episode_0275

“I never thought I’d resort to this method again. I tried to avoid using it whenever possible.”

Although I was always prepared to use it, I refrained from doing so as some might interpret such actions as intentional. However, with the first baseman persistently blocking the base in that manner, it was a situation where even if a teammate got injured, it wouldn’t seem out of place, so I reluctantly decided to teach him a small lesson.

The current situation: two outs, runner on first base. The third batter, Ju Seung-chul, added another run, making the score 5-0. Even if I were to get out, the lead was comfortable. The game situation was quite favorable.

“…! …! …!”

The catcher was shouting something in Chinese, but naturally, I couldn’t understand. Perhaps it was related to the ‘incident’ during defense earlier?

Ignoring the catcher’s words, I focused on the pitcher.

“Rossby, sir?”

“It’s a slider.”

The Chinese pitcher, winding up gradually. His windup exuded a determination to get me out. And then, the pitch was thrown.

“Strike!”

The umpire called the slightly off-target pitch a strike. But I wasn’t angry; it was intentionally missed.

“If I pull this off, it should be a ground ball to the infield, right?”

I aimed for an infield ground ball. Thinking he wouldn’t throw inside, I anticipated an outside pitch.

“Time!”

Having checked the pitch, I called for time and stepped slightly out of the batter’s box. A bit of stretching. It was important to be thoroughly prepared in case of injury. After stretching my ankles and thighs, I beckoned Rossby.

“Rossby, let me know if it’s outside.”

“Got it.”

Since Rossby knew what I was planning for this at-bat, he agreed without hesitation.

“It’s an outside fastball.”

“Okay, perfect.”

Rossby approved of my simple plan. Hit an infield ground ball and run to first base. If the first baseman lifted his leg like before, I would step on it. There was little risk of injury now as this action was deliberate and intended.

“If there’s no stepping opportunity, don’t forget to aim for the ribs with your knee.”

“Okay.”

After heeding Rossby’s advice, I awaited the pitcher’s second pitch. As predicted, the pitch veered outside just as Rossby had said. It was a pitch that normally I wouldn’t have swung at.

“Here it comes!”

Aligning my arm with the trajectory of the ball, I forcibly pulled the outside pitch.

Thunk!

With a dull sound, the ball headed towards the shortstop. Upon seeing the hit, I quickly sprinted towards first base.

“Safe!”

The catcher shouted in Chinese, likely indicating ‘first base.’ In that moment of dashing towards first base, I caught a glimpse of the first baseman’s startled expression. His eyes betrayed surprise at my speed. As expected, the foot completely blocking first base came into view.

“I’ll make sure you never block it again.”

“Songgu is about to arrive!”

“Okay!”

Three steps remained to reach first base. Right foot down, then left. If I had aimed for an infield hit, I would have extended my stride here. But my target wasn’t a hit; it was solely his ankle.

Preparing to step on his ankle, I exerted force on my left foot and leaped. The direction of my right foot was naturally towards the first baseman’s ankle. A discomforting sensation akin to hitting a spike was felt, but I paid it no mind, continuing to step firmly onto the base and completing a full circle around first base.

“Aaargh!”

The screams that followed. Without hesitation, I joined in with a scream.

“Ahh!”

“Are you okay?”

“……! ……!”

Simultaneously, our coach and incomprehensible Chinese words could be heard. As I opened my eyes while being held by the ankle, I checked the condition of the first baseman. He was also tumbling with his ankle caught, and it seemed like there was some blood between his white socks.

“It seems like he got spiked properly?”

“Jimaengho! Are you okay?! Damn, those damn Chinese guys keep blocking us… How about it, trainer! Come quickly and check!”

“Ugh, it hurts a little, but it’s not unbearable.”

“Damn, it was obvious they were blocking in front, so avoid them a bit. Why did you run so fast? It was just a ground ball to the infield.”

“Ugh.”

“What are you saying to the injured player… Hey, don’t touch your foot, the trainer is coming soon.”

“How is the Chinese guy doing?”

“I don’t know. It seems serious on their side too.”

In terms of sensation, it felt like something might have broken in one spot, but since this was my first time doing such a thing, I couldn’t quite grasp it.

“How does it look to Rossby?”

“In my experience, if it’s stepped on this hard, it’s at least a ligament tear. The feeling was similar to back then.”

“Is that so? It went in properly.”

I debated whether to step on it or hit it with my knee, but ultimately, I chose to step on it. Since the first baseman had a solid stance, it seemed like there would be no real damage from hitting it with my knee.

“Player Jimaengho! Jimaengho! Are you okay?”

“Yes, I feel a little better now.”

“Then, can I touch it a bit? If it hurts, let me know immediately.”

After the trainer sat down near my ankle, she slowly began to examine it.

“Is it okay here?”

“Yes.”

“Is it okay here?”

“Yes.”

“…Is it okay here?”

“Yes.”

“…If it hurts, you have to say so.”

“Yeah, Maengho. Even without you, we can still win the gold medal, so don’t pretend it doesn’t hurt here and ruin the player’s life. Tell the truth.”

As I kept saying I was fine, the coach and trainer tried to comfort me. But I really was fine. Typically, when a collision occurs between the first baseman and a runner, it’s the runner who gets seriously injured. The first baseman’s focus is usually fixed on the ball, and the runner sees the first baseman. Therefore, runners typically try to avoid the first baseman.

And in the motion of avoiding the first baseman, steps get tangled or the runner fails to overcome the speed at which they are running, leading to injuries. But since I ran with the intention to step on him from the beginning, there was no damage to my body. It felt more like stepping on a platform and jumping.

Since I had aimed properly, I didn’t feel anything other than the pain of rolling on the ground.

“Player Maengho, are you really okay?”

“It hurt a bit earlier, but….”

“Then, I’ll try rotating your ankle. I’ll do it slowly, so tell me if you feel any pain.”

“Okay.”

When I said there was no pain when pressed, this time, it seemed like she was going to rotate it slightly. And the trainer’s hand began to slowly turn my ankle.

“Is this okay?”

“It’s fine.”

“Is this okay?”

“It’s fine.”

“Is this okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“…Your ankle is quite flexible. Even if it’s not injured, this should be a bit painful…”

“Could it be the effect of consistent Pilates?”

When there were games in Seoul, it was routine to wake up in the morning and do Pilates with Jo-eun, so having a flexible ankle was natural.

“Is he really okay?”

“It seems so?”

“Hey, are you really okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Then what about the scream earlier?”

“Was I just a bit startled?”

While talking with the coach and trainer, an ambulance had approached unnoticed. Naturally, we hadn’t called for it, so it must have been called from the Chinese side?

“Do you need to ride the ambulance?”

“I’m really okay.”

“Hey. Let’s at least go in with support.”

“I’m really okay….”

“Still, Imma, those bastards got taken away, so we have to pretend to be hurt too. Grab my arm over there.”

“Yes. Player Maengho, please give me your arm for now.”

With the support of two people, I walked towards the dugout. As we entered the dugout, starting from the coaches, teammates gathered around. Since only a minimum number of people should be left near the injured, my teammates who were unaware of my situation seemed quite curious about how I was doing.

“Maengho, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“But why did you come supported like that?”

“Well, Coach told me to…”

While answering the players’ questions, Coach Lee Geumhyun suddenly approached.

“Good job. Coach Kim, let Sangjun take second base instead of Maengho.”

“Understood.”

I wanted to tell Coach Lee Geumhyun that it was okay to make the substitution, but since the order had already been given, I didn’t want to protest. However, the coach needed to know the truth, so after the situation calmed down, I informed him about my condition.

“Coach, I’m really fine.”

“I see, as long as you’re okay. But those Chinese guys might play dirtier, so let’s rest today. Visit the trainer and the hospital.”

“Well, I can still play in tomorrow’s game.”

“Sure, I’ll handle that. Go to the hospital and come back.”

“Okay.”

It’s regrettable that I couldn’t leave a lesson for the umpire, but today’s game ends here.

After the conversation with the coach, I headed to the hospital, where unsurprisingly, there was nothing wrong during the examination. Our national team scored 12 runs until the 7th inning, winning by a mercy rule in the 7th inning.

“Even after Hyung left, the Chinese guys didn’t play dirty anymore. The strike zone remained consistent though.”

That evening, upon returning to the lodging, according to Uju’s words, the Chinese players didn’t engage in dirty play, so I didn’t feel too bad knowing that the lesson I gave them seemed to have been well received.

“Oh, really? Anyway, congratulations on the victory.”

“Hyung, are you really okay?”

“I’m fine. That’s settled, I’ll go out and if anyone comes, take care of them.”

“What? Going out again today? You’re really crazy.”

Despite many events, one cannot deviate from the routine. After leaving the lodging, the day ended as usual, picking up women.

*[2023 Asian Games] Korea dominates China with a 12-0 victory! Advances to the Super Round!*

…Meanwhile, in the bottom of the 2nd inning, Ji Maengho collided with China’s first baseman, Li Shu Hao, causing a brief halt in the game. Ji Maengho’s examination results confirmed no injuries, while the unfortunate news spread that China’s Li Shu Hao suffered a torn posterior calf muscle…

“Haha, those bastards played dirty but ended up getting hurt.”

“As expected of Maengho, cool as ever.”

“Wow, I thought that guy at first base was going to get seriously injured.”

“Even Maengho would’ve been hurt if things went slightly wrong.”

“Haha, how many people did Maengho knock down today?”

“He’s invincible.”

“Maengho would’ve been hurt too if he wasn’t careful.”

“Oh, Maengho should’ve been hurt too, damn it.”

“Traitor?”

“Do you have the confidence to face that guy in the fall?”

“Seriously, it would’ve been better if he got injured this time.”

“These traitors are the worst. Let’s beat them up.”

“Today, Ji Maengho was quite risky. In the 1st inning and the 2nd inning, the Chinese players were pushing too hard physically, resulting in many accidents.”

“It serves them right. Apart from the accidents, I hope we don’t see such low-level games. It’s an international match, not some amateur baseball with a random strike zone.”

“Still, after Maengho left, everything ended well without any accidents.”

“They are scary too. Afraid of getting hurt.”

– However, it was frustrating that whenever we faced off against China, regardless of the sport, only our players got hurt. Thankfully, our players are injury-free this time.

– It’s a shame that the Chinese player got injured, but honestly, it was satisfying to see them struggling at first base. Quite refreshing, hehe.

– Achieved 2 kills in one day in the Battle of Jikgaseo Gate!

– Wow, the best general in Goguryeo, impressive.

– But Chun, though.

– No, it’s Ji Gamchan.

– Isn’t Gang Gamchan from Goryeo?

– Can’t underestimate the strategies of General Eulji Mundeok; those fools from Sui can’t keep up. Haha.

– This is the spirit of Goguryeo, you bastards.