Chapter 101 – Episode 100. Revenge With Japan. (4)

After the humiliating defeat against Japan last time. I sharpened my knife for this day. Rossby’s training partner is always Ohtani. For about a week, I watched and practiced only Ohtani.

And now. Ohtani was standing in front of me.

The fastballs Ohtani threw at Kang Han-beom and Joo Seung-chul were around 100 miles. It was a redemption that contained Ohtani’s power, who would only be responsible for two or one innings.

Yang Ji-hyeok at third base, Kim Jung-hyun at first base. The great runners of the two players who have been injured come in at a glance. Both seniors were concentrating on the match between me and Ohtani. And the crowd, which seemed to have somehow become quiet. It feels like only me and Ohtani are left in the world.

Oh, and one more.

‘It’s a splitter. Body side.’

To Rossby.

Splitter from the start. The falling trajectory matched my swing well, but I didn’t want to miss this good opportunity by hitting a breaking ball from the first pitch.

‘I’ll skip it.’

And Ohtani’s splitter flying in. A ball that flies in the same trajectory as a fastball and then falls down in an instant. As expected, if I had seen this ball without knowing it, it would have been obvious that the bat would go out as if it were an easy ball to hit.

“Cheek!”

I thought it wouldn’t be strange if it became a strike, but a ball? Are you lucky?

‘You did a good job. Even if I hit it, I wouldn’t have gotten a good hit.’

It was a ball that stabbed the corner of the knee sharply. As Rosby said, there must have been no good batted ball. But to stab Joo Seung-cheol in the body like this, doesn’t that guy have no feelings?

‘Fastball, far outside. There’s a possibility of a pitch out.’

‘All right.’

A pitch out to catch a runner. It was a strategy to snipe a moving runner by pulling the ball out farther out to make it easier for the catcher to throw the ball. Both Yang Ji-hyeok and Kim Jung-hyun were capable of stealing bases, so the bench in Japan probably thought we would use a strategy to shake Ohtani.

But we didn’t have any operations.

– “Maengho. Have you ever practiced bunting?”

-“No. And what kind of bunt is the first company?”

– “But just in case.”

– “Just trust me.”

-“It’s only good for a young guy to be confident. I get it. Come wield it to your heart’s content. No one will blame you.”

A conversation I had with my hitting coach before stepping into the plate. The hitting coach gave me full power. Push it and hit it, throw it into the outfield. Without the demand for such team betting.

In other words, Ohtani’s ball this time was just an act of putting the ball count at a disadvantage. I quietly waited for Ohtani’s ball. But the trajectory… !

“Strike!”

What? Wasn’t it pitch out? I glanced at the catcher and saw that the catcher had fallen. So, now….

‘Looks like he ignored the sign and threw it in the middle.’

‘Yes?’

‘Ignoring the pitch out sign and hitting it in the middle. What a mess!’

Ignoring the catcher’s sign? If you did it wrong, you could have lost the ball. How did you make that decision with 1 out 1 and 3 base? Of course, I didn’t throw a breaking ball at the fastball sign, but it was too risky.

Does that mean you believe in the catcher’s blocking? Japan’s catcher was a master catcher who was recognized for his defensive power in NPB, which prioritizes defense. I think I can feel the trust between the pitcher, the catcher, and the battery.

‘Well, I’ve heard of pitchers like that. Just by looking at the batter’s posture, you can tell if this kid is going to be a kid or a kid waiting for you.’

‘I was in the same posture as usual?’

My batting form hasn’t changed.

‘Then it’s going to be good. After seeing your eyes, this baby will not wield the bat. Well, isn’t that the kind of judgment you made?’

Is that possible… ? Anyway, I don’t know why Ohtani threw it in the middle, but he lost one valuable strike count. That’s the only truth Ohtani’s thoughts were not important now.

‘Split?’

I see Ohtani’s smiling face. Those eyes that try to make me more fun. And somehow it’s like laughing.

-‘I threw a ball that was easy to hit, but he didn’t hit it? Are you scared?’

Those eyes, as if to say so.

‘Hey! Don’t waver! It’s just your imagination.’

Yes, as Rosby said, it’s just my imagination. Maybe he was scared by Ohtani. The more I trained with Rossby, the more I knew the power of Ohtani’s ball.

‘All right. I’ll come to my senses.’

In fact, it was a difficult ball to hit even the first ball, but if it were me, I would have swung it. With confidence.

… But I avoided it. Win.

I’m afraid of ending in the first pitch. It wasn’t like me. A complacent attitude to pick and choose the best ball and hit it. To me, who knew what ball to throw in the first place, all balls were good balls.

‘It’s a nice look. The next ball is a fastball. High in the middle.’

High fastball. What are you thinking? Are you throwing high to induce a swing? Or are you trying to pierce the top of John? … No, I don’t need to think like this.

There was no way Ohtani, who ignored the sign and put it into the strike zone, would fight so softly. This ball goes into the zone.

Ohtani’s windup. A pitching form that doesn’t care about the runner on first base at all. Kim Jung-hyun, who saw the windup, started running right away….

Deep!

Palms ring. A foul that goes wide to the left. The number printed on the electronic board is 103.1 miles (166 km/h).

‘103 miles…. The world is going crazy.’

A ball of speed that even Rossby has never seen before. It was a restraint that perhaps even Rossby had never seen before.

‘Splitter. Low.’

I abandoned the complacent thought of filtering it a long time ago. Just swing the bat.

Widely!

The upper part of the ball coming lower than expected rubs against the bat and is a foul. I feel Ohtani’s expression harden. A splitter after a high fastball. The invincible combination that made Ohtani reign in the major leagues. You never expected to hit this.

‘Baby, the expression looks nice.’

Bewildered expression. It was a much more recognizable expression than the smiley expression from before.

Widely! Right! Deep! Ta-evil! Right!

And five fouls that followed. The balls Ohtani throws are all balls he has faced once. Through training with Rossby. No matter what type of pitch I throw, it’s all balls I’ve touched at least once. After making five fouls in a row, my confidence began to grow.

And Ohtani’s expression twisted. The expression that looked down on me loftily was completely gone, a human-like expression.

‘Yes, even if people praise him as a genius that only comes out once in 100 years, he is still a human being after all.’

A smile spread across my lips at the thought of that. And, as if Ohtani had seen my smile, his brows furrowed even more.

‘Don’t think about it, focus!’

‘Yes!’

‘It’s a sinker. Body side.’

Fuck! And the bat that had endured Ohtani’s fastball eventually broke. The result is a foul.

Haha, after the WBC, I need to get some sponsorship from a good place. I thought Lawyer Jeong and So-young said they would take care of it.’

“[I’ll get some bats.]”

After talking politely to the referee, I went back to the dugout to get my bat, and the nervous atmosphere of the dugout reached me.

“Why are you so frozen? Take it easy.”

“…….”

However, all the seniors didn’t say a word to me, fearing that it would have a negative effect on me. To be honest, I acted a bit careless, but to think of me for being so considerate. I was slightly grateful. As I was looking for a bat, someone handed me one.

“Ruler.”

It was Gu Jin-mo. He uses the same size bat as me. And since we fell out in practice, he hasn’t lent me any equipment or anything…. Besides, I didn’t think he’d lend me a bat because I had some shit at the beginning of today’s game.

“Seniors….”

“… Request.”

The bat handed to me by Gu Jin-mo was hard and somewhat warm. Of course, I didn’t feel the temperature because I was wearing batting gloves, but I still felt warm.

Looking around the dugout again, I saw Lee Jin-hong and Joo Seung-chul, who had been replaced due to injuries, frowning without even going to the hospital. Not only them, but Jang Woo-na and Cheol-young hyung. And I could see all the other seniors and coaches looking at me.

“… Trust me.”

I took the bat given to me by Gu Jin-mo and headed back to the plate. The size of the bat matches the one I used, and I feel like it fits snugly in my hand.

‘Fastball. Body side.’

Ohtani chose to fight strength versus strength. Or do you want to deceive me in reverse? Well, since he’s timing all his breaking pitches, he may have thought he wasn’t aiming for a fastball.

Either way, my chance has come.

I remember the last matchup against Ohtani, who killed a runner at home due to poor timing. Since then, I have also trained hard.

… Hit it right this time!

And the ball left Ohtani’s hand.

Ta-evil!

The feeling of being hit right in the center of the bat, the feeling that the ball will fly forever, and the cheers that tell you that these feelings are not lies. Holding the bat given to him by Jin-mo Gu, he slowly walked to first base.

“…….”

“…….”

Match! Silently, he gives the first base coach a high-five and hands the bat. From stepping on 2nd base, passing through 3rd base and stepping on the groove, I feel like this world is not real and I am floating.

“…… ! …… !! … !”

“… ! ………… !”

Yang Ji-hyeok and Kim Jeong-hyun, who were the major runners, shouted something, but it was as if they were underwater. As I walked to the dugout with the feeling of not knowing whether I was walking on the ground or on the water, someone was there to meet me.

“Good job.”

It was Gu Jin-mo who lent me the bat.

“… Thank you Bat.”

And I didn’t have to talk much with Jin-mo Gu. The feeling that each other’s hearts are connected for the team’s victory. After such a short hug, when I came into the dugout, I felt a strong impact on his helmet.

“Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho!”

“Aaaaa!”

“It’s a home run! Shiba, you crazy child?!”

Puck! Puck! Her fists and kicks mixed with affection made me realize that this place is real again. At the end of this hospitality, he appointed me as the starter, and believed in me and watched over me even when I didn’t know what to say and yelled at Seong-hyeon. There was director Lee Geum-hyun.

“Thank you for believing in me and choosing me. Director.”

“Good job.”

A calm word. I dreamed of a moment like this all through high school. The stage I dreamed of at the time was not the WBC, but the high school stage, but that dream of hitting an important home run and saying that the coach did a good job.

And now, on the WBC stage, which is more important than the high school stage, I did it against Ohtani and no one else.

I did it I did it. Fuck!

“Done! Fuck!!”

“Baby, the director is there too.”

“Well, it’s nice to see fighting, but what? Leave it alone.”

“Mind! Gangbang is over! Can’t you come and cheer?!”

Kang Han-beom’s words make me feel tight. Yeah, the game isn’t over yet. It’s the 8th time now. Plus 1 point. It’s an inescapable difference. Leaning against the railing of the dugout, I loudly cheered for the next hitter, Lee Yong-gi.

*

[Game over! The national team finishes with an out count by striking out! Younghwan Go! A long game! It ends like this! Republic of Korea! Advance to the finals! Unravel the bitterness of the WBC! Korea advancing to the finals!]

[Wow. It was a match that made you sweat until the very end! Folks! You can be proud! These players are the national team of Korea!]

[Now in a moment! The hero of today’s reversal three run! There will be an interview with Ji Maeng-ho, a distinguished player.]

After a while, Ji Maeng-ho wearing a headset appeared on the screen. And the interview started.

“Hello! Ji Maeng-ho! Congratulations to the Distinguished Player!”

“Thank you.”

“Is there anything you want to say first?”

“Well…. Parents in Heaven. I believe you will be watching. And the teacher who taught me. Thank you always. And the people who love me and I love who will be watching on TV. I haven’t seen it in a long time, so I want to see it.”

“Yes. So, can you say something while calling me by name?”

“Oh, there are too many. If I call here, maybe it will be all nighthaha.”

“Now, let’s talk a little bit about the game. You hit a home run against Ohtani today, right? You suffered a decision loss in the last match, how did you prepare?”

“I just prepared as usual. After all, Ohtani is a person too, and I thought there was nothing I couldn’t hit as long as people threw it.”

“Oh, great confidence. Then, what ball were you aiming for for the home run?”

“I just watched and hit it. There is no such thing as aiming for anything.”

“Wow. The velocity of the ball that hit the home run was 163 km/h, so you saw it and hit it?”

“Yes. You can’t say you can’t see what you can seehaha.”

“Incredible. Then, Maeng-ho Ji usually shows great celebrations, but today he hit a come-from-behind three-run homer against Ohtani and didn’t show any celebrations. What is the reason?”

“When I hit a home run, it felt like a dream, so I had a ceremony and didn’t even think about it.”

“Sorry. I also wanted to see Maengho’s exciting ceremony.”

Haha, I’ll try it when I hit a home run in the next game.”

“Then, now we have one game left until the next game, the championship. Please say a word about your determination for the final.”

“Maybe America will come up, right? They say the world is wide, but I will check how wide it is and come back.”

*

– Japan perish!!!! Scream!!!!!!!!
ㄴㅋㅋㅋ ㅋㅋㅋ If you see you can’t see any of you.

-Wow, Ji Maeng-ho. I am looking forward to this season.
A player like that should have gone to the majors, but it’s a pity.
A home run like this against Ohtani. You have to play on the real world stage.

-Wow, it’s a reversal three-run clearing. You have to put it on the national anthem, really.
ㄴ But I think it’s not good because you walk a little too calmly
Well, that’s gone, but I don’t know what.

-Ha… The season is ruined. Jin-Hong Lee is dragged away from the national team and is stumped again.
ㄴI express my condolences to future fans.
B ha…
ㄴI’ve dedicated myself to the country, but… I guess there’s no such thing as patriotism.
ㄴ Then how many members of that team were taken to the national team? Mark looks like a volcano fan. Don’t scratch and go on your way.

-Is Seungcheol’s brother okay? It looked like it hurt a lot…
-Wow, look at Kim Hee-yeon’s eyes, is that the life of an alpha male?
ㄴ Alpha mail is ㅅㅅㅋ It’s just reversed and looking at it ㅋㅋ
People are suffering because of delusions like you.
ㄴㅋㅋㅋㅋ After the interview, they must have had 100 percent sex
I got the pdf. I will send it to the agency.

-Wow! We also found Uta Geopo! Etbung who are looking forward to the season, let go!
Yes, even if I flutter, it will fall anyway, right?
ㄴ^1994^ Their own military legend has come out againhaha
ㄴIf you look at the interview, it doesn’t sound cheap. Is that shit okay?
You just have to be good at baseball.

-Tanikun… As expected, Angelo’s dark gihun was Tanikun. It’s straight to the body there.
ㄴKyehyun, Tanikun, Darvish… Simultaneous destruction
Nope? Korea and Japan joined together, but why did the shit come out?
I can’t stand this and wield ithaha

– Worship. GOAT. Your passion made the victory in the Korea-Japan match. The best GOAT in history. Maengho Ji.
ㄴ Isn’t it ‘GOA’T instead of GOAT? I had a dog
Yes, the next fluttering thing, right away, is it a pad lip?
B Ji Maeng Ho, my light. Ji Maeng-ho, my darkness. Ji Maeng-ho, my life. Ji Maeng-ho, my joy. Ji Maeng-ho, my sorrow. Ji Maeng-ho, my pain. Ji Maeng-ho, my rest.
ㄴCharles III “I want to make Ji Maeng-ho my knight.”

– I think you will stick with the US. How do you see it?
It’s comfortable if you don’t expect it. The runner-up was also good.

-Is there any military service exemption for the national team players this time? There was a WBC in 2006.
It must be difficult because public opinion is not good. The Asian Games are also in the yard where words come out
B I hate you for saying this.

-Wow. The fighting spirit of the players today was really cool. It’s been a long time since I watched a national team game and my heart jumped.