episode_0287

“Strike!”

Patrick’s pitch pierces the deep strike zone. It’s a slider. Knowing that trying to hit it won’t produce a good hit, Gujong lets the ball go by for a ball, but one thing is certain.

“Are you not swinging at this? Did Ji Maeng-ho die a lot?”

“You seem scared just by talking first.”

“Scared… ”

Moreover, there was a strange feeling in Yi Yong-gi’s voice, as if he wasn’t entirely confident. The catcher knows his own condition better than the pitcher throwing the ball. It seemed like Yi Yong-gi had noticed that Patrick’s pitching was deteriorating.

“He must have been declining since the last inning, right? Both Suho and Sangju seniors’ hits went near the fence.”

And a declining pitch usually means a higher chance of mistakes. To regain control, pitchers tend to throw harder, causing the ball to concentrate more towards the center.

“What’s the next pitch?”

“It’s another slider.”

“Okay.”

He waits, timing himself for the slider. The first pitch was an artistic strike on the inside, but can Patrick still deliver such a pitch with his dwindling stamina?

Thunk!

“Foul!”

As soon as the ball comes into play, he swings, but it’s a foul.

“Oops, was I too hasty?”

This pitch was even closer to the body than before. If he was aiming for a hit, he would have let that one go and waited, but considering the state of the other batters, what they need now is a home run.

‘Aiming for a home run but rushed too much.’

“Let’s slow down. Yong-gi probably doesn’t want to give me a walk. He’ll make the game as tough as possible. Even if he walks me, given today’s form, it’s not reassuring. A home run here is definitely where we can score…”

“Hey, try to cut it off for now.”

While contemplating the game, Rosby advises him to pause.

“Time!”

I immediately call for a time-out and look at Rosby.

“Your mind seems too cluttered right now. Even if you strike out, swing confidently.”

“What? What if I get out doing that?”

“If you can’t do it, then losing is the right outcome. This is just a practice game here. Don’t dwell on each game too much.”

Rosby’s advice to swing confidently even if it means losing didn’t resonate well. In the postseason after 20 years, with fans’ unwavering support, thinking of this as a practice game seemed absurd.

But perhaps Rosby had a reason for saying so.

‘It must be about not feeling pressured. Yeah, maybe I’ve been overthinking because it’s autumn baseball. That’s what Rosby meant from the first at-bat.’

Unbeknownst to me, the burden was weighing on my thoughts. Hearing Rosby’s words cleared my mind a bit.

“Hey, are you getting into it now?”

After taking as much time as possible before the umpire calls me, I step into the batter’s box with a clear mind.

“Were you scared of the two strikes?”

A slightly brighter tone than usual. Yi Yong-gi, like a fox, but with a clear mind, his current state becomes apparent.

“…This is the moment of truth.”

My instincts were telling me that. Even the great Yi Yong-gi couldn’t completely control his emotions in this situation. A regular catcher might play it tough here, but Yi Yong-gi…!

“It’s a fastball.”

A few seconds after Rosby’s words end, the pitch is thrown.

“I see!”

The opponent’s pitch flew in on a low trajectory. The moment I realized this fact, my practiced swing smoothly followed through,

Thud – Crack!

I felt the satisfying impact as the ball connected perfectly with the bat.

“Whoa!”

To think I worried so much about such an insignificant ball. A cheer naturally erupted from my lips.

“The direction is towards the left fence.”

And I executed the ceremony I had prepared for the postseason home run. With one knee slightly bent, I took a stance and targeted the ball flying towards the left fence with my bat. After making contact, I followed through with a flourish.

“Wow!!!!”

“Jimaengho! Jimaengho! Jimaengho! Jimaengho!”

The cheers at Jamsil Baseball Stadium seemed to reverberate as if the stadium itself was leaving.

“Ha, this crazy guy, what did he do now.”

Ignoring Lee Yong-gi muttering behind me with his hand on his waist, I leisurely jogged towards first base. The fans at first base greeted me with applause. I raised my hand in response to those fans before heading towards home.

“Hey, are you going to keep doing this if you hit a home run?”

Although Lee Yong-gi waited for me at home plate and spoke in a low voice, I replied in a cheerful tone without backing down.

“Yes. Be careful not to give up a home run.”

“…Crazy guy.”

In truth, the celebratory gesture that didn’t naturally come out unless I was genuinely happy had a simple reason for happening at that moment. For our victory. If this ceremony could shake the pitcher and make Hanchul angry, I hoped the game would tilt further in our favor, allowing for as many ceremonies as needed.

“Jimaengho! This crazy guy! How many meters did he send it flying?”

“This guy, he did that ceremony again? Anyway, he’s insane!”

“Alright, since the youngest is doing this, we should show them too!”

Moreover, judging by the strength of the congratulatory hands, it seemed like the ceremony could boost the morale of my teammates.

“Darn, it hurts, but I’ll endure it today.”

Thud!

And whether the ceremony had an effect or not, Choi Jin-cheol, who had been silent since his first at-bat, produced a strong hit.

“Wow!”

“Juseungcheol! Juseungcheol! Juseungcheol!”

Although overshadowed by Juseungcheol’s fantastic diving catch.

“Ha, nice hit.”

“How can that guy play defense so well? What did he eat to be that good?”

“Darn, genetics. Where would Ju Hyeong-jin’s genes go?”

While seniors expressed regret over Juseungcheol’s excellent defense, that regret turned into admiration.

“Seniors! Nice job!”

“Woo Gwan-hyung, well done!”

It was Woo Gwan-hyung who made a double to left-center field. A hit that even the renowned defenders Kim Dong-jin and Juseungcheol couldn’t catch. And finally, after hitting big balls since the last inning, Patrick finally stepped down from the mound.

“Thank you for your hard work, seniors.”

And Woo Gwan-hyung, who was replaced by a pinch runner, returned to the dugout with a bright expression.

“Maengho.”

“Yes?”

“Good job. Patrick seemed quite shaken in his pitching.”

Ah, indeed, he was shaken. It was evident at a glance, and Woo Gwan-hyung had seized that opportunity.

“It was a team effort; Juseungcheol caught it.”

Choi Jin-cheol grumbled from behind, feeling it too, so the effect was undoubtedly there.

Thud!

Yoon Sung-tae attacked the new pitcher’s first pitch, widening the score gap by two runs.

‘With this, we can consider the game turning in our favor, right?’

[3:1! Game over! As Park Jin-hyuk finishes the inning, AT Thunderz takes the lead! The first game of the 20th year ends with a victory!]

[As expected, it was a high-level pitching battle typical of autumn baseball. Looking forward to tomorrow’s game, aren’t we?]

AT Thunderz and Hancheol Grizzlies’ Jun Playoff first round ended 3:1, fueled by Jimaengho’s game-winning home run. The victory naturally stirred up AT Thunderz fans who hadn’t tasted the scent of autumn baseball in 20 years.

-[JunPO] Intense pitching battle, finished by Jimaengho.

…Eventually, in the bottom of the 7th inning, Patrick’s pitching came to an end with Jimaengho’s home run. Jimaengho, with his signature ‘sniper ceremony,’ shook Patrick’s mental game, and when the 6th batter, Woo Kwan-hyung, hit a double, Patrick finally left the mound. …Krongse showcased an 8-inning, 1-run performance proving why he is AT’s ace…

ㄴVictory feels great, doesn’t it!

ㄴNo! Mercy! A! T!

ㄴWow, we’ve been waiting so long for this, damn it. They’re enjoying all the good stuff by themselves.

ㄴI’ve been an AT fan for 30 years, shed tears with my wife watching today’s game. Really. Thank you. I’m proud to be an AT fan.

ㄴDamn, this is epic.

ㄴJimaengho is insane.

ㄴNah, just this guy.

ㄴJimaengho, unparalleled in baseball history, the one and only ‘GOAT.’ Your dedication led AT to victory.

-[JunPO] Jimaengho, crossing the line again with his ceremony? Hancheol’s Park Dae-hoon ‘Unpleasant!’

…After Jimaengho’s home run in the bottom of the 7th, controversy arose over his sniper ceremony. Hancheol’s coach publicly mentioned finding Jimaengho’s ceremony unpleasant…

ㄴUnpleasant? Not at all?

ㄴHaha, that was refreshing. This is fall baseball, after all.

ㄴDamn, this guy Jimaengho has no concept, right? Is he out of his mind?

ㄴAre there still Hancheol fans around who haven’t left? Leave already, you losers.

ㄴPassing by as a UG fan, this will be a memory in time, haha.

ㄴWhen I watched live, it sucked, but now it’s pretty funny, haha.

-[JunPO] Jimaengho, ‘Ceremony? Will continue?’

…In a post-game interview, Jimaengho announced his intention to continue the ceremony, sparking discussion.

ㄴLet our Maengho do whatever he wants~~~~~!!!!

ㄴAmen, hallelujah.

ㄴMaengho, I love you!!!!!

ㄴThat’s Jimaengho for you.

-But the batting lineup wasn’t great today; without Maengho, it would have been a disaster.

ㄴThat’s because Patrick suddenly went crazy.

ㄴWhy bench Maengho? What the hell?

ㄴBut it’s a fact to be worried; all the players seemed frozen, right?

ㄴWithout Kim Su-ho and Jimaengho, it would have been terrible, everyone seemed off.

-Who is Jimaengho? Why is everyone going crazy about him now?

ㄴYou still don’t know Jimaengho? Seriously clueless?

ㄴGet out.

ㄴEven spies know about him, idiots. How can you not know Maengho?

-Well, today’s ceremony was a bit excessive, wasn’t it? The UG game was more enjoyable.

ㄴDid this guy lose his mind?

ㄴIt was cool, right? Haha.

ㄴExactly, look at the charisma in his restrained movements. That’s style. This guy might need to go to the military.

ㄴI’ve been in the reserves for 4 years.

ㄴGo back and come back, idiot.

ㄴIf you doubt Maengho, you should go back, haha.

-I’m Jimaengho, grateful for the support, but I deleted my Instagram because of you guys. And the guy sending dick pics, I’ll find and kill him. Thanks for your support, always grateful, and will work even harder in the future. Look forward to the second half. [4828 comments]

ㄴThank you, Maengho…

ㄴAmen, hallelujah.

ㄴAmen, hallelujah.

ㄴBelieving today too…

ㄴOne cheer for memories, one cheer for love, one cheer for loneliness, one cheer for longing, one cheer for poetry, one cheer for mother, mother,

ㄴJimaeng

“Why are you looking at the internet on a game day?”

“Darn it, because my DMs and feed are blowing up? I just did a bit of Insta, how can I avoid what’s so visible? But are we just going to take this lying down?”

“What should we do then?”

“We should hit back as much as we’ve been hit. We need to do something too.”

“What?”

“Seungcheol!”

As the tension rose, the players of Hancheol who had risen as the best superstar in the team were called upon.

“Yes, senior!”

“If you hit a home run today, you should do that too.”

And a discreet proposal is made.

“That? Um…, alright. I’ll give it a try.”

The players of Hancheol, spurred by the heat, were thinking of reciprocating in the same way. Following Jimaengho’s method.