Chapter 146 – Episode 144. Bench Clearing. (One)

What is Bench Clearing? In the dictionary, it means that all the players on the bench come out on the ground, and when it comes to sports, it refers to a gang fight between teams that often occurs in various sports such as baseball, soccer, and ice hockey.

And such bench clearing was a little more special in baseball.

In baseball, bench clearing was a means to protect members of the same team, and was also a measure of teamwork.

Even in baseball, there was no rule against clearing the bench. Rather, when bench clearing occurred, baseball was generous with bench clearing to the extent that there was a rule to pay a fine if you sat on the bench.

Even if you swing your fist, the only unspoken rule in bench clearing is that you do not injure your opponent using tools.

However, unlike the major leagues where fist fights are practiced, most Korean bench clearing ends with a verbal fight. Unlike America, where the land is wide, in Korea, everyone knew each other after crossing a bridge.

Even if it was just such an argument, clearing the bench was enough to bring the team together and turn the atmosphere around the team. Even if it was just pretend bench clearing, if you were in that hot heat, your blood would get hot.

And most teams used to induce bench clearing to change momentum when they fell into a losing streak or when they were being pushed back in terms of content. There were also teams that did not hesitate to throw beanballs, especially if there was a good reason.

At the end of the 4th inning, Hwasan’s attack ended scoreless and the score was 6:0. The team has 3 wins and 8 losses. The final game is heading toward defeat. On top of that, there is a cheeky guy who injures Lee Won-hyung, who can be seen as the pillar of the team, and holds a ceremony. It was a perfect situation for bench clearing.

Coach Chul-Min Jeong was a manager who did not avoid such fights, and the players of Hwasan were also getting stronger after Won-Hyung Lee was taken away.

[In the beginning of the 5th inning, Baek Doo-hyeong steps up to the mound.]

[Baek Doo-hyung, a 35-year-old veteran pitcher, is the leader of the young Volcano pitchers, holding the center. In particular, he is a player who plays a key role on the mound and does not hesitate to do dirty work. Perhaps Volcano coach Cheol-Min Jeong wants to take responsibility for 2 innings at the least and 3 innings at the most.]

However, contrary to what the commentary said, Baek Doo-hyung, who received a special order and went up to the mound, was different from other pitchers in his eyes.

‘If young children are in charge of this kind of work, their mentality may collapse. As a veteran, I have to do it.’

Before the start of the inning, when Jeong Cheol-min asked the pitchers for their opinions, Baek Du-hyeong, the oldest pitcher in Hwasan, raised his hand to say he would throw without hesitation. Besides, Wonhyung Lee is a younger brother with a very small age difference. He was a colleague who endured the dark days of the volcano.

When Lee Won-hyung went to the hospital in tears, Baek Doo-hyung, who had no choice but to watch him, began to put strength into his hand holding his ball.

‘Don’t be resentful. Because you did it yourself There shouldn’t have been a ceremony.’

*

‘Fastball, inward.’

‘Mr. Rossby, that bastard’s eyes are suspicious?’

The eyes of the pitcher holding the ball are different. No, not just the eyes, but the feeling that the catcher’s mitt is pointing at me?

‘Mr. Rossby, isn’t that it?’

‘Yes? What are you talking about?’

Rossby didn’t know what I was talking about because he was behind the pitcher. But I can tell This is the nature of the batter. That bastard, he was thinking of hitting me.

“Let’s be polite.”

Talk to the catcher Wouldn’t your voice tremble?

What I hate most in the world is being fit for someone. It wasn’t like a fight, but I didn’t like the irrationality felt in that one-sided situation. Since I was working out, there were a lot of things I was beaten by coaches and seniors until I was in middle school.

That was the reason why I, who made a name for myself in middle school baseball, went to Hanche High School, a wasteland for baseball. In middle school, there were beatings disguised as corporal punishment, but Hanche High School was a prestigious sports school, so there were many eyes everywhere, and there were rumors that there was no corporal punishment at all. Of course, I went and wasted my life.

“What are you talking about?”

I feel like I’m trying not to mix words with me as much as possible. Like a hunter who doesn’t look his prey in the eye before hunting, he briefly teased the mouth he had been brushing all along.

‘Fuck. That’s right.’

At the moment of tension, the pitcher’s ball flies. Body side!

“Ahh!”

I scream and barely dodge. Fuck! Bastard on the shoulder!

“Sorry, the senior two hyungs are out of control.”

“It doesn’t work, right?”

“Then you fell to the right.”

When the ball falls out of the hand, it flies toward the right-handed hitter based on the right-handed pitcher. Based on that fact, I had no choice but to put up with the catcher’s words. Yes, because it’s still heartbreaking.

“Let’s have a good time.”

“Sorry.”

‘Fastball, outside.’

Trust Rossby’s words and wait for a ball. The ball falls far outside. Into a position where the catcher would have to extend his arm to catch it.

“Two hyung-senpai, slow down! Slowly!”

The catcher stood up and waved his hand up and down as if to calm the pitcher.

‘Is a 10-year-old acting?’

Acting not to show me, but to show the referee.

“Ha, senior Doo hyung, I’m not playing well today.”

The guy talking to himself in a loud voice as if the referee wanted to hear it was disgusting.

‘Should I fuck first?’

‘Be careful. If you’re going to hit me, I’ll hit you with my butt.’

‘Yes? How to avoid it.’

‘No. Or stick to the end of the plate. But do you know That if you don’t get hit, your team will get hurt.’

‘… Isn’t Mr. Rossby a colleague or something?’

If you just listen, there was no bastard like this in the world.

‘No matter how trashy they are, a team is a team. A true man never abandons his team.’

I forgot. That this man was the quintessential American macho of the early 20th century. But Rossby is Rossby and I am me.

‘There’s no need for me to be hit.’

It quietly moved to the farthest place from home plate. I’m sorry seniors. But I’m the youngest, so please watch!

It was clear that the seniors would understand me, the cutie of the club.

‘…….’

‘Why are you making that face?’

Let’s finish all the preparations. The guy is ready to throw the ball. Eyes still fixed on me.

‘I’ve withdrawn this far, but I can’t believe it….’

My sad thoughts were never wrong, and his ball flew straight towards my body. Fuck! Instinctively he jumped, but a flood of pain flooded the side of his thigh.

“Aww!”

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Oops, it fell out of my hand again. Doo hyung-senpai, let’s calm down a bit.”

Damn, I was so into it…. A word from the catcher that is more annoying than the pain felt in the thigh. The puppies… !

-“Okay. I trust you to act professionally.”

Suddenly, Suho Kim’s words play in my head. Like a pro, like a pro, like a pro. What is being professional? Yes, a professional is to entertain the crowd.

‘Okay, I’ll treat you like a professional.’

“Ji Maeng-ho, are you okay?”

The referee touches my body. The pitcher was looking down at me as I lay face down. My distance from the pitcher is 18.44m.

“Ahh, it’s okay.”

Shake the dirt off your uniform and stand up. The catcher sees me stand up and throws the ball to the pitcher after receiving it from the umpire. An everyday sight, an everyday sight. As I move slightly toward first base, both the catcher and the referee lose interest in me. The pitcher opens his glove and raises his hand to catch the ball thrown by the catcher.

And I ran

*

[Oh, Maeng-Ho Ji, the ball hits your thigh. Ji Maeng-ho collapses.]

[Fortunately, it was hit in an area that was not injured. Baek Doo-hyung had poor control from the first pitch, but eventually gave up the 4th ball.]

[Player Maengho Ji shakes off the dirt and stands up. I send the referee a sign saying it’s okay. As expected of a rookie, energetic, uh, uh? Ji Maeng-ho runs to the mound!]

Just when the players, referees, and fans all thought that Maeng-Ho Ji would walk to first base, Maeng-Ho Ji suddenly started running towards the mound. The action just watched the scene from the bench, as if the AT Thunders players were also taken aback.

“Uh, uh, what’s wrong with that bastard?”

“What? What? Why all of a sudden?”

“Didn’t you miss a ball?”

AT Thunders players are mostly veterans. That’s why I had a lot of experience with bench clearing. And Korea’s bench clearing was mostly similar. After being hit by a ball, the pitcher and batter stare at each other, exchange words, and then slowly walk toward each other.

That is the standard of KBA-style bench clearing. In addition, due to the nature of the KBA, where everyone knows each other, it was common sense that if the pitcher was significantly older than the batter, the batter would just walk away. Later, a veteran pitcher comes up and throws a retaliatory pitch, or something like that.

In other words, what Ji Maeng-ho is running at now is a completely unexpected action. The sudden action froze the AT dugout. And the same goes for the volcano’s dugout.

“What?”

“… Uh?”

Baek Doo-hyung is a 35-year-old veteran. Ji Maeng-ho is a 21-year-old rookie. A rookie rushes in suddenly? There was only one thought that came to the volcano players’ heads.

“What?”

And when the players’ bodies reacted, Ji Maeng-ho had already narrowed the distance with Baek Doo-hyung.

“Stop that bastard!”

“Ji Maeng-ho!!”

When the catcher’s throw entered Baek Doo-hyung’s glove, the distance between Ji Maeng-ho and Baek Doo-hyung was only 7m. The players rushed to the mound, and Doo-hyung Baek raised his hand holding the glove in surprise. And after a few seconds.

Puck!

“Ouch!”

Ji Maeng-ho’s fist cleverly avoided Doo-hyung Baek’s glove and hit him on the chin.

[Uh! Players from both teams ran out onto the ground.]

[Uh, uh. I can’t do this. Such violent behavior is not good.]

As soon as the commentary was finished, Baek Doo-hyung sat down on the mound. And Kim Soo-ho, who was aware of the situation first, grabbed Ji Maeng-ho’s body as he tried to take the mount position.

“Hey, are you crazy?! Ji Maeng-ho!”

“이 개새끼야!”

“What are you doing with this!”

Kim Suho’s weight class is 184cm/83kg. On the other hand, Ji Maeng-ho’s weight class is 188cm/93kg. Kim Soo-ho is dragged along by Ji Maeng-ho.

“Let go. Fuck! A crazy bastard should throw it in moderation!”

Hwasan’s infielders quickly helped Baek Doo-hyung and pulled him off the mound, but Ji Maeng-ho dragged Kim Soo-ho towards it. Hwasan’s catcher, Kim Seung-hyeon, who ran late, also joined in catching Ji Maeng-ho, but even two could not stop Ji Maeng-ho from walking.

“What’s wrong with this bastard’s strength? Senior Suho! Dry him off!”

“Wake! Ji Maeng-ho!”

And players from both teams rushed to the mound.

“이 개새끼야!”

“Hey! How old are you!”

Hwasan’s players pushed Ji Maeng-ho first, but unfortunately, this bench-clearing was unfavorable to Hwasan. Hwasan, who has been rebuilding for several years, has already been knocked down by Baek Doo-hyung. And it was Lee Won-hyung who had already been taken to the hospital.

However, in AT, which was teased by fans for being old people, there were more seniors than Baek Doo-hyung and Lee Won-hyung. If Lee Won-hyung, a senior batting team member, comes to AT, the age difference is so disproportionate that he is just one of the mid-level players.

The difference between the jjambab was now evident.

“Hey! What are you doing to our kid? Didn’t you throw a beanball first? Could he have done that for nothing?”

Woo Gwan-hyung, the best in the league

“Wow, you can’t do it with your skills, so are you trying to soak it at all? Are you crazy? Why don’t you throw it at me too?”

“Looking at the meat, I was aiming for it at all. Is this correct?”

Thirty-seven-year-old Choi Jin-cheol and Jung Yun-cheol.

“No, seniors, it’s not like that….”

Due to the nature of Korean society where age is a gangster, the players of Hwasan had no choice but to give up. And the coaches of Hwasan, who were watching the situation, joined in.

“Hey! Right-handed! Why are you killing the kids? You should know if you are old and ashamed!”

“Hey, Coach Kim! Aren’t you ashamed then?”

Children’s fights become parents’ fights.

“What the fuck is this?!”

“What? Puck? This kojagi bastard! Hey! If you come to Korea, you should play Korean baseball! A bastard with no top or bottom!”

“Director Jeong! Isn’t Kojaeng racist? Should I report this to KBA? Yes?!”

“What? Are you from OO University? What class are you in? This bastard doesn’t even know the senior!”

In the end, even the heads of both teams collided.

While the players hesitated while watching the coaches of both teams trying to push each other’s stomachs, there was a player approaching the volcano’s players.

‘Okay! More! More! It is to prevent pitchers from throwing beanballs at you in the future, and to make you pee just by looking at their eyeshehe!’

“Hey! Hey! You! Come to work! I won’t hit you, so come to work!”