episode_0250

Baseball is a sport in which points are scored using three out counts per inning from the first to the ninth inning. When no batter gets on base in an inning, there are a total of three batters who can stand at bat. However, unless it was a perfect game, it was impossible to end the game without putting a single batter on base in every inning.

Therefore, the number of times a batter usually stands at bat four times during a game. In the case of a batting match, 5 opportunities are given to one batter. So who can get the most at-bats in a baseball game?

He is the number one hitter who comes to the plate for the first time in the game.

If other batters step up to the plate three times in a game, the number one batter gets to bat four times. If you stepped on it four times, it will be five times. If you go to bat five times, six times. In this way, the number one batter was able to step up to the plate one more time than the other batters.

Therefore, getting one more at-bat than the rest of the lineup was quite important to me as I was aiming for a record of 61 home runs or more.

“… So you want to go out as the number one hitter?”

“yes.”

“… Are you confident?”

When I said that I would go out as the number one hitter, Coach Lee Soo-hyun seemed anxious and asked a question. Director Lee Soo-hyun frowned and opened his mouth again.

“You know that there are more than one player whose condition breaks down due to small things even though they are playing well, right? “Wouldn’t it be better to avoid taking risks like this when we’re on the verge of breaking a record?”

Director Lee Soo-hyun’s concerns were justified. It was said that some players suffered from poor performance because of the way they tied their shoelaces or because they wore different underwear.

“Director. This is Ji Maeng-ho. And I saw number 1 a few times at the beginning of the season.”

But I wasn’t that type of player. Rather, he could be seen as a player without jinx. If you play as the number one hitter, you can get at least five more at-bats, but you can’t give up just because of that jinx.

For me now, every at-bat and every at-bat was precious.

“Hehe, if you say that, I can’t help it. okay. “Do whatever you want in the remaining five games.”

“thank you. “Director.”

So, with coach Lee Soo-hyun’s permission, I was able to place my name in the first position in the batting order.

“How are you?”

The feeling of a plate that no one had stepped on for the first time in a long time seemed to congratulate me on my return to being the number one hitter. Today’s starting pitcher for Hwasan is Minjun Kim. Since he was one of the few pitchers in Hwasan, he prepared thoroughly and had no worries.

Minjun Kim is a power pitcher who uses a two-pitch pitch that I just like. Using a fast ball around 150 and a vertical slider around 140, he recorded strikeouts that were among the top 10 in the league, but there was nothing to worry about.

No matter how good a pitcher I was, a type of pitcher like Min-Jun Kim was quite easy for me because I was never pressured by power and I was never defeated by a two-pitch easy choice.

‘It’s a slider.’

‘I’m going to check the season from the first pitch, right?’

However, the unfortunate thing is that I am today’s leading hitter. Even if the same pitcher throws, in reality it is not a game, so the pitch and trajectory change slightly depending on the pitcher’s condition in each game. And that little difference can make a big difference in a professional game, so I needed to see the ball a few times to get the timing right.

‘It’s comfortable to watch him throw the ball from the standby at-bat, but if you’re going to get a lot of at-bats, you have to endure this.’

I decided to watch the first pitch and watched him throw the first pitch.

“strike!”

“Oh, what’s the ball?”

Min-Jun Kim’s slider seemed to clearly show why he was getting close to 10 wins on a volcanic team. The angle was quite sharp for a slider thrown by a domestic player.

‘First, check the slider. I’ll just hit it next time I come.’

With the slider’s trajectory mapped out in my head, I prepared to hit. From now on, whenever you come near the strike zone, hit without fail!

‘It’s a fastball.’

‘okay.’

I timed the fastball and waited for him to wind up. Soon he lifted his leg and the ball flew straight towards my body.

“cheek.”

A ball that hits halfway between my body and the strike zone. Aren’t you afraid that this bastard will fit into your body? Since the bench clearing against Silla, there haven’t been many pitchers who can hit this deep, but Kim Min-jun’s strength seemed to be at a considerable level.

“You don’t even flinch? “I guess you were preparing your body?”

“What is contrast? “If I get hit, I run straight to the mound.”

“So, I’m on a business trip, is that okay? “As a baseball player, I think it would be a shame if Ji Maeng-ho’s record ended here.”

‘Baby, look at your tongue movement?’

Today’s Hwasan catcher is a veteran catcher from the 2nd team who was promoted to the 1st team as an extended entry. I was a little curious as to why this guy was starting, but I thought he was put at home plate because he had a talent for trash talking.

But I can’t be overpowered by words like this.

“Just hit them and get suspended. what. It’s 4 off anyway. But can you handle it? The whole country is paying attention, ah! “Do you mind if I’m close to retirement?”

“… … .”

‘Baby, it’s finally quiet now. ‘I need you to focus today and stay quiet.’

‘Fastball.’

‘okay.’

I thought it would be a slider that curves outwards since I hit it to the body, but it was a fastball again. After all, you don’t go for the obvious, right?

‘Just try to come into the strike zone. ‘I’ll crush you!’

While I was fully concentrating, the guy’s hand swung, and the ball flew in a similar trajectory as before.

Dang!

“Whoosh!”

I held my breath and hit the guy’s ball, but I felt a numb sensation in my hand. Was it deep in the body? The ball I hit was flying far toward center field. Considering this feeling and the direction in which the batted ball flies, the batted ball is likely to be caught on the warning track in Jamsil. But since this was Daejeon, I quickly ran to first base.

“center!”

-iced coffee… .

And just after passing second base, the crowd could be heard sighing. When I heard that sound, I looked towards the center fielder, and in the deepest part of Daejeon Stadium, the center fielder was leaning against the fence and caught my batted ball.

“Ha, fuck, I should have skipped it.”

‘It was too urgent. Well, the power was good.’

If it had been a different stadium, it would have passed, right? A batted ball that makes you think: In fact, even though the Daejeon Stadium looked small, it was even more disappointing because it was the second largest stadium in Korea. It was definitely a ball that would have passed in any stadium other than Daejeon or Jamsil.

“under… .”

I returned to the dugout with a feeling of regret.

“It’s urgent, Meng Hao.”

“yes?”

As I entered the dugout and sat down, Woo Gwan-hyung approached me. At the beginning of the season, he sometimes approached me like this and gave me advice, but this hasn’t happened lately, so this situation was a bit surprising.

“Your strength is to throw away balls and only hit balls to hit. I’m in a hurry now. “It was a ball I wouldn’t normally hit.”

“… all right.”

“That’s what I think about when I’m about to set a record. I feel like I should hit any ball. But there is no need to be in such a hurry. “If you continue as usual, with your skills, you will be able to exceed 60 home runs.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

Advice from a pinch hitter who hit 3,000 hits. Seeing Woo Gwan-hyeong, who didn’t have much of a touch with me, give me this advice after my first at-bat, it seemed like I was in such a hurry that even people in the dugout could feel it.

‘Whoa, okay. Let’s play like usual.’

Normally, I would have waited for a better ball instead of hitting an ambiguous ball like that. Anyway, if you want to throw a strike, you have to hit it inside the zone, and after two strikes, you could cut the ball that came into the zone and aim for a breaking ball or a walk. My mistake was that I was so focused on hitting a home run that I crossed out the walk option.

‘Ha, there’s no way you could have given me a good ball, I was in such a hurry.’

‘Hehe, you didn’t get scratched by the catcher?’

… Did it have a slight impact? However, it wasn’t bad that he retired with a hit like this in his first at-bat. There were a lot of games left anyway, so it was a good thing that I discovered my problem in the first at-bat.

“hey!”

While I was giving myself feedback, hitting coach Lee Ki-cheol called me.

“to?”

“There are a lot of at-bats left. “Don’t think too deeply.”

“… yes.”

Why is this guy talking to me without even asking? Where to put a spoon

“There are still a lot of at-bats left… .”

I ignored Lee Ki-cheol and walked to the refrigerator, pretending not to hear him. The drinks in the refrigerator were cold as expected.

*

“The hit ball flew all the way over there.”

Kim Min-jun, who came down from the mound after ending the first inning with a three-way throw, felt a chill down his spine as he thought about Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball as the leadoff hitter. He sent a ball inside the strike zone to the far end of the center fence, missing about one ball.

If the angle was slightly off and it went to left-center or right-center, it wouldn’t be surprising if it became a home run.

“As expected, it’s Ji Mengho, is this it?”

“Minjun, how are you feeling today? Ji Meng-ho, can you deal with me?”

Hwasan’s pitching coach approached Kim Min-jun, who was wiping off his sweat, and asked about his condition.

“It’s good, but it seems like there’s someone better than me in the opposing lineup.”

“Still, Ji Maeng-ho is in a hurry today. Like he said in the interview, he probably put in a lot of effort just to aim for a home run.”

“… is that so?”

“okay. Throw it while gently flirting. “There will probably be a lot of swings and misses.”

“… All right.”

Contrary to the optimistic coach’s words, Minjun Kim was rather anxious. Overwhelming power that can send a hit ball all the way there. I felt like if I lost control just a little bit, I would immediately go over the fence.

‘Coach, I hope so too.’

No matter how much I run the simulation in my head, the only thing that comes to mind is Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball going over the fence.

“Minjun! “It’s the top of the second inning.”

“Already?”

Kim Min-jun was trying to gather his wits to come up with the picture of beating Ji Maeng-ho, but as before, Hwasan’s attack was quickly overcome, and Kim Min-jun went back to the mound.

Thanks to the performance of the Hwasan Falcons’ two-hitters, the inning went by quickly, and the top of the third inning was already approaching.

Perfect!

“Third!”

“ah! “I missed it!”

Leadoff hitter Yoon Seong-tae gets on base. Despite the third baseman’s error, Kim Min-jun, who had the mentality, was able to get two outs, and before we knew it, Ji Maeng-ho was walking out to the plate.

‘ah… ‘Fuck, is it already Ji Maeng-ho?’

It was a perfect hit, but if it were in any other stadium, it would definitely have been a home run. Kim Min-jun wiped away the cold sweat and focused on batting again. By taking the pitching coach’s advice to heart, you can achieve as many swings and misses as possible.

“cheek.”

“cheek.”

“strike!”

“cheek.”

“strike!”

“Foul!”

“Foul!”

‘Ha, you fucking kicked it out. ‘It won’t work.’

Kim Min-jun was getting tired of the game going to 7 pitches, so he threw the 8th pitch with the intention of winning the game regardless of whether he gave a walk or a missed swing.

Ta – evil!

Minjun Kim’s slider aimed at hitting the low strike zone. But was it because his concentration was shaken by the prolonged game? The ball was closer to the center of the strike zone than the low border line.

Ji Maeng-ho’s bat flies far and the batted ball flies even farther.

“downpour!!!!”

And Ji Maeng-ho’s roar resonates further than the batted ball.

[Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball goes over the fence! The 54th ball of the season that goes over the fence! Just seven steps away from the new Korean record! It seems like the unfortunate hit from the previous at-bat had no effect at all! With this home run, Ji Maeng-ho’s current batting average is 0.412!]

In this way, Ji Maeng-ho overcame the disappointment of his first at-bat and walked one step at a time toward the record of hitting .400 and hitting 60 home runs.