Chapter 131 – Episode 129. Losing Streak. (4)

“Hey, aren’t you weak against sidearms?”

When I was slowly putting on my gloves and getting ready to go to the plate, the weatherman came up to me and started talking to me.

“What are you talking about? That is.”

“No, I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a sidearm face off against him, but he struck out in the first inning.”

Well…. I thought that I could react like this because the one who kept watching me from the national university until now was the sanggiju.

“That’s because he threw a strange ball all of a sudden.”

However, even if he struck out in the first inning, the ball he was taking out suddenly came into the middle and he couldn’t react, but it wasn’t to the extent that he couldn’t hit the ball.

“Then try to hit it well this time.”

Taktak, the weather manager taps me on the shoulder. With this level of encouragement, was it really that shocking for me to strike out? If someone you don’t know sees it, you’ll feel like you’ve been struck out without being able to touch it.

‘By the way, Mr. Rossby. I guess I’m weaker on the sidearm than most other pitchers.’

‘That’s right. Among the pitchers I’ve faced, there have been very few sidearm pitchers.’

‘Somehow the trajectory doesn’t seem familiar to the eye.’

Shinra Triggers’ starting pitcher, Beryl Thompson, is a foreigner but throws the ball with a sidearm closer to the under. Well, he’s less familiar with the ball’s trajectory than other pitchers, but that doesn’t make him less confident or anything like that.

The ball he saw in the first inning looked good enough to hit.

‘It would be nice if there were runners piled up…’ .’

7th hitter Jeong Yun-cheol came out with a hit, and Kang Hee-seok bunt but failed.

When I saw this team’s tail, it was obvious that even if they tied it, it would be overturned again.

“Ji Maeng-ho!”

Right before I left with my bat, the hitting coach called me.

“Yes, Coach.”

“It would be nice if Joo-yeop could hit it, but even if he can’t hit it, he’s two out and kicks two points, so turn it big and come. If Joo-yeop survives, he is 1 out 1, 2 base, so I try to push him or connect to Su-ho as much as possible. Got it?”

“All right.”

The current situation was 2:0, and the hitting coach was demanding a big shot from me, perhaps because Jansson allowed one more run at the beginning of the third inning and the score widened to two points. Even if batter number 9 Kim Joo-yeop survives, nothing will change in my swing.

In fact, when I was young, I was told a lot that I had to bet on a team depending on the situation. In situations with runners, push toward right field so the runner can come in comfortably. If the pitcher falters, look at the ball as long as you can. In situations where an outfield fly could score, send the ball lightly into the outfield.

What these words But living with Rossby made me realize that those old baseball philosophies were useless. The only real team betting is over the fence.

So I would just swing over the fence no matter what the coach said.

Right!

And with good timing, Kim Joo-yeop, the 9th hitter, created a hit that fell in front of the center fielder, and a chance for 1st and 2nd base came.

It is noticeable that second base runner Kang Hee-seok is flinching. Did you memorize all of Shinra’s autographs because you’re a veteran? So, was that the story of a body change ball?

‘Fastball, low to the body.’

Then it is. In fact, I had no idea from the beginning that this team would steal autographs properly. Putting the sign from Kang Hee-seok out of my head, I focused my attention on the starting pitcher, Thompson, standing on the mound.

In the first inning, his four-seam was bent here and there, perhaps because it was a sidearm. So, if the ball came in low, it was more likely to go out.

“Cheek.”

‘Right.’

A ball that lands low toward you. It was a ball that I thought might not have been hit and gone if I had stuck it a little closer to my body. And with this ball, I was able to gain confidence.

‘I’m going to have to filter out the fastball for this little ball.’

The angle and pitch of his fastball were arbitrary. To hit a ball like this is to get involved in a gambling board with low probability. Rather, it seemed better to aim for a breaking ball with a certain angle and pitch.

‘Fastball. It’s in John this time.’

‘OK.’

Let’s watch one more. It was obvious that no matter how hard I hit it, the ball that would pass Jamsil wouldn’t come out.

“Strike!”

“Wow, this is on.”

This time, the ball hit the corner of the knee. As expected, it was strange to see one or two such balls coming out from time to time, probably because he was a foreign pitcher.

‘Well, if I could keep throwing balls like this, I would have stayed in the majors.’

One ball, one strike. What choice will Shinra’s battery make here?

‘It’s a curve. Falling all the way to the outside.’

‘OK.’

The choice of battery is curve. It seemed like a standard idea to induce a miss with a curve that falls outside after showing two balls to the body.

When throwing a ball that normally falls out of the zone, most pitchers try to throw it close to the strike zone. The hitter wasn’t stupid either, so he wouldn’t swing the bat too far out of the strike zone. Then the pitcher blows a precious ball count.

In other words, even if he threw a ball that fell out, it was natural to put it as close to the zone as possible to dazzle the batter, and Thompson naturally threw the ball close to the strike zone.

Fuck!

The curve that ate a lot of rotation met the bat and soared high. However, the moment I hit the bat, I felt a slight hit at the tip of the bat.

‘It’s a bit more than I thought…. Write it or not?’

Although it has reached first base, the runners are still looking at the liver. It was an ambiguous hit whether it was a home run or not. Besides, he was more difficult to distinguish because he was in a large room.

“Five!”

-Wow!!!

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

‘Whew, it went over a bit. This stadium is too far away.’

“Nice! Fierce tiger! It was good.”

“Thank you.”

Well, since I didn’t do anything difficult, I calmly turn the diamond while receiving congratulations from my coach. Now the score is 3:2. It would be nice if Janson could push it a little. Strangely, he hits a come-from-behind home run, but worries outweigh joy.

‘Ah, can’t I even start with a quality start?’

*

[Ah! Janson breaks down! Janson scored 6 runs in 4 innings. Director Sans also shakes his head. The pitching coach carries the ball up to the mound. Janson has been up to this point today. 3.1 innings, 6 runs. It’s a bit disappointing for a foreign pitcher.]

[Well…. Director Sans is also dissatisfied. At the end of the 3rd inning, Ji Maeng-ho hit a 3-run and reversed the game. When the starting pitcher gives up 4 runs, the manager must be angry. Even though it’s a full base situation, he can’t bring down the team’s ace in the fourth inning.]

‘Under…. AT should win.’

Listening to the relay through her earphones, Joo Ji-ah let out a strong sigh. It’s been four days since I haven’t met Ji Maeng-ho. It was clear that she was deliberately avoiding herself.

It was an away game from Tuesday, so I’m assuming we won’t be able to meet. Today, Friday, I thought I would meet you. Because he is Joo Seung-cheol’s younger brother and he sent a text message saying that he had something to say. But Ji Maeng-ho’s answer was rejected.

‘It must have been disappointing to find out that his brother did drugs. That’s why he won’t meet me, my younger brother.’

He was avoiding himself until Maeng-ho Ji told a not even funny lie that he couldn’t meet him because his team had to go to work early because he lost three games in a row.

‘Where in the world is there a club that breaks the routine and makes people go to work early just because they lost a losing streak? On the day after the expedition.’

Usually, when I return to Seoul after an away game, it is around 1 or 2 in the morning. In a way, it was natural to give the players who had gone on an expedition a break the next morning.

Besides, Jujia knew that during weekday games, he would go to work around one or two in the afternoon. So, he contacted me to meet at the right time around lunchtime, but Ji Maeng-ho refused to meet him because he had to go to work.

Jujia was rooting for the AT Thunders, as he could tell that he was avoiding him at the slightest thought.

Praying that his team would win and that Ji Maeng-ho’s mood would be relieved even a little. He knew that when a baseball player father and older brother won a game he knew, it made him feel good enough to turn a blind eye to minor mistakes.

The only way to break through the impregnable guard of Ji Maeng-ho, a pure baseball youth, is to attack the gap where he is in a good mood drunk with victory!

And if AT won the game today, I was thinking of meeting Ji Maeng-ho in person.

‘Then try to win. You baseball nerds!’

It was 6:3, but it was still the beginning of the 4th inning. There was a good chance of a turnaround.

*

‘The way I see it, this team must be haunted. Or, like this, every time I hit a home run, I can give up a run in the next inning?’

Otherwise it couldn’t be Lee Yong-ki hit a home run and conceded a run as soon as I hit a home run before Han Chul, the opening game.

And today. As soon as he hit a come-from-behind three-run, Jansson was beaten with a grand slam. Unless you were possessed by a ghost, this couldn’t have happened every time you hit a home run.

‘Soyoung should have held a gut in Jamsil instead of buying a free agency….’

The fact that this team has not been able to go to fall baseball for 20 years. It was a situation that I couldn’t understand unless I was possessed by a ghost. It’s not about winning 20 years, just average. You can’t do that? There must have been a ghost on the mound in Jamsil. It’s also a very nasty ghost.

‘Mr. Rossby. Please tell me soon There must be a ghost here, right?’

‘Because there is none. It’s crazy. Stop whining. Why are you blaming ghosts for something you can’t handle?’

No, there are ghosts. It had to be. Because this was a supernatural phenomenon.

Haha. Okay. It’s because of the ghost Not giving up runs every time I hit a home run, or not making the postseason for 20 years. It’s been almost 30 years since I won the championship. It’s all the ghost’s fault.’

‘Tsk, he’s completely turned around.’

As I was laughing while realizing the identity of what was blocking AT’s victory, I met eyes with shortstop Kang Hee-seok. Kang Hee-seok, who made the mistake that led to the worst result of the grand slam. He fumbled for an average shortstop ground ball and failed to handle a double hit.

“Hey, what are you laughing at? Do you like it when your team loses?”

“Is that the laughing statue?”

‘And don’t make any mistakes. It’s a piece of shit.’

In the past, I swallowed words that would have come out of my mouth. I could see the taciturn third baseman standing at third base and looking at us.

‘Ha, I’m too kind.’

However, even if he didn’t spit out the words, this bastard must be the one who was possessed by a terrible ghost that prevented AT from winning. If this bastard hadn’t made any mistakes, I would have been able to finish the inning safely with my double play, and my come-from-behind home run wouldn’t have faded.

Kang Hee-seok, if this bastard wasn’t possessed by a ghost, there was no way he would have made a mistake on that easy ball.

“Under…. Anyway, take care of your facial expression. It’s not good to see you laughing when you’re losing.”

Kang Hee-seok shook his head. I’m the one who really wants to shake my head. Come to think of it, Kang Hee-seok seemed to be cutting off the pulse of other players.

Including me, who is a 50% hitter, the weatherman who is hitting 40%. Kim Soo-ho and Woo Kwan-hyung in the mid-to-late 30s. Bore and Kim Joo-yeop in the early 30’s. Even Choi Jin-cheol, who is in the mid-20s but has already hit two homers. Since Jeong Yun-cheol is the catcher, there was no reason for the batting line to be cut off.

Strangely, however, the pulse of the batting line was cut off, and the RBIs did not come out as much as the record. And at the center was Kang Hee-seok, who was recording a batting average in the early 20%.

‘Was this bastard the culprit after all?’

I’ll have to tell Soyoung later to put it away. If I say I’m possessed by a ghost, you’ll surely believe me, right? It was clear that if Soyoung’s power was used, this ghost that was blocking AT’s victory could be eliminated.

Hehe, you look really crazy. There is no such thing as a ghost.’

‘What! Whether there is a ghost or not, an old kid who can’t defend or hit doesn’t have to be the starting pitcher!’

‘What’s wrong with this bastard?’

‘Why?!’

‘Unlike you, you stabbed the core well. You didn’t get hit on the head by that bastard earlier, did you?’

The night of the wake-up call was painful, but not to the point of going insane. My mind is clearer now than ever. And I was sober and sure of one thing.

First of all, there are too many unneeded pups on this team.