Chapter 223 – Episode 221. First All-Star Game. (One)

– Ji Maeng-ho! Win the Home Run Derby! Raise the anticipation for the All-Star Game!
… In the Home Run Derby held that day, Ji Maeng-ho (AT Thunders) became the home run king. Maeng-Ho Ji, who hit 17 homers in the finals alone, showed why he is the leader in home runs in the KBA League. With 17 home runs, Ji Maeng-ho set the record for the most home runs in the history of the home run race. Meanwhile, Maeng-Ho Ji is leading the team in home runs with 40 homers as of the end of the first half. …
ㄴThis kid’s power is really boring haha
Is it because you broke up with your girlfriend? I’m going to break the bat of anger.
ㄴ Honestly, if Kwan-hyung Wu had thrown a little better, he would have passed 20 haha
ㄴㅋ But how do you make the best person on the team a batting ball pitcher?
ㄴㄴ Because I’m not good at throwing, my hyung’s glaring at me is bloody.
ㄴ Because the atmosphere in the team is good, the youngest and the oldest are like that.

-[Photo] AT Ji Maeng-ho, All-Star Game is fun!

On Saturday, July 15, 2023, Daejeon Hwasan Falcons Park was filled with full crowds despite the continuous downpour. It was Daejeon Volcano Falcons Park, the home stadium of the Volcano Falcons, but the players filling the stadium were not Volcano Falcons players. The players filling the arena were 50 professional baseball all-stars from 10 teams, voted on by fans and recommended by the manager.

The All-Star Game, held at the end of the first half, was a festival enjoyed by fans of all teams and was the best festival in the KBA League. And at the festival, AT Thunders also performed well in the first half, and many players were able to play in the All-Star Game.

In particular, six players were selected for the All-Star Game through fan voting. If we look at the list, third baseman Kim Soo-ho, who hit 11 home runs with a batting average of 0.324 and an OPS of 0.931. A striker in left field with a batting average of 0.347, an OPS of 1.015, and 16 homers. Choi Jin-cheol batted 0.276 with 0.913 OPS and hit 25 homers, and designated hitter Woo Gwan-hyeong hit 0.316 with 0.855 OPS and 9 homers. And second baseman Ji Maeng-ho, who ranked first in all batting records, batting average of 0.404, OPS of 1.462, and hitting 40 home runs.

In addition, catcher Jung Yun-cheol was able to participate in the All-Star game thanks to the team’s good performance, although his grades were low.

Unfortunately, however, in the pitching division, Jang Woo-joo, a future starting pitcher and rookie star, Ryu Tae-hyeon, Shinra’s closer, and Kim Won-ho, who is active as a set-up man for Shilla, failed to participate.

Even so, with the coach’s recommendation, Bellingham, a mercenary pitcher, and Yoon Jang, a local ace, were selected for the All-Star Game, and were able to produce a total of eight players.

Unlike the previous All-Star Games, which produced at most five, at least five, or at least two, one with good results that year, over the past 10 years, the number of AT Thunders players selected for this All-Star game is It was letting me know if I was getting good grades.

And, of course, at the center of the good results was Ji Maeng-ho, who was ranked #1 in the fan vote.

Ji Maeng-ho’s performance during the first half of the year far surpassed the KBA’s best batter Joo Hyung-jin, or Kang-beom Kang or Choi Joo-tae, who advanced to the majors and showed meaningful results.

Except for two games in which he was suspended and one game in which the manager granted a break, Ji Maeng-ho played in all AT games, posting a batting average of 0.404, an on-base percentage of 0.515, a slugging percentage of 0.947, and an OPS of 1.462, exceeding common sense. He scored 86 points and scored 115 runs, exceeding 100 runs in the first half alone.

In addition, he recorded 130 hits, 40 home runs, and 36 stolen bases while finishing first in all categories of batting average, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits, home runs, runs scored, RBIs, and stolen bases. He rose to the throne of the 8th crown.

Of course, not all fans predicted that Maeng-Ho Ji would maintain such a record until the end of the season, but even so, no fans would disparage Maeng-Ho Ji’s skills, as he had a record worthy of being nominated for MVP even if the season was out.

-What is that bastard? Why are rookies so good?

-Wow, why is there no Ji Maeng-ho in our team?

– When will that bastard go to the majors? Shouldn’t this be sent at the league level?

-Why can’t we pick someone like Ji Maeng-ho?

-Fuck, our team’s home runs are just over Ji Maeng-ho’s home runs.

– How many years do you have left as free agent Ji Maeng-ho?
I guess waiting for a major post will be faster.

– Fuck you bitches, why are only you guys using Ji Maeng-ho?

Ji Maeng-ho recorded a record that fans of all 9 clubs except AT Thunders would envy. And for the fans of 4 of those 9 clubs, today, the All-Star Game, was the only day that Ji Maeng-ho felt like he was on his team.

[Hello? We will deliver the All-Star Game of the Dream Team and the Nanum Team at Daejeon Hwasan Falcons Park with a full crowd.]

[Can you see that the spectators are full despite the rain in the morning?]

[That’s right. Besides, in the home run race held yesterday, Ji Maeng-ho hit 17 home runs and raised the mood, right? And even the Super Race held just before the All-Star Game.]

[That’s right. Both the Home Run Race and the Super Race seem to have satisfied the fans.]

[However, larger events are yet to come. Dream Team and Sharing Team. The war of professional baseball stars. Start now.]

[First of all, as explained earlier, UG Overlords and Hyeonseong Mad Cats are currently running in 1st and 2nd place. And the 4th place Hanchul Grizzlies, 6th place Charlotte Blue Mariners, and 7th place JT Gold Eyes are the clubs of the dream team. And the 3rd place Shinra Triggers, 5th place AT Thunders, 8th, 9th, and 10th place NV Rex, Future Buffaloes, and Volcano Falcons are sharing teams.]

[How do you view this All-Star Game?]

[It is true that the Dream Team looks stronger in terms of rankings. However, the sharing team cannot be ignored. In my personal opinion, it can be seen as a dream of pitching power and a sharing of batting.]

[Is that so?]

[Yes. As for the dream team’s pitchers, the one-two punches of UG ace Kim Seong-gyul and Hyeon-seong ace Choi Joong-hoon look quite powerful, and Kwon Yul and Ko Young-hwan, as well as Yoon Joong-hwan, who is playing a hot role this season, have quite strong pitching power. The sharing team is quite powerful as many hitters were selected from the current batting team, the AT Thunders, and at the center is AT Thunders’ No. 4 hitter Ji Maeng-ho, who looks like a monster.]

[If you look at the rankings alone, the Dream Team looks pretty strong, but the Sharing Team is no less than that, right?]

[That’s right. Because it is an all-star game where only the star players of each team participate.]

[As a baseball fan, I am really looking forward to it. After a while, the all-star game you’ve been waiting for will begin.]

-I think the dream team will change haha
ㄴHonestly, how did Kim Seong-gyeol and Choi Joong-hoon win the national team match?
ㄴBut the sharing line-up is also awesome, Lee Eun-chong, Kim Su-ho, Ki Sang-joo, Ji Maeng-ho, Choi Jin-cheol, Woo Kwan-hyung, and Kim Hwan-young. Just looking at the value of the name makes me sick

-ㅅㅅ Maengho Ji: I was really scared when I was on the enemy team, but since we’re on our team, it’s so fucking reassuring haha
ㄴㅇㅋ Because Ji Maeng-ho is stuck in number 4, it feels heavy

-Wow, are these bastards coming in 4th with this batting line? Looking at the lineup, it looks like he’s throwing up. Except for Lee Eun-chong, Kim Hwan-young, and Bass, aren’t they all AT? After all, the catchers are all five teams.
ㄴWhat does the pitcher mean?
ㄴJust combining Shinra and AT would win the championship haha
ㅋ ㅋ ㅋ Where is there a club that can’t win when two teams are combined?
ㄴI don’t think you can combine any team with Hwasan.
Please refrain from pack width.

-ㅅㅅ Because Ji Maeng-ho is stuck in the 4th batter, I don’t think he’ll lose. Do AT fans feel this way all the time?
ㄴAnyway, the 4th place team haha
ㄴ Last year, the 7th place team did well at this level haha
If it wasn’t for Ji Maeng-ho, honestly, I think I would have fallen again.

-If you are looking forward to the superstar of today’s league, ‘Ji Maeng-ho’, go for it!
Blah!
Blah!
What will I show you today?

*

“Hyung, I heard you are also going to the Asian Games? Aren’t you older than I thought?”

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I think we will match at the Asian Games, so please take good care of us today.”

In the All-Star Game, where five clubs become one team, my partner today was Kim Hwan-young, shortstop of the Shilla Triggers. I was not particularly worried about today’s match because I got along a lot while training with Kim Hwan-yeong during the last WBC.

There is even Jang Woo-joo on the mound.

‘Does this look like the Asian Games?’

Considering it was an all-star game, I would have thrown 1 or 2 innings before going down, but the feeling was almost like a preview Asian game.

“Hey, but aren’t you nervous? I was very nervous when I first came to the All-Star Game.”

“Nervous, the WBC isn’t too nervous.”

Besides, a lot of team members came, and there were people I saw at the national team, so it wasn’t particularly awkward or anything like that.

‘It would have been nice if Yoon Seong-tae was here. It’s nice to pass the time by teasing Seongtae.’

It’s a pity, but I can’t help it because I can’t play baseball. Yoon Seong-tae also achieved good results in the first half, but it seemed that he was a bit lacking in name value and skills to push away national representative Kim Hwan-young. A lot of our batters came there, and it was a bit like that when they came on the recommendation of the coach.

“Well, you will.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that if you’re nervous here, you wouldn’t have a ceremony like that.”

“A ceremony like that? Oh, that? Did you see my brother?”

“Is there anyone who hasn’t seen that? It was funny. Shall I try too?”

Kim Hwanyoung laughed and said. The last time I saw him at the national team, I was quite taciturn, but seeing him talk like this, I think my ceremony was definitely impressive. Even after the ceremony, I thought about doing it again, but I couldn’t do it because I didn’t come out of my heart, but seeing that the players like it like this, I felt like I had to force myself to do it.

“Hyungs, let’s stop laughing and focus on my ball. This is just the beginning.”

At that time, Jang Woo-joo, who was standing on the mound, spoke to us.

“Yes, yes. I’ll focus. Throw the ball well.”

“Okay, watch. A pitch with all my heart.”

… Did you watch the cartoon yesterday? Why are you like this all of a sudden?

Then the game started and Jang Woo-joo threw the first ball.

“Cheek!”

The speed limit recorded on the electronic board is 163 km/h. Although he was far out of the strike zone, he had the best velocity ever in the KBA League. It seemed that he had given up his control and raised all his restraints.

-Wow!!

-Jang Woo-joo! Long universe! Long universe!

With Jang Woo-joo’s 163km/h, hot cheers began to come from the audience from the start of the All-Star Game.

‘Bastard, I know how to raise the mood.’

And I, who was watching the ball from behind, also heated up.