episode_0252

UG Overlords. The team quickly emerged as a strong team in the late 2000s, and although there were some ups and downs starting in 2013, after finishing 7th in 2017, the team took a step forward in building a dynasty by advancing to the Korean Series for 5 consecutive years, winning twice and finishing as runners-up three times. It was a strong team ahead of the .

The basis for the UG Overlords’ rise to the top again was a superior pitching staff and organic batting lineup, but the real key was the excellent power analysis team, including master Moon Ki-taek.

Moon Ki-taek has become a public enemy among domestic baseball fans due to his strategies to shake the opposing team’s mentality, harsh interviews, and unique persistent personality, but he is the best in the country in terms of using strategies, replacing pitchers, and managing players’ motivation. He was a highly regarded manager, and UG’s power analysis team also received a lot of praise from players for its meticulous analysis reminiscent of the major leagues.

With the synergy between Moon Ki-taek and Korea’s best power analysis team, UG Overlords emerged as a strong team.

What Moon Ki-taek emphasized most during his five years at the top of the league was analyzing opposing players. In fact, UG’s batting lineup was unremarkable, except for Koo Jin-mo and mercenary hitters, despite using Munhak Stadium, which is advantageous for hitters. However, in such hitter-friendly literature, the reason he was able to tie down the opposing team’s batting lineup with his pitching ability was because of such thorough analysis.

And such analysis was still continuing even before the game against AT.

“This series is the last AT match with Ji Maeng-ho. “If we think about fall baseball, we should try out here.”

“So what way is there?”

Ki-taek Moon responded harshly to the obvious statement of the head of the power analysis team. The reason why Moon Ki-taek responded harshly to the power analysis team leader’s words was simple.

This is because all the methods used so far to stop Ji Maeng-ho have been in vain. All efforts to stop Ji Maeng-ho, such as using a new pitcher or trying to get Ji Maeng-ho to leave, have failed.

Moreover, the aftermath of that failure was disastrous. To the extent that UG Overlords, the league’s top team, is losing to AT Thunders with 3 wins, 8 losses, and 1 draw.

“I heard that Hyunseong, who doesn’t do anything, has 9 wins and 5 losses against AT. Aren’t we the only ones trying this and that and getting beaten for no reason? huh?”

“… sorry. “But this time it’s really different.”

“ha… . “Okay, let’s talk first.”

“Big, big. Currently, there are three teams in the league that have the upper hand against AT. Hyeonseong, Silla, and NV. Hyunseong has 9 wins and 5 losses, and Silla has 6 wins and 8 losses. Actually, this is not a strange result. “Silla and Hyunsung are both powerful teams.”

“So you’re saying we’re a team without potential?”

“… Wow, that’s not it… . Big, big. Anyway, the team we were paying attention to was NV Rex. NV Rex is currently in 9th place, but among the teams in the bottom tier, it is the only team with a record ahead of AT with 9 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw. “If you look at the winning percentage alone, it can be said to be the highest among the nine clubs.”

“It was like that.”

Unlike Hyunseong and Silla, which are strong teams that everyone recognizes, NV was a team that was stuck in the bottom tier and competing with Hwasan. Although it was surprising that such a low-ranking team performed well against AT, it was a fact that Moon Ki-taek was well aware of, so he was not particularly surprised by what the head of the power analysis team said.

“How did NV do the best job of blocking AT? “The secret lies in the blockade of the Ji-Meng.”

“Hmm… . “As far as I know, the team with Ji Maeng-ho’s highest OPS is NV, so can we say they have blocked that?”

“The secret lies in on-base percentage. It can be seen that Ji Maeng-ho’s on-base percentage in the game against NV was close to 70%. As the number of at-bats decreases, OPS naturally increases. In fact, NV is the team with the fewest home runs from Ji Maeng-ho.”

“Looking at the record, there are a lot of walks.”

“yes. NV’s starting catcher, Jeong Tae-seong, is famous in the league for his outside lead. I always enjoy the full count. That’s why pitchers and fans often feel resentment, but he is a catcher who leads without hitting extra-base hits.”

“But doesn’t having a high OPS mean that you are more of a threat?”

“It is difficult to say from the perspective of the power analysis team that analyzes players with statistics and numbers, but Ji Maeng-ho is a player who goes beyond his stats. “I think Ji Maeng-ho is probably the player who best fits the term ‘clutch.’”

‘clutch’. Clutch was an ability that allowed one to strike in a critical situation. Until a few decades ago, the ability of the clutch was considered a fairly important ability for a player, but with the emergence of the saber matrix, the clutch was revealed to be an illusion, and it was an outdated evaluation method that no one currently believes in the word clutch in the baseball world.

However, the word ‘clutch’ came from the mouth of UG’s power analysis team, which is running on the cutting edge.

“We allow Ji Maeng-ho to get on base and Ji Maeng-ho runs to third base. And Choi Jin-cheol scores. AT’s scoring route is something that can be said to be obvious in some ways. If you don’t challenge Ji Maeng-ho, you can exchange one out count for one point. but… .”

The power analysis team leader swallowed his saliva and continued.

“However, we thought Ji Maeng-ho’s home run was more dangerous than that.”

Ji Maeng-ho’s home run per at-bat is about one in every eight at-bats, and UG Overlords had long since decided to bet on the 7/8 probability of not hitting a home run rather than the 1 point that would be awarded if he was forced to get on base.

However, the power analysis team leader said something that overturned the internally decided situation.

“How is a home run more dangerous? It’s almost a given that if you get on base due to a walk, you get 1 point. Ji Maeng-ho’s walk is not just getting on base. Ji Maeng-ho’s getting on base is the same as hitting a triple every time at bat. But how is it that a home run that occurs once every two games is more threatening?”

“The secret is in Ji Meng-ho’s clutch. In fact, NV Rex, which allowed Ji Maeng-ho to get on base the most, gave up the fewest big innings to AT. AT is the team that produced the most big innings this season, and it started with Ji Maeng-ho’s home run. Ji Maeng-ho’s home run changes the atmosphere of the game. Even if it is an ordinary solo home run, Ji Maeng-ho’s home run has the clutch ability to change the atmosphere of the game.”

Clutch ability that cannot be proven by direct numbers. However, the value of Ji Maeng-ho’s home run was proven through indirect numbers such as the number of big innings and AT’s scoring ability in games where Ji Maeng-ho hit a home run.

“Oh my… .”

Moon Ki-taek also felt that his common sense was changing as he looked at the organized data. Although Moon Ki-taek was older, he was the director who took the lead in introducing the saber matrix more than anyone else. However, I felt like my common sense was being denied by one person, Ji Maeng-ho.

“Ji Maeng-ho has become a player who can turn a game around with a single home run.”

A batter who can turn a losing game around with a single home run. A batter who warms up the cold atmosphere in the dugout again. A batter who produces the same 1 point but a more valuable 1 point. The right-handed slugger that AT has always aspired to be.

That was a batter named Ji Maeng-ho analyzed by UG’s power analysis team.

“Fortunately, this series is in Jamsil. No matter how much Ji Maeng-ho does, he won’t be able to get past Jamsil by pushing every time. Even if you are prepared to walk, you must thoroughly play outside to prevent Ji Maeng-ho’s home run. This is especially true when you think about fall baseball.”

Fall baseball is just around the corner. Since UG Overlords are ahead of all teams except AT, the only team they are most wary of is AT Thunders. And to win, we had to beat AT like that.

“Okay, let’s go that way for this series.”

In this way, Moon Ki-taek accepted the words of the power analysis team leader in order to win.

*

Ta – evil!

One strike, three balls. I hit the ball that came at the best time for the batter without missing a beat. If I had left it as is, it could have been a walk, but as I was aiming for a home run, it was a ball I couldn’t not hit.

I heard the sound of the batted ball hitting the fence and bouncing off, and I stopped at second base.

“Sweet, this doesn’t go over.”

‘Why didn’t you wait? It wasn’t a very good ball.’

‘Still, I have to hit a home run, I didn’t hit much in the match against Hwasan.’

As Rossby said, normally I would have waited, but right now, I didn’t have time to look at the walk. What matters is the home run.

‘… and 60 stolen bases. There are 7 left until 60, so I’ll have to run diligently.’

Kim Soo-ho, the second batter, came to bat. Normally, he would have secretly informed Kim Su-ho of the cause of death, but now there was no time to stop at second base.

‘Well, Kim Soo-ho plays well, so he will play well even without my help. It’s been that way until now.’

Usually, when I came out as number 4, the batters behind me, Choi Jin-cheol and Woo Gwan-hyung, benefited a lot from me, but Kim Su-ho was a hitter who performed well even without that kind of help, so I trusted Kim Su-ho and aimed for third base.

‘It’s a fastball.’

After waiting for a few balls, I ran straight to third base.

“Safe!”

The result is plenty of safety. With this momentum, it seemed possible to achieve 60 steals in 3 games.

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

-Super Sonic! Ji Maengho! theft! Oh oh oh oh oh oh! theft!

The cheer song dedicated to my stolen base rings out in the cheering stands when a successful steal occurs. It was quite a sight to see the fans filling Jamsil congratulating me on my stolen base with one voice. The fact that so many fans came to congratulate me with loud voices on Friday means that they are as excited as I am about my 60-60 or a new Korean home run record.

I wasn’t such a trash person that I would let down the expectations of those fans.

‘I guess I’ll just have to aim for home runs from today onwards.’

‘Why are you telling me that?’

‘Hmm, since there isn’t much left in the season, I thought it would be okay to listen to the location for just three games.’

‘Tsk, tsk, what is the importance of a record made in such a remote area? Now is the time to sharpen your skills.’

Tsk, I heard you’re strict.

Perfect!

At the end of the conversation with Rossby, Su-ho Kim’s batted ball was heading toward second baseman. UG’s second baseman gave up on running home from the moment he heard the sound and threw the ball to first base, trading an out and a score.

‘Okay, 1 point.’

I felt good about today’s game, scoring 1 point in the first inning against UG.