Chapter 143 – Episode 141. Battle for the Last Place. (One)

“Hey! It’s review and preview time with Jia! I’m back after a long time!”

– And live today!
-ㅠㅠㅠ Please turn on the live more often!
– She used to be cute, but today she’s a bit sexy.

“Sexyhehe, I’m an adult now too. Hello cute! Let’s run today with the sexy Jia. Wow? You go out Anyway, today’s guest is dugu dugu dugu. This is reporter Lee Young-tae, a professional baseball reporter! Thank you for coming even though it was late.”

“It’s an honor to invite you.”

It was late at night when all the baseball games were over and the highlight programs of each broadcasting station were over. ITube’s live performance was turned on to soothe the hearts of bored baseball fans. Usually, live like this is turned on once a week. The live broadcast of Jia was crowded with fans who like Jia, fans who did not run out of victory pods today, and real people who really love baseball.

“Then shall we begin in earnest? It’s the beginning of the season, but there was a lot of change in the rankings with today’s match, right? First of all, if you look at the leaderboard, it’s divided into 2 out of 4 out of 4. So let’s take a quick look at the game and then evaluate each team. Then shall we begin, reporter?”

The KBA review that started like that went smoothly. And evaluation time per team. After the evaluation of the teams classified as semifinals and quadruples, the evaluation of the two teams classified as second weak began.

“Then it is the 9th place team. Volcanic Falcons. This team is off to a bad start with 3 wins and 8 losses. What do you think, reporter?”

“Mmm, Volcano Falcons. In fact, it’s a little bit like that in terms of grades, but as many young players are showing up as they declared rebuilding this season. There are pillars of Tuta that hold the center there. Even coach Cheol-min Jeong, who is considered a genius of rebuilding. Volcano fans can look forward to it.”

“Actually, I have been rebuilding for several years, but I also felt like this season would be a real rebuild.”

“Yes. The players who have been constantly giving opportunities while rebuilding have reached the peak of their skills, and the rookies gathered in the draft are slowly showing their prominence.”

“Especially Siwoo Choi’s form these days is scary, right?”

“Hwasan’s first baseman, Choi Si-woo, is still in 11 games, but he is currently recording 3 home runs with a good slash line of 0.340/0.392/0.681/1.073. You showed meticulous hitting ability, right? And this year, the 5th year, it looks like it broke a real egg and stepped up. It’s showing what volcano fans have been waiting for.”

“On the pitcher side, the rookie players we’ve been gathering over the years are showing a good side, right?”

– Kya! Now, our real up-and-comers are slowly bursting!
– Well, you’re in last place, right?
-It’s not the last place, it’s the 9th winhahaIsn’t that the last team?
-ㅋㅋㅋ How can it be worse than a volcano?
-Choi Siwoo is good at ithaha

“Yes. Volcano’s three rookie pitchers are showing good form, right? In particular, 2020 first-pick pitcher Shin Su-ho posted saves in all three games won, showing his potential as the next-generation national team finisher. His ERA is zero.”

“And Chae Jae-hyeon and Kim Min-joon are winning three games together. In particular, Kim Min-jun is in his third year, and last year he showed potential as a starter. This season, he appeared in three games and recorded an average ERA of 2.57, 15 strikeouts, and 2 wins in 14 innings, showing the potential of a right-handed ace representing Korea. Are you there? Volcano Falcons is staying at 9th place because it is a bit lacking in foreign players, but in fact, if only foreign players do their part, wouldn’t there be a possibility to rise further?”

“It is as Gia said. If the Volcano Falcons’ foreign one-two punch operates normally, I don’t think fall baseball will be a dream either.”

“Then, now it’s the long-awaited 10th place, AT Thunders.”

“Actually, there’s a lot to say about the AT Thunders, right?”

-It’s finally herehaha
-The one who puts money close to 20 billion and comes last is a legendhaha
– AT has good players, so why are they in last place?
– Just looking at the record, it’s really good…

“Ah, just looking at the record, it’s really good. You’re right. Actually, it’s a bit strange to have won 2 with this record, right? First of all, Kim Soo-ho, Ki Sang-joo, Woo Kwan-hyung, and Choi Jin-cheol. These 4 are hitters representing our country that anyone can recognize, right? On top of that, Ji Maeng-ho showed a sensational performance at the WBC.”

“… Ji Maeng-ho.”

Jia’s expression became strange when she heard the name Ji Maeng-ho mentioned by the reporter, but no one noticed. Thinking it was a normal reaction, the reporter continued.

“Yes, even Bore, a mercenary hitter who hits 30% against Ji Maeng-ho. The batting order is really good. But the pitching staff is really unfortunate, isn’t it?”

“Yes? By the way, the pitching staff’s ERA isn’t bad either, right?”

“Yes. In fact, except for Janson, who has an average ERA of 6.75, most of them have an average ERA of 3 to 4 points. But the problem is that once you give a score, you give it a big one. If the hitters score, the pitchers score, and if the pitchers allow 1 or 2 runs, the batter can’t score. Should I say it’s a grade that has no choice but to say that Ma got involved?”

“Hmm, there’s definitely a big gap between the players’ grades and rankings.”

-It’s because they’re all brats who only take care of their statshaha
-Is Bohr okay? Does the number 4 hitter make sense with 4 RBIs in 11 games?
-Yes, the next two wins.
– Fuck, is this a team?
-All you bastards want to hit their heads with a pork cutlet hammer

As soon as the story of AT Thunders came out, the chat window started to overheat. These days, when the comment section of the article has disappeared, the only place for baseball fans to relieve their stress is the Internet community or a baseball-related broadcast like this.

“Ah. The chat window seems to be overheated. Comdown, comedown. Ah, thank you for supporting Super Chat.”

“Well…. I think it’s going to get a little more heated by bringing up this story, but there are reporters who saw Sands walking to the club’s office after the game today? Maybe Sands doesn’t have that much time left.”

-Are you finally making a decision?
– It’s early in the season, but it’s already
– Only the directors change like this, but who wants to go to AThaha
– Poison or Holy Grail…
– Holy Grail? As if I’m just alone
-But who is the director now? Do you have a sense of supervision?

“Now. It’s not certain yet. Well. The AT story will be discussed in more detail next Monday. Then I’ll do a final preview and finish it. There are also important games in this weekend series, right? The first match is a match between Volcano Falcons and AT Thunders in Daejeon. Maybe I’m the only one who has a hunch that the losing team will be in last place for a while?”

“As Jia said, of the two teams, the losing team will have a bigger blow, right? In fact, there is a bit of an unfair side from the position of AT Thunders. Excluding NV Rex, who faced off this time, Hancheol, Hyunseong, and Shinra. Did you only stick with strong teams like this? We must prove it against the volcano. I think that perhaps if we lose this head-to-head matchup, Sands’s future will become unstable.”

“It’s actually the biggest game of the weekend series. Therefore! This time we will be shooting vlogs in Daejeon, so please come and see us! Autographs and photos! Anytime is ok!”

-Wow! Go straight to Daejeon.
– If you look at it in person, is it really short?
-I saw you in Jamsil the other day and I thought you were a middle school student.

“There, the key story is the van. And with that, the proportions are good, so I don’t look so short!”

There is only one condition for choosing the match where Jia filmed the vlog. It’s just that the match will attract a lot of attention. And as Jia thought, the match between the Volcano Falcons and the AT Thunders was attracting a lot of attention.

AT fans who think Volcano will win, and Volcano fans who think AT will win. And even reporters who heard rumors that director Sands was called to the front desk.

“Then! Saturday, so it’s tomorrow, right? See you tomorrow in Daejeon!”

*

“Wow, look at the other AT line, it’s bloody?”

At the words of Choi Si-woo, the flagship hitter of the Volcano Falcons, the volcano players turned their eyes to the display board. The lineups and batting averages of both teams were written on the scoreboard.

“Ji Maeng-ho 0.410, Kim Soo-ho 0.317, Ki Sang-ju 0.340, Boer 0.319, Choi Jin-cheol 0.283, Woo Kwan-hyung 0.364, Jeong Yun-cheol 0.279, Yoon Seong-tae 0.364, Kim Joo-yeop 0.316. It’s early in the season, but there are 7 .30 hitters in the lineup? Besides, isn’t Ji Maeng-ho the number 1 player in the league right now?”

Hwasan’s today’s starter Kim Min-joon’s tone was deeply tinged with the feeling of boredom.

“Right. Tied for first place with five. It’s Jincheol sunbaenim who hit me 4 times under him. How are you in last place with that lineup?”

“Isn’t that because the batters we faced did well? Siwoo hyung, thank you for today.”

“Today’s AT pick is Kim Chan-young, so I’ll give it a try.”

“Then please.”

“Siwoo, Minjun. I will only believe in you today.”

“Senpai, show me some senpai too!”

The atmosphere in the volcano dugout was brightening as the young Tuta ace of Hwasan Choi Si-woo and Kim Min-joon were having a conversation.

In fact, the Volcano Falcons weren’t all that good either. 3 wins 8 losses. After 2 consecutive losses in the opening series, the losing series was repeated and they were nestled in 9th place, so even Volcano, which had been stuck in the low ranks for several years, could not be in a good mood.

The reason why the players can smile before the game even in the middle of the day. It was because the opponent was the AT Thunders, who were in last place with a record of 2 wins and 9 losses.

It was a score that seemed to make no sense to compare Volcano and AT if we were to compare only individual scores. Simply put, the only hitter who hit 30% in Hwasan was Choi Si-woo, the team’s leading hitter.

However, all of the Hwasan players who watched the AT Thunders’ game for power analysis were full of confidence. All of them were professional players who dedicated their lives to baseball and made a living from it, so I could feel a strange sense of incongruity from the AT Thunders.

‘Right now, the AT Thunders are strange.’

The sentiment felt by all the Volcano Falcons players was instinctive because it was similar to the Volcano Falcons at their worst.

‘AT can win! The organic structure of the batting line did not come out, and the balance of pitching collapsed. I don’t know why, but I feel like everyone lacks concentration. In this state, even the winning series….’

Everyone doesn’t talk, but since they were players who were more attached to each other than family members, you could tell each other’s thoughts just by looking at their eyes, and sharing those feelings gave them confidence that they could win.

“Min Joon-ah. Be especially careful with Ji Maeng-ho. Because that bastard isn’t in good shape these days.”

“All right.”

Receiving such a good atmosphere from the dugout, today’s starter Kim Min-joon stepped onto the mound.

‘Since today’s AT selection is Chanyoung-senpai, how can hitters do it if I block it with less than 3 runs?’

[There was a great opening phrase from the police officers! Please cheer with a big round of applause!]

After the first pitch, AT’s first hitter, Ji Maeng-ho, enters the batter’s box. Although he is a rookie player, the appearance of a hitter who is receiving the most attention in the league now gives Kim Min-joon a sense of victory.

‘I hear you’re playing well these days, shall we see how well you hit? I want to win with a fastball.’

The first sign was a change ball, and Kim Min-joon shook his head. The second signature is also a changing ball. When he shook his head at the ball, veteran catcher Kim Seung-hyun immediately realized what Min-jun Kim wanted.

‘You want to stick with a fastball? OK.’

That’s how the battery set the sign, and the 146km/h fastball headed for home plate.

Ta-evil!

And the ball disappeared over the fence much faster than it was thrown.

“Wow, fuck.”

‘Real power doesn’t make sense? I thought it would be fucked up.’

A large foul home run that misses the pole slightly. As I was breaking out in a cold sweat at the ball that had gone out of the field, I saw Ji Maeng-ho smiling slightly at the ball in the at-bat.

‘Smile? Let’s try this, right?’

Kim Min-joon’s desire to win caught fire.