episode_0421

“Nice! Park Junhyung was great!”

After the second inning ended, seniors welcomed the players in the dugout with cheerful voices. Particularly, the atmosphere in the dugout was even brighter this inning, perhaps because Park Junhyung managed to resolve the crisis of runners on first and second base.

“Maengho, give us one run.”

As I took off my glove and sat on the bench, Park Junhyung wiped his sweat with a towel and struck up a conversation next to me. Damn, the smell of sweat.

“It’s my turn now.”

“You’ll probably get on base at least once.”

“I hope so.”

Although Park Junhyung muttered that it would be good if he could get on base, in my opinion… well, it was hard to say. In the third inning, our batting lineup started with the 7th batter, Yoon Sungtae. This meant that both the first and second innings had ended in three batters being put out.

As expected, the left-handed hitters were struggling to handle Chae Jaehyun’s pitches. From Kim Suho to Kisangju to William as the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th batters, and even Woo Gwanhyung as the 6th batter. There wasn’t a player who couldn’t hit 30% of those pitches, but hitting as a lefty seemed challenging. Even the 5th batter, Choi Jincheol, managed to send the ball to the outfield, only to be caught by the fielder.

In this inning, our lineup consisted of left-handed Yoon Sungtae, right-handed Jung Yooncheol, and back to left-handed Jung Hwichul. There wasn’t a player to pin high hopes on this inning.

“Sungtae, fighting!”

Cheers for Yoon Sungtae echoed from the stands, while seniors in the dugout called out his name in support. However, the seniors didn’t seem to have high expectations. And just as expected, the count quickly stacked against him.

“Strike!”

With just two balls, the count was two strikes and no balls. A futile swing on the fastball for the first pitch, followed by another futile swing on the slider for the second pitch. His swings seemed unpredictable, aiming for who knows what kind of pitch.

“Sungtae! What are you trying to hit?”

Raising my voice to encourage Yoon Sungtae, there was a moment when our eyes met.

‘Ugh.’

I shifted my gaze away from Yoon Sungtae behind Choi Jincheol, who was tall and obstructing the view. If he can’t focus at the plate like that, no wonder he’s swinging aimlessly.

“What’s up?”

“Just nothing.”

“If that’s the case, why did you cheer so loudly? You should act more manly! Come on.”

“Should I cheer loudly for you when you’re at bat too, senior?”

“Are you crazy?”

“No, I’m not.”

While chatting with Choi Jincheol like that,

“Ahh!”

A scream was heard from the ground. Looking down, Yoon Sungtae was kneeling, clutching his knee. The ball was rolling nearby, indicating he had been hit.

“Sungtae, are you okay?!”

Responding with a reassuring gesture towards the dugout, Yoon Sungtae signaled that he was fine.

“Nice! Well, with that form and good control, he’s definitely Seonghyun.”

It was a fortunate incident. No injury and a leadoff runner on base. The situation couldn’t have been better than this. It was clearly Yoon Sungtae’s peak performance. With that, it was my turn at bat as the leadoff hitter.

“Jung Yooncheol, fighting!”

Cheering loudly for Jung Yooncheol, the bench decided on a bunt. It was a seemingly obvious choice. Although it resulted in a walk, today Chae Jaehyun seemed to be in good condition, and with slow legs, Jung Yooncheol had no chance of hitting into a double play. Moreover, it was my turn at bat this inning. Sending the runner into scoring position was the natural choice.

Thud! A dull sound of contact was heard as Jung Yooncheol’s bunt rolled towards the pitcher.

“To first base!”

Contemplating whether to throw to second base, Chae Jaehyun listened to Lee Yonggi’s call and threw the ball to first base.

“Out!”

“Great!”

“Yooncheol hyung! Nice!”

“Maengho, get ready! Be prepared!”

“Yes, yes.”

“I trust you. Just score one run. I’m feeling good today.”

Park Jun-hyung hurries to the dugout with a bat in hand, listening to the urgency in his voice.

“Senior, well done.”

“Mangho, can you do it?”

“Of course. That bastard is nothing.”

After lightly fist-bumping Jung Yoon-cheol, he heads to the on-deck circle. The expression on Hwi-cheol’s face as seen from the on-deck circle was somewhat stiff. Facing an ace-level pitcher, did it feel like facing frozen emotions?

“Hwi-cheol! Relax! I’ve got your back!”

Whether my words reached him or not, Jung Hwi-cheol nodded. However, Cha Jae-hyun’s pitch wasn’t something that could be taken lightly.

Thud!

Jung Hwi-cheol’s hit goes up high, caught in the infield.

“Out!”

Now, only one count remains.

“Alright. It’s payback time from earlier.”

I firmly resolve and walk towards the batter’s box.

“Intentional walk.”

“What? Why? Why?! We were competing earlier!”

“Hey, first base is empty, why compete with you?”

Damn it! Maybe because I competed at my first at-bat, I naturally thought he would compete with me. Why did I think that way? But Kim Su-ho seemed to anticipate, walking towards the batter’s box with his usual poker face.

“What are you doing? Not going?”

“Do I have to go? I’m not hitting well these days…”

“Hurry up and go.”

Damn it… I cursed inwardly as I headed to first base. All I could do now was pray. Kim Su-ho struck out looking in his first at-bat.

“Su-ho senior! Just one for me!”

If anyone could strategize against Cha Jae-hyun, it was either Kim Su-ho or Woo Gwan-hyeong. Facing another left-handed pitcher instead of Cha Jae-hyun was relatively weaker, and Williams was struggling to time Cha Jae-hyun’s unique pitching form.

“I shouldn’t even go up to Sang-joo senior….”

Please, may Kim Su-ho aim for a hit rather than a walk this time at bat, slowly expanding the lead. And then the pitch is thrown…

Crack – thud!

With a tremendous sound of contact, the ball flies towards left-center field. Kim Su-ho executed a swing on a pitch he normally wouldn’t.

“Did he catch it? Did he catch it? Rosby!”

“It’s close, isn’t it?”

Running towards second base, I called out to Rosby. Even though it was already two outs, the outcome was still intriguing. If it dropped, it would be at least two runs!

-Wow!!!!!

-Kim Su-ho! Kim Su-ho! Kim Su-ho!

“It dropped. Be careful, I caught it right away.”

Listening to Rosby, I sprint towards third base.

“Stop! Stop at third base!”

As I stepped on third base, the third base coach was trying to stop me.

“Run!”

However, Rosby’s judgment was to run all the way home. Trusting Rosby’s call, I didn’t slow down. Yong-gi was seen kneeling on the baseline between third and home, ready to receive the ball. Song-gu seemed to shift towards third base.

“There’s not much distance left to home…!”

Now I can see the ball. I saw Yong-gi unmasking and preparing to catch the ball with his mitt. If I continued like this, it would be an out!

“Damn it, forget it!”

While running, I put more power into my stride. Yong-gi, who caught the ball, seemed to lean away from the incoming collision.

“Hey!”

Yong-gi’s scream! Eyes looking up at me passed by like slow motion. Then I see the ground and home plate. Crouching down, I extended my arm towards home plate before my body hit the ground.

“Ouch!”

Damn, that hurts like hell. A sharp impact hits my arm. I saw something white just before falling… I can’t tell if I made contact with the mitt due to the pain in my arm. All I see in my sight is the end of summer, the sky tinged with red and black.

At that moment, a shadow covers my vision. It was the umpire.

“Safe? Out?”

To the hesitating umpire, I threw the first question. And the umpire’s mouth opened.

*

[Saif! It’s Seip! Ji Maeng-ho’s incredible base running play! Did not touch the mitt of Lee Yong-gi! AT Thunders take a 2-0 lead with Kim Su-ho’s 2-run timely hit!]

[Wow…! Did we just witness a play that’s only seen in the Major Leagues? Player Ji Maeng-ho soared for a moment… Incredible athleticism! Let’s see it again in slow motion. The second baseman’s throw veered towards third base, and Lee Yong-gi caught the ball near the right field seats. It was obviously an out timing but…!]

[Wow… Ji Maeng-ho really took flight!]

[He jumped, avoiding Lee Yong-gi and slid home! Lee Yong-gi, hailed as Korea’s best catcher, was too stunned to even think about tagging. Wow… Such base running plays exist? The slide was flawless.]

-What the hell is that guy?

┗I have no idea, damn.

┗┗Seriously, what is it?

-Hahaha, is that a human being?

┗Doesn’t seem like it, right?

┗┗Wow, that was seriously beastly just now?

-Do Asians do that? Don’t they play Confucian baseball?

┗Get out to the majors quickly.

-fact)Maengho Shin can defy gravity.

┗What the heck?

From the mind-blowing play by Ji Maeng-ho in a crucial home game situation where he defied being called out, everyone from the broadcasters to the fans watching the game was left speechless. The eruption of cheers from the crowd came only after they fully comprehended what Ji Maeng-ho had just done.

-Wow!!!!

-Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho!

The size of the Ji Maeng-ho name call echoing through the Daejeon stadium indicated the magnitude of the play that had just unfolded.

[But is he okay? It was a cool play, but I’m worried.]

[Haha, it could be worrying. However, the player who made such a play is Ji Maeng-ho. I think he’ll bounce back quickly.]

[Oh, Ji Maeng-ho is up. Brushing off the dirt on his arms and heading back to the dugout?]

[That’s Ji Maeng-ho’s greatest strength. His immense physicality. Can you imagine Ji Maeng-ho getting injured? It’s unthinkable. In fact, during the Olympics, he had a slight thigh strain but came back looking fine for the next game.]

[Is this what fans call ‘invincible’ or something?]

[Exactly. Even if Ji Maeng-ho couldn’t bat at all, just one base running play like that could secure him a spot on the roster. Who else can pull off such a play?]

[Indeed. I’ve been covering KBA league games for over 10 years, and this scene is unprecedented. Let’s watch it again.]

[Wow, having such a physique and athletic ability, that’s the pride of Korean baseball.]

[That’s right. With Kim Su-ho’s timely hit and Ji Maeng-ho’s fantastic home plate touch, leading 2-0, now the cleanup hitter steps up to the plate. …Ball four. Cha Jae-hyun seems shaken. Fourth batter Williams! Swing on the first pitch! Out! The lengthy bottom of the third inning for AT Thunders’ offense comes to an end.]

*

‘He’s not going to walk again, is he? Swinging at the first pitch from the pitcher who just walked him?’

As he pondered whether he needed to give Williams another lesson, the training coach approached.

“Maeng-ho, are you really okay?”

“I told you. I’m fine. Not hurting at all.”

It did sting a bit when he first hit the ground, but after applying some ointment, he didn’t feel any pain.

“If anything feels off while you’re playing defense, let me know right away.”

“Got it.”

Even though he had spoken when coming in after scoring, there seemed to be lingering concerns.

‘I guess Junhyung hyung is worried.’

Scoring two runs in the top of the third inning was good, but expecting Park Jun-hyung to shut down the volcano without giving up any runs? That was unexpected. And soon, my thoughts turned into reality.

Thwack – Crack!

“He flies well.”

Episode 4, as Lee Yong-gi hits a solo home run, the score stands at 2:1. Fortunately, Park Joon-hyung managed to hold off the remaining batters, but unease lingered. As the 5th inning began, luck did not strike again as it had before.

Thud!

“Out!”

Whooosh!

“Swing and a miss! Out!”

With the consecutive outs of the 8th and 9th batters, I stepped up to bat with no runners on base.

“You won’t get walked this time, right? I saw you running earlier.”

“Yeah, buddy.”

My stance remained unchanged. The pitches to watch for were the fastball and slider. The one to be wary of was the slider breaking towards my ankles. In that case, there was only one conclusion.

“I’ll lay off the inside pitches.”

“You seem troubled these days. Not feeling the same as before?”

“Do you sense that too, bro? Maybe I should become a shaman.”

When Lee Yong-gi initiates conversation, it signals that the sign has been decided. His first pitch is thrown. I attempted to swing at what seemed like a ball coming down the middle, but the speed was slower than expected, causing me to halt the bat before fully committing.

“Swing?”

“…Ball.”

“Not bad. Many pitchers have died, huh? Startling at a pitch like this.”

“….”

…It’s making me burn up.