episode_0079

“Are you going to hit a special attack like this? Maeng-ho. If you want to train, just say so.”

“…That’s not what I meant.”

Up to now, my record stands at 3 at-bats with 1 hit. I managed to hit a ball splitting left-center field once, but the ball was too fast for me to make it to second base. The UG outfielders’ defense was also top-notch. Maybe last year’s championship team wasn’t just for show? UG’s defense had no flaws whatsoever. Their shoulders were solid too.

“But you still have one at-bat left, right?”

“That’s true.”

“As long as there’s no substitution.”

The current score is tied at 3:3 in a strangely close game. If the coach has any intention of making a change, I’ll be ready to head to the bench at any moment. Plus, it’s already the bottom of the 7th inning. The nerves are starting to kick in.

“Jin-mo, fight! Knock one out of the park!”

Cheering from the dugout wasn’t really my style, but to avoid the special attack, getting on base was crucial. I raised my voice to cheer on the 5th batter, Jin-mo.

“He’s got good spirit.”

“Seung-cheol, aren’t you cheering? You’re the youngest here.”

“Senior Jin-mo! Don’t go easy on your teammate, knock it out!”

Thwack!

As if hearing our voices from the dugout, Jin-mo produced a splendid hit.

“It’s going far!”

“Please, don’t get caught.”

The line drive was flying when UG’s center fielder made a spectacular jump catch.

“Wow, how old is Kyung-min senior that he still plays defense so well?”

“He caught that.”

Sigh… It was my mistake to rely on others. I quietly grabbed my glove.

“Ji Maeng-ho!”

What’s this? A substitution? At the sudden call from the coach, I turned my head instead of heading out.

“Coach?”

“Give it your all and come back. There won’t be any substitutions today, so do your best until the end.”

Oh! Is this what they call a masterful leadership? To give a rookie like me such an opportunity.

“Got it!”

With the coach’s assurance of no substitutions, I felt a sense of calm settling in. Just like my composed mind, the top of the 8th inning for UG Over Roses ended smoothly with three batters out, and the National Team’s offense began in the bottom of the 8th inning.

“If it’s Kim Su-ho, Lee Yong-gi, and Kim Hwan-young, at least one of them will get on base. My turn at bat will come around.”

Kim Su-ho was a contender for the third baseman position domestically, while Lee Yong-gi had received the Golden Glove award three times as a catcher from 2019 to 2022. Moreover, Kim Hwan-young had also won the Golden Glove award for two consecutive years as a shortstop for the Silla Triggers.

Unlike Park Cheol-young, Kim Hwan-young had a quiet personality, so we weren’t particularly close, but his skills were undeniable. Saying there’s no strong lineup means they must be referring to these three batters right in front of me.

“Please, let one of them get on base!”

Thwack!

“A fly to right field!”

However, to my dismay, leadoff batter Kim Su-ho hit a pitch and headed back to the dugout. Oh, should I start preparing too? I quickly found my gear.

“Too bad.”

“As expected, is that Jang Dong-hyun? His pitches are solid. Hwan-young, no need for explanations, right?”

“Yes. I’ve faced him a lot.”

“I… Senior Kim Su-ho?”

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure.”

As the next batter, Kim Hwan-young moved to the on-deck circle, I approached Kim Su-ho, swallowing my embarrassment, and asked about Jang Dong-hyun, the pitcher. The analysts were busy analyzing other national teams, so they didn’t provide much insight.

“Right. You’re a rookie, right?”

“Yes. Please tell me.”

“You really haven’t watched KBA, huh? Not knowing Jang Dong-hyun.”

“Well… I’ve been busy with training…”

“His fastball is around 150 mph? But in spring, it looks more like the mid-140s, and he throws forkballs and sliders. Sliders for counts and forkballs for decisive moments. Anything else you want to know?”

“No, that’s enough. Thank

Confinement can be seen from the perspective of the waiting area. That aside, the explanation was quite good. Though they seemed indifferent to others, they appeared to be within an acceptable range this time.

“Oh! It’s a big hit!”

As Kim Hwanyeong listened to the explanation, Yi Yonggi successfully reached base with a direct hit to the wall for a double. Well, that notion of not being a national team player seems unfounded.

“Runner on second, Park Cheolyeong. Cheolyeong. Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Yi Yonggi, moving slowly towards second base, was replaced by the swift-legged Park Cheolyeong as the pinch runner as soon as he got there. Should I start making my way to the batter’s box now?

With a runner on second, no double play was possible, and as long as Park Cheolyeong on second didn’t make any mistakes, he would definitely connect to my at-bat. Furthermore, Park Cheolyeong was experienced in running bases, so the likelihood of him attempting a steal was low.

“Hey, call me home. Then I’ll buy coffee. Okay?”

“What about a special hit?”

“That’s a problem you’ll have to solve with your senior.”

“Fine…”

“…ball.”

“I’ll start now.”

I almost cursed. This is all because of Losbi. Because of Losbi, my language has become too harsh. I used to be someone who didn’t know how to curse.

“What nonsense is that?”

“But blaming me isn’t fair.”

“This little monkey…!”

“See, my language has become harsh because of your constant cursing.”

“So what?”

“…Just leave it at that.”

If Losbi gets upset, I’m the one who loses. Let’s leave it at this for now…

“Ball.”

I began observing the pitches of UG’s pitcher Jang Donghyun. The first pitch was a slider. It didn’t have a significant break, but its speed, similar to a fastball, seemed challenging for ordinary batters to distinguish.

“Well, I’m not an ordinary batter. Anyway, I wanted to see a forkball… Why isn’t it a full count yet?”

However, contrary to my hopes, Kim Hwanyeong swung at Jang Donghyun’s second pitch.

Crack!

“It’s up!”

Kim Hwanyeong’s hit to right field went high, but the ball seemed to lose momentum and started to drop.

“Will it be caught?”

The right fielder positioned himself and took a step back.

“It looks like it’ll go over.”

“…Seems that way.”

“Out!”

As the right fielder caught the ball, Park Cheolyeong on second started tagging up.

“To third!”

Indeed, Park Cheolyeong? He’s fast. Although the UG right fielder seemed to have a strong arm, Park Cheolyeong’s speed surpassed it. From decision-making to sliding, his baserunning was flawless.

“There’s definitely a difference between you and me.”

“Maybe it’s because Losbi messed up his baserunning?”

Since my baserunning skills were at a high school level with added experience from Losbi, I felt confident. In fact, Losbi’s baserunning experience was almost non-existent, so our skills were quite similar.

“Heh, as a home run hitter like me, I don’t need to run as hard as you guys.”

“I guess so.”

“I want to deny it, but looking at your strength, I can’t.”

For once, Losbi praised me and then moved to sit next to the familiar pitcher.

“Focus.”

“Hey. Did you argue with Jin Hyeong yesterday?”

Why is he suddenly bringing this up after three at-bats? If it’s Jin Hyeong, is he talking about that first baseman from yesterday?

“Why does that matter all of a sudden?”

“Hey, don’t get delusional about your skills just because you went to the national team as a face model.”

“He’s trying to shake you up in a scoring position. Ignore him. The first pitch is a forkball.”

It seemed like he suddenly decided to talk. Does he hate losing even in practice games? Anyway, since it’s a forkball, I should filter this at-bat.

“Ball.”

Jang Donghyun’s forkball flew like most pitchers’ fastballs before suddenly dropping. If I didn’t know it was a forkball, I would have swung for sure. But in baseball, there are no “ifs.”

“If you’re a rookie, you need a bit of boldness. If you freeze up and can’t even swing the bat, tsk. You’re done for.”

“Shut your mouth.”

“Close your mouth a bit, will you? Look at that useless bastard.”

“Referee, the catcher is swearing. Aren’t you going to penalize him?”

“Hmm… It’s just a practice game. Let’s keep it clean. Both players.”

After hearing my appeal, the referee intervened with UG’s catcher.

“He’s acting like he’s invincible.”

As the catcher quieted down, I felt myself focusing more on pitching.

“How’s the pitcher doing right now?”

Looking at the expression of the pitcher, Jang Donghyun, it seemed like he was having trouble concentrating due to Park Chulyoung on third base.

“Is the pitcher struggling? Can’t tell by his expression alone.”

“He looks like a veteran from his face, but would he be shaken that easily? Stubborn guy. Next pitch is a fastball. The catcher’s mitt is positioned outside.”

“Outside, confirmed.”

This was the most ambiguous moment. High school-level pitchers typically showed their pitch location as soon as they brought the ball towards the catcher’s mitt, indicating whether it was a strike or a ball.

However, from observing pro pitchers since the end of camp, very few pitchers telegraphed their pitches so obviously.

“Even the weak pitchers of AT Thunder are at that level, but the bullpen kingdom UG Overlords’ pitchers, especially a setup man right before the closer, would throw the ball even more ambiguously, wouldn’t they?”

I needed to pay attention to that pitch. Overall, the control of UG pitchers in the three plate appearances so far had been quite good.

“Time!”

My batting form was slightly off home plate to aim for an inside pitch. However, there was no need to target an outside pitch inside, so I called “Time,” pretending to adjust my timing by swinging the bat around before settling back into position.

“Oh, come on. Why drag your feet in like that, kicking up dirt?”

It was to make it seem like I didn’t connect well. Without revealing my true intentions, I replied shortly, “Routine,” and glanced at the catcher, Rossby.

“No changes.”

“Okay.”

“Ugh!”

As Jang Donghyun’s grunt echoed, the ball left the pitcher’s hand. Having watched closely from the bench, my timing was…!

Crack!

“I got it…!”

At the moment the ball met the bat, I instinctively used my wrist to pull and exerted maximum force.

The hit soared towards the left-field wall like a bullet. That was a solid hit.

“Let’s enjoy the hit a bit.”

After admiring the hit, looking at the catcher’s expression of disbelief was quite satisfying.

“Wow—!!!”

Since the catcher was bold, he shouted loudly and threw his bat into the air.

“……”

As I jogged slowly to first base, I noticed the first baseman who had argued with me yesterday standing at first base.

“Wow—!!!”

I decided to give this guy a little ceremony too.

Thump!

After exchanging a high-five with the first base coach, I leisurely rounded the diamond.

“How did you manage to pull that outside pitch like that?”

Park Chulyoung’s amazed voice came from behind home plate.

“Is it a different kind of physical strength compared to yours, bro?”

“This guy is really something; I’m scared he might surpass me.”

“He makes it look easy.”

After a brief chat with Park Chulyoung, I entered the dugout where many of the national team players were lined up, waiting for me.

“Youngest one, fighting! Are you going crazy during practice games?”

“Wow, your power is insane. This guy?!”

Thwack! Thwack!

“Oh! Congratulations on the home run, Maengho!”

Thwack! Ouch, damn. But despite the pain, I felt good. It wasn’t because I was a masochist, but the joy of hitting a home run overshadowed the pain.

“Oh, I should have hit a special today too. Well done, Ji Maengho!”

Finally, a fist bump. Indeed, a home run is the best.

*

Top of the 9th inning. Two outs. The fourth-year player from UG, who walked, greeted first baseman Gu Jinmo warmly.

“Senior. Hello.”

“Sure.”

“Senior, um…”

“What is it?”

“Senior Kyungho seems a bit upset.”

“Kyungho? Why?”

“Well… He thought Maengho’s home run earlier was too much. And he said that Maengho acted rudely towards Jinhyung senior yesterday. Um…”

“I see. I roughly understand what you mean.”

With his long career in the sports world, Gu Jinmo could grasp the situation.

“Hmm, I don’t really want to meddle. But if Kyungho senior said something, I guess I should make a gesture too, right? Seems like he’s a bit angry.”

Even though Gu Jinmo was a franchise star and a prominent hitter for UG, it wasn’t easy to disregard Baek Kyungho’s words. While he didn’t feel the need to say anything to other team players, teaching respect for seniors was also part of his duty.

“Well then, I’ll handle it. Especially since Jinhyung senior seems seriously upset.”

“Got it. Focus on the game.”

“I should probably just apologize quickly and be done with it.”

It wasn’t his style to confront juniors, but that didn’t mean Gu Jinmo had never done so before. So, he casually decided that after the game, he would call Maengho.