episode_0402

“Damn, finally got the timing right for a change.”

The first emotion Alcantara felt when he stepped down was ‘annoyance.’ Although he was caught in front of the wall in his last at-bat, he felt like he could pass if he faced him one more time.

However, that was a personal feeling; from a team perspective, it was a good sign. Frankly, besides myself, I couldn’t imagine any other player hitting Alcantara’s pitches. And now.

“Joo Seungcheol, what the hell!”

“Seungcheol, man!”

“Damn! Let’s go! Let’s turn this around!”

Seeing Joo Seungcheol shouting curses even with Ju Hyeongjin next to him, I felt like the flow of the game was gradually changing.

“Hyung, how was it?”

“I don’t know, damn!”

…Joo Seungcheol seemed quite excited, but the atmosphere was still good. Even though Lee Yongki and Koo Jinmo struck out and went back to the dugout, the positive vibe remained.

“My ball!”

“Out!”

Following Jung Woosung, Choi Junghoon successfully shut down Dominica’s lineup consisting of Sanchez, Rodriguez, and Tatis Jr., creating a triple play and keeping the good mood going.

“Suho sunbae! Just get on base! I’ll really make it a tie.”

In the top of the 8th inning, asking leadoff batter Kim Suho to get on base, Kim Suho nodded as usual and headed to the plate. Dominica’s pitcher was left-handed Gregory Soto, a monster with an average fastball speed of 98-99 miles per hour. An average speed like that meant his top speed reached 100 miles per hour.

‘How do these guys throw 100 miles per hour every time?’

Despite being amazed by the unbelievable speed, it didn’t mean there were no weaknesses. The inevitable weakness of power pitchers was their control. Soto also had some issues with control. And Kim Suho was one of the best batters at reading pitches in Korea.

“Ball.”

“Strike.”

“Ball.”

Thud!

“Foul!”

Thud!

“Foul!”

“Ball.”

Kim Suho patiently waited for the pitch as usual.

“Ball four, take your base!”

…Until he got a walk. Now it was almost certain that I would go up to bat this inning. As long as I didn’t hit into a double play or mess up on the bases.

“Pinch runner! Park Cheolyoung!”

And to prevent such a situation, Park Cheolyoung, who had stolen over 30 bases every season since becoming a starter, came in as a pinch runner.

“Suho, well done!”

“As expected of Kim Suho!”

After successfully getting on base and being replaced by a pinch runner, Kim Suho’s expression as he entered the dugout was like that of a victorious general. He was a senior with little change in expression, but after spending over a year together, his expression now looked almost like when he won a battle.

Celebrated by his teammates, Kim Suho suddenly approached me.

“I got on base as you said. Can we solve this?”

“…You did get on base earlier.”

“Actions speak louder than words…”

Thump. Kim Suho’s palm tapped my shoulder. A gesture of trust. Within it lay not only Kim Suho’s trust but also the trust of the national team members and the people. I quietly nodded in response to that trust.

While we were talking, the 9th batter Kim Junghyun successfully bunted, sending pinch runner Park Cheolyoung to second base. The coach’s determination to eliminate the double play. And the coach’s belief in the following batters, Choi Jutae and myself, was palpable. Before walking to the on-deck circle, I locked eyes with the coach.

“Mangho, no need for many words.”

In a desperate situation, the coach’s words to me were brief. Therefore, his determination was even more evident.

“Yes, leave it to me.”

There was no room for failure here, especially for the coach who had always supported me despite the controversy. Besides, it was clear that even in a place like the Dominican Republic, Rossbi would shed tears.

“Huh? Isn’t this fun? What’s wrong with dropping out quickly and enjoying rice cakes for the remaining period?”

…Really? Although Rossbi’s words were tempting, losing in the game was a bit…

As I was about to step into the on-deck circle, it seemed that the Dominican dugout also felt the pressure, as Soto was pulled off the mound. The new pitcher taking the mound was Dominican closer Emmanuel Clase. Nonchalantly throwing 100 miles per hour, he was undoubtedly one of the best closers in the Major Leagues.

“These guys really throw a hundred miles per hour like it’s nothing.”

Seeing Clase take the mound, Choi Jutae gestured to me.

“Mangho, come and see.”

“Yes, senior.”

“Do you know Clase?”

Of course, I knew. I had been watching videos of Dominican pitchers until just before having sex with Huliana.

“Yes, I watched him yesterday.”

Looking at Clase practicing his pitches, Choi Jutae began speaking.

“Just in case, I’ll explain it one last time. He throws the fastball in a cutter style, averaging 99-100 miles per hour, with a top speed of 102 miles per hour. Then there’s the slider pitch. Start with the cutter, and if the count is favorable, go for the slider. The slider is around 92-93 miles per hour. It’s a dropping slider, so you need to be especially careful. Got it? But his control isn’t great…”

It was a new sight to see him explain something I already knew. Probably just nerves. It was clear he was trying to calm himself down while pretending to explain to me. Choi Jutae instinctively felt that this was a crucial moment.

“Senior.”

“Yes?”

“Are you nervous?”

“What are you saying? Nervous? Who said anything about being nervous?”

“…I didn’t say that.”

“Senior, swing comfortably.”

“Yes?”

“I’m behind you.”

“…You crazy bastard.”

Choi Jutae, looking bewildered by my words, chuckled and walked into the batter’s box.

“New pitcher, first pitch. Got it?!”

Even though I shouted at his back, Choi Jutae didn’t turn around and raised his index finger in response.

“Please, don’t let it end in a weird line drive double play.”

Thunk!

“Foul!”

“Ah, damn it…”

Choi Jutae’s hit aimed at the new pitcher’s first pitch narrowly missed the foul line. …But the hit wasn’t that bad. Maybe it was the experience of a Major Leaguer? Or perhaps it was the influence of only facing hard-throwing pitchers until now? …Probably both?

Even though making solid contact was difficult…

Thunk!

There was no problem hitting the ball like this. And when the ball rolled on the ground, something was bound to happen. There were three steps needed to make an infield groundout.

The infielder catches the ball. Throws it to first base. The first baseman tags the runner.

Choi Jutae’s hit headed towards the shortstop. The ball hit the boundary between the grass and dirt, bouncing high. The shortstop leaped high. Caught the ball.

“Damn! How did he catch that? It was supposed to drop for sure!”

However, it still wasn’t an out. The shortstop assumed the throwing position. Glancing at the second baseman running to third base, he threw the ball to first base.

…And the throw was high!

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was watching first base, utilized his unique agility to jump high, but hang time wasn’t something human willpower could control. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tried to touch Choi Jutae in mid-air, swinging his arm, but

“…Safe!”

Choi Joo-tae’s hand first touched the base. Now, a nearly forbidden headfirst slide at first base! However, in a situation like this, there was nothing more appropriate than that. If he had stood still, he might have been tagged out for sure.

Choi Joo-tae’s powerful sprint and fantastic headfirst slide created a precious opportunity.

– Choi Joo-tae! Choi Joo-tae! Choi Joo-tae!

The voices of the expatriates and the cheering squad enthusiastically cheered Choi Joo-tae’s name. And,

– Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho!

My name is heard. One out, trailing by two runs, runners on first and third base. Moreover, it’s the bottom of the 8th inning. Tension fills the air.

“Darn it, here we go! Are you ready, Rosby?”

“Tsk.”

Rosby, biting his tongue, takes his familiar position. Right where he can see inside the pitcher’s glove the best.

“It’s a cutter.”

The pitch I’m aiming for is all about his pitches. After all, he wasn’t someone with great command. A type who throws looking at the middle based on tremendous movement.

“The target?”

“Well, it’s towards the body but…”

Either it goes significantly off-target or it strikes towards the body. From there, I had to make my judgment.

“Just aiming for that, there’s no point swinging at an unreasonable outside pitch.”

If you think it’s outside, just don’t swing. Anyway, the probability of such a pitch entering the strike zone was not high.

Keeping in mind it’s towards the body, I review his cutter. His cutter has a larger vertical movement than horizontal. It was a type of cutter that matched well with my swing trajectory. The issue was overcoming his movement with my strength.

“Here it comes…!”

The guy, alternating between first and third base, finally stretches his foot. The speed at which a 100 mph pitch reaches home plate is 0.35 seconds. I had to judge if it was coming into the strike zone almost as soon as he threw it, and as soon as the ball left his hand, I had one certainty.

This ball is coming into the strike zone. Towards the body as Rosby indicated.

As soon as I made that judgment, my bat started to meet his pitch,

Crack!

A cheerful sound as the hit flies far. It felt like the ball met the bat on its own. And,

“Wow!!!!”

A loud cheer from the audience, sounding like something heard after a long time.

“Damn it! This is it!”

I almost instinctively aimed the bat towards the pitcher.

“I have to hold back.”

Because if I didn’t, given the 100 mph, my teammates were likely to get hit, so I forcibly held back the celebration, then lowered the bat as casually as possible…

– Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho!

And after lightly raising my hand to the fans cheering my name, I headed towards first base. The final destination of my steps was the home plate where I had been standing until now.

“Did those bastards underestimate us? Where did they change the starting pitcher?”

Injecting a dagger into the hearts of the Dominicans watching beyond the quarterfinals couldn’t have been more refreshing.

***

[This hit…!]

[Please…! Please, go over, go over! Ohhh! It went over!]

[Ji Maeng-ho!! It’s Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho…! He’s turning this game around!]

[Ohhh! Ji Maeng-ho! Indeed, it’s Ji Maeng-ho! This is it!]

[Facing off against the Major League’s top closer, a three-run homer to reverse the game! Ohhh! It’s Ji Maeng-ho!!]

As Ji Maeng-ho’s hit cleared the wall, the broadcasters could do nothing but shout his name, forgetting their duties. And it wasn’t just the broadcasters in that state. Due to the screams of the people watching the game, the apartment buildings echoed.

And Ji Maeng-ho’s come-from-behind three-run homer in a situation teetering on the edge was worth more than just a mere score. A home run flipping the atmosphere in one go was common in baseball games, and Ji Maeng-ho’s three-run homer that erupted now was precisely that kind of home run.

[Now in the 9th inning, Korea’s closing pitcher, Go Young-ho, steps up. …Out! …Strikeout! Only one out count remains until the semi-finals!]

Thunk!

The hit that will determine Korea’s advancement to the semi-finals rolls into the outfield.

[Ji Maeng-ho catches the ball effortlessly. Throws to first base. Out! Out! Korea advances to the semi-finals! They successfully defeat the formidable Dominican team and advance to the semi-finals! It was a tough game, but they did it! The players from Korea!]

[Wow, truly remarkable players. Even though they are younger, they are really impressive.]

The unpredictable game ended with Korea’s victory.

-Korea advances to the semi-finals! Who will be their opponent…?

…Thanks to Ju Seung-cheol’s two-run homer and Ji Maeng-ho’s come-from-behind three-run homer, Korea secures their spot in the semi-finals… Their opponent is scheduled to be the winner of the game between the United States and Venezuela…

Meanwhile, Ji Maeng-ho, who hit the come-from-behind three-run homer today, said in an interview, “Well, I guess it’ll be the U.S., right? I wanted revenge for the last WBC final, and it looks like it’s happening. This time, we’ll win and bring joy to our people.”

┗Just baseball, it’s Ji Maeng-ho lol

┗Damn, who wants to ban this guy permanently – even if he doesn’t show up, we should force him out

┗ㅇㅅㅁㅎㅅ!

┗The one and only GOAT in baseball history, Ji Maeng-ho

┗Honestly, if you’re Korean, let’s support Ji Maeng-ho.

┗Ji Maeng-ho lost his parents when he was young, so he just craves love. Is loving someone a crime? Well, it’s not like he’s committing a crime. Let’s not shake a poor player with such ridiculous things in the future.