episode_0143

“Well, hello! It’s review and preview time with Jia! “It’s been a while since I came back!”

– Wow live today!

-ㅠㅠㅠPlease turn on the live often!

-You used to be cute, but today you’re a little sexy.

“Sexy? Hehe, I’m an adult now too. Goodbye cuteness! Now let’s run today with sexy Jia. Wow? You go out. Anyway, today’s guest is dugudugudugududugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugududugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugudugu anyway. This is reporter Lee Young-tae, a baseball reporter! “Thank you for coming even though it is late.”

“It’s an honor to have you invite me.”

It was late in the day when all baseball games were over and each broadcasting company’s highlight programs were over. A live broadcast on iTube has been launched to soothe the hearts of bored baseball fans. Usually, live shows like this come on once a week. Jia’s live broadcast was crowded with fans who liked Jia, fans who couldn’t miss today’s victory, and real people who really love baseball.

“Then shall we get started? Although it’s early in the season, there were a lot of changes in the rankings due to today’s game, right? First of all, if you look at the ranking table, it is divided into the top 4 and the 2nd out of 4. Now, let’s take a quick look at the game and then evaluate each team. “Then shall we begin, reporter?”

The KBA review that started like that went smoothly. And evaluation time for each team. After the evaluation of the teams classified as top 4, the evaluation of the two teams classified as 2nd weak began.

“So we’re the ninth-place team. Volcano Falcons. This team is off to a bad start with 3 wins and 8 losses. “Reporter, what do you think?”

“Umm, Volcano Falcons. In fact, if you look at the performance alone, it is a bit different, but as they have declared rebuilding this season, many young players are showing up. There are Tuta pillars that hold the center. Even coach Jeong Cheol-min, who is considered a rebuilding genius. Hwasan fans can look forward to it.”

“Actually, we have been rebuilding for several years, but I had the feeling that this season would be a real rebuild.”

“Yes. “The players who have been consistently given opportunities during the rebuilding process have now reached their prime, and the rookies we have collected in the draft are slowly showing their prominence.”

“Especially Choi Si-woo’s form these days is scary, isn’t it?”

“Hwasan’s first baseman, Choi Si-woo, has only 11 games to play, but he is currently showing a good slash line of 0.340/0.392/0.681/1.073 and recording 3 home runs. He showed slugging ability in his 3rd year and slugging ability in his 4th year. You showed off your precise striking ability, right? And this year, the 5th year, it looks like they really broke the egg and took a step up. “It’s showing what volcano fans have been waiting for.”

“On the pitching side, the new players we have collected so far are showing good performances, right?”

-Hey! Now our prospects are really starting to explode!

-Well, you’re in last place, right?

-It’s not last place, it’s 9th place? Haha, isn’t that team in last place?

-LOL How can you be worse than a volcano?

-Choi Si-woo is good haha.

“yes. The trio of Hwasan rookie pitchers are showing good form, right? In particular, Shin Su-ho, the number one pick pitcher in 2020, saved all three games he won, showing his potential as a next-generation national team closer. “The ERA is 0.”

“And Chae Jae-hyun and Kim Min-jun have a combined three wins. In particular, Minjun Kim is in his third year, and showed potential as a starter last year. This season, he appeared in three games and recorded an ERA of 2.57, 15 strikeouts, and 2 wins in 14 innings, showing his potential as a right-handed ace representing Korea. You know? “The Hwasan Falcons are still in 9th place due to the lack of foreign players, but wouldn’t there be a chance for them to go up further if only the foreign players do their part?”

“It’s just as you said, Mr. Jia. “If the Hwasan Falcons’ foreign one-two punch operates normally, fall baseball won’t be a dream either.”

“Then now it is the turn of the long-awaited 10th place, AT Thunders.”

“Actually, there’s a lot to say about AT Thunders, right?”

-It’s finally here haha.

-They put down nearly 20 billion won and the last place is a legend haha.

-AT has good players, so why is it ranked last?

-If you just look at the record, it’s really good…..

“Ah, just looking at the record, it’s really good. you’re right. Actually, it’s a little strange that we won two games with this record, right? First of all, Kim Su-ho, Ki Ki-joo, Woo Kwan-hyung, and Choi Jin-cheol. These four people are recognized by everyone as representing our country, right? In addition, Ji Maeng-ho showed a sensational performance in the WBC.”

“… Ji Maeng-ho.”

Jia’s expression turned strange at the name Ji Maeng-ho mentioned by the reporter, but no one noticed. The reporter, who thought it was a typical reaction, continued talking.

“Yes, Ji Maeng-ho and Boer, a mercenary hitter who hits .300. The batting order is really good. But the pitching staff is really disappointing, isn’t it?”

“huh? But the pitching staff also doesn’t have a bad ERA?”

“yes. In fact, with the exception of Jansen, who has an ERA of 6.75, most of his players have an ERA in the 3 to 4 range. But the problem is that when a score is given, it is often given a large amount. If the batters score, the pitchers give up points, and if the pitchers allow 1 or 2 runs, the batters don’t score. Should I say that this is a performance that cannot help but be said to have been influenced by Ma?”

“Hmm, there is definitely a big gap between the players’ performance and rankings.”

-That’s because they’re all bastards who only care about their stats lol.

-Is the bore okay? Does it make sense for the number 4 hitter to have 4 RBIs in 11 games?

-Yes, the next one is Tuseungtattachung.

-What the fuck is this team?

-I want to hit all the bastards in the head with a pork cutlet hammer.

As soon as the AT Thunders story came up, the chat window started to overheat. These days, the comment window for articles has disappeared, and the only places for baseball fans to relieve their stress are internet communities and baseball-related broadcasts.

“iced coffee. The chat window seems to be overheating. Come down, come down. Ah, thank you for supporting Super Chat.”

“hmm… . It might get a little heated if I bring this up, but they say there were reporters who saw Coach Sands walking to the club’s office after today’s game? “I don’t think Coach Sands has that much time left.”

-Are you finally making a decision?

-It’s already early in the season.

-ㅉㅉ Who wants to go to AT when they only change coaches like this?

-It’s either poison or the Holy Grail…

-Holy Grail? It seems like it’s just a glass of wine

-But who is the director now? Is there a sense of supervision?

“now. It’s not certain yet. hmm. We will talk about AT in more detail next Monday. Then, I will preview it one last time and end it. There are a lot of important games in this weekend’s series, right? The first match will be between Hwasan Falcons and AT Thunders in Daejeon. “Am I the only one who has a feeling that the team that loses here will be in last place for a while?”

“As Jia said, the loss of the two teams will be a bigger blow, right? In fact, it feels a little unfair from AT Thunders’ perspective. Excluding NV Rex, who faced this time, it was Hancheol, Hyeonseong, and Silla. We only played against strong teams like this, right? I definitely have to prove it against Hwasan. “I think Coach Sands’ future will become unstable if he loses this match.”

“It’s actually the biggest game of the weekend series. so! This time we will be filming a vlog in Daejeon, so please come and see us! Autographs and photos! “Anytime is okay!”

-and! I’m going straight to Daejeon.

-If you look at him in person, is he really short?

-I saw you in Jamsil the other day and I thought you were a middle school student.

“There, the key story is the van. And my proportions are good, so I don’t look that short!”

There is only one condition for choosing the game in which Jia filmed the vlog. The only question is whether the game will attract a lot of attention. And just as Jia thought, the match between the Hwasan Falcons and AT Thunders was attracting a lot of attention.

AT fans who think Volcanoes will win and Volcanic fans who think AT will win. And even the reporters who heard the rumor that Director Sands had been called to the front desk.

“then! Saturday, so tomorrow is now, right? See you tomorrow in Daejeon!”

*

“Wow, look at the AT lineup, how bloody is it?”

Hearing the words of Choi Si-woo, the Hwasan Falcons’ leading hitter, the Hwasan players turned their attention to the electronic display board. The lineup and batting averages of both teams were written on the electronic display board.

“Ji Maeng-ho 0.410, Kim Su-ho 0.317, Ki Ki-ju 0.340, Bohr 0.319, Choi Jin-cheol 0.283, Woo Gwan-hyeong 0.364, Jeong Yun-cheol 0.279, Yoon Seong-tae 0.364, Kim Joo-yeop 0.316. It’s early in the season, but there are 7 hitters in the lineup hitting .300? Besides, isn’t Ji Maeng-ho the number one home run hitter in the league right now?”

The tone of Hwasan’s starting pitcher Kim Min-jun was full of boredom.

“Right. Tied for first place with 5. Below him is senior Jincheol, who hit 4 shots. “How are you coming in last place with that batting lineup?”

“Isn’t that what the batters he faced did so well? “Brother Siwoo, please ask me again today.”

“Today’s AT starter is Kim Chan-young, so I’ll give it a try.”

“Then please do me a favor.”

“Siwoo, Minjun. “I’ll just trust you today.”

“Senior, please show me too!”

The atmosphere in the Hwasan dugout was brightening as Hwasan’s young two-hitting aces, Choi Si-woo and Kim Min-jun, were having a conversation.

In fact, the Hwasan Falcons weren’t in such a good mood either. 3 wins, 8 losses. After two consecutive losses in the opening series, they were in 9th place while continuing to lose series, so even if they had been stuck in the bottom tier for several years, the atmosphere could not have been good.

In the midst of all this, this is why players can smile before the game. This was because the opponent was the AT Thunders, who were in last place with a record of 2 wins and 9 losses.

If the comparison was based solely on individual performance, it would not have made sense to compare Hwasan and AT. To put it bluntly, the only hitter hitting .300 in Hwasan was Choi Si-woo, the team’s leading hitter.

However, all Hwasan players who watched AT Thunders’ game to analyze their strength were full of confidence. Since they were all professional players who devoted their lives to baseball and made a living by playing baseball, they could feel a strange sense of incongruity with the AT Thunders.

‘There’s something strange about AT Thunders right now.’

The sentiment felt by all the Huashan Falcons players was something they felt instinctively because it was similar to the Huashan Falcons when they were at their best.

‘AT can win! There was no organic structure in the batting line, and the balance of the two batting was broken. I don’t know why, but it feels like everyone lacks concentration. If this is the case, the winning series… .’

Although not everyone was talking, the players were closer together than their families, so they could tell each other’s thoughts just by looking into each other’s eyes, and that sharing of emotions gave them confidence that they could win.

“Minjun. Ji Maeng-ho, be especially careful. “Because that bastard is in unusual form these days.”

“All right.”

After receiving such a good atmosphere in the dugout, today’s starter Kim Min-jun took the mound.

‘Today’s AT starter is senior Chan-young, so how will the batters do it if we keep him within 3 runs?’

[There was a great opening pitch from the police officers! Please cheer with loud applause!]

After the first pitch, AT’s first batter, Ji Maeng-ho, comes to bat. Although he is a rookie player, the appearance of the hitter who is currently receiving the most attention in the league gave Kim Min-jun a strong desire to win.

‘I heard you’re playing well these days, shall we take a look and see how well you’re playing? ‘I want to win with a fastball.’

The first sign was a breaking ball, and Minjun Kim shook his head. The second sign is also a breaking ball. When Kim Seung-hyeon, a veteran catcher, shook his head at that ball, he immediately realized what Kim Min-jun wanted.

‘You want to hit with a fastball? okay.’

The battery decided on the sign and the 146km/h fastball headed toward home plate.

Ta – evil!

And the ball disappeared over the fence much faster than the speed at which it was thrown.

“Wow, shit.”

‘Real power doesn’t make sense? ‘I thought it was going to suck.’

A large foul home run that slightly misses the pole. As cold sweat broke out over the batted ball that had gone out of bounds, I saw Ji Maeng-ho smiling slightly while looking at the batted ball at the plate.

‘Smile? Let’s try this, right?’

Kim Min-jun’s competitive spirit ignited.