episode_0184

[The two teams are in a tight battle until the 9th inning. The score is 6:5. Hancheol is ahead by one point, and closer Jeong Tae-hwan is now on Hancheol’s mound.]

[The two teams fought fiercely against each other, but it seemed like there was a lull from the 8th episode, right? There is now one inning left for AT Thunders. However, the batting order is good. The batting order starts with Kim Su-ho, the number one hitter, so you have to stay focused until the end.]

[Kim Su-ho’s batting performance today was 2 hits in 3 at-bats and 1 walk. He reached base in all but one at-bat.]

When Kim Soo-ho, who shared the position of the best third baseman in the 2010s with Choi Jin-cheol, came to the plate, AT Thunders fans cheered even louder. There were still three outs left before the game ended, and fans who came to watch the baseball game with young children had not yet given up hope.

A 1-point difference, in a normal AT, a 1-point difference in the 9th inning was an unexpected score, but this season was different. Because AT was rising from the bottom thanks to the cohesiveness of the batting lineup.

“Dad, aren’t you going home?”

“Not yet, not yet… .”

The son, who was watching an AT game for the first time in a long time, was not feeling it, but his father, who watched the baseball game every day at 6 o’clock, was feeling it. You can do this. Therefore, the father who came to the baseball stadium with his young son was praying earnestly that the AT Thunders, a strong team during his childhood, would give him an unforgettable and powerful gift to his son as well.

“Taehwan. Let’s just block one point… .”

And Hancheol’s fans felt the same way. Jeong Tae-hwan, the finisher who had reliably protected the backdoor, was praying earnestly as he always had, but the atmosphere in the stadium was unusual.

The general crowd who came just to enjoy the day’s game might not know, but the heavy fans who watched every game could feel the atmosphere. Moreover, the opponent is AT Thunders. This was the team that did not give up a goal to Jeong Tae-hwan in the opening game. Of course, the opening match was won by Lee Yong-gi’s finish, but that did not take away the fact that Jeong Tae-hwan collapsed.

[Jung Tae-hwan’s first pitch! strike!]

“done!”

“Taehwan, it was good!”

Jeong Tae-hwan, who finished the season, put the ball cleanly into the strike zone from the first pitch, as if to put the fans’ minds at ease. The speed stamped on the electronic display board was 152km/h.

“Jung Tae-hwan looks good today?”

“Ha, please… .”

“Suho, please come out in front of Mengho just once… . “You can do it.”

“Jung Tae-hwan, I believe… .”

Jeong Tae-hwan’s second ball that everyone watched with bated breath.

Perfect!

A fast batted ball flew towards the pitcher with a loud sound.

“please please!”

“catch!!!”

Jeong Tae-hwan instinctively brought his glove to the batted ball. A heavy sensation of touching the glove.

‘Gotcha… !’

I closed the glove, but the sensation I felt from the glove was different from usual.

“Taehwan! Next!”

Hearing the shortstop’s shout, he quickly looked at the ground and saw the ball bouncing off his glove and rolling leisurely between the shortstop, the third baseman, and himself.

“hey! “Bow!”

And then the third baseman’s call. Conscious of being a left-handed hitter, third baseman Park Joong-ki, who was closer to the shortstop, led his tall body and picked up the rolling ball. Jeong Tae-hwan lowered his body as he had practiced countless times when the third baseman shouted.

‘Kim Su-ho… !’

When I turn my head and look at first base, I see the first baseman’s outstretched mitt and the image of Kim Su-ho sprinting all the way to first base. And a white object flying between them. And just before that white object, the baseball, reached the mitt, Kim Su-ho’s foot first stepped on the first base.

“Aaaah!”

“Fuck you!”

Kim Soo-ho’s screams, which are not often seen, and Jung Tae-hwan heard Park Joong-ki’s swear words, which were familiar to Jung Tae-hwan.

“Safe!”

-Kim Su-ho! Kim Soo-ho! Kim Soo-ho!

[Kim Su-ho’s sprint ultimately created an opportunity. Now the runner is on first base, and if he comes home, he could become the runner with the tying run. And in that situation, Ji Maeng-ho, the current best hitter in the league, comes to the plate.]

[This is where Ji Maeng-ho comes in. Ji Maeng-ho, who added one home run today and is the league’s top home run leader with 16 home runs, is probably having a hard time even on Hancheol’s bench.]

[In addition, the players waiting to bat next are Ki-joo Ki, Jin-cheol Choi, and Gwan-hyeong Woo, making it an all-time batting order. Hancheol faces a big crisis in the last inning.]

[Kim Su-ho will be replaced by pinch runner Lee In-hyuk. This season, he recorded a 100% steal success rate with three stolen bases.]

[The probability of running may not be high as the player wearing the catcher’s mask is Lee Yong-gi, but Lee In-hyuk is a runner who can steal bases at any time.]

At the critical moment of putting the leadoff hitter on base, Lee Yong-gi walks up to the mound.

“Ha, damn it, I should have caught it.”

“Brother, don’t worry about it, let’s focus on the next batter. “I was unlucky.”

“Write it. I should have caught it… . Anyway, what are you going to do with the next batter, Ji Maenghon?”

The next batter is Ji Maeng-ho. Not only did he play well for a month after the season opened, but he was also a hitter in peak condition today, hitting a home run.

“Let’s go the hard way.”

“… “Would you rather skip it?”

“Anyway, it’s Sangju hyung and Choi Jincheol. Choi Jin-cheol also looks to be in good condition today. Well, Sangju-hyung’s condition doesn’t look good.”

“Fuck, the batting line is throwing up. “I don’t think it was like this in the opening game.”

Until last year, AT’s batting line was one that there was nothing to fear as long as Kim Su-ho was careful. Although there was a Woo Gwan-hyung, the decline was visible until last year, but I don’t know if it was because of what the old man ate, but it was visible that he had rejuvenated.

Additionally, the addition of Ki Ki-joo and Choi Jin-cheol has definitely improved the quality of AT’s batting lineup.

And even newcomer Ji Maeng-ho, who just debuted with Hwaryong Jeomjeong. In fact, players like Kim Su-ho, Ki Ki-joo, Choi Jin-cheol, and Woo Kwan-hyung were famous players in the league, and even if they were good, they weren’t strange players.

But Ji Maeng-ho, this guy I don’t know where he came from, was completely destroying the league’s ecosystem.

A rookie who had just debuted was ranked first in all batting categories, and his OPS was fluctuating at 1.5. I heard that he graduated from high school last year. Why did a guy like this stay in Korea instead of going to a major?

‘… Fuck, can’t it be put out with a major quickly?’

“That’s right, fuck. Tsk. What should I do? I have to deal with it. Instead, let’s make it as difficult as possible.”

“Yes, courage. request.”

After patting his back with a tuk-tuk and a mitt, Lee Yong-gi walked back to home plate.

‘Okay, let’s do it.’

Anyway, Jeong Tae-hwan himself was once a pitcher who was said to be the best closer in the league. There was no way I could carry it here because I was scared.

And Ji Maeng-ho came to bat.

‘The young guy feels intimidated…’ .’

The look in his eyes that said he would hit any ball pierced Jeong Tae-hwan’s heart. It looked similar to the look in Kang Han-beom’s eyes before he went to America.

‘It definitely wasn’t that bad the last time we met.’

Ji Maeng-ho, whom I saw on the day of the opening game when he missed the game due to an intentional throw, was not a player with this level of intimidation. But now… .

‘Does a place make a person?’

‘Outside, let’s make it bigger with the slider.’

However, my impressions of Ji Maeng-ho end here. Now we have to focus on winning.

‘okay.’

Jeong Tae-hwan gathered his composure again and nodded after seeing Lee Yong-gi’s sign.

‘Phew, the eyes have returned.’

And Lee Yong-gi sighed inwardly. After receiving an unfortunate hit from Kim Su-ho, he looked shaken, but fortunately, he felt like he had returned to his original form before facing Ji Maeng-ho. Of course, even if that were the case, the grand strategy for dealing with Ji Meng-ho would not change.

Throw as difficult a ball as possible until the three-ball, and skip it when you get into a three-ball situation. For this guy whose OPS was well over 1, it was beneficial to give him a walk.

“Ha, avoid me again?”

As Lee Yong-gi was sighing in relief, Ji Maeng-ho’s mumbling was heard from the batter’s box. what? Did you notice it without even seeing the first pitch? Lee Yong-gi quickly looked towards Lee In-hyuk, but Lee In-hyuk did not make any strange movements. And he wasn’t an amateur enough to have his autograph stolen by a runner on first base.

“what?”

“It was like this last time too. “Well, you’re a little scared, right?”

Did you read the atmosphere that was trying to filter you? As expected, I have felt this since he was a member of the national team, but he was an excellent player with the ability to read the psychology of the battery.

“Is that what you thought?”

Of course, even if that were the case, I had no intention of hanging out. Are you getting angry and entering the competition for no reason? The professional world wasn’t that soft. Some idiots might be like that, but Lee Yong-ki was not that kind of player.

“cheek.”

The slider comes in with a sharp bend outward. Jeong Tae-hwan hits the expected course exactly. Although he unluckily took a hit today, Tae-hwan Jeong’s condition was definitely good.

“Use it.”

‘You look annoyed. Well, since you’re young, you probably want to solve it yourself. Brother, keep going outward. Fastball this time.’

Jeong Tae-hwan nodded again. And the trajectory of the ball deviates significantly outward,

Whoa!

Ji Maeng-ho’s bat swings with the sound of strong wind.

“huh?”

Ji Maeng-ho is not the type of guy who swings the bat at balls like this… . With that thought in mind, I looked up at Ji Maeng-ho through the catcher’s mask and saw him grinning.

“and. Thoughts. pond. “I did. Yes.”

Speech as if reading a Korean language book.

‘This bastard… !’

It was completely mocking. Facial expression, tone of voice, ridiculous swing. This is a clear provocation.

‘Are you crazy? Swinging it here? why? They said they would let him get on first base. But why? why?’

Even Lee Yong-gi, who is considered one of the best catchers in Korea, could not help but be embarrassed as he was experiencing this for the first time in his 20 years of experience as a catcher since elementary school.

‘So, you’re protesting to win, right? … Shall we guess?’

I was able to find out later what he was thinking, but he was too cocky. Arrogance that goes beyond the limit. I had a strong desire to punch him in the body, but I quickly gave up the thought. Jeong Tae-hwan’s balance could have been broken if he hit a dead ball for no reason.

Lee Yong-gi’s head, which had been suddenly heated, cools down again.

‘Wake up from your dream, because that will never happen.’

It was easier to deal with Ki Ki-ju than to deal with Ji Maeng-ho. Ki Ki-ju was also a good hitter and a close friend to me personally, but I met him as a teammate 10 years ago. He already knew very well what kind of balls he liked and what he didn’t like. As proof of that, Ki Yong-gi was confident because he was tightly tied up today.

Choi Jin-cheol there? Choi Jin-cheol was also a hitter who dominated the league and already knew his weaknesses. It’s just that the one shot that happens to come out is scary. As Woo Gwan-hyung got older, he could overcome Jeong Tae-hwan’s performance. Even if one of Choi Jin-cheol or Woo Kwan-hyung gets on base, the next batter is Boer, who is showing weakness in scoring.

However, I didn’t do it intentionally. If Lee In-hyuk ran to second base, I had to catch him at any time.

‘If you just filter out this guy, you can easily block him. Third highway, outward.’

Farther than before. Don’t feel weird for no reason. A direct expression that I have no intention of competing with you.

Whoa!

And the sound of a bat is heard again.

“… … ?”

“Wow, again. “I was tricked.”

‘Is he really crazy? ‘You’re swinging for two strikes?’

One missed swing is all it takes to strike out. Moreover, even if it matched the bat, getting on base was not 100% guaranteed. But you’re swinging it again?

Jeong Tae-hwan and Lee Yong-gi’s eyes meet. The remaining count is three balls and one strike.

‘If it’s like this… .’

‘At least once… .’

And the two batteries’ ideas worked.

”Let’s compete!”

Of course, there is no reason to go straight into the strike zone. Because you only have to fool the batter once.

‘Slider lower.’

“cheek.”

Ji Maeng-ho skips the fourth ball. But I could clearly see him flinching.

‘Yes, you’ll be scared because it’s two strikes.’

Of course, just because I was scared didn’t mean the game was in my favor. It was difficult to even catch the remaining count. A guy who seemed to be looking into his head for the first time since his debut, Ji Maeng-ho was that kind of guy.

‘Again, low slider.’

“cheek.”

Ji Maeng-ho flinches once again. The count is now full. Lee Yong-gi’s head began to spin busily.

Forget about off-speed pitches. The OPS for low-velocity breaking balls is monstrous. What remains are fastballs and sliders. However, Ji Maeng-ho is definitely a guy who can hit a slider that I have seen a few times. No, it was clear that it was going to hit.

‘Then again… .’

‘… A fastball? okay. It’s scary, but that’s what courage requires. Let’s strike out and let’s go.’

The location requested by Lee Yong-gi was outside and low. That ambiguous position where a batter with two strikes has no choice but to swing. I threw a ball that had been thrown tens of thousands of times to that location.

Ta – evil!

Jeong Tae-hwan’s head reflexively turns back. The batted ball lifted by Ji Maeng-ho had already turned into a white dot, cutting through the sky of Jamsil, where the sunset had begun to set.

[Ji Maeng-ho hit! This hit is toward center field! Joo Seung-cheol! I’m going back, I’m going back!]

A fence blocks Joo Seung-cheol’s path. The ball was already over Joo Seung-cheol’s head, and Joo Seung-cheol took one look at the batted ball and swore harshly.

“Fuck!”

And although he had never done it before due to the risk of injury, Joo Seung-cheol’s spike stepped on Jamsil’s fence, thinking that he might be able to reach it.

[Joo Seung-cheol! Step on the fence and jump up. Hitting a ball! mitt!]

The packed crowd in Jamsil held their breath and focused on Joo Seung-cheol’s glove.

-Wow!!!!!

[I can’t reach it! Ji Maeng-ho’s comeback two-run! This batted ball will not return! AT Thunders take the lead again in the top of the 9th inning! And the main character is the monster rookie, Ji Maeng-ho!]

[Wow, you passed the outside ball over the center fence? It really is an enormous power. Wow, that’s amazing.]

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

Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball did not return.

*

‘It was a good swing.’

‘… ‘But how were you sure the last ball would come in?’

‘Because pitchers are such creatures. Throwing a runaway ball in a full count situation? If he was such an idiot, he wouldn’t have been able to finish it in the first place. How can you throw a ball on such an ambiguous course? Of course, if you’re a pitcher, wouldn’t you want to hit it into the zone? Well, if I had thrown it ambiguously as the catcher requested, it would have been a missed swing.’

‘A missed swing? ‘I could have hit it even if it had gone further out!’

‘Hehe, I guess so.’

‘It’s true… .’

‘Stop whining and focus on the remaining games.’

‘yes.’

As Rossby said, the game wasn’t over yet, so he quickly let go of the afterglow from the home run and focused on the game.

But was it because the home run that hit me caused serious internal injuries? The Grizzlies were unable to get back on their feet, and the Children’s Day game ended with our victory.

“Bro, I won, right?”

“hey! “Don’t scratch Seungjil and get out!”

“Hehe, Joo Seung-cheol, nothing happened?”

“Ugh, you idiot.”

Of course, I didn’t forget to console Joo Seung-cheol, whom I met in the parking lot after the game.