episode_0164

I had no choice but to admit it. The guy named Yoon Jung-hwan, who came out of UG after sniping at me, was the worst match for me.

A fastball that creates various changes with the same grip. Control that you don’t even know where you’ll end up. Fast velocity that is not easy to react to. And a pitching form that is not often seen. Everything didn’t fit me.

‘So, you’re giving up?’

‘no. It’s not giving up, it’s acceptance.’

‘What’s the difference between that and giving up?’

‘Hehe, that’s right, that guy is a bullpen pitcher. You just have to avoid creating a situation in the first place, right? So, please be kind to me this time too.’

Okay, since when did I start playing really well? Anyway, the reason I’m playing well is because of Rossby. The situation was simple if you didn’t create an awkward situation. This is literature. If you scoop it up and pass it on before Yoon Jung-hwan comes out, you will never have to meet Yoon Jung-hwan.

“Senior, how do you like the ball?”

“As expected, it’s Lee Seok-gyun? “You said you had an injury last year, but it doesn’t seem any different from when you were in your prime.”

“You mean it’s exactly like the video?”

“okay.”

Then it’s easy. After hearing Kim Soo-ho hit a ground ball to second base and step away, I gained confidence and walked to the plate.

A left-handed starter who throws balls in the mid to late 140s. His main weapon is a fastball and a curveball with a large drop. And a slider and changeup. Although he was injured last year and was not selected for the national team, it is no exaggeration to say that he is the best left-handed pitcher in the league… .’

He also has good ball control, so the concept of today’s batting lineup was to avoid fighting counts with Lee Seok-gyun as much as possible.

‘Then show me that good command.’

‘Fastball. Low ball outside off.’

As Rossby said, Seok-Kyun Lee’s ball hits the low, outer area. strike? cheek?

“strike!”

‘As rumored, the ball is quite good. But it wasn’t strange even if it was a ball, so does that mean the umpires are aware of Lee Seok-gyun’s ball control ability?’

All of these referees had the eyes of a dog, so they didn’t have much of a chance to judge the ball. And the more vague it is, the more it is buried in the value of the names of the players in front of it. Even if the ball is thrown to the same location, it is normal for a pitcher with good control to receive a strike and a hitter with a good pitching ability to receive the ball, so it was not particularly surprising that Lee Seok-gyun’s ball received a strike.

‘I guess Lee Seok-gyun’s control is still better than my pitching ability.’

‘Thinking nonsense. ‘I feel relaxed even after being humiliated like that yesterday.’

‘Disgrace is just having one strikeout.’

‘For something like that, I heard you split the bat nicely?’

‘… … .’

Although Rossby’s words were true and painful, there was a reason why I was relaxed even after seeing Lee Seok-gyun’s performance.

Control like a blade. A fast ball in the mid to upper 140s. And several curveballs. Also, from my perspective, he is a left-handed pitcher with a clear view of the ball.

‘You can’t afford not to have some spare time, right?’

‘It’s too much to just talk nonsense… . It’s a slider.’

And one more reason to be confident. This stadium is too narrow. If you increase the launch angle just a little, it will be enough to go over the fence. I realized that after hitting a home run against UG on the first day.

Yesterday, I missed three at-bats while swinging for this stadium, but in my last at-bat before striking out, I was able to hit a two-run double that hit the fence. Yesterday, after the game, I practiced swinging the launch angle with Rossby.

Now… !

Ta – evil!

-Wow!

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

A clearly visible trajectory. A breaking ball that flies like in the video. And the 130km/h slider was perfect for me. The batted ball narrowly grazed the left fielder’s glove and went into the fence.

“Seniors, take it easy! “Because today is really different.”

The number ‘1’ is engraved on the blank scoreboard. Yes, Yoon Jung-hwan. I had no idea how to hit that kid’s ball. So, wouldn’t it be okay to put UG in a near-dead state before something like this happens?

‘Hehehe, after all, I’m a genius!’

‘Tsk, this stadium is too narrow.’

‘Hey, your student hit a home run, so be happy! The boy is like a little boy.’

‘what? You bitch… … ! … … … … ! … … … … !’

Rossby’s friendly swear words congratulate me on my home run. Is it because it’s his 10th home run? They congratulate me more strongly today.

*

[Isn’t Ji Maeng-ho’s batting sensation strong today? 3 hits and 2 home runs in 3 at-bats. It feels like a blow to avenge yesterday’s defeat.]

[Most of Ji Maeng-ho’s batted balls are going near the fence, right? Since he is a very strong player, it seems that he goes near the fence even if he hits him lightly. Now, is the data screen showing? Your batting form has changed slightly since the first day, right?]

[Haha, I can’t see very well, can I? Could you please explain in more detail for ordinary people like me?]

[If you look at Ji Maeng-ho’s swing on the first day, it’s an upper swing, but if you look at where the bat comes out, you can see that his shoulders are loaded back, right? But if you look at today’s batting, the right shoulder is slightly higher than on the first day. In other words, the angle of the bat was adjusted.]

[Oh, I can see it now too. But is it easy to change your batting form in two days like this?]

[Actually, it’s difficult. Of course, there are cases like Woo Kwan-hyeong whose batting form changes slightly with each at-bat and count, but in fact, it is not common. This is possible because Woo Kwan-hyung is a veteran, but it is not easy for a rookie player like Ji Maeng-ho to do this. Moreover, he is swinging a fierce blow with that modified striking form, so all I can say is that he is amazing.]

[okay. Great hitter Ji Maeng-ho’s fourth at-bat today. The new pitcher is Jin Do-hyeon. The match is… !]

Ta – evil!

The cheerful sound of a batted ball rings out once again at Munhak Stadium, where most of the home fans have left. Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball, aimed at the changed pitcher’s first pitch, boasted a high launch angle and began to fly at a slow speed.

‘You can catch it!’

UG’s right fielder, Choi Jae-hyeon, followed the slowly flying batted ball and thought he might catch it. But as you run, what you see is the green wall of literature. Choi Jae-hyeon stepped on the fence and jumped high toward the batted ball.

Suddenly, I felt a batted ball catch in my glove. Choi Jae-hyun folded his gloves as he felt the sensation that he must have felt tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of times.

‘done!’

-Waaaa!

The sound of the audience cheering as they see their super catch is in their ears. When I looked at the infield while hearing that sound, I saw Ji Maeng-ho circling the diamond with his left hand raised toward third base. And when I instinctively checked, there was nothing left in the glove.

“Oh, shit!”

Chimi can’t control her anger and throws away the empty glove. It was a ball that could have been caught at Jamsil, or at least Suwon Stadium… ! Choi Jae-hyun had been benefiting from that stadium for several years, but seeing the home run that was being made fun of himself like this made him feel incensed.

And the number 3 engraved on the electronic display board.

’12:6… , Tsk. Today’s game is over.’

Although AT’s batting lineup was scary, there was a dark shadow on the faces of the UG players who had no idea that they would explode against them.

*

“Meng Hao, what do you want to do?”

“yes? What?”

After hitting a home run, coach Lee Soo-hyun called me. Are you tired of watching my home run show?

“Do you know that there is a high probability that Yoon Jung-hwan will appear in the next at-bat?”

“hmm… . is it?”

“Yes, and after a meeting with the coaches, we concluded that your timing and Yoon Jung-hwan’s pitch timing are off.”

“Yes, well, I was feeling it too.”

“So, if Yoon Jung-hwan comes out in the next at-bat, I’m thinking of using a pinch hitter. What do you think?”

But is it really necessary to ask me, the player, about this kind of pinch hit?

“Director, do as you think. “Anyway, player selection is within the manager’s authority.”

“thanks. But I was wondering if you wanted to compete again or something like that.”

“Me?”

Win? With Yoon Jung-hwan? I? Why?

“Yes, I’m sure you’ve got a competitive spirit too. So I changed my batting form without saying anything.”

“Oh, did you know that I changed my batting form? But it’s okay.”

“okay? Besides, if I hit just one more home run, it would be 4 home runs in one game, which is also a pretty valuable record.”

“If you keep making records, there will come a day when you can set them again.”

“… … . Although it’s only been 1 year, you have a professional mindset. “I wish the players on my team were half as good as you.”

After saying that, Director Lee Soo-hyun returned to his seat.

‘For some reason you’re speaking normally.’

‘He’s the director appointed by Soyoung, but he’s a bit of a slut. I already saw him having a hard time because of the director… . What if I run away again for no reason? And I don’t even want to compete with that bastard.’

Desire to win? Of course, I am there too. However, there was no need to stop me from replacing it. With the game in full swing, there was no need for me to save the enemy’s spirit by getting struck out by that bastard.

‘Oh, I guess I’m pretty sure it’s a strikeout if I catch it.’

‘Oh, no matter how much I am, how can I compete with a kid who throws a ball without knowing where it’s going! If I were to win the game, it would either be a walk or a strikeout, but even if I walk, I don’t even feel like I’ve won. ‘I just feel bad for no reason.’

I didn’t want to see that bastard strike me out and roar for no reason. Moreover, if I struck out today, even if just by chance, the spotlight could have gone to the guy who struck me out in two consecutive at-bats rather than me, who hit three home runs.

‘Yoon Jung-hwan, the unknown pitcher who struck out genius hitter Ji Maeng-ho in succession… . If an article like this is posted, I might die of shame.’

I didn’t want to give him even an ounce of my spotlight. I’m going to be the best second baseman in human history, but I have such a poor rival. It can’t happen. cancer. If you want to be my rival, you have to bring in Otani.

-Ji Maeng-ho? So, isn’t this the kid that was developed by Yoon Jung-hwan?

ㄴSo who is Yoon Jung-hwan?

It was terrible to think that such an evaluation would come out. I felt a pain in my head because of such terrible thoughts. It’s not painful, but it feels strangely bad, as if someone is knocking on my head… .

“… who is this?!”

“bastard. “Why are you blanking out instead of cheering?”

“… Seniors?”

“You hit a home run, right? “Why don’t you cheer up quickly?”

“… yes.”

“You got kicked out because you didn’t cheer.”

Before I knew it, the weatherman came in after being called out and was hitting my head with his helmet. So I had no choice but to cling to the railing and cheer on the players due to the weather warning.

‘Fuck, I, the polite one, should put up with it.’

*

[In the top of the 9th inning, AT Thunders’ attack begins with second hitter Ji Maeng-ho. The score was 12:7. And on the mound is new pitcher Yoon Jung-hwan. Oh, Ji Maeng-ho is in the dugout and a pinch hitter comes out. Baek Jeong-jin is the pinch hitter.]

[Baek Jeong-jin, a player who moved to the AT Thunders after being traded with Jang Hyun-ho this season, was called up to the first team after showing a batting average of close to .405 in the second-team league. This match will be fun, right?]

[The first pitch is a strike. It stabs exactly in the corner of the body.]

[Oh, you can’t hit that ball. This is a very difficult location for a typist.]

Yoon Jung-hwan’s first pitch was a strike. Just when all fans who know Yoon Jung-hwan thought it was a coincidence, Yoon Jung-hwan’s ball was called a strike again.

[Two strikes situation. Yoon Jung-hwan’s third ball!]

A ball that comes to the center and curves to the outside of the left-handed batter. The ball was quite far from the strike zone, but Baek Jeong-jin’s bat, who was in a two-strike situation, missed a lot.

[Swing strikeout!]

[Yoon Jung-hwan has been throwing very good balls since yesterday.]

And the next batter is Kang Joo-hyun. He stood at bat in place of Ki Ki-joo, but Kang Joo-hyun also struck out three pitches, increasing the out count to two.

[Actually, Baek Jeong-jin and Kang Joo-hyun. These two players can be considered reserve players, right? But the real test is now. I am looking forward to seeing what he will show against Choi Jin-cheol, who hit a home run today and achieved his 7th four of the season.]

As Choi Jin-cheol came to bat, the pressure in Yoon Jung-hwan’s heart increased. However, it was not as burdensome as the pressure I felt when dealing with Ji Maeng-ho yesterday. Yoon Jung-hwan, who had such a burden on his mind, threw the ball with confidence,

[Swing strikeout! Yoon Jung-hwan catches even Choi Jin-cheol with three pitches and a strikeout! Set aside three batters with just nine balls! 9 pitches, 3 strikeouts in 1 inning. We created a record!]

[Hey, Yoon Jung-hwan. He’s always been evaluated as an unfinished player, but he’s often been evaluated as working hard, right? It’s finally coming to fruition. There is a high possibility that they will lose today’s game, but UG Overlords has received a big win in the form of Yoon Jung-hwan. The fact that he even struck out Choi Jin-cheol means that Yoon Jung-hwan broke his egg, right?]

Although UG Overlords lost the game, they were able to craft one gem, Yoon Jung-hwan.

and,

“Aaaah! what! Why is this bastard knight the main character? A flower blooming in the mud? Why does this little knight have a cool title!? what? Is this a record too? Flawless innings? 9th KBA League record?! Fuck! I should have left!! Yoon Jung-hwan made his name known by striking out Ji Maeng-ho in Saturday’s game… ? Shiibaaaal!”

“Meng Hao, be quiet!”

“… yes.”

A man’s loud voice rang out from a building in Jamsil, but it was not of much importance.