Chapter 252 – Chapter 250. Stop Ji Maeng-Ho! (One)

UG Overlords. As a team that has emerged as a strong team since the late 2000s, there have been slight ups and downs since 13, but after 7th place in 17, the great general Ki-taek Moon took office and entered the Korean Series for 5 consecutive years, winning 2 times and finishing runner-up 3 times. It was a strong team ahead of the .

The foundation for UG Overlords to rise again as a strong team was the superior pitching staff and organic batting line, but the real core was the excellent power analysis team, including the master general Ki-taek Moon.

Although Moon Ki-taek became a public enemy among domestic baseball fans with his strategy to shake the opponent’s mentality, his sloppy interviews, and his unique tenacious personality, he is known as the best in Korea in terms of strategy, pitcher replacement, and player motivation management. He was a well-received manager, and the UG’s power analysis team was praised among the players for its meticulous analysis reminiscent of the major leagues.

With Moon Ki-taek and the nation’s best power analysis team, the synergy between those two elements made UG Overlords a strong team.

During the five years at the top of the league, what Moon Ki-taek emphasized the most was analyzing his opponents. In fact, UG’s batting line had little to do with the exception of Gu Jin-mo and the mercenary hitter, except for using the literary field that was advantageous to hitters. However, in such hitter-friendly literature, the reason why I was able to tie the opponent’s batting line with pitching power was because there was such a thorough analysis.

And that analysis was still going on even before the fight against AT.

“This series is the last AT battle with Maeng-Ho Ji. If you think of fall baseball, you have to test it here.”

“So what is the way?”

To the obvious words of the power analysis team leader, Moon Ki-taek answered harshly. The reason why Moon Ki-taek responded harshly to the head of the power analysis team was simple.

It is because all the methods used to stop Ji Maeng-ho have gone to nothing. All efforts to stop Ji Maeng-ho, such as the appointment of a rookie pitcher and the way to get Ji Maeng-ho out, have all failed.

Moreover, the aftermath of that failure was devastating. To the extent that UG Overlords, the top team in the league, is behind the AT Thunders with 3 wins, 8 losses and 1 draw.

“Hyeonseong, who doesn’t do anything, is 9-5 against AT. Aren’t we just getting beaten up for doing this and that? Huh?”

“… Sorry. But, this time is really different.”

“Ha… Okay, let’s talk first.”

“Kuhm, great. Currently, there are three teams that have a head-to-head advantage against AT in the league. Hyeonseong, Shinra, and NV. Hyeonseong has 9 wins and 5 losses, and Silla has 6 wins and 8 losses. Actually, this is not a strange result. Both Shin and Hyeonseong are teams with potential.”

“Then are we a team with no potential?”

“… Heck, that’s not it… Big, big. Anyway, the team we are paying attention to is NV Rex. NV Rex is currently in ninth place, but they are the only team in the bottom half to lead AT with a record of 9 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw. If you look at the winning percentage alone, you can say it’s the best among the nine clubs.”

“I did.”

Unlike Hyeonseong and Shilla, who are recognized by everyone as a strong team, NV was a team that competed with Hwasan at the bottom of the rankings. It was surprising that such a low-ranking team performed well against AT, but it was a fact that Moon Ki-taek was well aware of, so I was not particularly surprised by the words of the team leader.

“How did NV best block AT? The secret was in Ji Maeng-ho’s blockade.”

“Hmm… As far as I know, the team with the highest OPS of Ji Maeng-ho is NV, so can we say that it was blocked?”

“The secret is in the on-base percentage. It can be seen that Maeng-Ho Ji’s on-base percentage in NV matches is close to 70%. As the number of strokes decreases, the OPS naturally increases. In fact, NV is the team that has hit the fewest home runs against Ji Maeng-ho.”

“Looking at the record, there are a lot of walks.”

“Yes. NV’s main catcher, Jung Tae-seong, is a famous catcher in the league for playing the outside lead. He always enjoys a full count. That’s why pitchers and fans alike resent him, but he’s a lead catcher who doesn’t hit long hits.”

“But doesn’t a high OPS mean a threat?”

“It is difficult to say from the point of view of the power analysis team, which analyzes players with statistics and numbers, but Ji Maeng-ho is a player with more than stats. Perhaps the best match for the word clutch is Ji Maeng-ho.”

‘Clutch’. It was the ability called Clutch that gave one shot in an important situation. Until a few decades ago, the ability of the clutch used to be evaluated as a pretty important ability for players, but with the rise of the Saber Matrix, the clutch turned out to be an illusion, and in the current baseball world, it was an old-fashioned evaluation method with no one believing in the word clutch.

However, the word “Clutch” Came out of the mouth of UG’s power analysis team, which is running at the cutting edge.

“I let Ji Maeng-ho go on base, and Ji Maeng-ho runs to third base. And Choi Jin-cheol scores. In a way, what can be said to be obvious is AT’s scoring route. If you don’t fight Ji Meng-ho, you can see that he can trade 1 point for an out count. But…”

The head of the power analysis team swallowed and continued.

“However, we thought Maeng-Ho Ji’s home run was more dangerous than that.”

Ji Maeng-ho’s home run per at-bat is about one in 8 at-bats, so it has been a long time since UG Overlords decided to bet on the 7/8 probability of not hitting a home run rather than the 1 point given when he goes on base unconditionally.

However, the head of the power analysis team threw words that overturned the situation decided internally.

“How can a home run be more threatening? It is almost an established fact that a run is awarded when a player walks on base. Ji Maeng-ho’s walk isn’t just on base. Maeng-Ho Ji’s walk on base is equivalent to hitting a triple in every at-bat. But how can a home run that comes in every two games be more threatening?”

“The secret is in Ji Maeng-ho’s clutch. In fact, NV Rex, who allowed Maeng-Ho Ji the most, gave up the fewest innings of big innings to AT. AT is the club that produced the most big innings this season, and the starting point is Ji Maeng-ho’s home run. One home run by Maeng-Ho Ji changes the mood of the game. Even if it is an ordinary solo home run, Ji Maeng-ho’s home run has the clutch ability to change the atmosphere of the game.”

A clutch ability that cannot be directly demonstrated by numbers. However, the value of Ji Maeng-ho’s home run was proven by indirect numbers such as the number of big innings and the scoring power of AT in the game where Maeng-ho Ji hit a home run.

“This, this…”

Moon Ki-taek also felt that his common sense was changing while looking at the organized materials. Moon Ki-taek was on the older side, but he was the director who took the lead in introducing the Saber Matrix more than anyone else. However, he felt that his common sense was denied by one batter named Ji Maeng-ho.

“Maeng-Ho Ji has become a player who can turn the game around with a single home run.”

A hitter who can turn a losing game with a single home run. A hitter who warms up the cold atmosphere of the dugout again. The same 1 point, but a hitter who makes a more valuable 1 point. The Uta giant gun that AT has always aspired to.

That was the hitter named Ji Maeng-ho, analyzed by UG’s power analysis team.

“Fortunately, this series is in Jamsil. No matter how hard Ji Maeng-ho is, he won’t be able to push through Jamsil every time. Even if you are prepared for a walk, you must thoroughly play outside to prevent Ji Maeng-ho’s home run. It’s even more so when you think of fall baseball.”

Fall baseball is just around the corner. As UG Overlords is ahead of all teams except AT, the only team to be wary of is AT Thunders. And in order to win, I had to defeat that AT.

“Okay, let’s go that way for this series.”

So Ki-taek Moon accepted the words of the head of the power analysis team to win.

*

Ta-evil!

One strike three balls. I hit the ball at the best timing for a batter to hit without missing it. If I left it as it was, it could have been a walk, but it was a ball that I couldn’t help but hit from my point of view as I was aiming for a home run.

I stopped at second base as I heard the sound of the ball hitting the wall and bouncing off.

“Write it, this won’t go over.”

‘Didn’t you wait? It wasn’t a very good ball.’

‘I have to hit a home run though, I couldn’t hit a lot before the volcano.’

As Rossby said, I would have waited normally, but I didn’t have the time to look at the walk. The important thing is a home run.

‘… And 60 stolen bases. There are 7 left until 60, so I have to run diligently.’

Batter number two, Kim Soo-ho, entered the at-bat. Normally, I would have secretly informed Kim Su-ho of the autograph, but now there was no time to stop at second base.

‘Well, Kim Soo-ho is naturally good at it, so he’ll be good at it without my help. It’s always been that way.’

When I usually came out at number 4, my back hitters, Choi Jin-cheol and Woo Kwan-hyung, benefited a lot from me, but Kim Su-ho was a hitter who showed good results without such help, so I believed in Kim Su-ho and aimed for third base.

‘It’s a fastball.’

After waiting for a few balls, I ran straight to third base.

“Safe!”

The result is a generous safe. With this momentum, it seemed possible to achieve 60 stolen bases in three games.

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

– Super Sonic! Ji Maeng-ho! Theft! Oh oh oh oh oh oh! Theft!

A cheering song dedicated to my stolen base that resonates in the cheering seats when I successfully steal a base. It was quite spectacular to see the fans filling the Jamsil congratulating me on my stolen base with one voice. The fact that so many fans came and congratulated me in a loud voice on Friday means that they, like me, are looking forward to my 60-60 or a new home run record in Korea.

I wasn’t such a scumbag to the point of disappointing the expectations of those fans.

‘I guess I’ll just aim for a home run from today.’

‘Why are you telling me that?’

‘Kuhmm, since the season isn’t over yet, I wondered if it would be okay to listen to locations for just three games.’

‘Tsk tsk, what’s important is a record set in a periphery like this. Now is the time to sharpen your skills.’

Whew, that’s because you’re strict.

Right!

At the end of the conversation with Rossby, Kim Su-ho’s batted ball was headed toward the second baseman. The moment the UG second baseman heard the sound, he gave up on me, who was running home, and threw the ball to first base, exchanging a score with one out count.

‘Okay, 1 point.’

To score 1 point from the first inning against UG, today’s game felt good.