episode_0439

“Damn, screwed!”

It was the first time I heard Rossby shout during defense, which caught me off guard, causing me to drop the ball unintentionally. Luckily, the ball hit my glove and fell nearby! As I quickly tried to catch it, Rossby spoke again.

“Hey! Throw calmly from home plate!”

From home plate? My mind was filled with questions, but perhaps due to years of syncing with Rossby, my body responded to his words, throwing the ball towards home plate.

“Out!”

Followed by Jung Yoon-cheol’s 3rd base throw.

“Out!”

Two outs were swiftly recorded.

“Huh…?”

I felt bewildered even after my actions. What did I just do?

“Heh, infielders should handle this much.”

Upon hearing Rossby’s words, I understood the situation.

If I had directly caught the line drive hit, there would have been only one out count. However, Rossby, who was looking at the broader scenario, intentionally induced the runners to hesitate, dropped the ball on purpose, created a force out at home plate, tagged the runner going from 2nd to 3rd base as they ran back to 3rd base, leading to a double play.

“…Deserves some praise for that.”

While complimenting Rossby, the coach from the volcano’s dugout rushed out.

“Isn’t this an intentional drop?! How is this a double play?”

“No. It was a difficult hit to catch, and the fielder was taken aback. This is a normal play.”

“What nonsense is this? Anyone can see that Jimaengho deliberately missed it, right? Does it make sense for Jimaengho to miss that?”

“It was a ball Jimaengho almost caught, but it was a tough hit for him too.”

“Does that make sense?!”

“Oh, our Maengho isn’t that smart of a player!”

Our coach also joined in, stepping between the two and advocating that my play was legitimate for the team’s sake, but somehow, it felt like being scolded, leaving me uneasy. And for some reason, seeing the coach from the volcano’s dugout accepting that explanation made me feel worse.

“Let’s go in. It’s over.”

“…Okay.”

“But, did you do that on purpose?”

“…Of course.”

“The way he’s talking makes it seem like he really missed it, doesn’t it? Anyway, it was good that you threw it straight to home plate. It would have been hard to judge if you had missed it like that.”

“…It’s basic.”

“Yeah, must be basic.”

With Choi Jin-cheol patting my shoulder and,

“All right! Isn’t opportunity born from crisis?! Let’s turn the tide with the flow!”

“Maengho! Great defense!”

Even my excited teammates, relieved by the double play that prevented a bases-loaded crisis.

“Thank goodness, why do I feel so uneasy…”

“Heh, isn’t it obvious? You instinctively know you can’t pull off such a high-level play with your own head.”

“…That’s not it!”

After playing baseball for decades like Rossby, it was a play I could have thought of. …Or so I thought?

*

Bases loaded, advancing defensive situation, a line-drive hit. In such a scenario, fans generally consider two outcomes: either the hit goes beyond the infield or it’s caught for an out.

“Han Seong-jin’s hit! Run to 2nd base! Follow Jimaengho! He catches it!”

Until Jimaengho trapped the ball with beastly defense, AT’s fans breathed a sigh of relief, thinking of the latter scenario.

“No! He drops it! He missed the ball! Jimaengho!”

However, when Jimaengho dropped the ball, expletives naturally followed. Even though they won last year, according to data from over 20 years of dark times, this situation always led to a disaster.

“No! Damn it! Jimaengho, what are you doing! Brain-dead defense, damn it!”

Just before the curses spat out by the fans disappeared, a twist occurred.

[Ji Maeng-ho! Catch it again! From home plate! Out!]

Ji Maeng-ho, who had dived, once again rose at an animalistic speed to catch the ball and threw it to home plate.

Naturally, an out was declared at home plate. The third base runner, who thought he was caught after seeing Ji Maeng-ho leap, was thus tagged out, and Jung Yoon-cheol sent the ball to third base. Seeing the situation, the second base runner, who was running to third base, tried to leap, but a person couldn’t be faster than the ball.

[And a throw to third base! Out at third base too! Won Jae-hyun prevents a one-out bases-loaded crisis with a double play! He clenches his fist in triumph!]

[Ji Maeng-ho’s play was excellent, wasn’t it? Despite momentarily dropping the ball, he executed the follow-up play very cleanly.]

[Offense when needed, defense when required! This player is none other than Ji Maeng-ho!]

During the dark times and even after winning the championship, such plays were unseen on AT. Despite the team losing due to that play, the fans were on the brink of madness.

-Did Ji Maeng-ho just do that intentionally?

┗Really? What’s going on? We have a player on this team capable of such a play? It doesn’t make sense, does it?

-Well… the result was good, but could Ji Maeng-ho really pull off such a play?

┗Even if Maeng-ho looks clueless, he’s good at baseball. Maybe he did it on purpose?

┗┗To me, it just looks like he missed it, though. His expression seems genuine, right?

┗┗Yeah, he definitely missed it and looked surprised hahaha

-I just want to believe Maeng-ho did it intentionally hahaha Physicality + hitting + athletic instincts, and on top of that, BQ hahaha Maeng-ho is simply a baseball god hahaha

┗That’s right hahaha

┗Maeng-ho’s defense was a bit shaky, but if he can do this, he might be Major League material, right? Haha

Ecstatic over an unexpected play, the fans at AT were on the verge of madness. These fans on the brink of insanity were not just AT fans. Even the volcano fans, whose inning ended unexpectedly with bases loaded, were also on the brink of madness.

-Damn, intentional drop, right? The umpire is a jerk, isn’t he blind?

┗Wow, AT’s biased calls are disgusting, aren’t they fair at all?

-I never liked that guy from the start, starting from the way he stared, damn it, he’s definitely doing it on purpose

-Yeah, the atmosphere shifted because of a bad call.

-I reported it to the Clean Baseball Center first. They must’ve been paid for that. Otherwise, not declaring an intentional drop makes no sense.

-This bastard Maeng-ho is such a jerk. He goes crazy on offense and now on defense too, damn it

The volcano fans who vented their anger towards the home plate umpire and Ji Maeng-ho were feeling one emotion above all: anxiety.

Baseball is a sport of momentum. If you miss an opportunity like bases loaded with one out, in the next defensive play, the same level of crisis comes back to haunt you. It wasn’t logically proven, but baseball fans could sense that trouble would come to the team in the very next inning.

[Leadoff batter Yoon Sung-tae hits! The ball bounces off the pitcher’s mound to the shortstop, but he couldn’t catch Yoon Sung-tae at first base.]

Then, Yoon Sung-tae, who failed to catch a double play in the previous inning due to an error, reached base with a lucky hit, making the volcano fans feel like their anxiety was coming true.

-Damn, really? Please, please stop them.

-Ah, damn it, if we don’t win the championship this time, it’s on that guy for sure. Is it reasonable for a mercenary to give up 3 runs in 3 innings?

┗It’s not over yet, let’s have faith. Damn it, because of people like you, the team isn’t progressing. A pitcher giving up 3 runs in 6 innings is more than enough.

┗┗Shut up.

[Now, the eighth batter, Jung Yoon-cheol, steps up to bat. He has a season average of .258 with 2 home runs.]

[Due to injuries this season, player Jung Yoon-cheol has been absent from many games, right? Last year, he played full-time and made a significant contribution to AT’s championship with his outstanding pitching. However, this season, possibly due to age-related factors, he has faced numerous injuries and has been alternating with Kim Hyun-seong, AT Thunder’s second catcher, due to physical issues.]

“The season performance may not be great, but Jung Yoon-cheol is a powerful player, isn’t he?”

“That’s correct. Especially in 2020, he achieved a batting average of .314 with 27 home runs, winning the Golden Glove award. Marquel needs to be careful.”

“Surely he won’t get hit by that has-been, right?”

[Jung Yoon-cheol sets up his bat. His determination to bunt is evident.]

“Just bunt already instead of being afraid to swing, damn it.”

“Jung Yoon-cheol’s fake bunt and slash! The ball escapes into the outfield! Jung Yoon-cheol gets a hit! The runner advances to second base! AT Thunderz creates a bases-loaded situation in one go!”

“As the outfielders were preparing for a bunt, Jung Yoon-cheol skillfully found the gap like a veteran. Haha, did Manager Jeong Cheol-min just get outplayed?”

“Wow, they’re getting beaten by those rookie bastards with their tactics, haha.”

“When did they stop being last place losers and start boasting after one good year, haha.”

“When you weren’t getting your ass kicked, you were at the bottom, you damn hypocrite.”

“Now up to bat is the 9th hitter, Jung Hwi-cheol. He debuted this season and is known for his knack for hitting. His current season average is .370.”

“Among AT’s coaching staff, he is considered the best at hitting the ball accurately within the team.”

“The volcano’s outfield moves forward for defense.”

“Considering Jung Hwi-cheol’s hits don’t usually go far, it can be seen as a shift towards the opposite field.”

“These rookies are hitting .300, making me sick.”

“Please, since that guy lacks power, just poke it inside.”

“You foreigner, trying to make a double play, damn it.”

The volcano fans fervently hoped for Marquel to overcome this crisis. Behind Jung Hwi-cheol lurked ‘that batter,’ who was akin to a league disaster.

However, facing a bases-loaded situation, Marquel tried his best to strike out the batter, while Jung Hwi-cheol persistently fouled off pitches.

“9th inning showdown! Foul! Jung Hwi-cheol fouls off this pitch!”

After a persistent battle, Marquel’s pitch finally went outside the zone.

“Walk! Jung Hwi-cheol draws a walk! Now the bases are loaded! And stepping up to the plate is the fiery hitter, Ji Maeng-ho!”

“Oh damn, why does it have to be Ji Maeng-ho here?”

“Maeng-ho hasn’t been hitting well lately, is this possible?”

The volcano fans’ despair at facing Ji Maeng-ho with the bases loaded and doubts about his recent form among AT fans. Both teams watched the plate, hoping to either laugh or be laughed at after this at-bat.

“Will Ji Maeng-ho seize this opportunity…”

“Ji Maeng-ho is a player who thrives in scoring positions. Marquel needs to be cautious.”

“This could potentially be the pivotal moment of today’s game.”

With fans’ eyes fixed on the unfolding match, it felt like the outcome could be discerned from the expressions of the two players alone: Marquel dripping sweat as if it were summer, and Ji Maeng-ho staring down the pitcher with a fierce gaze that could kill.

“Marquel throws the first pitch!”

Marquel’s first pitch was delivered.

“Crack!”

And at Jamsil Stadium, a more cheerful sound than any other hit resounded today.

“Ji Maeng-ho’s first-pitch hit! The ball flies high and deep to center field! The center fielder chases after it! But he can’t catch it! Ji Maeng-ho, who showed a brilliant defensive play in the previous inning, drives in the decisive run! Ji Maeng-ho hits a grand slam! This player is none other than Ji Maeng-ho!”

Ah… I aimed it right. If you throw this kind of pitch to Player Jimaengho, he can only hit it.

F**k, turn off the TV.

What’s with winning? Let’s just be satisfied with going to the fall baseball, f**k.

Fans of Hwasan, who had been thinking they could reclaim the top spot until just before the start of the series, were sensing the end of the regular season as they watched Jimaengho’s hit disappear beyond the wall.