good.

If I could just get one hit, it would be my victory. There were still quite a few at-bats left.