Chapter 152 – Episode 150. New Wind. (3)

[AT Thunders versus JT Gold Eyes, today’s starting pitcher will be a face-to-face match between the native aces of both teams, Jang Yoon and Park Jeong-seop. Jang Yoon is currently in two games with an ERA of 1.38 in 13 innings and 2 losses, and Jung-seop Park is in three games with an ERA of 2.12 in 17 innings and 2 wins.]

[Jang Yoon made a nest with the AT Thunders this season, right? In the meantime, the free agents recruited from the AT Thunders have been suspicious as they showed poor performances, but they are in good shape even though it’s been two games? And Park Jeong-seop showed his good side to the people while playing as a national representative at the WBC held this year, right? I think it will be a match worth watching.]

[Commissioner, then who do you think are the key players of both teams?]

[When this kind of pitching battle unfolds, the important thing is who gets the score in the end? Both starting pitchers have a style that doesn’t allow repeated hits, so the game is likely to be a home run. And the AT Thunders have Ji Maeng-ho, who is currently the No. 1 player in home runs. It seems to be important what kind of game you play with Ji Maeng-ho.]

[Then who do you think is the key player on JT’s side?]

[JT’s key player is Jang Hyun-ho, who moved to JT through a trade this year. Jang Hyeon-ho is showing off a great figure by hitting 4 home runs with a batting average of 30.2. Jang Hyeon-ho, who was blocked by the wall of Jamsil, moved his nest to Suwon, a hitter-friendly stadium, and is showing his batting ceiling properly. Ji Maeng-ho and Jang Hyun-ho. I think it will be a match worth watching.]

[Now, at the beginning of the first inning, JT Gold Eyes’ attack will begin. Introducing the lineup. Type 1……… ]

*

– Wow!

Woo Kwan-hyung’s super catch fills the baseball field with cheers. In the top of the 3rd inning, when the bases were loaded, Woo Kwan-hyung dived to catch JT’s 4th hitter Bell’s big ball.

‘Wow, I’m getting older and going diving?’

I was a bit surprised as I had never seen it before. He was hitting well, but to be honest, Kwan Woo was not a good pitcher. In particular, my shoulders are weak, so when I played relay, it felt like I was running 50m.

“Nice! Good defense!”

“Wow, what is a coffin hyung? How did you catch it?”

On the way back to the dugout, the other players were also quite surprised by Woo Kwan-hyung’s diving catch.

“Hyung, have you been diving for the first time in 5 years?”

“What are you talking about? I did a little diving.”

Even Jung Yoon-cheol, the catcher who had been with Woo Kwan-hyung for 20 years, was surprised.

“Now. Today’s defense concentration is the best, so let’s focus a little more on offense. OK?”

“Yes!”

As the hitting coach said, our defense concentration today was better than in any game since the opening. Starting pitcher Jang Yoon threw 60 pitches until the beginning of the 3rd inning, but his condition was not so good, but the strength of the defense kept it scoreless.

‘Well…. Does it really work because of less training?’

‘Then I must be too weak.’

Rossby says it’s weak, but from my point of view, playing on the field, it seemed like the training before the game had an effect. Should I say my steps are light?

“Maengho, what’s wrong with the game today?”

The batting coach who had coached lead hitter Jeong Yun-cheol approached me. This person doesn’t usually do this, but why are you suddenly like this?

“Yes. Are there any problems?”

“No, because he struck out on an absurd ball in the first inning.”

In the first inning, Park Jeong-seop struck out, but there was no problem. The problem was Park Jeong-seop’s control.

“Did you see Park Jeong-seop at WBC, too?”

“Yes, I did.”

As a pitcher and hitter, I had no chance to get close. Well, there was an age difference in the first place.

“Even though he seems like a good thrower, it’s because he’s secretly a bird’s chest. Mismatch comes out soon? Instead of guessing, look and hit.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry, as usual. OK?”

“… Do you think the coach is anxious?”

It was obvious that a person who normally wouldn’t give advice unless he asked first, was overdoing it now that there was no coach. Seeing hitters continue to give advice right before they step into the at-bat, it seemed like he was determined to do something.

“Is that so? Anyway, blow a cool blow and come.”

“That is my specialty.”

Right!

Jeong Yun-chul, who came out as the lead batter at good timing, hit a grounder on second base and withdrew. Tired of hearing the coach say useless things, I quickly headed to the waiting table.

‘Why is he doing that all of a sudden?’

Hehe, I guess he’s aiming for the director’s position.’

‘What kind of director position is this? I just took the one that didn’t come out for a day.’

‘Tsk tsk, naive bastard. Does the position of director seem so easy? You don’t seem to know that this isn’t a soft spot where any bastard can be absent from work without permission.’

‘Is it? Then did he really run away?’

Hearing Rossby say it made me laugh that there was a possibility. Well, if the three of us don’t get in touch. There is no such thing as three adult males suddenly disappearing in Korea.

… Maybe the other players know roughly? Is that why the hitting coach is strangely passionate? He seemed just anxious, but when he opened up the possibility that the director had run away and thought about it, he also looked enthusiastic.

‘Ah, what’s so important about this?’

The important thing now is to hit Park Jeong-seop’s ball. In the first inning, I heard that the ball went outside, but to my surprise, it came in the middle and I couldn’t react. I was too careless.

Right!

– Wow!

Coincidentally, hitter Kim Joo-yeop, number 9, made a hit that landed in front of the left fielder.

‘A home run is two points. Jangyoon seems a bit unlucky today, so let’s aim for a shot. Mr. Rossby, please do better this time. Like before….’

‘What bullshit? You should have reacted in the middle of the fight. It’s hard to blame others.’

‘That’s true, but….’

I was also embarrassed. If I hadn’t known that it was coming outside, I would have been able to react, but it was only natural that I would not be able to react if such a ball came at the moment I was already thinking about throwing it. Just as major league players can’t react to a breaking ball entering the strike zone.

‘It’s hard to make excuses.’

Rossby gave a blow and moved behind the pitcher. As Rosby moved to his seat, he saw Park Jeong-seop’s expression, which he hadn’t been able to see. An expressionless poker face. Yeah, you strike out me and you’re calm, right? The best feeling when standing at bat is smashing the expressions of such expressionless pitchers.

‘Let’s see how long it will remain expressionless.’

In particular, when Park Jung-seop practiced with the national team, he became more confident because he was a player who hit the ball well. During live pitching, if I faced 10 opponents, I could hit home runs 5 times.

‘What about the first ball?’

‘Fastball comes high.’

But that doesn’t mean you can’t hit any ball. I decided to skip the first pitch.

“Cheek.”

And of course, the high ball came in and I was able to take the count fight to my advantage.

‘As expected, I was unlucky earlier.’

‘Curve, lower.’

‘OK.’

Low curve. My favorite ball. I loaded the swing over my shoulder and waited for Park Jeong-seop’s second ball.

‘Come!’

Right!

I can feel the strong hand taste in the bat. After throwing the bat, he quickly ran to first base. But, the angle is a bit low?

‘Fuck.’

The batted ball shoots toward the shortstop. It was a line drive, but it was not a ball that floated, so I was a little anxious, and that anxiety soon became a reality.

“Short!”

Did the shortstop catch it? I could see the runner on first base still attached to the base.

‘Fuck, I must have caught it.’

At that time, first base runner Kim Joo-yeop started running toward second base.

“Run!”

The first base coach’s urgent cry. I turned around to see the shortstop picking up a spilled ball. In this situation, sickness is the worst. I sped up and hit first base.

“Out!”

An out call from second base. Even Usain Bolt was not surprised, as the runner on first base was bound to be out. As I took off my protective gear, I asked the first base coach about the situation.

“What happened?”

“The shot spilled. It hit the glove and bounced.”

Wow…. It would have been fucked up.

“I lived because of the fast batting speed. Nice Juru. If it had risen high, it would have been a home run, but that would be a pity.”

“Well, there are days like this.”

It was said calmly, but it hurt a lot inside. Seeing that the ball hit the line drive, the timing seemed right, but the bat trajectory was not good?

‘The ball didn’t fall as I thought.’

Hearing Rossby’s words, he seemed to have a rough idea of ​​the situation. Unless it was a game, a pitcher’s breaking ball could not maintain a constant trajectory, and the ball thrown by Park Jeong-seop fell less than usual.

In other words, it’s a mistake in a way. In a word, there was no luck. Park Jeong-seop was lucky.

‘If I had thrown it properly, it would have been a home run.’

But the at-bat has already passed. I neatly erased the previous situation from my mind and received the baserunning glove.

*

[Park Jeong-seop calls the catcher to the mound. I caught an out count with good pitching, but it seems that there is something dissatisfied.]

[Is it because the quality of the ball Ji Maeng-ho hit is unusual? I’d like to ask if there’s an interview.]

“Jeongseob, why?”

“Brother. You have to be careful. Because he’s not joking around.”

“I guess you know better?”

“… I know it well.”

Know well. Those words weren’t enough. All national team players who saw Ji Maeng-ho training at the WBC knew that. Especially Park Jung-seop. Whenever I pitched live, I felt like I was standing in front of a big wall when I threw the ball against Maeng-Ho Ji.

Feels like you’re going to hit a home run no matter what you throw. And by showing the image from training during the match, Korea became the runner-up in the WBC. That’s why it was bound to be tense.

“Hey, why are you so scared?”

The catcher must have noticed Park Jeong-seop’s nervous expression mixed in with his expressionless expression, and he tried to relieve tension by touching his body with his glove. Park Jeong-seop, who was nervous, was worse than the 5th starter.

There were many reasons why JT had never entered fall baseball since its founding, but the biggest share among them was Park Jeong-seop.

‘This bastard is strangely weak when he’s decisive.’

Although it is not revealed in the stats, there was something that the catcher who received the ball could tell. Park Jeong-seop is weak when it comes to decisive things. He was a reliable pitcher except in critical situations, but he was strange today. At the end of the first inning, the first at-bat against Ji Maeng-ho and the current at-bat, JT’s catcher strongly felt that the ball was not coming out as usual.

“I’m a little nervous.”

And the feeling was real. The pressure Park Jeong-seop felt from Ji Maeng-ho was greater than ever. So, in the first at-bat, he made a mistake. In the second at-bat, the breaking ball did not come off as expected.

‘I was lucky.’

“Why are you shaking after blocking it well? Relax, kid.”

It is said that it was luck, but the reason why Park Jeong-seop is nervous even after blocking two at-bats.

“Brother. I can’t catch him with my checks. I will throw it as easily as possible.”

“The next hitter is Kim Soo-hon?”

“I’m more afraid of Ji Maeng-ho than Kim Soo-ho.”

The presence of first base runner Ji Maeng-ho. Park Jeong-seop was afraid of batter Ji Maeng-ho, but also runner Ji Maeng-ho.

“Is that enough?”

“Yes. Timing is fucking good.”

Great timing to avoid checks and run only when throwing a breaking ball. Even when training for the national team, there was not a single battery that caught Ji Maeng-ho. Especially in the major leagues, even left-handed pitcher Seong-hyeon, who occasionally catches runners as a check.

“I get it. I’ll try for now.”

“… Yes.”

‘Are you good at timing? Even so, he’s a kid.’

JT’s veteran catcher snorted after hearing Park’s words.

Timing is what steals even the fastest runners. And it never occurred to me that a freshman would be able to time himself as a veteran catcher.

‘Jeongseop, this bastard’s problem is that he pecked alone. Tsk. I have to help, what can I do?’