episode_0352

[Three consecutive strikeouts! It’s indeed Seonghyun! In the bottom of the 2nd inning, Seonghyun turns the batting lineup of Jimaengho-Choe Jincheol-Yoon Sungtae around with strikeouts!]

[Jimaengho with a fastball, Choe Jincheol with a changeup, Yoon Sungtae with a curveball. Seonghyun is showing why he is Seonghyun today, isn’t he?]

[That’s right. Seonghyun displaying powerful pitching. The game now transitions to the bottom of the 2nd inning.]

[An RBI single by Lee Yonggi! Facing Crocs, the new cleanup hitter for Falcons, Lee Yonggi, secures the first hit of the day, getting the leadoff batter on base.]

[MacDy’s hit! To the second baseman! Jimaengho tosses to second base! Out! Yoon Sungtae’s throw to first base! AT Thunderz executes a textbook 4-6-3 double play! Crocs are smiling!]

[Crocs player, who in five games this season had 2 wins and 2 losses, failing to replicate last year’s performance, seems to have completely revived his form today, don’t you think?]

[Crocs quickly secure two outs! Stepping up to bat as the 6th hitter is Yeon Sanghyun… Three pitches! This hit goes high. The center fielder effortlessly catches the ball. Crocs show a scoreless pitching against three batters in the bottom of the 2nd inning!]

“Wow, both teams are showcasing a high-level pitching duel, aren’t they? Seonghyun and Crocs. As anticipated from the starting pitchers’ matchup, they are demonstrating intense gameplay.”

The first-place team, Falcons, and the third-place team, AT Thunderz, face off in their second series of the season. The first game of the series between the aces of both teams unfolds as a fiercely contested pitching battle, meeting the fans’ expectations. In the 1st and 2nd innings, both starting pitchers, Seonghyun and Crocs, faced only six batters each before concluding the 2nd inning.

Their intense pitching duel continued until the lineup completed a full rotation. In the 3rd inning, all nine batters from both teams stepped up to the plate, yet no one managed to reach second base.

“Crocs! Showing no signs of lagging behind Seonghyun! In the bottom of the 3rd, Crocs of AT Thunderz ends Falcons’ offensive with a three-up, three-down!”

And so begins the top of the 4th inning.

“The leadoff batter for AT is the 1st hitter, Jung Huicheol.”

“Player Jung Huicheol joined AT as a rookie last year, impressing with a mid-to-late .300 batting average in the Futures League, and has since secured the starting center fielder position for AT.”

“While taking over the starting position due to injuries to Woo Gwanhyeong and mercenary batter Williams, filling in for injured players like that truly showcases one’s abilities, doesn’t it?”

“That’s correct. Young players like him must seize such opportunities well because opportunities come only to the prepared. Jung Huicheol is a player who has been steadily preparing. I’ve heard evaluations from officials praising his training attitude, and he is a typical leadoff hitter with excellent contact, baserunning, and defensive skills.”

“Swing! One strike! … Jung Huicheol, he swung! Ground ball to the shortstop, Kim Seung-sik comfortably makes the out count. One out.”

“Well, Jung Huicheol is a promising player for the future, but Seonghyun’s experience shines through. It seems challenging to face Seonghyun at the moment. His swing form seems completely off now, doesn’t it? Jung Huicheol seemed to be targeting the fastball, but he completely missed the timing against the curveball.”

“Seonghyun handles ten batters in a row. Now stepping up to the plate is Kim Suho.”

The leadoff hitter Jung Huicheol retreats on Seonghyun’s experienced pitching with a groundout to the shortstop, and the second hitter, Kim Suho, steps into the batter’s box.

[Kim Suho, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he is the player who sees the most pitches in Korea. During his NV days, he was a power hitter, but after transferring to AT with a spacious home stadium, he attempted to change his style to see as many pitches as possible. In the past three years since moving to AT, he has drawn 280 walks while striking out only 240 times, resulting in an impressive BB/K ratio of 1.17.]

After Kim Suho’s transition to AT, focusing more on on-base percentage than slugging, the commentator, anticipating a prolonged game due to Kim Suho’s hitting style, began to unravel Kim Suho’s records as usual. It was widely known in the baseball world that unless it was an exceptional pitcher, Kim Suho would see 3 to 4 pitches.

“So you tried to adapt your style to the ballpark?”

“Yes. Especially last year, I drew 113 walks while only striking out 93 times. I recorded a batting average of .325 last year with an on-base percentage of .448, showing a significant gap. I also won the Golden Glove at third base. Furthermore, this season, with 21 walks and 13 strikeouts, my BB/K ratio is very good…”

Thud!

While the commentator comfortably recited his expectations for a long game, Kim Suho’s bat swung lightning-fast.

“Huh?! Kim Suho’s first-pitch hit! This ball is headed towards the infield…! It drops in! A single for Kim Suho in front of the right fielder! The AT Thunders record their first on-base of the day!”

“…This pitch seemed like a strike, but Kim Suho aimed well.”

As the commentator hesitated to explain Kim Suho’s unexpected swing, the dugout erupted in cheers for the awaited first on-base by the AT Thunders.

“Nice! Kim Suho! Well done!”

Contrary to the pre-game agreement to extend the match, batting coach Lee Ki-cheol, realizing that battling against Seonghyun-Lee Yong-gi battery wouldn’t lead to anything good, demanded quick results from the batters. Kim Suho’s successful on-base hit on the first pitch aligned perfectly with the changed strategy.

“Phew, even though I can’t stand Lee Ki-cheol’s personality, he sure knows his stuff.”

While the fierce lion Jong Ji silently acknowledged the effectiveness of Lee Ki-cheol’s coaching, Lee Ki-cheol approached him.

“Jong Ji.”

“Yes, Coach.”

“You probably know that if you step up to bat, our hitting stance will change. You’re likely to get a good pitch early on.”

“…I’ll handle that myself.”

“Good, I trust you.”

“Sure.”

Responding dryly to Lee Ki-cheol’s advice, Jong Ji brushed off his attempt at camaraderie and walked to the on-deck circle.

“That bastard, pretending to trust me. Damn, he didn’t even trust me this much in high school.”

With his anger towards Lee Ki-cheol fueled to the maximum, Jong Ji headed to the on-deck circle.

*

Thud!

“Ah, Sangju senior!”

A sigh escapes with the swing. Kim Suho sets a positive tone with his on-base, but Gisangju retreats with a second hit, hitting a fly ball to the infield.

“Hey, Hyuni hyung, your condition is no joke today.”

“I know that too. You don’t have to show it physically like that.”

“…Sorry.”

Gisangju leaves a word of apology after hitting the fly ball and returns to the dugout.

“Phew, right. It’s familiar. I have to do what I have to do.”

The only fortunate thing is that Gisangju didn’t hit a run-scoring hit? If he had sent Kim Suho to second base, Seonghyun would have undoubtedly targeted me, so it was better to have a runner on first rather than risking two outs on second base.

“Is the strikeout machine here?”

“What strikeout machine. Just because he got lucky with one doesn’t make him all high and mighty, right?”

“Yeah, let’s see how long he can keep smiling.”

“Watch closely now. After hitting a home run, if he hangs his head, we won’t see him anymore.”

“This guy refuses to say a word.”

Lee Yong-gi chuckles, and suddenly, the batter’s box is engulfed in silence.

“Fastball.”

And the sound of Rosby’s voice comes through. Have they already finished exchanging signs?

“Ball.”

Seonghyun’s fastball digs deep into the strike zone. It wasn’t a great pitch like Ikcheol said.

“Is he planning to target the outside with a fastball inside?”

Since there’s a runner on first base anyway, it feels like he won’t throw the ball inside towards John. Seonghyun might throw it. My mind is in turmoil.

“When your head is this complicated, it’s best to clear your mind.”

I deeply engrave those words that Rosby always tells me in moments like this and clear my mind.

“Changeup.”

“Okay.”

Seonghyun’s changeup. Unlike other pitchers I’ve faced so far, it had a sharp angle and was deceptive, which initially caught me off guard, but not anymore. Training with Rosby in my mind has made me familiar with its trajectory. Moreover, despite its sharp angle and deception, since it’s fundamentally a changeup, it’s a pitch I can read and respond to adequately.

“Here it comes.”

I hear Seonghyun’s footstep, and his arm swings in the same form as before. The ball slowly approaches me and then, defying the laws of physics, starts moving outside at some point. I extend my arm in line with that trajectory.

Thud!

“Ktak.”

The solid sensation that rises through my palm when the bat doesn’t hit the ball’s center. But there’s no time to dwell on that pain. The ball is heading towards the outfield, towards first base. After hitting the ball, throwing the bat aside, I run towards first base, seeing the right fielder chasing after my hit.

“Run, run!”

As the ball continues to curve to the right and the right fielder chases after it, Kim Suho, who started running as soon as the hit connected, is already near third base. Just one RBI away if he makes it!

And whether my prayers reached or not, the ball brushes past the right fielder’s glove and lands on the ground.

“Waaaah!”

“Jimangho! Jimangho! Jimangho!”

Hearing my name echoing at Daejeon Stadium after a long time, as I reach second base, the stadium reverberates once again.

“Kim Suho! Kim Suho! Kim Suho!”

And the hero is Kim Suho. There was no need to look towards home plate. As I run, Kim Suho successfully scores while I make my way to second base.

“This is it!”

In the joy of scoring a point against Seonghyun, I involuntarily pump my fist, feeling the eyes of the beasts of the volcano around me.

“Well, what can you do.”

As I lock eyes with the beasts of the volcano and one by one, I meet the gaze of Lee Yong-gi, who is shaking his head. When I gesture a V sign towards Lee Yong-gi, he lets out a deep sigh.

“This is it, damn.”

Seeing Lee Yong-gi’s confident demeanor after striking out once, did laughter naturally bubble up? A person who knows well that I’m strong against changeups is now throwing them here.

“Hyung, are you underestimating me too much?”

Whether he felt my gaze or not, Lee Yong-gi smiles wryly and flips his catcher’s mask. And here comes Choi Jincheol to the batter’s box. I quickly shake off the exhilaration I felt at the plate and refocus on the game.

“Curveball.”

“Okay.”

Taking advantage of the fastball grip, I sprint straight to third base. As soon as I touch third base, I feel the sensation of the glove.

“Safe!”

As I stand up and dust myself off, this time, I lock eyes with Seonghyun. He seemed surprised by my stealing third base from the fastball. To see such an expression on Seonghyun’s face, known for his lack of expression on the mound. My lower body starts to tingle after a long time.

“How did he manage to run all the way home?”

I subtly widen my lead. I can feel the left-handed pitcher Seonghyun glancing at me. I sense the pressure.

“Fastball grip.”

“Okay.”

However, even feeling the pressure, the pitcher had no way to catch me. I was prepared to return anyway if it was a fastball grip. Moreover, a left-handed pitcher? I was confident that I wouldn’t be caught even if he threw a hundred times.

“Safe!”

Just like now.

“Hey, you should focus on the batter. It’s Choi Jin-cheol.”

And the second pitch thrown towards Choi Jin-cheol.

Thwack!

Choi Jin-cheol’s hit soared through the sky of Daejeon Baseball Stadium, flying near the outfield wall.