episode_0357

-AT Thunders, Winning Series at the Volcano!

…Thanks to the performance of the 4th batter Ji Maeng-ho, AT Thunders achieved the Winning Series…

ㄴRegaining 1st place, let’s go!!!

ㄴDamn, why did we have to lose on a Sunday and ruin the mood?

ㄴWow, with Ji Maeng-ho back, the batting lineup is really intimidating, with Seong-hyun, Garcia, and Jai Hyeon.

ㄴHow are they going to stop Ji Maeng-ho? LOL

-Fierce AT Thunders! Regained 2nd place!

…After winning the Winning Series against JT Gold Eyes, AT Thunders recorded 22 wins, 18 losses, and 1 tie, bringing their record to 23 wins and 18 losses, trailing the 1st place Volcano Falcons by 0.5 games. Since Ji Maeng-ho’s return, AT Thunders have achieved 8 wins and 2 losses in 10 games…

Meanwhile, AT Thunders will face UG Over Roses, currently ranked 7th this weekend. Fans are eagerly anticipating how AT Thunders, with Ji Maeng-ho back, will perform against UG Over Roses.

ㄴTheir batting pressure is just different. AT is on fire.

ㄴSo this guy hit 6 home runs in 10 games? How many home runs does the current leader have?

ㄴJoo Seung-cheol has 11, Kang Han-beom 9, Lee Yong-gi 8, Gu Jin-mo 8, Lee Jin-hong 8.

ㄴDamn, Lee Jin-hong needs to stop performing well! He’ll probably break his streak when he joins the national team again.

ㄴSoon Ji Maeng-ho will surpass them all.

ㄴLet’s just give the championship to AT and start over. They can’t be stopped with Ji Maeng-ho back LOL

*

“UG is currently in 7th place?”

“Oh, you didn’t know? Those guys are at the top.”

“Is that so?”

Having watched baseball sporadically during the break, he hadn’t even considered that UG was struggling in the lower ranks. With a record of 19 wins, 21 losses, and 1 tie, a win rate of 0.475. It wasn’t bad, but considering UG had been on the Korean Series stage for the past 6 years, it was a dismal performance.

“Well, at least they’re better off than Hyun-seong.”

Currently, Hyun-seong Mad Cats had a record of 18 wins, 23 losses, with a win rate of 0.439, ranking 10th. Despite being only 5 games behind the 1st place Volcano, given the prestigious history of Hyun-seong, it was still not a fitting performance.

And unintentionally, he felt somewhat responsible for their performance. Ever since the scandal involving match-fixing broke out, Hyun-seong seemed to be in turmoil internally and externally. Even with the best closer in the league moving to the majors, it seemed challenging for such a prestigious team to withstand the pressure both internally and externally.

“Well, from what I’ve heard from the seniors at Hyun-seong, things have been chaotic internally as well.”

Especially the starting catcher who introduced him to that kid at Hyun-seong, Jung-hyun senior, kept contacting him, feeling apologetic.

While both teams were struggling in the lower ranks, being not far behind the 1st place Volcano meant that any of them could climb up anytime, so there was no room for complacency. Therefore, he was determined to give his best in today’s game as usual.

“Since it’s Munhak, might as well pump up the home run count.”

“Oh, are you serious?”

“Was I smiling?”

“Yes. Don’t you even realize when you’re smiling?”

“I’m just excited at the thought of hitting a home run.”

“…Are you kidding me?”

“Honestly, doesn’t it feel exciting to hit homers at Munhak or Suwon? Hey, you hit one in Suwon too.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Honestly, they say they need to increase the salaries of batters playing in Jamsil. It’s too spacious and frustrating.”

“Are you exaggerating just to tease me? Who are you making fun of?”

“Oh, just teasing. Several got caught in Jamsil recently.”

“But you can handle it if you’re tough, right, kid?”

“Instead, here, even if you get hit, you move on.”

The batter’s paradise, Munhak. Moreover, there were good memories here

So, as Yun Seong-tae and I were chatting, the game was about to start when Jung Hwi-cheol, the youngest, and Hyun-seong entered the locker room and shouted. I quickly put my phone inside the locker and prepared to leave.

—

[Hello! The 4th season matchup between UG Overlords and AT Thunders unfolds in literature.]

[It’s a showdown between the rising AT Thunders and the struggling 7th-ranked UG Overlords. Fans seem to be predicting AT Thunders’ victory, right?]

[The rise of AT Thunders. What could be the reason?]

[It’s definitely due to the return of Ji Maeng-ho. In his 10 games back, he has recorded a batting average of .455, an on-base percentage of .604, a slugging percentage of 1.182, with an OPS of a whopping 1.786. Not to mention 6 home runs and 17 RBIs. Although it’s a small sample size, considering Ji Maeng-ho’s performance last year, it seems he won’t disappoint.]

[And there’s more good news for AT Thunders, right?]

[That’s right. Mercenary hitter Don Williams, who was hitting .400 before getting injured, is playing games in the minors until he returns. From the resurgence of Choi Jin-cheol alongside Ji Maeng-ho to the comeback of Don Williams from injury, AT’s upward trend seems unstoppable for now.]

[Kim Soo-ho, Ki Sang-ju, Ji Maeng-ho, Choi Jin-cheol, Williams. The lineup is truly formidable, isn’t it?]

[Indeed, with the core hitters who formed the strongest lineup last year all healthy. And if Woo Kwan-hyung, expected to return by the end of June, adds his strength, they will be even scarier.]

[So, how do you see the slump of UG Overlords?]

[UG Overlords. They finished first in the regular season last year and unfortunately lost in the Korean Series, settling for runner-up. This season, they seem to be faltering, right? Some attribute it to the absence of Coach Moon Gi-taek, who led UG to the Korean Series every year for six years, but I don’t think that’s the main reason. Coach Yoo Jin-hyung is also a capable coach. It’s mainly the underperformance of the foreign players.]

[That’s right. UG Overlords replaced all three foreign players, didn’t they?]

[Correct. Benjamin, who was a long-standing mercenary, was replaced by Klein, who has a .250 average in five games. Peron, brought in instead of McCoin, is currently undergoing adjustments in the minors after recording an early .200s batting average and two home runs. Especially, Austin Webb, the Golden Glove-winning pitcher who performed at an MVP level, left for Japan with a lucrative contract, leaving a big gap.]

[And today, Jeffrey, who was signed to replace Austin Webb, takes the mound.]

[Jeffrey was sidelined for the past three weeks due to pain in his back, but today, UG fans are eagerly anticipating what he will show. Before his injury, he appeared in two games with an ERA of 3.24, showing some promise.]

[After returning from injury, Jeffrey steps onto the mound to lift the stagnant team’s spirits, facing off against AT Thunders’ ace, Bellingham, who supported the struggling AT Thunders’ mound for four years and was a key player in AT Thunders’ first championship of the 21st century last year. Before the game starts, the national anthem plays as part of the pre-game ritual.]

Along with the caster’s words, the national anthem echoes through the stadium. The expressions of the UG Overlords players lined up in front of the dugout seemed quite solemn as they prepared for the pre-game ritual.

It was inevitable that they ranked 7th, as it was a performance unsuitable for UG Overlords. The only seasons in the last 10 years where they didn’t make it to the Autumn Baseball were 2014 and 2017. With just two seasons missed, UG Overlords were a dominant team in the KBA.

In particular, under Coach Moon Ki-taek’s leadership from 2018 to 2023, they made it to the Korean Series every year, winning twice, making them the team closest to the dynasty along with Hyun Sung in the late 2010s.

However, last year’s runner-up finish ruined everything. Benjamin, a veteran mercenary who had been with the team for four years, did not renew his contract due to the need for an ace pitcher, while MacCoin, a reliable outfielder, was released for his heroic performance in the Korean Series. Additionally, the team’s ace, Webb, accepted a lucrative offer from Japan and left the team.

If new mercenaries had performed well, the situation might have been different. However, fans of UG, who used to treat 1st and 2nd place finishes casually, were not satisfied, and in reality, looking at the mercenaries’ performances so far, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call their performance disappointing.

Furthermore, as the slump continued, the team became divided. Some players believed that if intentional walks had been given to Ji Maeng-ho in all his at-bats, they could have won the championship, while others thought they would have won if intentional walks hadn’t been given from the start. This created two factions within the team.

Therefore, this series against AT was quite important for UG. It was Maeng-ho’s first series back, and winning could have been an opportunity for the divided players to come together.

“I have to win this game….”

And that fact was keenly felt by Yoo Jin-hyung, UG’s new coach. He even considered that this series might be a turning point in the season.

“If only I could stop Maeng-ho somehow… Ugh, I wish I could just ignore everything like my seniors.”

As he watched Maeng-ho’s footage and reviewed his performance, the thought of intentionally walking him, like former coach Moon Ki-taek, dominated his mind, but he couldn’t do it. Officially, Moon Ki-taek didn’t renew his contract due to the low win rate in the Korean Series, but those in the know understood the real reason.

The real reason Moon Ki-taek didn’t renew his contract was because he instructed unprecedented intentional walks throughout the season, upsetting baseball fans and higher-ups in the organization.

“Please let Maeng-ho not be in good condition. And may the players handle it well.”

If it had been Moon Ki-taek, during the winter, he would have researched and strategized on Maeng-ho’s weaknesses with the league’s top-level analysis team. Unfortunately for UG fans, Yoo Jin-hyung could only watch Jeffrey practicing on the mound and pray.

“Now up to bat, number one hitter, Jung Hwi-cheol. Season batting average is .328. On-base percentage is .489.”

“It seems like AT has found another gem after last year. Taking advantage of the injury to mercenary batter Williams, he has made it into the starting lineup, showing significant hitting ability despite being a rookie. While drawing 8 walks, he has only struck out once. He’s a tough batter for pitchers, as he tries to see as many pitches as possible.”

And the showdown between starting pitcher Jeffrey and Jung Hwi-cheol began.

Thud!

“This hit is a ground ball to second base. Jeffrey catches the first batter.”

“It looks like pitcher Jeffrey is fully recovered from his injury, doesn’t it?”

Although Jung Hwi-cheol retired with a groundout to second base after an 8-pitch battle, it wasn’t a meaningless out count.

“What? What a disappointment! I expected something different when he came instead of Webb, but there’s hardly any difference from what I saw in the video.”

This bought Maeng-ho time in the dugout to observe the new pitcher’s deliveries.

“The average speed is in the mid-140s? Relies on control, slider’s trash, curveball and changeup are his main weapons. …Is this my meal? Did they say the ball was a bit heavy at least?

Having quickly made his assessment of Geoffrey, the fierce Maeng-ho called over Jung Hwi-chul as he returned to the dugout.

“Hey, how’s the movement?”

“Oh, hyung. It’s solid. Still feels a bit slippery in the hand, though. But with someone like you, Maeng-ho hyung, I think I can handle it just fine.”

“Punk, can’t read people’s pitches.”

“Oh, and it seems like the delivery breaks more than what we see on video. Kind of like a sinker. Maybe he couldn’t throw properly at the beginning of the season due to an injury.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

As Maeng-ho learned more about Geoffrey, the likelihood of Eugene’s prayer being answered was gradually diminishing.”