episode_0272

“Be careful today, the opponents might play dirty. Don’t waver in front of the referees’ decisions. With our skills, we can win even if the opponents play dirty, so maintain good mind control. Got it?”

“Yes!”

“Especially you, Ji Maeng-ho.”

During the pre-match meeting for the second round of the group stage against China, the coach suddenly called out my name.

“Yes? Me? Why me?”

“I believe you won’t get agitated and all. Represent the country carefully as you play.”

“Oh, come on. I’m not that kind of person!”

How do they see people?

While I strongly denied it, the atmosphere among the players was different.

“Well, if it’s Maeng-ho, it should be enough.”

“Coach, shouldn’t we bench him? He seems nervous.”

“The Chinese players can be really nasty; I don’t know if he can handle it.”

Especially players from UG, Hwasan, and Silla had that kind of vibe. Among them, pitchers were particularly more so. Even though we had trained together, seeing players who used to be friendly now saying such things made it seem genuine.

“Why are you so worried? What did I do?”

“Maeng-ho, can you handle it? How should we take you out of the lineup?”

The coach asked me, looking at me.

“Please trust me. I’m not someone who gets agitated easily.”

“He seems uneasy.”

“There are rumors that the Silla player who got hit last time still can’t chew his food properly.”

“Oh! Seriously, it’s not true. Hey, Won-ho, tell them I’m innocent.”

“Oh, seniors, Maeng-ho is nice. He just gets a bit hot-tempered sometimes.”

As expected, my friend Won-ho understood me well. Won-ho, I’ll take care of your girlfriend if needed. She’s a patient woman.

“I don’t like fighting. Really.”

…Unless someone provokes me.

“Can we trust this guy?”

“…Trust me.”

“Is your condition okay? You had three doping tests earlier.”

“…It’s fine.”

I said it was fine, but truthfully, I wasn’t feeling great. Even during the season, the day of doping tests made me feel bad, but today was even worse. Did they suspect something because I couldn’t pee on demand three times? It was tougher.

‘They make us train like beasts, damn it, three doping tests too. These guys are screwed. Maybe I should smack them with a bat?’

‘If you hit someone with a bat, it won’t end with just a penalty.’

“Oh, Rossby! What nonsense are you talking? Obviously, I mean hitting the ball. How do they see people?”

Despite Rossby’s jokes that never landed, I was feeling particularly off today, fueling my competitive spirit.

“Why do you look so anxious? Ah…”

Someone muttered upon seeing my expression, but it wasn’t crucial, so I ignored it and focused on preparing for the game.

*

[Hello! We will now bring you the live coverage of the Korea vs. China match, the second encounter in Group A of the 2023 Asian Games. China is the home team, while Korea plays away.]

[Korea defeated Thailand 21-0 in the previous match, while China suffered a 4-3 loss against Hong Kong. If China loses this match, their chances of elimination are quite high. Being the host nation, China aims to advance to the Super Round, so they might go all out in this game.]

“Haha, where would a game be without teams giving it their all? Our national team will also give their best, risking it all, won’t they?”

“That’s right. Considering the strength of the Korean baseball national team, even one loss could be deemed a failure, and the players are aware of this, so our players will also put everything into this game.”

[These days, there’s good news about a gold medal coming in, but I hope the baseball national team can add one more gold medal. Now, let me introduce Korea’s lineup. The 1st batter, left fielder Kim Dongjin, 2nd batter shortstop Kim Hwanyeong, 3rd batter center fielder Joo Seungcheol, 4th batter second baseman Ji Maengho, 5th batter catcher Lee Yongki, 6th batter first baseman Choi Siwoo, 7th batter third baseman Kim Jinbeom, 8th batter designated hitter Im Jeonggyun, and 9th batter right fielder Choi Jaehyun.]

[Ah, just hearing their names makes me feel secure. They’re the future of Korean baseball, right? This Asian Games marks the first attempt at age-group national teams in major competitions, and these outstanding players have gathered here. Plus, veteran catcher Lee Yongki is leading the pack. Actually, quite a few of these players could easily make it to the Olympics, you know?]

[That’s right. Especially Ji Maengho, who hit three consecutive home runs in Thailand, could easily make it to the Major Leagues, don’t you think?]

[Indeed. It’s not just me who eagerly anticipates Ji Maengho’s performance in the Major Leagues.]

[Now, the 1st batter Kim Dongjin steps up to the plate. Representing Hancheol Grizzlies, he boasts a .301 batting average with 7 home runs. He won Rookie of the Year and Stolen Base King in 2022.]

[Kim Dongjin is a player with excellent defense and a strong arm in the outfield, fast enough to secure the stolen base title. His precise hitting has surpassed .300 for two consecutive seasons since his debut. He is more than qualified to be the leadoff batter.]

The game between Korea and China. The voices of the commentators broadcasting the game were calm. The reason behind this was their unwavering belief in the national team. Despite being a national team game, this belief in no chance of losing kept the commentators’ voices composed.

The only thing the commentators were worried about was whether it would be a 5-inning mercy rule game or a 7-inning one.

However, when the Chinese pitcher threw the first pitch, the commentators’ voices involuntarily rose.

“Strike!”

“Oh! Was that a strike on that pitch?”

“Hmm, it looked like two balls missed, but well, we’ll have to check the replay to be sure.”

The call of a strike despite two missed pitches at the strike zone puzzled both the commentators and the audience watching the game, just as much as it puzzled Kim Dongjin standing at the plate.

“Is this a strike?”

Kim Dongjin protested to the umpire with broken English. However, to Kim Dongjin, his awkward English sounded like an acceptance of “this is a strike,” and the umpire, who had been ready to issue a warning if there was a protest, responded to Kim Dongjin in a relaxed tone.

“[You know it well.]”

“What’s going on? What did he say? He doesn’t seem angry. Umpires usually get upset when players protest, but he isn’t showing any signs of anger. Could it be intentional? Is he deliberately doing this during an international competition?”

Having focused on baseball since elementary school, neglecting his studies, Kim Dongjin didn’t even realize that his English was incorrect, adding to his confusion.

“Well, maybe I made a mistake. Oh, surely he wouldn’t do something unprofessional in an international event?”

Relying on the umpire’s calm response, Kim Dongjin waited for the second pitch. As the second pitch came in, slightly below the strike zone, Kim Dongjin refrained from swinging the bat.

“Strike!”

The second strike count was filled.

“How is this a strike?”

“What? Speak in English, not Korean.”

“Is this a strike?!”

Still, with the power of public education, Kim Dongjin, who understood some English, protested again.

“[Yes, that’s a strike. Wait, are you protesting again? Be careful, one more protest and I’ll give you a warning.]”

And the umpire understood Kim Dong-jin’s words through the nuance. Thanks to Umpire Jusim raising his voice, Kim Dong-jin could also sense the situation.

“Damn, these damn Chinese bastards are playing like shit in this game.”

Realizing that expecting a walk on the incoming third pitch was meaningless, Kim Dong-jin swung the bat, but the ball had moved even further away than before, forcing him to hit a ground ball.

“Ah, damn!”

“Dong-jin, what’s up?”

“Are those guys really messing around? The ball is like shit, we need to pay attention to the count fight.”

“Is that so? It was ridiculous even from the on-deck circle.”

“I should have just swung at the first pitch. That could have been turned into a hit.”

“Got it for now.”

Kim Dong-jin quickly conveyed what he felt at the plate to Kim Hwan-young, the next batter, and swiftly returned to the dugout. Since Umpire Jusim’s antics were quite significant, he needed to inform the coaching staff.

“Coach, the umpires are fooling around, we need to be careful.”

“Is that so? Understood.”

Upon hearing Kim Dong-jin’s words, Coach Lee Geum-hyeon frowned. He had anticipated it, but to come out so blatantly.

‘It’ll be tough to avoid a 5th inning cold.’

Although he didn’t think they would lose in such a situation, there was still an uneasy feeling. Kim Dong-jin’s report quickly spread to the players through the coaching staff.

“Hey! Woo-joo! Aim for the strike zone only today, the umpires are messing around.”

Starting pitcher Jang Woo-joo was also one of the targets.

“Don’t worry, coach.”

Jang Woo-joo responded calmly to the coach’s words. Anticipating mischief from the Chinese side, Korea had chosen Jang Woo-joo, who threw 100 miles per hour. With his unhittable pitches, Jang Woo-joo was the most suitable pitcher for this situation, and he remained unfazed as expected.

“But it would be nice to have some runs…”

“Woo-joo, just trust me.”

As the coach left, Maeng-ho approached Jang Woo-joo, muttering to himself.

“Huh?”

“I’ll help you again.”

“Again? When did you help me?”

“Wow, this guy never shuts up, does he? That time in the room with Liu…”

“Oh! I got it! I got it! Just shut up! What kind of talk is that in the dugout…!”

“Kid, get ready to be embarrassed.”

Maeng-ho threw a word at Jang Woo-joo and started to grab a bat.

‘If it’s Hyung Seung-cheol, he’ll go out, right?’

Maeng-ho trusted Ju Seung-cheol. As the best hitter on the national team excluding himself, Ju Seung-cheol, who achieved a record of 20-20 with a .333 batting average, 27 home runs, and 23 stolen bases this season despite not reaching 30-30 for the third consecutive year due to injuries, was believed to be able to step up to the plate in the 1st inning.

There was also Kim Hwan-young, the starting shortstop for Silla Triggers. Not an easy player, he hit a fantastic single into the zone knowing about the umpire’s antics.

[Hwan-young Kim’s hit! While a ball can become a strike, an out cannot become a hit. Haha.]

[Uh, sir….]

[Oh, I’m sorry. I misspoke out of excitement. I apologize.]

-Seung-cheol! Seung-cheol! Seung-cheol!

[Now stepping up to the plate is Ju Seung-cheol. Although he couldn’t achieve the 30-30 record for the third consecutive year due to injuries this season, he set a record of 20-20 with a .333 batting average, 27 home runs, and 23 stolen bases.]

[As everyone knows, Ju Seung-cheol is the son of the national hero Ju Hyeong-jin. I wish I had a son like that too. Just as his father Ju Hyeong-jin has good memories in China, I hope his son Ju Seung-cheol will build good memories this time.]

Ju Seung-cheol might have felt stressed being compared to his father Ju Hyeong-jin, but the broadcasters’ voices did not reach him at the plate, and Ju Seung-cheol swung at the pitcher’s ball as usual.

[It’s a hit! It’s a hit!]

Ju Seung-cheol’s hit strikes the outfield wall directly. However, because the hit was quite fast, the first base runner, Kim Hwan-young, stopped at third base, and Ju Seung-cheol, who created a quick hit, had no choice but to return to first base on his way to second.

“Hmm, did I focus too much on the strike zone? Phew, it was a ball, I was impatient. Should I say hitting the wall was lucky?”

As Ju Seung-cheol self-critiqued his batting, the cheering squad that came to support the game made the loudest voice of the day.

“Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho!”

It was Ji Maeng-ho, who set a record that would go down in history in his debut season, who stepped up to the plate.