episode_0438

-AT Thunders! Seize the momentum!

…As AT Thunders defeated Volcan Falcons 3-1, they successfully asserted dominance in the series…

┗Haha, they caught Kim Minjoon with a curveball, sweet victory haha

┗Ah, the first place slipped away.

┗Still, they blocked the fierce lion. Let’s have a drink.

-The second fateful match, who will be the starting pitcher?

…AT Thunders announced Ace Crongs, while Volcan Falcons revealed Marcel as their starter, setting up a foreigner showdown between the top two teams.

┗What’s Jung Cheolmin doing? Kim Minjoon against Marcel for first place? Are they kidding? They should set up the rotation properly and start with the top three pitchers.

┗┗Things should go according to plan, what nonsense is this?

┗┗This is the crucial moment for the game.

┗┗Jeez, that’s why we always end up at the bottom.

┗┗Is this guy an idiot? The remaining schedule is tight, so why mess up the rotation and risk falling to third place?

┗┗There’s about a six-game difference with Hanchul, how do you expect to catch up?

┗┗This guy knows nothing. With 30 games left, even if it’s tough, catching up is easier when the schedule is tight. It’s because of fans like you that the team has been struggling so far.

*

“Why are foreigners pitching as fifth starters?”

“That’s right. We have Junho as our fifth starter.”

“Hey, Junho pitched well yesterday.”

“Yeah, but Junho threw a slider.”

Before the game started, I quietly nodded in agreement with the seniors’ words. Whether Junho’s pitching yesterday was a slider or the fact that a foreign pitcher was the fifth starter, both seemed unreasonable.

Volcan’s fifth starter Marcel had a record of hitting 160 in Japan, but like many power pitchers brought to Korea, his control wasn’t great, and his velocity was lacking. While he could pitch well on some days, on others, he would collapse without warning. His ERA fluctuated between 3.6 and 7, whereas our team’s fourth starter Park Junhyung hovered around the late 3s, and fifth starter Im Junho wavered between the mid to late 4s. Watching this, I couldn’t help but envy Volcan’s starters a bit.

“If I faced Junhyung hyung or Junho, I’d definitely hit a home run each game. Too bad…”

The bullpen was no different. Thankfully, our hitters performed well. If we were playing against any other team than AT, we might have had an on-base percentage of 0.800. The feeling of boosting my stats by preying on our team’s pitchers versus struggling against other teams’ lineups…

“…Satisfaction with the present is what matters most.”

Playing within such a high-quality lineup—surpassing 30 home runs with Choi Jincheol, maintaining a batting average of around .340 with over 20 home runs like Kisangju, recording an OBP of around .430 like Kim Suho, and even returning from injury with a batting average in the early .300s like Woo Gwanhyung—it was indeed fortunate.

“Thank you, seniors.”

“What’s wrong with this guy all of a sudden? Ate something bad?”

“The schedule is tough these days.”

“Shouldn’t we tell the coach to bench him from today’s lineup?”

“…Just because I said thank you, now I’m seen as weird.”

“Alright, enough chit-chat, gather around! Let’s give it our all and get into the game.”

“Yes!”

Winning today’s game would put us 2.5 games ahead. In baseball folklore, it takes about a month to turn around a three-game deficit, so considering the remaining schedule, this game was truly significant. Furthermore, facing Crongs as the starter added to the importance. We wanted to win this game and leave the Volcan team trailing behind.

*

“Fuck! Fuck!”

Crongs curses loudly as he walks off the mound.

“That short-tempered guy. Can’t pitch and yet throwing a fit?”

“That’s true.”

Yoon Sung-tae’s words were spot on; Crohn’s temperament wasn’t great. It was quite a sight to see him leave the mound after not even completing five innings and giving up four runs, all while showing his frustration.

Well, it wasn’t hard to understand. It’s not every day during the season that Crohn struggles like this. Even the best pitchers tend to have rough outings three or four times during the season, but why did it have to be today? Starting from the first inning with a walk, he eventually gave up two more walks and a three-run homer in the fourth inning, leading to a turnaround.

“If this goes on, is it 4:3 now? Ugh, not easy.”

While the batters thought they had done enough by scoring three runs in the bottom of the third to support Crohn, it was slightly frustrating to see Crohn give up the lead right after. Especially since our bullpen was weak, winning today’s game seemed significantly challenging.

“Come on, let’s tighten up the defense!”

The newly brought-in pitcher, Long Relief Won Jae-hyun, played a role as a scapegoat on the team. His ERA in the mid-four range wasn’t something to boast about. In fact, except for closers like Kim Yoon-ho or setup man Kang Se-ho, most pitchers had ERAs in the 4-5 range, so whoever came in was more of the same.

“Let’s just hold them off for one inning.”

And as expected, Won Jae-hyun allowed a double from the first pitch, setting up a situation with one out and runners on second base.

“Bases loaded on balls!”

Followed by a walk, loading the bases with runners on first and second.

“Infield, focus.”

In that situation, Jung Yoon-chul signaled for a ground ball. A textbook pitch mix aiming for a double play with one out and runners on first and second. Focusing amidst the lengthening inning, they concentrated on Won Jae-hyun’s next pitch.

-Kim Seung-sik! Kim Seung-sik! Kim Seung-sik!

Seemingly desiring extra points, the volcanic fans chanted the batter’s name as Won Jae-hyun delivered the next pitch.

Crack!

“A shot!”

A lively sound as the ball headed towards the shortstop position! However, the hit was quite fast. As I slid into second base, Yoon Sung-tae leaped towards the ball like a beast.

“Did he catch it?!”

Yoon Sung-tae, who had fallen, got up and pulled the ball out of his glove.

“As expected, Sung-tae hyung! Did he catch that?”

Incredible reflexes! It was a diving move typical of Yoon Sung-tae, who was known for having the second-best reflexes on the team after me. The shortstop position, in general, required exceptional reflexes, but Yoon Sung-tae was considered a top-notch player even among those exceptional shortstops, a testament to his skill.

“He should make plays like that! Nice!”

And towards my side…

“Damn it, Sung-tae hyung!”

The ball thrown by Yoon Sung-tae soared high into the air. Instinctively jumping and reaching out my arm, I caught the ball, but there was already a runner sliding beneath me. Second base was out of reach at that point.

“The batter is about to reach first base.”

Then, before I could turn my head to check the runner, Rosby indicated the position of the batter-runner.

“If this goes on, to first base…!”

The batter-runner was taking steps close to first base. As soon as I landed on the ground, I pulled the ball from my glove and swiftly threw it to first base.

“Oh…”

And the sigh from Yoon Sung-tae.

“…It’s because of you, isn’t it?”

“…Base hit.”

Although Choi Jin-cheol jumped high to catch the ball, my throw was too high to get the runner out. It was a throwing error that probably wouldn’t have been caught if it weren’t for Choi Jin-cheol’s height…

What should have ended as a double play quickly turned into a bases-loaded situation.

“It’s okay! It’s okay! We stopped one run! If it wasn’t for Sung-tae, they would’ve gotten away.”

After calling for time and gathering the infielders, Jung Yoon-chul tried to console Sung-tae, but Sung-tae’s expression didn’t seem bright. To be honest, it was a valid point. The moment the ball left the bat, I also thought it was going to drop safely.

“…I’m sorry.”

Yoon Sung-tae offered an apology to Won Jae-hyun and Jung Yoon-cheol with a gloomy expression.

“…I’m sorry too.”

I seized the moment to apologize as well. If it weren’t for Jincheol senior, it would have been a disaster.

“No, you did well. The runner was fast. If it wasn’t for Sung-tae, I would have given up a point.”

“Ha….”

Jung Yoon-cheol soothing the infielders while Won Jae-hyun sighed.

“Senior, I’m sorry I missed it. Just give me a score and throw comfortably. I’ll turn the game around.”

“…Do you say that in this situation?”

“Come on, then what should I do? It’s in the past.”

“…Crazy guy.”

Still, it seemed like Won Jae-hyun’s expression lightened slightly at my words.

“I’ll play forward defense this time. Let’s block properly. Okay?”

“Got it.”

“Jaehyun. Focus on your pitching too.”

“…Understood.”

After calming down the infielders and pitchers, Jung Yoon-cheol returned to home plate. Although the performance was on a downward trend, his efforts to console the players showed his veteran presence.

After Jung Yoon-cheol calmed the situation and went down, the sign that came out was a forward defense sign. It was a strategic move showing the coach’s determination not to give up even one point in this important game.

“Phew, I won’t miss this time.”

At bat was Han Seong-jin, the volcano’s 9th batter. Although he was a third baseman, he wasn’t a great hitter. Instead, he was fast, so quick decisions were needed when a ground ball came.

“Ball.”

Won Jae-hyun seemed to be aware of this fact as he tensed up and threw the pitch off course. Then the second pitch was thrown.

“Strike!”

This time the ball went straight down the middle, and a strike was called. If it had come to me, I would have sent that ball flying to the parking lot.

But whether the batter lacked confidence in his swing or if it was a waiting sign, the batter just watched the ball go by.

“Strike!”

With a futile swing at the third pitch, the count shifted in favor of balls.

‘I hope for a strikeout…’

I focused on the battle between the batter and pitcher, hoping for a strikeout. And then the fourth pitch was thrown.

Thud!

A line drive came flying towards me. It was a slightly tricky hit that someone else might struggle to catch, but I could easily make the catch. I swiftly dove towards the ball.

Pang! And the sensation of the ball in the glove. I was about to close my glove around it.

‘Hey! Don’t catch it!’

At that moment, Rossby’s shout rang out, and unknowingly, I dropped the ball.