episode_0425

[Closing it! Closing it! Closing it! Ji Maeng-ho’s 100th career home run explodes here! Ji Maeng-ho’s three-run homer to end the game!]

[Wow~! That was a solid hit! You can’t help but let that kind of hit go over the fence!]

[Jung Tae-hwan is shaking his head. Ji Maeng-ho, who had been silent with no hits in two at-bats today, ultimately smashes a decisive home run!]

[In fact, after losing the first two games against Han Cheol, the atmosphere at AT wasn’t good, but in the end, they take the victory in the final game of the series.]

[Now, the hero of the closing play! Let’s meet Ji Maeng-ho player! …They say the connection is established.]

*

“Hello! AT and Han Cheol’s Jamsil rivalry match! Let’s meet Ji Maeng-ho, who ended that fierce competition.”

The reporter greets with a smile. Normally, I would have been happy, taking in the joy after the game, but today, it wasn’t so joyful. Standing here was almost a week after the volcanic eruption had subsided.

And not being able to do the interview was certainly not my fault.

“Hello. AT Thunder’s Ji Maeng-ho here.”

“You hit your 100th home run as a game-ending homer today. How do you feel?”

How do I feel? Is this woman clueless?

“It’s good to win, but honestly, I don’t feel that great.”

Of course, winning with a walk-off felt good. But that was just a momentary joy. After the game ends and reality sets in, discomfort rises. The source of discomfort was undoubtedly my performance. Pitchers were battling it out in the volcano series, and I finally thought I could compete a bit, but both the volcano series and this series afterward were tough on pitchers.

Only two home runs added in six games. In the second half, I managed to hit only nine home runs. Nine. Nine out of 27 games! Trying to break Jung Hyung-jin’s record this season seemed impossible at this pace. No, I couldn’t even imagine doing it next season or the season after that. If pitchers keep performing like this next year and the year after, hitting 30 home runs would also be challenging.

“Huh? What is this about…?”

“It’s too late. I should have hit them earlier. How many home runs does Seung-cheol hyung have? Thirty-seven? Thirty-seven, right? He added one today.”

“Huh? Uh…. Yes.”

“Seung-cheol hyung hits well, but is it reasonable that there’s only a three-home-run difference between him and me? There should be at least a 10-home-run gap. Stop holding back. Please. At this rate, I might lose the home run king title.”

“……”

“Let’s compete. Honestly, isn’t it embarrassing for a second-year player to be outperformed? If it were me, I’d probably be too embarrassed to pitch.”

“Ji-Ji Maeng-ho player. This is live…”

“I’ve had 60 walks since the second half. 60! At this rate, I’ll surpass a .600 on-base percentage! Please, let’s compete!”

“H-H-Hey…. Ji Maeng-ho player’s struggle is palpable. So, shall we end the interview here for today…”

“Just a moment! Fans! Please make a national petition!”

“…We switched the screen, Maeng-ho player.”

“Ah… damn. Now I can’t do that interview. Why cut it off? PD-nim! Please say something!”

“Maeng-ho player, you shouldn’t act like this here. It’s a live broadcast watched by all fans…”

The firm words of the PD. Still, after venting once, I felt relieved.

“Ji Maeng-ho player, if you continue with these impromptu actions, it will be difficult for us to conduct interviews in the future.”

“Then I just won’t do them.”

“What? Oh, that’s not what I meant.”

“Fine.”

“Maeng-ho player! Maeng-ho player!”

Damn, where is this high-handedness coming from? Does anyone know we have time for an interview? The slight improvement in mood after venting quickly turns sour again. Ignoring the calls from the PD, I head towards the locker room.

“Oh, Maeng-ho! Did you nail one?”

Then, I ran into Ju Seung-cheol in the hallway, holding a bat.

“Hey! Were you watching? But it’s been how many minutes since the game ended and you still haven’t showered?”

“I was planning to take a few extra swings before showering and heading in. Want to join me?”

“I have an away game tomorrow.”

“Right. We were the home team. Anyway, who does interviews like that?”

“Ugh, it’s annoying. Tell your team’s pitcher to stop avoiding me.”

“It’s hard to put one in front of you, isn’t it? Did you mention me?”

He’s been watching me from the start…

“Hey, am I frustrated because I’ve only hit three home runs? There’s no need to be nice to this guy. I raised a tiger, myself.”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant. And honestly, there was over a 30-home run difference last year!”

“Hey! I was injured last year. This guy is unbelievable.”

“You’re a loser who hasn’t even hit 40 home runs yet.”

“This guy… Ugh, let’s see who hits more by the end of this season. I don’t think you’ll surpass 50. Do you know how good my form is these days? I hit three just in this series, including today.”

Indeed, Ju Seung-cheol’s form was as good as he claimed. No, it was unbelievable how his home run pace skyrocketed after returning from the Olympics. As far as I knew, his batting average was .350 with 37 home runs.

What’s even scarier is that he might actually surpass my home run count. Already three in just this week. At this rate, he could really catch up in home runs.

“Sigh…”

“The kid sighs. Alright, I’m off. If you want to surpass my home runs, you better work harder, right?”

“You should work hard.”

With that, Ju Seung-cheol walked into the indoor practice facility. Or at least, he seemed to be walking. After taking about five steps, he turned around and said,

“Oh, did you listen to the audio after your interview?”

Audio…?

“…What? How much did you hear?”

“I switched to the national petition stuff, then cursed, and oh, something else.”

“…Why are you telling me now?”

“You didn’t ask.”

“…So, you pretty much heard it all?”

“Yeah. Looks like I just changed the screen. My phone’s gonna blow up. Good luck, Maeng-ho.”

Damn it! I sprinted to the locker room. Fortunately, it seemed like most of the seniors had already gone in for showers, so there didn’t seem to be anyone who had watched the interview. Except for one.

“Ji Maeng-ho!”

“Senior…”

He had just finished a fan meet-and-greet interview.

“What was that in your interview?”

“Oh, I switched the screen.”

“Damn it, even if that’s true, you shouldn’t curse during an interview. You screwed up.”

“…Are you going to hit me?”

“Hey, it’s not our place to do that. What would hitting you accomplish? And what if hitting you ruins the team?”

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

“It’s a relief, but come with me. Let’s take some extra swings together.”

“…But we have an away game tomorrow.”

“We have plenty of time, don’t we?”

“And we have a game on Monday too, shouldn’t we rest a bit?”

Next week, there was a game scheduled for Monday to make up for the ones missed during the Olympic period. I needed to rest when I could.

“What kind of rest is it for someone who just waits for walks? Come on.”

But it seemed like Ji Maeng-ho wouldn’t change his mind. If I didn’t listen to him, he’d probably nag me all the way on the away bus, at the away hotel, and in the dugout. So, I decided to just quickly take some extra swings and go.

“…Alright. I’ll just check my phone and go.”

In truth, I could take as many swings as I wanted with Ji Maeng-ho and the extra swings. The problem is…

– Soyoung: Maeng-ho, what’s with the interview? Will you come straight home after it’s done today?

She sent a message in a kind tone, but could I feel her liveliness beyond the screen? Besides, on days like this, controlling even sex was common.

“At least I’ll listen to nagging for two hours…”

– Me: Yes…

And adding a special attack with Gisangju… Should I go all out?

“What’s up, Sangju? Why aren’t you showering yet?”

As I stood in front of the locker room looking at my phone, Wu Gwanhyung, who had just finished showering, came out.

“I’m going to practice the Maenghorang special attack.”

“Did Maengho make another mistake?”

“Well, something like that.”

“Hey, Maengho is having a hard time these days. He likes hitting home runs, but he’s constantly being restricted. Cut him some slack today. We have an away game tomorrow, so…”

“Oh, Gwanhyung! This is really a serious matter. Listen to this.”

“Alright, alright. Maengho, go take a shower. You did well today.”

“Yes!”

It was only natural to hear more from Gwanhyung and Gisangju, especially since Gwanhyung, who had eaten more of his share, spoke more.

“Yes, senior! Take care on your way in!”

“Hyung! If you keep doing that, the kid will lose his mind.”

“Why blame me? Maengho was like that even when I saw him at the second team camp. Maengho, shower and go home. You worked hard today.”

“Yes!”

Before Wu Gwanhyung could hear the details, Maengho quickly went into the shower room to shower. …But even after waiting, Gisangju didn’t come into the shower room. After finishing the shower and coming out, I found Gisangju dressed in uniform standing in front of me.

“…Senior?”

“You’re here? Gwanhyung said you should do a special attack before leaving. Thanks to that, we’re 15 minutes late getting off work, right? Let’s work a bit longer today. I need to get my rhythm back since I got no hits today.”

…Damn it.

I felt like crying when Joo Seungcheol saw Gisangju following me with a bat from behind and smirked.

*

“Ji Maengho! Bold statement! ‘Korean pitchers are cowards!’”

…Meanwhile, Ji Maengho, who hit a walk-off home run that day, gave a strong-worded interview during the post-game player interview, saying avoiding second-year players is a cowardly act. The interview ended abruptly, but upon further investigation by our reporter, Ji Maengho’s words made sense.

Ji Maengho’s stats this season lead in every offensive category with a ratio stat line of 0.392/0.590/1.051/1.640, 40 home runs, and 64 stolen bases excluding hits. His performance is consistently remarkable, but what stands out the most is Ji Maengho’s walk count.

Ji Maengho has already drawn 121 walks and been hit by pitch 30 times this season, setting incredible records. With about 30 games left in the KBA league, he is not far from the record for the most walks in a season. Ji Maengho’s exceptional eye for pitches plays a part, but it can be attributed mainly to the increased intentional walks he has faced since the second half began.

In the first 48 games of the season, Ji Maengho drew 61 walks. However, in just 27 games in the second half, he managed to draw 60 walks…

…Will the remaining games see other pitchers in the KBA league shed the label of ‘coward’ when facing Ji Maengho? This is a topic of interest.

┗Haha, he’s getting angry lol

┗Seriously, stop walking him, Maengho needs to set records!

┗Honestly, if you want to see a .600 OBP hitter, it’s fine!

┗┗It’s fine!

┗┗It’s fine!

┗Wait a minute! Fans! Please file a petition or something! The screen turned off. Maengho, man… Damn.

┗┗What’s this now? A new Maengho controversy?

┗┗Broadcast glitch lol If you missed it, watch it later lol Audio is still playing though lol

┗But it’s weird how the article seems to be biased towards Ji Maengho. Did AT pay them off?

┗┗Damn, then does it make sense to favor Ji Maengho when even legendary hitters can’t swing properly?

┗┗Are you criticizing Ji Maengho? Are you a traitor?

-Ji Maengho’s sincerity was felt in the broadcast incident, so it’s fine!

┗It’s fine!

┗Let’s start with me!

-To be honest, if Ji Maengho keeps

Do I look like a pushover to the best gangster in Korea? Of course, every word was calculated. Trying to act tough won’t work; I’m not in the palm of a tiger’s hand. LOL