episode_0193

[Ji Maeng-ho swings fierce blows one after another! This season’s 22nd gun explodes! This one shot is decisive!]

[Ji Maeng-ho was silent in the previous three at-bats, but being able to hit at a critical time like this is the right thing to do as the number four hitter!]

[AT Thunders’ upward trend shows no signs of stopping! 1:0! A crack appears before a fierce pitcher!]

-[KBA] Ji Maeng-ho’s home run! Catch Hyunseong and maintain a one-game lead with Hancheol!

ㄴThis season is really different!!!

Wow, I thought you had flu for a month, but you are doing well in May as well.

[Ah, AT’s finisher, Park Jin-hyuk can’t surpass Hyun-seong’s cleanup trio!]

-[KBA] AT Thunders, who led until the 9th inning, cried at the blowout.

ㄴHa damn Jinhyuk, when are you going to quit that bastard, really bastard.

ㄴPitchers can’t keep up with the hitters.

[Pinch hitter Boer’s fatal double play! This is how this match ends!]

-[KBA] Continuing poor batting, will Boer take steps to be expelled?

Wow, what on earth is this bastard doing?

ㄴHa, you hired a bastard called a mercenary. Let’s return the scout team’s salary.

-[KBA] AT Thunders losing series at home, maintaining a one-game lead over Hancheol.

ㄴStill, I’m glad we got 4 wins and 2 losses this week…

That’s because they caught the volcano kids. Those bastards have a winning rate of 0.273, so if they can’t eat it, they’re idiots.

ㄴㄴㄴ Considering that I was playing with Hwasan at the beginning of the season, I feel grateful.

[Tuesday Thunders! The batting line explodes again today! An explosive batting line starting with Kim Su-ho! Scores 4 runs in 1 inning!]

[Kim Su-ho, Ki Ki-joo, Ji Maeng-ho, Choi Jin-cheol, Woo Gwan-hyung. Since they are all players with experience playing for the national team, the explosive power of the batting line is incredible!]

-[KBA] 10:3 big win! AT Thunders off to a fresh start in their away game!

[The announcement of the Asian Games roster is coming soon, so I guess Ji Maeng-ho will get a spot, right?]

[you’re right. It’s as if Ji Maeng-ho’s name is engraved on the second baseman.]

[Uh, uh! homer! The 23rd home run of the season hits! [#28] Choi Jin-cheol, second place in home runs, is back by 8!]

-[KBA] Ji Maeng-ho! 23rd home run of the season! The best home run pace ever!

… … Thanks to Ji Maeng-ho’s 23rd home run, the AT Thunders took the winning series against the Future Buffaloes… …

Wow, this guy has a home run pace?

ㄴThe slugging percentage doesn’t go down from 100%.

ㄴㄴYou should not use half because slugging percentage is not a ratio.

What should I do?

[Ah, Jansen collapses. Director Lee Soo-hyun lowered his head.]

[Director Lee Soo-hyun must also have a lot of concerns. The AT Thunders are currently competing in the fall baseball season, and two foreign players are currently being judged as not at their best?]

[Boer is currently in Icheon, right?]

[That’s right. I can’t see an article saying when it will be posted in Icheon, but it will probably be uploaded soon to give you the last chance.]

[Janson leaves here. The next pitcher is Kang Se-ho, currently one of AT’s few reliable bullpens with an ERA of 2.37.]

-[KBA] Jansson is in trouble! Future Buffaloes avoid sweep!

Where the fuck did they just pick these bastards to be mercenaries?

ㄴMercenary team, don’t meet me in Jamsil. I’m waiting with a chainsaw.

-[KBA Preview]AT Thunders tied for 4th place with Hancheol. But the next opponent is UG.

… … As of May 25, AT Thunders are tied for 4th place with Hancheol. However, since the next opponent is UG Overlords, who are firmly maintaining first place, I am looking forward to what kind of match they will show. Meanwhile, in the previous match, AT Thunders won the series with 2 wins and 1 loss… … … …

ㄴStill, I’m glad it’s not literature.

ㄴWin and took 4th place!!!

-[KBA] Today’s professional baseball leaderboard. (5.25)

1st place UG Overlords 30 wins, 16 losses, 1 draw. Win rate 0.652

2nd place Hyunseong Mad Cats 27 wins, 19 losses, 1 draw. Win rate 0.587

3rd place Shilla Triggers 26 wins, 19 losses, 2 draws. Win rate 0.578

4th place Hancheol Grizzlies 24 wins, 22 losses, 1 draw. Win rate 0.522

4th place AT Thunders 24 wins, 22 losses, 1 draw. Win rate 0.522

6th place Charlotte Blue Mariners 23 wins, 22 losses, 2 draws. Odds: 0.511

7th place Future Buffaloes 22 wins, 24 losses, 1 draw. Win rate 0.478

8th place JT Gold Eyes 20 wins, 26 losses, 1 draw. Win rate 0.435

9th place NV Rex 19 wins, 27 losses, 1 draw. Win rate 0.413

10th place Huashan Falcons 14 wins, 32 losses, 1 draw. Win rate 0.304

*

“I’m sure Benjamin knows you all.”

“Because he is a long-lived mercenary.”

“He’s like the Grim Reaper to our team. First, let’s look at the video from the last game.”

The helmet of UG’s long-serving mercenary Benjamin began playing on the beam projector. A left-handed pitcher with a height of nearly 2 meters and a high RBI. If you just heard the description, you would think he was a left-handed fireballer, but because he was a traditional finesse pitcher, the video that was played was focused on Benjamin’s breaking ball.

“Slider, curve, changeup, sinker, cutter. These are the five breaking balls he mainly throws. For left-handed hitters, focus on sliders and cutters. “I mainly throw changeups and sinkers to right-handers, but you all know that I throw them flexibly depending on the situation, right?”

“I know.”

“But the good news is that the velocity of the fastball is in the mid to upper 140s, so I believe you can score enough points with your skills as long as you don’t stop us. Don’t just hit it hastily. okay?”

“yes!”

“Then, if you see anything unusual while watching the video, tell me right away. “This video is of the only game this season in which we lost 5 innings and 4 runs.”

While watching the video, I looked around the conference room and saw that the players were divided into those who looked unconfident and those who were smiling. Most of the hitters who looked unconfident were left-handed hitters, and most of the hitters who were smiling were right-handed hitters.

“Do you think left-handed hitters have a hard time dealing with Benjamin?”

And I asked a question to Gyeonggi-ju, who was the only one among those left-handed hitters who had no expression.

“Why are you asking me that? “There was no kid like that when I was in Korea.”

Gyeonggi-ju answered indifferently. After listening to the answer, it felt like I had never actually confronted him before.

“Is it true that I haven’t seen you once since I entered the year in which Sangju senior advanced to the majors?”

“okay? “How is it?”

“The RBI is high, and from a left-handed hitter’s perspective, you can’t see him throwing the ball. I also played against him before I went to the military, but I couldn’t see the ball, so I struck out and came back. “I went to Icheon that way.”

When I saw Seongtae Yoon answering that he was proud, I couldn’t help but say something.

“hmm. “He hangs out with his brother.”

“Fuck you. “Senior, when are you going to catch me and dip me?”

“As expected, Seongtae is a good match for me. By the way, I can clearly see that it will be difficult for left-handed hitters to hit.”

“Yes? Because the ball almost comes from the head… . Still, I don’t think much has changed between then and now.”

The two began to discuss seriously. However, since it was mostly from the perspective of left-handed hitters, it did not make much sense.

“hey. “Left-handed hitters gather towards Kwan-hyung, and right-handed batters gather towards me.”

After the video ended, Choi Jin-cheol divided the players into two groups. I am the only starting right-handed hitter in front of Choi Jin-cheol. Because catcher Jeong Yun-cheol was analyzing UG hitters along with the pitchers, the only right-handed hitters named to the first-team lineup were Choi Jin-cheol and I.

‘Looking at it this way, our team has a lot of left-handed hitters.’

Excluding Choi Jin-cheol, myself, and Jeong Yun-cheol, shortstop Yoon Seong-tae, third baseman Kim Su-ho, and Kang Joo-hyeon, who usually plays as a substitute defender or pinch hitter, were all left-handed hitters. Looking at the outfielders, Ki Ki-joo Kim, Kim Joo-yeop, Lee In-hyuk, and even the fifth option, Baek Jeong-jin, were all left-handed hitters. It was. Looking at it that way, I could understand why the director said he was the Grim Reaper.

On the other hand, if you look at the right-handed hitters gathered in front of Choi Jin-cheol, the only one was Kim Sang-min, who is a right-handed pinch hitter but rarely gets a chance. In addition, Han Young-jin, the second-option catcher who happens to be the starting pitcher and is currently meeting with the pitchers, was a right-handed hitter, but it was difficult to say that his batting was at a first-team level. In fact, even though Jeong Yun-cheol was named in the starting lineup because he was a catcher, his batting was below par.

“Tsk, there are three of them. “Isn’t our Uta only this good?”

“yes.”

“Even Yuncheol and Youngjin are missing, so there really isn’t any.”

“Sir, but does Benjamin throw that well? “I saw that the restraint was slow.”

“They say it’s difficult for left-handed hitters. Well, from my perspective, it’s easy because it’s visible. Hey, if he was even faster at the ball, he would have made it to the majors. Are there still any left?”

“Well, I guess so.”

Being a long-serving mercenary in the KBA League was good, but it was also proof that he was just at the KBA League level. If you pitch well, either Japan or the United States will come running to you with a contract. Our team’s long-serving mercenary, Bellingham, was also a long-serving mercenary, but he didn’t feel like he was ruining the league.

Of course, there were many mercenaries who were kicked out without even being able to last a single season, so that was also encouraging.

“Anyway, Benjamin can just watch and hit. “Actually, what more advice can I give you?”

‘Hehe, that’s fun.’

‘What?’

‘Isn’t that guy’s expression rotten?’

Rossby said while looking towards Kim Sang-min. Kim Sang-min’s expression was clearly rotten. And I could immediately tell that that facial expression was one I had seen many times before. Kim Sang-min’s expression resembled mine in high school.

‘Is that fun?’

‘There’s nothing more fun than looking at someone’s face with an inferiority complex. ‘Tsk, you used to be fun too, but these days you’re too annoying.’

‘As for his true personality… .’

Kim Sang-min, I didn’t know much about him, but I heard that he was AT’s starting first baseman until Choi Jin-cheol was hired. After Choi Jin-cheol’s recruitment, he was reduced to a third base defender and right-handed pinch hitter.

‘But if Ji had done well, he would have been given a chance. If he had played well, he would have been the designated hitter instead of Senior Kwan Hyeong. They say they can’t even push out a fourth outfielder right now.’

It was pitiful, but it was none of my business.

“Well, I guess I’ll show up in a game like today. “Because it’s Benjamin.”

“huh?”

“what?”

Oh, shit. I said it out loud.

“Senior Sangmin. “I wonder if he could appear as a designated hitter today.”

“Ah, Sangmin. right. If you do well, you will be selected as a starter, right? Have you ever done it with Benjamin?”

Choi Jin-cheol finally speaks to Kim Sang-min after hearing my words. It doesn’t seem like Choi Jin-cheol ignored Kim Sang-min, but he seemed to subconsciously think that Kim Sang-min, who started on the bench today, would have no chance of competing with Benjamin.

“… yes. “Last year, a bit too much.”

“What is the relative record?”

“I don’t know exactly, but I think it’s a little less than 30%.”

“okay? hmm… . “Well, do you have any questions about dealing with Benjamin?”

“Ah, I wonder if I should pull up the timing of the strike or take a quick look and hit. Since he is a pitcher who often throws breaking balls… .”

“Hey, a batter must always match the timing of the fastball.”

“But my weakness is my ability to deal with breaking balls… .”

“If you do that, nothing happens.”

“… yes.”

Kim Sang-min did not seem to particularly sympathize with Choi Jin-cheol’s words.

‘As expected, that guy wasn’t successful either. ‘There’s a reason why a bench is a bench.’

‘Oh, it’s almost like typing?’

Rossby seemed to have judged Kim Sang-min after just hearing those brief words. And since Rossby’s typing eye was quite accurate, he probably wasn’t successful.

While I was thinking that, director Lee Soo-hyun came in again.

“Well, has anyone discovered anything special or different?”

“I’m carrying it.”

“Because Kuse is not that easy to find. I can’t help it. Then let’s watch the bullpen video. “Can I hand it over?”

“Well, there’s no one who doesn’t know Benjamin.”

“Okay, next is the bullpens. “First of all, here are the scorecards and pitch details. Manager, please share your analysis of your performance.”

Following the director’s words, the manager began sharing information about the UG Overlords’ bullpens.

And I was able to find a familiar name there.

“Yoon Jung-hwan… ? “Is this guy still in the first team?”

“What, you don’t read articles about other teams at all? He’s famous these days. “The ERA is also around 0.”

Choi Jin-cheol heard me talking to myself, and answered something I didn’t even ask.

Yoon Jung-hwan… . The guy who humiliated me. Because his pitch was so bad, I thought he would go down to the 2nd team right away, but he was throwing in the 1st team.

‘You bastard! ‘Good meeting you!’