Chapter 174 – Chapter 172. Advice. (2)

In the quiet club bus, Ji Maeng-ho’s sudden words drew the eyes of the nearby players to the place where Ji Maeng-ho and Choi Jin-cheol were sitting.

‘What is he talking about?’

‘I think Jin-cheol killed his brother today… ?’

‘… Are you counting no hits today?’

In addition, the target was Choi Jin-cheol. Three-time MVP and four-time home run champion. And a pinch hitter who hit 20 homers in one season in the major leagues. No, apart from that, the age difference alone is 15. It was not a service number to be addressed on a late-night expedition bus.

Of course, sometimes there were players who were too passionate about baseball and sometimes broke this tacit rule and talked to their seniors. The types of players were mostly young players or players who had just come up from the 1.5 or 2 teams.

For those players, one at-bat, one at-bat. One game, one game. Each and every piece of advice from seniors was valuable, so other players tended to understand it enough.

However, Ji Maeng-ho was different. Even before his professional debut, he competed in the WBC and hit the most home runs in the national team, and as soon as he made his professional debut, he bombed the league and was setting a record that no player had ever shown.

Besides, Ji Maeng-ho was recognized by his teammates as a player who was sure of his own. Even the two coaches who led the AT this season, Sands and Lee Soo-hyun, did not make any strategy while Ji Maeng-ho was at bat, which was a hot topic among AT players.

Ji Maeng-ho was evaluated as a perfect hitter even by Woo Kwan-hyung, who is a master of batting theory and said to bring a perfect swing depending on the situation.

So Ji Maeng-ho asks Choi Jin-cheol such a question? The thought that the intention was not simply to get advice passed through the minds of the players. Because Ji Maeng-ho was quite famous among the players for his personality.

To the seniors on the same team, he was self-respecting and did the job well as the youngest, but from other teammates and seniors, he said that he had never seen such an arrogant bastard. Considering Ji Maeng-ho’s personality that makes people think, the players thought that he must have a different intention.

In particular, since the incident in which Baek Doo-hyung, who is older than his uncle, threw a bamboo stick, Ji Maeng-ho’s image among players was as a hitter whose concept and skill were inversely proportional.

“What?”

Players with less time held their breath as they listened to Choi Jin-cheol’s answer, while players who ate quite a bit looked back with excitement. The bus left before I knew it, but the players were so focused on Ji Maeng-ho and Choi Jin-cheol that they couldn’t even recognize it.

Even if Choi Jin-cheol made his debut at AT, the club where he spent his heyday was the highly disciplined Future Buffaloes. Although Choi Jin-cheol openly said that his personality was kind and that the atmosphere of the club was not right, everyone knew that he was not the kind of person who would just watch his juniors indulge in self-indulgence.

That’s why the longer Ji Maeng-ho’s silence at Choi Jin-cheol’s words, the more the players who listened to the conversation with their ears open couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

‘Are you thinking that Jincheol will pick you up with that kind of skill? Considering the interviews Maengho has done so far, the possibility is good enough. Well, since Jin-mo hyung is also a guy, he won’t buy anything just because Jin-cheol hyung.’

In particular, the meteorologist found this situation quite exciting. Ji Maeng-ho, whom I saw as my roommate during the WBC, had a personality full of confidence. Because he thoughtlessly spit out cheeky sounds even at himself. So Ji Maeng-ho asks for advice first? That is nonsense

The weatherman was curious about what would happen in the future. If it had been before going to the major leagues, I would have stopped putting up with it, but in the majors, there were often times when talented juniors said something to seniors, so this situation was rather fun.

‘That bastard is there again. Wasn’t it enough that I scolded you once?’

In the case of Kim Su-ho, his head was pounding. He sometimes showed a cute or passionate side like a young player, but in the eyes of Kim Soo-ho, Ji Maeng-ho was basically a bad manners guy. It was because Kim Soo-ho was deeply entrenched in Kim Su-ho’s mind as he flirted with Seong-hyeon, a great Korean pitcher and respected senior.

He had been quiet for a while, so he thought he might have caused an accident, but he couldn’t wake up because Choi Jin-cheol, who was much older than him, was the party to the story.

‘As expected, losing doesn’t make you depressed. Maeng Ho will become a great player. That’s a good attitude. Really maybe this year….’

In the eyes of Woo Kwan-hyung, the fierce tiger was proud. Woo Kwan-hyung was the type to not judge people based on what other people said in the first place, and Ji Maeng-ho in his eyes was a very respectful junior to his seniors. Although he sometimes embarrassed himself with strange words.

In addition, the gaze at the genius batter who might be able to relieve the grudge of more than 20 years was bound to be softer than others. Since his debut season, Kwan-hyung Woo had never been to a fall baseball game while hitting close to 3,000 hits, so expectations were high for Maeng-ho Ji, and whatever actions Maeng-ho Ji did looked good in Kwan-hyung Wu’s eyes.

Even when Ji Maeng-ho was pounding Baek Doo-hyung’s bamboo bread, it was Woo Kwan-hyung who liked him deep down, saying that an ambitious newcomer had entered. Even if Ji Maeng-ho suddenly slapped him with his harsh words, he said, “I could make a mistake. Hee hee.’ He was someone who would laugh at least once.

Everyone except Woo Kwan-hyung waited for Ji Maeng-ho’s answer with half anticipation and half fear of what Ji Maeng-ho would say. And as if organizing his thoughts, Ji Maeng-ho opened his mouth.

“You said you were the home run king, right? But before that, to be honest, my batting average wasn’t very good.”

“Huh.”

Choi Jin-cheol’s sore finger. Someone took a deep breath at the words of Ji Maeng-ho, who brought up the story of his AT days. And Choi Jin-cheol’s expression also began to harden. Of course, no one could see Choi Jin-cheol’s expression because it was inside the dark bus.

“Therefore?”

“So I was a little curious. What kind of mindset has changed so that I can play as well as I do now. I have a lot of worries these days.”

“Are you worried?”

“Yes. These days, when I enter the scoring zone, I think about that a lot. Aren’t I still number one in home runs? Isn’t it when you swing from scoring position?”

‘Why did a bastard who can’t even hit me take a big swing and hit a bottleneck? Are you saying this? Are you trying to tell me to shorten my swing?’

Such negative thoughts came to the mind of Ji Maeng-ho from his classmates and juniors, and Choi Jin-cheol, who was in a bad mood because of the double play.

“So, are you asking me to swing small?”

Choi Jin-cheol with a cold tone.

“Yes? Swing small in scoring position? Should I be too?”

However, Ji Maeng-ho didn’t seem to feel that atmosphere. And the answer also didn’t fit the focus.

“What are you talking about?”

“No, the senior was a home run king and an right-handed infielder. I think something similar to me. These days, when I enter the scoring zone, I have a lot of thoughts. That’s why I wondered if there was something to do with team betting in scoring position. Hold the bat short and hit it, or make a swing that hits. Then. Did you have the same concerns as me?”

‘What?’

At Ji Maeng-ho’s answer, Choi Jin-cheol’s head went blank for a moment. Did he worry about that? I couldn’t believe that he had such trouble. .

‘Are you kidding me?’

Choi Jin-cheol stared intently at Ji Maeng-ho’s expression to understand his intentions. However, that expression was that of a hitter who is worried about his swing, like most rookie players. He had the same expression he had when he was a rookie.

‘I don’t think he’s acting?’

“… Seniors? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Are you really worried about that?”

“Yes. Then what would you fake and say you’re worried about? In the golden time of return, which is not enough even if you go while sleeping.”

“Well, that’s not true.”

Ji Maeng-ho, as seen by Choi Jin-cheol, was a bit arrogant, like the players on the other team said, but it wasn’t severe. It’s a fact that everyone knows that kids these days are spoiled.

“So, how do you swing when you have the right to score? Full swing? A matching swing?”

In response to Ji Maeng-ho’s question, Choi Jin-cheol recalled his memories of the time when he signed a contract with AT a few months ago.

-“Ah, Choi Jin-cheol. If you go to AT, there is a new player named Ji Maeng-ho, who was recently selected, and that friend also belongs to our agency. Please help me by your side. You know. It is difficult for Uta Geopo to grow in Jamsil.”

– “Isn’t that obvious? Helping talented juniors is always welcome. If you belong to our agency, you must be talented.”

– “Well, that’s right.”

-“All right. It reminds me of the old days when the AT first picked the Uta Giant Cannon.”

After coming to AT, he brought up many times to give some advice, but in Choi Jin-cheol’s eyes, Ji Maeng-ho didn’t seem to listen. And since he was a hitter who seemed to have already completed his own thing, Choi Jin-cheol soon reduced the frequency of his advice.

But how do you ask yourself for advice? Could it be that the young player was actually waiting for my advice? Choi Jin-cheol was well aware that it is difficult for a young player to say such a thing to a senior. Thinking that way, somehow Ji Maeng-ho looked proud.

‘What. You’re a better guy than you think. I just thought it was weird because the bastards said they didn’t care.’

With such a proud mind, my annoyed mind was washed away as I hit the bottle today.

“Did you have such troubles?”

“Yes.”

“That’s why I didn’t do very well in resignation.”

“… It’s not really like that.”

Ji Maeng-ho denied it, but Choi Jin-cheol was already at his own pace. Newbies came and asked cute questions, but it was clear that there were not many deceased figures who would stay still, and Choi Jin-cheol was one of those baseball figures. Choi Jin-cheol, who was a senior who gave the most advice to his juniors during his future days and had a lot of good story articles, enjoyed this situation.

“Great. Are you curious about how they feel in scoring position?”

“Yes.”

“Is there anything wrong? Just swing it big.”

“Yes?”

“You or me. You can tell just by looking at it, but you’re a hitter who goes over if you get hit. A hitter like that will wield it big no matter what. Even if he does double play. Well, it’s a guy like Joo-yeop, so it’s okay to just guess.”

“Senior, why did I suddenly….”

“Were you listening? Missita. But is it true?”

AT Thunders representative left-hander center fielder Kim Joo-yeop was taken aback by his name being suddenly called, but Choi Jin-cheol didn’t care and continued his words.

“You say you’re hitting 40% right now, but you know that. That you can’t keep it until the end of the season. When I was young, I also had a relative who scored 60% for a week, but in the end, my batting average fell. But the important thing is that pitchers won’t look down on you if you have one shot. One hit with the bases loaded? If so, that’s 2 points. It’s a score car that can be overturned at any time. But a home run? 4 points? If this is the case, the game for the day should be considered over.”

“In the end, it’s one shot that can turn the game around. The team wants that too. It’s not for nothing that people say home run hitters drive Cadillacs. You just guess and you get lucky and get 1 point? So, will the pitcher feel good? Whoa, you gave up only one run against the top home runner? I mean this I heard a lot of stories like that when I was a home run king. Anyway, if you become a hitter with one shot even in scoring position, it will automatically become easier to fight, and the pitcher will get stronger and lose pitches, right? Then it will be easier to hit home runs. Do you see what I’m talking about? Be the hitter who can instill fear in the pitcher.”

Ji Maeng-ho nodded his head at Choi Jin-cheol’s words pouring out like a rapid-fire cannon.

“Damn it, I’m worried about this. Is it because you got hit and lost? Anyway, the important thing is to make your own swing. If you clumsily push the scoring zone, you will end up ruining your form. Got it?”

After a long talk, Choi Jin-cheol looked at Ji Maeng-ho.

‘After all, I have to confirm what kind of person I am. Even on the day I lost, I would visit my senior and ask him about these things. His passion for baseball is amazing.’

Ji Maeng-ho, whose evaluation is rising in Choi Jin-cheol’s mind… ,

“… Yes.”

… He answered in a slightly weary voice.

‘Why? Baseball players talk a lot when they talk about baseball, don’t they? By the way, in the end, is it the same as what Rossby said?’

While Choi Jin-cheol was making a satisfied expression, not knowing what Ji Maeng-ho was thinking, another In-young approached the empty seat.

“My youngest, were you worried about that? Then you should have asked your brother. First of all, do you know why you have a lot of thoughts in scoring position? Yeah i’m not sure sure. It’s a mental problem. When I saw it, your swing is one, no, even your physical ability is two? Anyway, those things won’t work in the major leagues, right? Even in Triple A, I didn’t see anyone who could play like you, so in the majors, it’s about the bench. But do you know what those kids have in common? Right away….”

‘Fuck, another talkative person has been added.’

When the baseball story came out, he could not stand it and approached him. In this way, the baseball lecture between Gi Sang-joo and Choi Jin-cheol continued until the end of the Gyeongbu Line. And Ji Maeng-ho didn’t know it, but his views on him were changing little by little.