episode_0049

[First pitch, watching. Ball.]

[It’s hard to avoid swinging with bases loaded. Of course, for the usual Jimaengho player, it might be good to struggle and give up only one point. But not now. One point equals a tie, two points mean a lead. Fortunately for Gunsan High School, Jimaengho today has 5 at-bats, zero hits. Gunsan High School must seize this opportunity.]

[That’s right. If we stop this inning, we win. Players of Gunsan High School, even in bases loaded situations, should not give up. Not giving up, that is the spirit of high school baseball.]

As the commentators said, the players of Gunsan High School showed determination in their eyes. Top of the 9th inning, two outs. Leading 1-0. Just one more out count and the dream of victory. All players of Gunsan High School were fully focused on the game.

The first baseman moving up to the 3rd grade next year thinks,

“I don’t want to retire the seniors who have worked hard for 3 years with a defeat.”

The catcher scheduled to enter college after this tournament thinks,

“Let’s achieve the victory we couldn’t in 10 years and raise the honor of our alma mater.”

The ace starting pitcher likely to be drafted thinks,

“Please, stop them! Can you do it? I’m sorry for not pitching till the end. I may be a lousy captain, but please, just this once!”

The shortstop who barely made it to the first team after enduring hellish training over the summer thinks,

“Send it my way. I’ll catch everything. …I can do it! Believe in the sweat I shed!”

And the center fielder who never started but earned recognition for his defense and started in the final thinks,

“I can’t end baseball like this. Please, just inside the ground… Please, please.”

And although there wasn’t a standout player, the coach of Gunsan High School, Park Junghwan, who brought the team to the finals by uniting the substitutes and enduring hellish training, thinks,

“Remember, guys! The sweat we shed this summer. And the tears we shed for 3 years!”

And memories flash through Junghwan’s mind like a lantern.

-“Oh, Junghwan, are you coming back to our alma mater? I thought you would coach in the pros.”

-“No, Master. I also want to work for our alma mater like you.”

-“Yes, if it’s you, Junghwan, I can trust you to take over as coach.”

Three years since returning to his alma mater. Gunsan High School, Junghwan’s alma mater, had achieved modest results not fitting its prestigious baseball reputation. Aging seniors. Local prospects transferring to big cities.

But Junghwan didn’t give up. He worked tirelessly.

Now, the new third-year students. As always with beginnings, they always leave a lasting impression. Junghwan wanted to gift his first disciples with the victory he had tasted. And last year.

-“Don’t cry. There will be another tournament next year.”

-“But, the seniors…”

-“We’re okay. But you must win. Don’t falter like us in the end. Coach, thank you for everything!”

-“Next year, we will definitely…!”

The runners-up achieved with those disciples. Last year, they fell just one step short. If only they had taken one more step…!

And now, students who worked twice as hard as usual. Each and every one was vividly etched in their memories. They didn’t have outstanding talent, so they worked harder.

“I believe in you, guys….”

And because they lacked exceptional talent, they desired victory even more. They couldn’t bear to see those who had worked hard for so long give up baseball and not go to college. Surely, except for a few, most would quit baseball, right?

“We can’t let that happen! They’ve put in so much effort…!”

But if they win, things will change. Winning could open up possibilities to send a few more to college using the award records!

“Please! Just one, just one out count!”

Jeonghwan looks at the team’s closing pitcher, Choi Jun-cheol.

The pitcher, who blamed himself for losing the final game due to his own error, was now serving as the team’s closer, shutting the door in the back.

“The draft will be tough, but there are plenty of guys for college… If we win, maybe even the draft…!”

And then he shifts his gaze to center fielder Jeong Hwi-cheol, the guy who most painfully touches his heart.

For three years, quietly playing defense and being a lead runner, the center fielder hit a home run in the first inning, stealing his tears. He couldn’t help but shed more tears, perhaps because of the guy who said he would quit baseball after this tournament.

“Hwicheol, don’t you also need to go to college?”

Then he slowly shifts his gaze to the fielders. One by one. Everyone’s circumstances come to mind for Jeonghwan.

Players who worked hard, sweating profusely even in the midsummer heat… Jeonghwan, watching the players, unknowingly clasped his hands and prayed to the sky. He wasn’t religious, but it didn’t matter now.

“God, Buddha, whoever, please, help our kids win! I earnestly beg you. Please!”

[The pitcher’s second pitch is a curveball! He throws it up high and far! Towards the wall! But the ball curves to the left! It’s a foul home run! Today, with 5 at-bats and no hits, Ji Maeng-ho’s swing seems to assert that he’s still in good shape! Unfortunately, it’s a foul! The count is one strike, one ball.]

“This is what Ji Maeng-ho regrets today. Normally, a ball like that from Ji Maeng-ho would definitely be a home run, but today, strangely, luck isn’t on his side. Fortunately for Gunsan High School!”

The coach of Gunsan High School, who was praying, watches Ji Maeng-ho hit an insane ball.

“Why does a player like him end up against us…”

Golden Lion Cup, Blue Dragon Flag MVP. And this time, a talented hitter likely to be the MVP in the Phoenix Cup. A monster-level hitter who recorded a batting average of over .500 and four home runs until the final game in this tournament.

Having played as a designated hitter for 15 years in the pros, the coach of Gunsan High School instinctively felt it. Ji Maeng-ho’s talent sets him apart from other players. Even in the pros, he had never seen such a monster.

“Even though he’s a high school student, his swing seems perfected. Fastball for a fastball, changeup for a changeup. Seems to know the pitches like a devil. Power to clear the wall even if it’s barely touched. He’s already a perfect hitter. He’s too harsh on our kids.”

How did a player with such talent end up in front of our kids by chance?

Having hit 1700 hits, the coach of Gunsan High School knew. The fear of talent. In front of brilliant talent, mediocre talents lose their shine. And once you realize that you can’t surpass that brilliant talent, you also know that its light will never shine forever.

He himself eventually chose retirement in front of that barrier.

As with everything, the world is not fair. And baseball is even more unfair. Even if you wake up at 6 a.m. every morning to exercise and swing the bat until 2 a.m., there’s an opponent you can’t beat.

Even if that opponent doesn’t train at all outside team practice, if the gods of baseball favor them, ordinary talents will never win no matter how hard they try. Just like he did.

…But fortunately, Ji Maeng-ho’s condition wasn’t good today. 5 at-bats, no hits. A golden opportunity!

Jeonghwan erased negative thoughts. And he prayed earnestly again. He fervently prayed that the beloved disciples would shatter the common sense he had believed in as truth up to now.

Show it, guys! Show that if we put effort into ordinary talents, we can achieve it together! Show that you get results as much as the sweat you shed!

[Gunsan High School’s closing pitcher, Choi Jun-cheol, chose a third ball that falls outside. One strike, two balls. Ji Maeng-ho remains motionless.]

[Ji Maeng-ho’s biggest advantage is this. He never swings at a ball he didn’t aim for. Choi Jun-cheol’s ball was just enough to deceive the batter by slightly veering outside, but Ji Maeng-ho doesn’t even blink.]

[It’s like he knows it will be a ball. Kim Hyeong-gi, the commentator, used to be a pitcher, right? What do you think when you see a batter who seems to know what kind of pitch is coming?]

[It feels like facing a demon. Like no matter what pitch is thrown, it will be hit. Even if a curveball is thrown, it will be picked. It’s like being possessed by such a demon. But when you overcome that, you can become a true pitcher. No batter knows what pitch a pitcher will throw or where. It’s all a self-created illusion. You have to overcome that illusion. Pitcher Choi Jun-cheol. You can do it!]

Every pitch in this situation is crucial. The battery’s sign exchange is taking longer, so the caster and commentator could say everything they wanted.

[Ji Maeng-ho, who makes you feel that way, is also remarkable. It was revealed through an interview that even players drafted in the first round described facing Ji Maeng-ho as facing a demon who sees through their inner thoughts.]

Thunk!

[As I say this, he raised the fourth ball. A foul going back. Two strikes, two balls. Ji Maeng-ho, who ghosts the ball coming into the strike zone.]

[The timing was a bit off, right? Probably thought it was a ball dropping, but looking at the trajectory, it seems like he swung the bat with an animalistic sense.]

[A fast bat speed is a strong point for a batter, right?]

[Yes… And continuing from earlier, there aren’t many batters in the pros who can engage in such a mental battle like Ji Maeng-ho. Look at Ji Maeng-ho’s expression. Isn’t he overwhelming the pitcher with his poker face? Within that expressionless face, there must be calculations simulating dozens of scenarios and choosing the most probable option.]

The caster swallowed hard after listening to the commentator. What calculations are hidden behind those calm eyes looking at the pitcher?

A batter whom all faced pitchers collectively call demon-like. Although it’s high school baseball, this year’s draft level is quite high, as praised by experts, and even the caster, who has been broadcasting baseball for 20 years, agreed.

Among these high-level players, Ji Maeng-ho stood out. The pitcher receives the catcher’s sign and goes into the wind-up. Everything rests on this one pitch. With that one pitch, the caster, the commentator, everyone held their breath.

And Gunsan High School’s coach, Park Jeong-hwan, also held his breath. Because the Gunsan High School battery had been asking for signs before throwing the fifth ball, just as they had done so far.

Two strikes, two balls. Timing for a curveball. If he can pull the bat with a dropping ball, it’s the best. But will the sharp-eyed Ji Maeng-ho swing at it? Inside? No, the anticipatory Ji Maeng-ho wouldn’t miss such a pitch. Should they induce him outside with a breaking ball? No, if they push it to a full count, he’ll definitely hit it.

He thinks. All the possibilities of balls that Choi Jun-cheol can throw to finish. Fastball, curveball, changeup. Inside-high, inside-low, outside-high, outside-low. Hoping that Choi Jun-cheol will deliver the final pitch properly.

And at the same time, he recalled all the plate appearances he had experienced during his 15-year professional baseball career with superhuman power. Jung-hwan also hit 1,700 hits as a pinch hitter. Lacking innate talent, he was able to achieve such accomplishments through sheer determination.

“If it were me, what kind of ball would I aim for in this situation?”

No matter how technically polished one may be, there is no one better at determination than oneself who has spent 15 years in professional baseball! Jung-hwan decided to think like that.

Otherwise, he felt he wouldn’t be able to send a sign forever to the battery that believed in him.

And Jung-hwan made up his mind. The ball he would aim for in this situation! And because he respected Ji Maeng-ho, he chose the opposite ball and sent a sign to the battery.

“I believe in you guys!”

[After a long exchange of signs, the pitcher nods his head. And he throws!]

Thud!

[……….]

[……….]

The clearest sound of hitting among the sounds heard in the stadium that day covered the stadium. The casters, analysts, and the audience who were cheering all quietly watched the ball flying.

“All fielders stop! Over the scoreboard! Beyond the fence! Home run! Ji Maeng-ho saves the team in the top of the 9th inning with a grand slam home run! The demon of high school baseball! Ji Maeng-ho sets a new record with another home run!”

The caster was excited,

“Wow….”

The analyst was speechless.

“I’m sorry, guys.”

And Jung-hwan shed tears. At the moment he heard the sound of the hit. Because the ideal sound of hitting he had dreamed of was heard. Without even thinking about wiping the tears falling under his sunglasses, Jung-hwan looked at the pitcher lying on the mound crying.

“You did well, Jun-cheol. But don’t be discouraged. It’s the fault of the incompetent manager who gave immature signs.”

It wasn’t just pitcher Jun-cheol who shed tears after giving up a home run. All the players from Gunsan High School were shedding tears. Some for 2 years, some for 3 years. Their efforts were reduced to nothing by Ji Maeng-ho’s home run.

*Sob.*

Sobs could also be heard from the dugout. Jung-hwan understood their hearts. It was an emotion he had felt countless times during his pro days.

To meet a batter with such talent and give his students an unerasable pain in the championship game… This is all the fault of the stupid manager who gave the wrong sign. Blame me.

While thinking such thoughts, a fundamental question arose in Jung-hwan’s mind.

“How on earth did he not miss that ball?”

If he didn’t hit it knowingly, he couldn’t have made such a clear sound while going over the scoreboard. In other words, it meant that his intentions were completely read.

“How did he not miss the changeup he showed only once in the 9th inning, especially a low changeup? Jun-cheol mainly throws fastballs and curves…”

In Jung-hwan’s view, Jun-cheol’s changeup was perfect. But Maeng-ho’s swing was even more perfect than that. He had only thrown it once in the 9th inning…. He perfectly lifted the low changeup that came towards his body.

“Yeah, I have to admit it.”

Thirty years into baseball. Surviving in the pros for 15 years with just determination. But to be blessed with such talent that surpasses his 30 years of experience even before graduating high school,

…Jung-hwan had to admit it.

However, he only hoped that his beloved students wouldn’t be hurt by the huge wall of brilliant talent in front of them, just like his former self.

*

“Wow, he’s throwing a junk ball there? What’s with the confidence?”

“Hehe, that Changeup guy is like that by nature. It’s a ball that even elementary school students can jump over if they know it.”

“The speed is around 120? It was a ball that you just had to jump over completely. Keheheh. Well, you can’t help but be dizzy. Facing Ji Maeng-ho, any pitcher would be so scared that they could only wet themselves.”

“Kuhehehe, he’s completely insane.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Kehehehe!”

*

-[High School Baseball] Korea Physical Education High School wins the 50th Bonghwangdaegi National High School Baseball Tournament… Ji Maeng-ho hits a grand slam home run for a comeback!

(OSEX Park OO Reporter)

Korea Physical Education High School has won the 50th Bonghwangdaegi. In the final of the 50th Bonghwangdaegi, this year’s top high school baseball team, Korea Physical Education High School, defeated the master of comebacks, Gunsan High School, with a score of 4:1 to claim victory. Gunsan High School, which relied on solid teamwork, led by one point until they had caught 26 out counts, but they failed to secure the last out count and ultimately tasted the bitter cup of runner-up.

On the other hand, Korea Physical Education High School achieved a triumphant victory in major competitions by conquering the Golden Lion Cup, Blue Dragon Cup, and Bonghwangdaegi. At the center of it all was the MVP of the three tournaments, Ji Maeng-ho.

(Photo of Ji Maeng-ho smiling broadly)

(Photo of Bonghwangdaegi MVP Ji Maeng-ho = Park OO Reporter)

…(omission)…

Regarding his final home run, Ji Maeng-ho said, “I aimed for a changeup from the beginning.” He also conveyed to the opposing pitcher who gave up the home run, “You pitched well, but don’t be disheartened as you just met a very strong opponent.”

…(omission)…

Ji Maeng-ho, who left such a remarkable record on the high school stage, joined the AT Thunder through the ‘2023 Rookie Draft’ held this year, and there is great interest in what footprint he will leave in the professional league.