episode_0161

“Ji Maeng-ho sometimes misses swings at ridiculous balls, right?”

“huh? “There were times like that.”

Even in today’s game, he took a sharp swing at an outside ball and struck out.

“Honestly, a batter who is bombing the league like Ji Maeng-ho would swing and miss at a ball like this? “What do you think, team leader?”

“It’s strange. But considering he’s a rookie, I don’t think it’s that strange.”

“Hey, I heard at one point that the team leader didn’t look like a rookie.”

“… So what is the conclusion?”

“First of all, these are the scenes of Ji Maeng-ho’s missed swings that I found. “Take a look.”

So, the head of UG Overlord’s power analysis team began to look at the scenes where the team members were talking one by one. It was definitely awkward for a batter of Ji Maeng-ho’s caliber to swing and miss at a ball like this.

“hmm… . “If it’s this much of a missed swing.”

“Right? In my opinion, Ji Maeng-ho is an extreme hitter.”

Guess Hitting. This refers to the type of batter who decides in advance what kind of ball he will hit. Of course, all batters come to the plate thinking in advance about what pitch to hit. And most of those pitches were fastballs.

In general, there are several reasons why batters aim for fastballs. The most common reason among them is that the fastball is the ball that pitchers throw the most. No matter how good of a pitcher he was, he was bound to throw at least 30% of the pitchers’ fastballs.

In addition, the fastball was the most familiar ball to hitters as pitchers threw it the most. If you’re confident of hitting a fast ball, it’s strange not to aim for it. Also, if you bet according to the speed of the fastball, you can hit most balls.

In other words, the basis of all hitters’ targets is the fastball. In each situation, there was a tendency to add things like seasoning, such as targeting breaking balls or weak balls through power analysis.

“So, if it’s an extreme guest hit… ?”

“yes. One ball, one ball. “Every time the pitcher makes a pitching motion, the ball he’s aiming for changes.”

“Uhm… . Is that scarier? “How can you do that?”

Every time a pitcher throws a ball, he can think about what kind of ball he is going to throw. But aiming means that the bat is ready to go. However, it gave me goosebumps to see that a batter whose on-base percentage was currently over .500 and who drew walks was preparing to go out on every pitch.

And what’s even more shocking is that the goal of a player who has just debuted is almost on target.

“The batting average is .400, so if you aim for it, you’re almost guaranteed to hit .800 right?”

Baseball is not a game, it is reality. Even if you were aiming for it, the pitcher’s pitch didn’t come at a constant angle and speed like in a game. It just means that the probability of getting a correct hit increases.

And even if you hit the ball you were aiming for, not all hits are hits. Rather, in baseball, there was a high possibility of being out when a hit was made. According to statistics and data accumulated over more than 100 years, it was common to position the fielder in the position where a batted ball that would be a correct hit would land.

“Probably so, right? “Even if you estimate it conservatively, you’ll get about 50% right.”

“hmm. Really, then I want to bring him in as a hitting coach. “Just by giving him an autograph, the team’s batting average will go up by 100%.”

“If you think about literature and synergy.”

Of course, when a hit is made, the distance naturally increases, so he was the perfect hitter for Munhak, which has a small stadium.

“really… . How can I not trade? The AT front desk seems a bit like a bully. “The same goes for selling Jang Hyeon-ho.”

“Is that okay? He was nominated in the first round and currently has 5 batting awards.”

“Yeah, that won’t work. So what is the conclusion?”

“You just have to put on the mound a pitcher that Ji Maeng-ho can’t target.”

“What is that?”

“The idea is to put a pitcher on the mound who doesn’t even know where he’s going. According to the video I watched, if the velocity is slow, the hitter is a hitter who uses his natural athleticism to hit the ball no matter how unpredictable the direction may be. In other words, what we need is a pitcher who has fast velocity but poor ball control, so he doesn’t know where to throw the ball. “It would be better if the tip of the cheek was dirty.”

“A pitcher like that… . “You’re there right now?”

“yes. “Isn’t there one in Group 2?”

One player came to mind as the leader of the power analysis team. A pitcher throws balls with an average speed of 155 km/h with a side arm that is close to underhand, but his ball control is worse than expected.

“I’m raising Jung-Hwan… .”

UG’s second-team pitcher Yoon Jung-hwan. The pitcher who threw the ball at a maximum speed of 157 km/h was a pitcher who could not even hit the ball in the middle of the strike zone. Even in the second team, K/BB (strikeout-to-walk ratio. The higher the pitcher, the better the pitcher) was 0.5. In other words, to get one strikeout, you have to give two walks.

In a word, he was a pitcher who was on the verge of being released with excellent pitch control. However, the velocity and movement are so good that they are unable to release it.

“But you’re only going to deal with Ji Meng-ho? “Other than Ji Maeng-ho, AT’s batting lineup is scary.”

“therefore. Perfect for one point in an important at-bat. “Wouldn’t it be okay to just play three games and get off?”

Ji Maeng-ho’s current OPS is 1.603. As he is a batter whose OPS tends to drop even if he is given a walk, it was not a loss even if he walked, which is the average expectation for Yoon Jung-hwan.

“It’s not bad. I need to suggest this to the director. hmm… , And just in case, I should also tell the catcher not to talk to Ji Maeng-ho. “It could be that the type of pitch is inferred from the catcher’s words.”

“yes. Then get off work… ?”

“Okay, let’s get off work!”

UG Overlord’s power analysis team members, who had been looking at data and videos all night long, cheered inwardly as the team leader announced that he would be leaving work.

*

‘So, what you’re saying is that when dealing with this bastard, don’t worry about ball control as much as possible and stick to it?’

Austin Webb, a foreign pitcher and first starter for the UG Overlords who was newly recruited this season, recalled the words of power analysts urging him to practice while watching Ji Maeng-ho, who appeared as the second hitter.

‘… why me?’

Do the team’s power analysts not trust me? An average velocity in the low 150s and a breaking ball with a large angle were his main weapons, but what he was really confident about was his sword-like control. Austin Webb was a pitcher who had the control to put the ball right on the outside borderline even after hitting it toward his body.

There is only one reason why Austin Webb came to Korea. health. He had the physical stamina to be a starter in the major leagues, but came to Korea to gain experience as a starter in professional games. Even in the major leagues, he was only used as a mediocre bullpen pitcher and then discarded.

Until 10 years ago, the KBA League was a place for players on the verge of retirement, failures, or prospects who had never played in the major leagues. However, the number of players who achieved good results in the KBA and returned to the majors and showed stable skills has increased, and now the KBA league is another gateway to the major leagues.

Especially for players like Austin Webb, who have flaws in one place, if only they showed how to overcome that weakness… .

‘It wouldn’t be unreasonable to return next year.’

That’s why I didn’t want to listen to the power analyst’s advice to give my best against Ji Maeng-ho without worrying about ball control. The pitch was sensitive, so it was natural that anyone other than a select few could not control the pace as they pleased. If something happens to his body while he is giving his all against Ji Maeng-ho from the first episode, who will take care of the damage?

It seemed unlikely that UG would handle it for him, a mercenary.

‘My control is enough. Even if I play well now, I’m still a kid.’

The first pitch that Webb thought was a curveball. All you need to do is fool the rookie player’s eyes with a breaking ball with a large drop from the beginning, and then lure the young hitter by showing him high and low balls alternately. This alone is enough to show respect for the best hitter in the league right now.

… I thought so.

And Webb was at MVP pace for the month, going 20 innings and allowing two runs in three games, so he deserved to think that way.

but… .

Damn!

‘It was eaten!’

The distinctive sound of a hit was heard from the bat that was turned from the first pitch, and Webb pointed to the sky. A normal outfield fly. Contrary to what the power analysts feared, it was off to a good start… .

“center!”

UG’s starting center fielder Park Gyeong-min chases Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball. I took a gun position and slowly stepped back, but my back collided with the fence.

‘already?’

However, the batted ball was flying to a position where it could not be caught. And, as if to mock Park Kyung-min, he slightly climbed over the fence and disappeared.

[Ji Maeng-ho! Solo home run! As if to relieve the sadness of yesterday’s no-hitter, I hit a home run in my first at-bat today!]

[This is Webb’s first home run. In fact, if it were a different arena than literature, I might have been caught, but this is literature, right? I think I just had a little bit of a hit sound, but this is giving me too much power. It is truly an incredible power.]

[Ji Maeng-ho throws his fist at the fans who came to support the away team, and the sound of the fans’ cheering seems to be disappearing! The protagonist of the first goal is Ji Maeng-ho!]

[Webb covers his mouth with his glove and screams. In your opinion, it wasn’t a batted ball that could be passed over, right? Haha, it must be unfair.]

“[Fucking! What a fucking stadium! How are you supposed to pitch in this stadium? Fucking!]”

Webb’s thoughts were generally correct.

However, the opponent was Ji Maeng-ho.

‘Put the curveball in the zone from the first pitch? Then it must be right. Hehe.’

‘I like it. That means you are being ignored.’

‘What if I’m ignored? Thank you for being such a good princess. From the way he’s screaming, it looks like he hasn’t come to his senses yet, but let’s hit four home runs in a row today!’

‘Wow.’

“Meng Hao! it was good.”

“The youngest is crazy, really!”

“Seniors! Take it easy today, take it easy. You can just pass by here. Hehehehe”

Despite receiving a beating under the guise of congratulations from his seniors, Meng Hao was smiling with his hands on his hips as if he was in a good mood.

“Hey, I told you not to let that bastard fly.”

“Well, how about it? “I think it would be nice for me to hit a home run like that.”

“It’s the same team, but… . “If it weren’t for things like that, it would be good.”

Some seniors were looking at Meng Hao happily, and some were sighing, but Meng Hao, who hit the home run, did not see those seniors.

“If you want to score today, get in front of me! I will invite everyone. Hehehe!”

Ji Maeng-ho’s laughter rang out longer than usual because the humiliating feeling he felt yesterday when he struck out by a strange pitcher seemed to be washed away by the joy of hitting a home run against a pitcher who was currently ranked in the top five in the league.