Chapter 176 – Episode 174. Step by Step Step by Step. (2)

“Concentration! Concentration! I have one last word.”

Coach Lee Soo-hyun’s words draw the attention of the players. Lee Soo-hyun, accustomed to passing the attention, turned over the screen of the beam projector. The screen moves from a video analyzing future Buffaloes players to a simple table.

“You see the leaderboard?”

From 1st place UG Overlords to 10th place Volcano Falcons. The rankings of the KBA league were seen at a glance.

‘UG is 17-7, Hyeonseong is 16-8. The fight for first place is fierce. Third place is Shinra Triggers with 14 wins. Hancheol and Charlotte are competing for 4th and 5th place with 13 wins and 11 losses, and what’s below that….’

“JT, 6th place, has 11 wins and 13 losses, and Mirae Buffaloes, 7th place, has the same record as us, 10 wins and 14 losses. Did you all see that we won yesterday and moved up to 7th place?”

“”Yes!””

The voices of the players who answered were quite bright. Maybe it was because we won by finishing yesterday, but even at the beginning of the season, the fact that the team’s ranking improved after the change of manager had a series of winning series.

It seems like yesterday that I was stuck in 10th place and playing with Hwasan, but I am already in 7th place…. If the uptrend continues just a little longer, it seemed that fall baseball would no longer be a dream. And I was not alone in thinking that way.

“It’s early in the season, but we’re catching up with one team a week. We all know that this is not easy.”

“Yes.”

“I definitely feel like I can win against anyone these days. Because I got the first place UG.”

“Yeah, they say it usually takes a month to catch up to three games, right? It will be harder to catch up as the season goes on. So let’s catch up now. If we sweep here, there are already three teams below. The future, honestly, isn’t it easy?”

“You’re right!”

As Suhyun Lee said, the future Buffaloes were an easy team compared to Charlotte or UG. However, it was inevitable that Lee Jin-hong, who had a monstrous performance by hitting 38 homers in the fourth place last season, existed in the lineup. However, after Lee Jin-hong was injured in the WBC, he was still unable to return, so he had no choice but to feel the weight of the batting line.

On top of that, his batting average was about 2.3, but Choi Jin-cheol, who recorded 28 homers and 82 RBIs, also transferred to our team, so the future Buffaloes batting line had no weight. Well, Choi Jin-cheol was evaluated as retired, so it was natural not to renew the contract, but it was painful for the future to not have Lee Jin-hong to hold the center of the lineup.

Actually yesterday’s match was easy. Anyway, Mirae Buffaloes is in 7th place with us this season, but when we win, there are many cases where we win by reverse, so experts are also expressing concerns.

“Let’s go up one step at a time. Can you do it all?”

“You can!”

“Okay, let’s show the fans a good game today.”

The voices of the players responding to the manager’s words were full of confidence.

“And a fierce tiger.”

“Yes Yes?”

In the mood for the meeting to end, the director called me. Are you trying to tell me to stay and train today?

“You know that today’s selection is Jang Woo-joo, right?”

“Of course I know.”

I watched the video like that a while ago, but if you don’t know, it must be a dolphin.

“Did you know that the candidates for Rookie of the Year in the league right now are you, Jang Woo-joo, and Kim Won-ho?”

“Yes? Are they candidates for Rookie of the Year?”

I didn’t know that. Jang Woo-ya was my go-to in the high school league, and I didn’t know Wonho was doing well enough to be compared to me. Because I was too busy to look after my articles.

“Okay. Do you know what is the most important thing in rookie of the year?”

“Skill? Record?”

“That doesn’t even matter. But more important than that is the impact. Especially in head-to-head matches, does the hitter beat the pitcher? This is an unconditional bonus point, so be aware of it.”

“Ah, don’t worry. Jang Woo-joo, he’s a dick.”

*

“Swing strike! Out!”

Batter No. 1, Suho Kim, strikes out after five pitches and withdraws. The speed limit recorded on the electronic board is 158 km/h.

“Fast. Be careful.”

Kim Soo-ho threw his horse chicly and went into the dugout.

Be fast…. I knew that Jang Woo-joo’s ball was fast. Because we met in high school. At that time, I had poor control, but I remember being lucky enough to get hit by the bat. However, the ball was like a feather, so if it hit, it was a long hit, so I wasn’t particularly afraid. Movement was also not good.

‘Let’s see how much you’ve grown. Back then, he threw a curveball with a breaking ball, but he said he learned the slider after coming to the pros, right?’

“Hello.”

“Okay.”

Greet the catcher and referee lightly. Jang Woo-joo, standing on the mound, seemed a bit nervous.

“Space, throw it into the zone now? I couldn’t throw it before.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“I care. He is a close brother.”

‘It’s a fastball.’

It seems that the battery has exchanged signs.

“You’re not going to throw a fastball at me, are you? Even in high school, I bit like a dog.”

“Don’t talk your nose a little bit.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Jang Woo-joo winds up. I decided to put up with the first pitch to see what stance he would throw against me. He gets to the mitt so fast that he can’t see the ball he threw.

“Cheek.”

The speed limit recorded on the electronic board is 157 km/h. It was a ball that went wide out.

“Space, you bastard. I was scared.”

“It’s scary.”

“He can’t put me in the strike zone? If you don’t want to believe it, keep throwing it.”

“Baby….”

‘It’s a fastball.’

‘Stubborn.’

The choice of battery is once again fastball. But nothing to worry about. Jang Woo-joo, that bastard is definitely scared of me. He swings his arm and the ball leaves his hand. Trajectory outside. The ball again….

“Strike!”

What? Referee bastard….

“Did this come in?”

“It came in.”

“Hmm…. Didn’t you see it because it was fast?”

“What?”

As soon as I made a sarcastic remark, the referee immediately responded.

“Ah, the ball was fast so I didn’t see it well.”

Do you dare to come to me? I checked that you were looking at the electronic display board.

‘Shim Jin-hyung, is your name Shim Jin-hyung? If I come in as 1st or 2nd base, then I fall behind.’

For now, I put revenge behind me and focus on my at-bat again.

‘It’s a slider.’

‘OK.’

At the time of analysis, the long universe’s slider was in the mid-to-high 140s. It’s fast, but even so, 140 restraints. In addition, it was not a ball that could not be hit if the change was small as it was fast. The reason why other guys can’t hit is because their fastball is so fast that they can’t get the timing right.

And those reasons had nothing to do with me knowing the type of pitch. Rather, it would be better if it was a slider. It was a good pitch to watch and react to.

‘Come on, space. My brother will give you a true education.’

*

How does it feel to throw 160 km/h? The speed that every pitcher dreams of, 160km/h.

If any pitcher could get that redemption, it was clear that he would be willing to sell his soul to the Devil. In the major leagues, it was said that it was a speed that often occurs, but if a prospect threw a 160 in the major leagues, it was a daily life that the down payment doubled, so it was unnecessary to talk about its status.

That status goes up even more if you come to Korea. As a Korean, there were only a handful of players who threw 160 at least once.

That’s why Jang Woo-joo’s baseball life was a solid road with flower paths. Jang Woo-joo, who has been attracting attention by throwing 150 since middle school, showed a steady increase in speed in the high school league, and he reached the number 162 on his speed gun.

And the contract that Jang Woo-joo received from the draft that came to fruition was 1.2 billion. He was able to achieve the gold medal of the highest signing contract for a rookie in the history of the KBA league.

And the down payment was a measure of how much future Buffaloes expected from Jang Woo-joo, and Jang Woo-joo 100% met those expectations. Until now.

Jang Woo-joo’s current record is 3 wins and 1 loss in 4 matches. He had a 1.37 earned run average in 26.2 innings as he struck out 30 and allowed just four runs. Most batters couldn’t even brush his balls, and none of the balls they accidentally touched made it past the outfield.

Jang Woo-joo has recorded only one home run so far. It happened in literature. Even Koo Jin-mo, the hitter who hit the home run, admits that he was accidentally hit, so there is currently no hitter in Korea who was conscious of Jang Woo-joo’s credit. Somehow, even if he gave up points, the fans didn’t blame Jang Woo-joo. Most of the hit balls that were in debt were luckily hit.

The appearance of an all-time great newcomer with an all-time high down payment. All baseball fans cheered at the appearance… Should have been He definitely should have been.

-The greatest newcomer ever! Ji Maeng-ho, home run today!

However, the appearance of Jang Woo-joo faded in front of the name ‘Ji Maeng-ho’. Ji Maeng-ho’s record was not a good record for a rookie, but a record that could change Korean history. 13 home runs by Ji Maeng-ho in less than a month since the league started. And several first-place records to support that home run.

The spotlight was on Ji Maeng-ho, who came out every day and set new records every day, rather than a starting pitcher who appeared once a week.

However, Jang Woo-joo did not curse Ji Maeng-ho. Because Ji Maeng-ho was a grateful person who awakened him from being a frog in the well.

When he was in high school, when he thought he was the best, the home run he hit in the blue dragon era changed the universe of Jang. The humiliation of having to pass Ji Maeng-ho with an intentional ball after hitting a home run was deeply engraved in Jang Woo-joo’s mind. That’s why Jang Woo-joo has been working hard and studying since that day.

-“Hey, you already have a good slider? Certainly, the talent is great. I didn’t give you 1.2 billion for nothing.”

A pitching coach’s praise for acquiring a fast breaking ball. Jang Woo-joo humbly responded to the praise.

– “Ah, no. There are so many better people than me in the world.”

The home run hit by Maeng-Ho Ji and the monsters of the major leagues seen in the WBC. Thinking of that, Jang Woo-joo couldn’t help but be humble.

However, Jang Woo-joo is also a pitcher and baseball player in charge of the team’s mound. He was humble, but he had no intention of losing.

And now, I wanted to show it to Maeng-Ho Ji, who is standing at the plate. It’s not me who hit a home run a year ago. I’ve grown this much I wanted to be recognized more because I became close while living as the youngest at WBC.

A slider polished with such a mind. His proud fastball has hit a home run, but this one slider has never hit a hit yet. Although he threw less often, he was more effective.

That’s why I chose the slider. Jang Woo-joo threw the ball with all his might.

“Huh!”

The sound of Jang Woo-joo’s spirit spreads from the mound.

‘I threw it properly!’

A slider that enters the zone from the batter’s body. Feeling more refreshed than ever.

Ta-evil!

And the sound of hitting the ball louder than ever.

[I hit it! Hit! Hit! Big! Big! Big! This ball hit the left wall! The wall on the left… !]

Jiang Wu lowers his head.

‘Fuck, how did you hit this? Ah…. Jamsil, this is Jamsil.’

He turned his head back with some expectation, but all Jang Woo-joo could see was the scene where he climbed over the fence. My eyes meet Ji Maeng-ho, who slowly passes the first base.

Ji Maeng-ho grinned.

‘You’re no good for me.’

I feel like saying that.

“Seed! Foot!”

Just like the day he met Ji Maeng-ho in the finals of the Blue Dragon, Jang Woo-joo threw his glove.