episode_0399

[In the first seed, we have the United States from Group A, Japan from Group B, our Republic of Korea from Group C, and even though they secured the second place in Group C with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss, the Netherlands, with the best performance, is also present. In the second seed, we have Taiwan as the second place from Group A, the Dominican Republic as the second place from Group B, Venezuela as the third place from Group B, and Cuba as the third place from Group C. Sir, which opponent do you think would be the best for us to compete against?]

[For the main round, up until the quarterfinals, there are no easy opponents among the countries that have advanced. Taiwan, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela are all tough opponents. By the way, since the Republic of Korea was in the same group as Cuba during the qualifiers, they cannot face Cuba again.]

[However, if we were to choose an opponent with relatively weaker strength…]

[It would still be Taiwan. Taiwan has produced many players for the Major Leagues, but we have good memories of winning against them when we faced them with full force at last year’s Asian Games. Moreover, Venezuela is decent as well. Although Acuña Jr. and José Altuve are performing well, their overall gameplay isn’t that strong.]

[Then, who do you think is the most challenging opponent to face?]

[The country I haven’t mentioned, the Dominican Republic. In fact, although the Dominican Republic made it to the second place, their performance against Japan, who was the first in the same group, was quite impressive. Many players from the Dominican Republic are familiar to those who follow the Major Leagues. Among them, there are aces like Sandy Alcantara, the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner, and closers like Emmanuel Clase. Even in terms of batters, they have Guerrero Jr., Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Manny Machado, José Ramírez, and many other outstanding players.]

[Wow, there are some incredible players just by hearing their names.]

[Currently, the Dominican Republic is a team that could win the Major Leagues if they were to participate. Personally, I would love to see a match between the Dominican Republic and the world’s strongest team, the United States, in the finals. Haha.]

[Now, the drawing for the matchups will begin. The first game of the quarterfinals is… the Republic of Korea.]

[Oh, great. If we manage to advance, the schedule looks good.]

[…The second game is the United States. This means if we win in the quarterfinals, our opponent will be the United States. Ah, that’s a bit disappointing.]

[Personally, I hoped for a rematch from the last WBC in the finals, but it seems it will be in the semifinals. Semifinals it is.]

[…The third game is Japan. This naturally leads the Netherlands into the last game. Now, the drawing for the second seed will take place. The Republic of Korea cannot face Cuba. So, who will be the opponent for the Republic of Korea…! Ah….]

[Ah….]

[…It’s the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is the opponent for South Korea in the quarterfinals!]

– [Olympics] Republic of Korea! Quarterfinals Game 1, facing the Dominican Republic!

Amidst the fervent interest in the 2024 LA Olympics, the baseball matchups are attracting significant attention.

The first game of the quarterfinals features the Republic of Korea against the Dominican Republic, the second game is the United States against Venezuela, the third game is Japan against Cuba, and the fourth game is the Netherlands against Taiwan…

Unlike the previous Olympics, this year’s Olympics follow a tournament format without a losers’ revival round. In the last Tokyo Olympics, baseball was a designated sport, allowing only six countries to participate. However, in this LA Olympics, it has been recognized as an official sport…

…This, coupled with the success of the previous WBC, has garnered significant attention. The last WBC also followed a tournament format without a losers’ revival round, capturing the attention of nations worldwide…

…On the other hand, the Republic of Korea will face the Dominican Republic in the quarterfinals. The Dominican Republic boasts a national team composed of Major League All-Star caliber players. Particularly, award-winning pitcher Alcantara and rising Major League superstar Fernando Tatis Jr., among others…

The Republic of Korea is set to face the Dominican Republic in the starting lineup, with Jung Woo-sung representing Korea and the Dominican Republic announcing Sandy Alcantara, the 2022 Cy Young Award winner, as their starter, attracting attention.

┗Damn, it had to be the Dominican Republic.

┗Ah… the Dominican Republic…

┗It’s confirmed to be a disaster lol How will Jung Woo-sung stop Peter Alonso, Manny Machado, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jose Ramirez, Juan Soto, Wander Franco, and Sandy Alcantara lol

┗Wow, the Dominican lineup is intense.

┗They did well to reach the quarterfinals!!!!!

-Feels like shit. If only they had finished second in the group, they would have faced Taiwan, damn it.

┗True lol

┗Just because those batters hit well, they’re facing the Dominican Republic lol If they win and advance, they’ll face the U.S. in the Olympics, damn it

-Well, it’s somewhat expected. Honestly, just making it to the quarterfinals at the top league level is an achievement. Haha

┗Honestly, were you hoping they’d lose to the Netherlands?

┗Haha if they had lost back then, it would’ve been hilarious

-So, how do you see the chances against the Dominican Republic? It doesn’t look easy, especially with Alcantara on the mound.

┗Sigh, of course he makes a comeback this year.

┗It’s tough to rely on the batters when the Dominican pitchers are strong, and it’s tough to rely on the pitchers when the Dominican batters are strong…

-But we still have to win. If Ji Man-ho or Joo Seung-cheol want to go to the majors, they have to win.

┗Joo Seung-cheol probably won’t pitch as a starter

┗We were expecting Kang Han-beom to do well. He only has 1 hit in 12 at-bats, not very promising…

*

‘The pressure is really getting to me.’

Before the game starts, looking at the Dominican lineup displayed on the scoreboard makes my head spin.

In the spot where the starting pitcher’s name is supposed to be, Miami’s Sandy Alcantara’s name is boldly written, and the list of batters includes Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jose Ramirez, Juan Soto, Wander Franco, among others, all names familiar to baseball fans.

Even if you were to put together a Major League team, this lineup wouldn’t be out of place. Especially today, the intimidation factor of Sandy Alcantara, the starting pitcher, was undeniable. The batters who were joking around in the locker room moments ago were now glued to their phones, searching for videos of Alcantara as the game approached.

Having won the Cy Young Award in the National League in 2022, Sandy Alcantara had a disappointing 2023 due to the WBC but made a strong comeback this year, delivering pitches with the same power as before.

Alcantara washed away last year’s slump and this season, he recorded a 1.77 ERA over 137.1 innings in 19 games, solidifying his position as one of the best pitchers in the National League. With already 11 wins this season, his performance speaks for itself.

His achievements this season almost guarantee him half of the National League Cy Young Award.

With such good form, one might not want to disrupt their routine, but despite knowing the risks, he chose to participate in international competitions again.

‘Why did he choose to play in international competitions again after ruining a season by participating in them?’

It wasn’t hard to understand. Representing your country was something special. Even I shed tears when I was first selected to represent the national team after hitting a home run. Even though the country hadn’t done much for me, the fact that I represented the nation was special and unchanging.

Despite having led the season, Alcantara’s pitching on the mound as he represented the country…

“Strike!”

…was indeed impressive. The fastball Alcantara threw to Choi Ju-tae hit the knee area precisely, drawing a strike. The speed was 96 miles per hour, roughly 154.5 km/h. What was frightening was that this speed didn’t even match his average fastball speed.

Moreover, he was a pitcher who surprisingly enjoyed pinpoint accuracy despite having a powerful fastball.

In the late 8-point range per 9 innings, even though he was good at striking out batters, his record was not considered impressive compared to pitchers like Alcantara who possessed powerful control. In today’s Major League, around 10 strikeouts per 9 innings were necessary to rank among the top.

Alcantara was considered an intelligent pitcher who knew how to manage games, unlike other foolish pitchers. It was more advantageous to induce a groundout with one pitch than to strike out with three pitches.

Alcantara, the Major League’s top inning eater, won the Cy Young Award for averaging around 7 innings per game and even in the disastrous last year, he consistently pitched about 6 innings per game. Well, his natural stamina played a part too.

“The more I think about it, the more absurd it seems. How can such a guy exist?”

Thunk!

At that moment, a dull sound of my wooden bat and baseball colliding shattered my reverie. The ball hit by Choi Joo-tae rolled slowly towards the pitcher.

“Out!”

And as if it were obvious, the first base umpire rang out the out call. Sandy Alcantara, one of the best pitchers in the Major Leagues, did not make a mistake with the easy ball coming his way.

“Senior, what kind of pitch was that?”

Judging by the break angle and speed, it seemed like a sinker…

“It was a changeup.”

“A changeup? A changeup…”

After hearing Choi Joo-tae’s words, I checked the velocity displayed on the scoreboard. The velocity shown on the scoreboard was 93.1 miles per hour.

“Darn, what kind of changeup speed is this…”

It was faster than most KBA league pitchers’ fastballs. I knew it was fast from watching videos yesterday, but seeing it in person was different.

“So, is this why he’s ranked first in pitch value?”

If a pitch breaks like that and goes into the zone, it’s a disaster. While I was confident in throwing changeups or curves, it was only possible because they were ‘slow’ pitches. With slower pitches, there was more time to assess and judge the location of the ball, making it easier to hit those off-speed pitches. However, with a pitch of that speed, I honestly wasn’t confident. No, this wouldn’t do. I needed to be confident.

“Don’t panic. You’re Kim Maeng-ho.”

We haven’t even started the game yet; I can’t go in thinking I’ll lose. I lightly tapped my cheek and stepped into the batter’s box, adjusting my batting gloves and taking in the smell of rubber. The strong smell of rubber cleared my mind. Two swings. I prepared at the plate as I always had, following my routine.

After my routine, confidence surged within me. A feeling of calmness washed over me. Could I send that guy’s pitch over the outfield wall just like I’ve done so far?

“Let’s go, Mr. Rosby.”

“Sure. The first pitch is a changeup.”

A changeup. He found it amusing earlier, right? Or maybe he analyzed me before coming. No, he must have. If so, he must have known the fact that I’m good at hitting changeups. So, this was his confidence.

Confidence that he could dominate me with his changeup. Even a pitcher who enjoys cooking up batters with changeups is still a pitcher.

“I’ll put it in the zone, so if you want to hit, give it a try.”

It seemed like he was saying that.

And the pitch was thrown. Even if it’s 150…! I put force into the bat as usual.

Swish!

“Huh…?”

“Strike!”

Damn, this trajectory is supposed to be a changeup…? …That doesn’t make sense.

Alcantara’s changeup had a much larger break and was faster than it appeared from the outside. Of course, I knew that fact, but the pitch was more breaking and quicker than expected.

I knew it, but upon hearing it was a changeup, did I mistakenly think it was the changeup I knew deep down?

I had always heard this from my hitting coach, that the cognitive speed of a human could never surpass that of a ball, and a batter swings their bat based on their own experiences. That’s why even promising players who were praised for their exceptional hitting talent in high school couldn’t adapt to the changes in the pros that they had never seen during their high school days.

…Just like I am now. Facing a level of change I had never seen before.

“Damn….”

If I keep seeing changes at this level, eventually, I should be able to adapt, but… not right now. Waiting for my eyes to adjust to his changeup…

“Mr. Rosby. That one… right?”

“Hmm….”

“Well, you were planning to do it once you made it to the majors anyway. Let’s see how far I’ve come, shall we.”

It was time to unlock the seal.