episode_0224

“Seniors, please leave just one person.”

“Ji Maeng-ho, here we go again.”

“Brothers, is it like that on their team too?”

At my cheering, Team Nanum’s number one hitter, Eun-chong Lee, looked at the other AT seniors with bewildered eyes.

“okay.”

Kim Su-ho answers calmly. At Kim Su-ho’s answer, Lee Eun-chong nodded as if she realized something.

‘There’s something subtle about his expression.’

‘Isn’t that an expression that asks, ‘Why are there such bastards?’ Hehe.’

‘Mr. Rossby, when did you come? It wasn’t there during defense.’

‘A lot of new bitches came. ‘I came here to take a look.’

Really, I can’t stop you. How can a person like a woman like this?

‘So where were you?’

‘Behind the gunner.’

‘Fuck, I can’t see.’

If you were on first or third base, you could have seen it while at bat or on base, but if you were in the catcher’s box, you only had one chance to see it, before you went to bat. In this case, I had no choice but to take a quick look before going to bat. Still, in this stadium, the distance between the catcher’s seats is relatively close, so you can see it if you look for it well.

‘ah! You can take a look while waiting to bat. After all, I’m smart.’

“Okay, Meng Hao. “I’ll give you one.”

“yes?”

“huh? “Isn’t that because you want to come out to bat from the first inning?”

“Yes, that’s right. that’s right.”

“Why are you so dazed all of a sudden?”

“Euncheong, he does this often.”

“They said that at national university as well. It’s still the same. Anyway, look forward to it.”

And Lee Eun-chong comes out to bat. Of course, my opponent was Kim Seong-gyeol, the ace of UG Overlords, so I wasn’t expecting much. The compatibility between Lee Eun-chong, a left-handed hitter, and Kim Seong-gyeol, a right-handed sidearmer, was better for left-handed hitter Lee Eun-chong, but if Kim Seong-gyeol had been such an ordinary sidearmer, he would not have been called the ace of the strong team UG.

Kim Seong-gyeol was a player whose skills were worthy of his name. From what I’ve faced, he is a pitcher with a fastball in the low 140s that seems to soar upward, a knuckle curve that flies toward the body and then sharply bends into the zone, and a pitcher that seems to go outward but exquisitely sticks into the zone.

He also had a lot of control, so he was a player I had a hard time dealing with. In particular, the trajectory of the knuckle curve, which is not commonly seen, was difficult for even me, the so-called curve killer, to hit.

Perfect!

And as I expected, Eun-chong Lee hit an infield ground ball and retired.

‘Well, is this normal?’

“It was a waste! Grace!”

“Hey, Seonggyeol, that bastard throws with his teeth clenched even though it’s the All-Star Game.”

“How do you feel?”

“It looks like usual? “Without being excited about the All-Star Game or anything like that.”

Hmm, same as usual. So should I aim for the two-seam as usual? Kim Seong-gyeol’s rising fastball or knuckle curve that seems to bend right in front of the plate were a bit different from other pitchers’ trajectories and were difficult to hit, so the strategy I chose for Kim Seong-gyeol was to target the two-seamer. In fact, his two-seamer had a mediocre side, so he had fun dealing with Kim Seong-gyeol.

“Kim Su-ho! Go for it!”

Today’s Nanum team’s batting order was similar to the usual AT. Except for Shilla Triggers’ center fielder Lee Eun-chong as the number one hitter, the hitters placed from number two were the same as our team’s usual batting lineup. In other words, the second batter was Kim Su-ho, and the third batter was Gi Ki-joo. And behind me, the number 4 hitter, is Choi Jin-cheol.

‘If you get up with Kim Soo-ho, at least one person will get on base, right? ‘I wish I could get on base.’

In fact, as I am also a player, I am Mr. I coveted the All-Star spot.

Since a pitcher pitches two innings at most, and most pitches one inning, he could not become the All-Star Game MVP unless he had unusual records such as 9 pitches and 3 strikeouts.

That is, Mr. Most players who become All-Stars are hitters with the winning RBI. There was a high probability that he would become a hitter on the winning team. In order to do that, it was important for me to get a lot of at-bats as it was important for the team to win. Why is it important for me to get a lot of at-bats?

Of course, the more times I appear at bat, the more likely the team will win.

Moreover, as Jang Woo-joo heated up the atmosphere by throwing 163 km/h in the top of the first inning, I also wanted to make an impact on the fans by hitting a home run in the bottom of the first inning.

Perfect!

“ah… ! what a waste.”

Kim Su-ho also had to hit an outfield fly and retreated, as if dealing with Kim Seong-gyeol wasn’t easy. Now it’s time to step into the waiting box. I headed to the waiting box, praying that the weather warning would get me on base. Of course, you should check before doing that, right?

‘Mr. Rossby, where is that hot bitch?’

‘There, fourth row from the front.’

‘Oh, shit.’

The woman Rossby told me about was dressed as hot as it was summer. Wearing a white crop top and AT uniform, she definitely had a body so fresh that Rossby came to look at her.

‘Is that enough to pass? ‘Aren’t you going to come get my autograph after it’s over?’

If you see him wearing AT’s uniform, he might come to me to get an autograph. A woman of that caliber deserved the ID of my secret account.

‘The eye candy was good, now let’s take a look at Kim Seong-gyeol’s condition.’

“cheek.”

Women are women and baseball is baseball. There are many opportunities to fuck women, but there is only one chance to win the All-Star Game MVP once a year. I stopped watching the women and went back to focusing on Kim Seong-gyeol’s pitching. The first pitch that Kim Seong-gyeol threw to Ki Ki-ju was a ball. However, it was a knife-like ball that missed the zone by just one ball.

‘That level of control in the All-Star Game. As expected, he throws well.’

“cheek.”

The second ball is also a ball. It was clearly visible that he was conscious of the weather forecast. And the third ball was thrown against Ki Ki-ju.

widely!

A ball that feels like it was hit from the sound of the hit. However, in the sport of baseball, the more well-hit the ball is, the higher the chance of being caught. The missed meteorological batted ball floated to an ambiguous location and landed in a position where the center fielder, second baseman, and right fielder could not catch it.

A batted ball that can be called a lucky hit. Well, no matter what the batting quality is, getting on base is getting on base. My opportunity presented itself in the bottom of the first inning due to a weather warning.

‘Mr. Rossby, let’s go all out today.’

‘What if it’s all power?’

‘yes. Please also tell me the location.’

Since Kim Seong-gyeol is a pitcher with excellent pitch control, he had no problem swinging the bat while trusting the position indicated by Rossby.

‘I get it. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to see how much you’ve grown over the years.’

‘Then please.’

‘I get it.’

“hello.”

“OK.”

The catcher sitting in the Dream Team’s catcher’s seat today is Lee Yong-gi, the best catcher in Korea.

“What kind of ball should I give you?”

“Why don’t you be a man and go for a fastball match?”

“okay? okay.”

‘The first pitch is a knuckle curve. ‘Body side.’

‘Someone like a fox. Even if it’s an All-Star Game, you won’t watch it, right?’

Kim Seong-gyeol’s body knuckle curve was a statement ball that caused many batters to miss swings. The ball, which flew like a fastball and deflected before my eyes, was a ball that was difficult to time, even if I knew its trajectory. Unless you hit 3 or 4 balls in a row, the trajectory is not familiar, so even if you hit them, you won’t get any value for money.

It might be possible to make a hit, but the current situation was not one to aim for a hit.

‘I need to hit a home run, but it’s a shame to face a ball like this.’

In this situation, there is only one simple way to deal with such a ball.

‘I’ll skip the first pitch.’

Anyway, it was difficult to hit a good ball with a ball like Kim Seong-gyeol’s knuckle curve. I decided to skip the first pitch.

“strike!”

“I heard there will be a fastball competition.”

“Did I do that? Sorry, it’s a real fastball this time.”

‘Saying things you don’t even mean. Mr. Rossby, what about the second ball?’

‘It’s a knuckle curve this time too. But outside.’

Hmm, since I’m standing still, are you going to attack me with a knuckle curve?

‘Play this? ‘Don’t you say it?’

After much thought, I decided to skip this ball as well. What we need now is a home run. There was no need for clumsy hits.

“cheek.”

‘No matter how much Kim Seong-gyeol is, it seems difficult to insert it into the body and outward, right?’

Kim Seong-gyeol’s second ball was lucky. If I had to, I planned to kick the ball out with two strikes and then hit it properly when I threw a two-seamer, but if this happened, I thought I could push back on that plan.

“It’s a knuckle curve this time too?”

“Sorry sorry. “I’ll really give it to you properly this time.”

“I’ll give you a shit. “I don’t believe it.”

“Really, it’s real this time.”

‘It’s a fastball. ‘In high.’

Ball high towards the body? A ball that induces swings and misses no matter what you look at. It’s probably a ball that goes out of the strike zone.

“cheek.”

also. One strike, two balls. The count was not bad for hitting.

“I told you to hit it, but you didn’t hit it?”

“If you are a senior, will you hit this ball?”

“Of course, not me.”

‘Change-up. ‘Low on the body.’

‘Change-up? Against me?’

Are you throwing a changeup here? Of course, Kim Seong-gyeol was a pitcher who threw a changeup as his fourth pitch, although it was not his main weapon. However, there is only one reason why I excluded Kim Seong-gyeol’s changeup. This was because after some analysis of me was completed, there were very few pitchers in the league who would throw a changeup against me.

There were a few pitchers who threw a curveball, but the reason why there were almost no pitchers who threw a changeup was simple. Because I’m really good at hitting changeups.

Occasionally, there were pitchers who saw me as a dick and threw a change-up to fool my timing, but most of them punished me with a double even if I couldn’t do it, so I couldn’t even see a change-up for about a month.

In the first place, the pitch called change-up was nothing more than a shit ball that would hit a home run if it did not fool the batter’s timing. Unless he throws a changeup with an alien-like trajectory.

‘Well, it’s a change-up, so I’ll enjoy it!’

And Kim Seong-gyeol’s change-up came.

Ta – evil!

-Wow!!!

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

As if it had been planned, the ball I hit disappeared over the left wall. A clean home run.

“nice!”

“Hey, you still hit the changeup well.”

However, seeing Lee Yong-gi’s reaction even after hitting a home run made me feel uneasy. As I walked around the base and thought about why Lee Yong-gi reacted that way, I felt like I knew why he did that.

‘no way?’

‘No way.’

Seeing Lee Yong-gi smiling and watching me circle the bases at home plate made my thoughts even more clear.

‘That’s what it was.’

‘What was that?’

‘I suddenly threw a change-up and thought about why.’

‘okay? Well, I found it strange too.’

‘Perhaps it was a test? Because it’s the All-Star Game, it doesn’t matter if the team loses.’

‘What?’

‘Are you still good at hitting changeups?’

There is only one difference in ranking between Hancheol and AT. There was a high probability that the rankings would be different in a head-to-head match. Lee Yong-gi was testing himself at this plate for that matchup. I wonder if I’m still good at hitting changeups.

‘I thought it was stupid, but you managed to think that far.’

‘I’m not stupid!’

If I hadn’t been able to catch the changeup of Kim Seong-gyeol, one of the best pitchers in Korea, Lee Yong-gi would have thrown a changeup against me during the season. Of course, since I hit a nice home run, I wouldn’t think such arrogant thoughts.

‘Anyway, he’s like a fox. I really like your hair. Are you thinking of taking advantage of the All-Star Game to see me? Of course, I’m smarter for seeing that idea.’

‘Oh, I see.’

‘… Why are you reacting like that? Mr. Rossby.’

Isn’t now the time to praise my clever brain?

‘But… .’

‘yes?’

‘If you had noticed that thought first, wouldn’t you have just swung and pretended that you couldn’t hit it? Then, you might be lucky enough to get a change-up during the season. Wouldn’t it be better to hit a home run during the season rather than somewhere like the All-Star Game?’

‘… … .’

… That way.

‘After all, you’re such a stupid bastard. Hahahaha.’

The first home run of the All-Star Game had a rather bitter ending. Fuck.