Chapter 184 – Episode 182. A Gift to Etrin! (4)

[Up until the ninth inning, both teams are fighting a tight battle. The score is 6:5. With Hancheol leading by one point, now Hancheol’s mound is topped by Jeong Tae-hwan.]

[The two teams fought each other fiercely, but it seemed like there was a lull from the 8th inning, right? The AT Thunders now have one inning left. However, the batting order is good. It’s the batting order starting with Kim Su-ho, the first hitter, so you have to keep your concentration until the end.]

[Kim Soo-ho’s batting performance today is 2 hits in 3 at-bats and 1 walk. All but one at-bat were on base.]

In the 2010s, when Kim Soo-ho, who had divided the position of the best third baseman with Choi Jin-cheol, entered the bat, the AT Thunders fans cheered even more. There were still three out counts left before the game was over, and fans who came to watch baseball with their children were still holding on to their hopes.

1 point difference, if it was the usual AT, 1 point difference in 9 times was an unexpected score, but this season was different. Because it was an AT that was rising from the bottom with the cohesion of the sticky lineup.

“Dad, aren’t you going home?”

“Not yet, yet….”

The son who watched the AT game after a long time did not feel it, but the father who watched the baseball game every 6 o’clock every day felt it. You can do this. That is why the father, who came to the baseball field with his young son, prayed earnestly that the AT Thunders, a strong team in his childhood his, would give his son an unforgettable and powerful gift, just as they showed him.

“Taehyung. Let’s just stop at 1 point….”

And the same was true of Han Chul’s fans. In the meantime, the finisher who had been firmly guarding the back door, Jeong Tae-hwan, was earnestly praying as he had been, but the atmosphere at the stadium was unusual.

I don’t know about the general spectators who just came to enjoy the game, but the heavy fans who watched every game felt the atmosphere. Besides, the opponent is AT Thunders. It was the team that gave Jeong Tae-hwan a run in the opening game. Of course, the opening game was won by Lee Yong-gi’s finish, but even so, the fact that Jeong Tae-hwan collapsed did not disappear.

[Jung Tae-hwan’s first pitch! Strike!]

“Done!”

“Tae-hwan, it was good!”

Han Cheol’s finish, Jung Tae-hwan put the ball neatly into the strike zone from the first pitch, even if it puts the hearts of such fans at ease. The speed limit recorded on the electronic board is 152 km/h.

“Jung Tae-hwan looks good today?”

“Ha, please….”

“Suho, go out in front of Maengho just once…. You can do it.”

“Jung Tae-hwan, I believe….”

Jeong Tae-hwan’s second ball that everyone watches with bated breath.

Right!

A fast batted ball flew toward the pitcher with a loud sound.

“Please please!”

“Catch!!!”

Jeong Tae-hwan instinctively brought his glove to the batted ball. Took, a heavy feeling that touches the glove.

‘Caught…!’

He closed his gloves, but the feeling in the gloves was different than usual.

“Taehyung! Next!”

He quickly looked at the ground at the shortstop’s cry and saw that the ball that had hit the glove and ricocheted off was rolling leisurely between the shortstop, third baseman, and himself.

“Hey! Bow down!”

And then the third baseman calls. Conscious of being a left-handed hitter, third baseman Park Joong-ki, who was closer to the shortstop, picked up the rolling ball with his large body. Jeong Tae-hwan lowered his body as if he had practiced countless times at the cry of the third baseman.

‘Kim Soo-ho… !’

When he turns his head and looks at first base, he sees the first baseman’s outstretched mitt and Kim Soo-ho sprinting to first base. And a white object flying between them. And just before the white object, the baseball, reached the mitt, Suho Kim’s foot first stepped on the first base.

“Aaaaa!”

“Fuck!”

Kim Soo-ho’s screams, which are not often seen, and Park Joong-ki’s profanity, which are familiar to Jeong Tae-hwan, were heard.

“Safe!”

-Kim Soo-ho! Kim Suho! Kim Suho!

[Kim Soo-ho’s sprinting eventually created an opportunity. Now, if the runner is on first base and home, it could be a tie runner. And in that situation, Ji Maeng-ho, the current best hitter in the league, steps in.]

[This is where Ji Maeng-ho enters. While adding one home run today, Ji Maeng-Honi, who leads the league in home runs with 16 home runs, probably has a complicated head even on Han-cheol’s bench.]

[In addition, the players waiting in the next at-bat are Ki Sang-joo, Choi Jin-cheol, and Woo Kwan-hyeong, the highest batting order of all time. Hancheol faces a big crisis in the last inning.]

[Kim Soo-ho is replaced by Lee In-hyeok. He had a 100% stealing rate with three steals this season.]

[Anyway, the probability of running is not high as the player wearing the catcher’s mask is Lee Yong-gi, but Lee In-hyeok is a runner who can steal at any time.]

At the moment of crisis when the lead batter is on base, Lee Yong-gi walks up to the mound.

“Ha, fuck me, I should have caught it.”

“Hyung, don’t worry, let’s focus on the next hitter. I was out of luck.”

“Write. I should have caught…. Anyway, what are you going to do with the next batter, Ji Maeng Hon?”

The next hitter is Ji Maeng-ho. Not only did he play a big role for a month after the season opened, but he was a hitter at the peak of his condition, recording a home run while making a big success today.

“Let’s go hard.”

“… Would you rather skip?”

“Anyway, it’s Sangju-hyung and Choi Jin-cheol. Choi Jin-cheol looks good today. Well, Sangju-hyung’s condition doesn’t look good, but.”

“Fuck, the other line is throwing up. I don’t think it was like this in the opening game.”

Until last year, AT’s batting line was nothing to be afraid of as long as Kim Soo-ho was careful. Although he had a Wu Guan-type, he had a noticeable decline even until last year.

On top of that, the addition of Ki Ki-joo and Choi Jin-cheol definitely raised the quality of the AT lineup.

And even Ji Maeng-ho, a newcomer who just debuted in the finale. In fact, players like Kim Soo-ho, Ki Sang-joo, Choi Jin-cheol, and Woo Kwan-hyung were famous players in the league, and even if they did well, they were not strange players.

But Ji Maeng-ho, this guy I don’t know where he came from, was completely destroying the league’s ecosystem.

The rookie who just debuted was ranked first in all batting categories, and his OPS was fluctuating from 1.5. I heard that he graduated from high school last year, so why didn’t this guy go to the majors and stay in Korea?

‘… Damn, I won’t go to the majors soon enough.’

“That’s right, fuck. Tsk. What can I do have to deal with instead, let’s go as hard as possible.”

“Yes, courage. Request.”

Lee Yong-gi, who tapped Tuk-Tuk and Mitro, walked back to the home plate.

‘Okay, let’s do it.’

Anyway, Jeong Tae-hwan himself was once a pitcher who was said to be the best finisher in the league. Here he was scared and couldn’t get in.

And Ji Maeng-ho stepped into the plate.

‘Young bastard, intimidating….’

Those eyes that would hit any ball stabbed Jung Tae-hwan’s heart. Before Ganghan Bum went to America, he looked similar to the eyes he saw then.

‘I’m sure it wasn’t like that the last time we met.’

In the opening game, Maeng-Ho Ji, whom I saw on the day of the intentional throw, was not a player with this level of intimidation. But now….

‘Do seats make people?’

‘Outside, let’s make a big subtraction with the slider.’

However, my impression of Ji Maeng-ho ends here. He has to focus on winning now.

‘OK.’

Jeong Tae-hwan made up his mind again and nodded his head after seeing Lee Yong-gi’s autograph.

‘Phew, my eyes are back.’

And Lee Yonggi sighed inwardly. After receiving an unlucky hit from Kim Su-ho, it was clear that he was shaking, but fortunately it felt like he had returned to his original Jeong Tae-hwan before facing Ji Maeng-ho. Of course, even so, the grand strategy against Ji Maeng-ho would not change.

He throws as hard a ball as possible until the three-ball situation, and skips it when the three-ball situation occurs. For this guy whose OPS was well over 1, it was better to give him a walk.

“Haa, dodging again?”

While Lee Yong-gi was breathing a sigh of relief, he heard Ji Maeng-ho muttering from the plate. What? Did you notice without even looking at the first ball? Lee Yong-gi quickly looked at Lee In-hyuk, but Lee In-hyuk did not make any strange movements. And he wasn’t an amateur enough to get his autograph signed by a runner on first base.

“What?”

“It was like this last time. Aren’t you a little scared?”

Did you read the mood to filter yourself? As expected, he felt it since the national team, but he was an excellent guy with the ability to read the psychology of the battery.

“Did you think so?”

Of course, he had no intention of hanging out even if he did. Are you in a hurry to compete? The professional world wasn’t that soft. Some idiots might be like that, but Lee Yong-gi wasn’t that kind of player.

“Cheek.”

The slider comes in with a big bend outward. Jeong Tae-hwan stabs exactly the course he expected. Although he had an unlucky hit today, Jung Tae-hwan’s condition was definitely good.

“Write.”

‘You look annoyed. Well, in a young mind, he probably wants to solve it himself. Brother, keep going outside. Fastball this time.’

Jeong Tae-hwan nodded his head again. And the trajectory of the ball that deviated greatly outward,

Whoa!

Ji Maeng-ho’s bat swinging with a strong wind noise.

“Yes?”

Ji Maeng-ho is not the type to swing a bat at a ball like this…. Thinking of that, I looked up at Ji Maeng-ho through the catcher’s mask, and he was grinning.

“Wow. Thought. Each. Degrees. Pond. I did.”

Talking like reading a Korean book.

‘This bastard… !’

Was completely mocking. Facial expression, tone, absurd swing. This is an obvious provocation.

‘Are you a crazy kid? Wielding it here? Why? You said you’d get me on first base. But why? Why?’

Having been a catcher for about 20 years since elementary school, even Lee Yong-gi, who is considered the best catcher in Korea, was taken aback by the situation he experienced for the first time.

‘Yes, are you protesting to win? … Shall I guess?’

It was too late to find out what he was thinking, but even if he was cocky, he was too cocky. Cheeky beyond measure. I had a strong desire to put a shot on my body, but soon gave up. It was possible that Jeong Tae-hwan’s balance would be broken if he accidentally hit the ball.

Lee Yong-gi’s head, which had been heated up, became cold again.

‘Wake up, because that will never happen.’

Dealing with Gi Sang-ju was easier than dealing with Ji Maeng-ho. Ki Sang Joo was also a good hitter and was a close older brother, but I met Ki Sang Joo as a teammate 10 years ago. He knew very well what ball the weatherman liked and what he disliked. As evidence of that, Lee Yong-gi was confident because today’s weatherman was tied up tightly.

Choi Jin-cheol there? Choi Jin-cheol was also a hitter who dominated the league, and he already knew his weaknesses. It’s just that the one shot that comes out is scary. His Woo Kwan-hyung was able to suppress Jung Tae-hwan’s pitches as he got older. Even if Choi Jin-cheol or Woo Kwan-hyung gets on base, the next hitter is Boer, who is showing weakness in scoring range.

However, he did not intentionally make a duo. If Lee In-hyeok ran to second base, he had to catch it at any time.

‘If you filter this guy, he can block enough. The third highway, outward.’

Farther than before. Just don’t think it’s weird. A direct expression that he has no intention of competing with you.

Whoa!

And again the sound of bats.

“…… ?”

“Wow, again. I was deceived.”

‘Are you really crazy? He even wields two strikes?’

Strike out with one miss. In addition, even if he hit the bat, 100% on-base was not guaranteed. But what about swinging it again?

Jung Tae-hwan and Lee Yong-gi’s eyes meet. The remaining count is three balls and one strike.

‘If this is the case….’

‘At least once….’

And the thoughts of the two batteries worked.

”Let’s compete!”

Of course, there’s no reason to go right into the strike zone. Because you only have to fool the batter once.

‘Slider lower.’

“Cheek.”

Ji Maeng-ho skips the fourth ball. But it was clearly visible.

‘Yes, since it’s a two-strike, he must be scared.’

Of course, being scared didn’t make this match an advantage. Because it was hard to catch the remaining count. The first person to look into his head since his debut, Ji Maeng-ho was that kind of guy.

‘Again, low slider.’

“Cheek.”

Ji Maeng-ho flinched once again. Now the count is full count. Lee Yong-gi’s head started spinning.

Forget about off-speed pitches. His OPS His for breaking balls with low velocity is a monster. All that remains is the fastball and slider. However, Ji Maeng-ho is definitely a guy who can hit the slider that he has seen a few times. No, it was clear.

‘Then also….’

‘… A fastball? OK. It’s scary, but it requires courage. Let’s strike out and go.’

The location requested by the user is low outside. That ambiguous position that a hitter driven by two strikes has no choice but to wield. I threw a ball that had been thrown tens of thousands of times at that location.

Ta-evil!

Jeong Tae-hwan’s head reflexively turns back. The ball Ji Maeng-ho lifted had already turned into a white dot, cutting through the sky of Jamsil where the sunset was starting to set.

[Ji Maeng-ho hit! This hit is toward the center fielder! Seungcheol Joo! Stepping back, stepping back!]

A fence blocks Joo Seung-cheol’s path. The batted ball was already above Joo Seung-cheol’s head, and Joo Seung-cheol, who looked at the batted ball once, spat out abusive language.

“Fuck!”

And although I had never done it before due to the risk of injury, Joo Seung-cheol’s spike stepped on the fence in Jamsil thinking that it might reach it.

[Joo Seung-cheol! Step on the fence and jump. Batted ball! Mitt!]

The packed crowd in Jamsil held their breath and concentrated on Joo Seung-chul’s glove.

-Wow!!!!!

[Do not reach! Ji Maeng-ho’s come-from-behind two-run! This ball won’t come back! In the top of the ninth, the AT Thunders take the lead again! And the main character is the monster rookie, Ji Maeng-ho!]

[Wow, you passed the outside ball over the middle fence? It’s a really great power. Really, that’s great.]

– Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho!

Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball did not return.

*

‘It was a good swing.’

‘… But how were you sure the last ball would come in?’

‘Because a pitcher is such a creature. Throwing a runaway ball in a full count situation? If he was such an asshole, he wouldn’t have finished in the first place. There he threw the ball on such an obscure course. Of course, if you’re a pitcher, wouldn’t you want to stick it in the zone? Well, if I had thrown it vaguely as the catcher requested, it would have been a miss.’

‘Is it a swing? I was able to hit it even if it fell further outside!’

‘Hehe, I guess so.’

‘It’s true….’

‘Don’t whine, focus on the rest of the game.’

‘Yep.’

As Rossby said, the game was not over yet, so he quickly calmed down the afterglow of the home run and focused on the game.

But is the home run I hit because I had a big internal injury? The Grizzlies couldn’t stand up again for a while, and the Children’s Day game ended with our victory.

“Brother, I won, right?”

“Hey! Don’t scratch Seungjil and get out!”

“Hehe, Joo Seung-cheol, was there anything wrong?”

“Ugh, you bastard.”

Of course, I didn’t forget to scratch the inside of Joo Seung-cheol whom I met in the parking lot after the game.