Chapter 275 – Episode 273. You Play Dirty. (4)
‘I never thought the day would come when I would use this method again. ‘I didn’t want to use it if possible.’
I was ready to use it at any time, but I refrained from using this method because I was afraid that if I used it often, someone might notice that I was doing it on purpose. However, if the first baseman kept blocking the first base like that, it would not be surprising if a teammate got hurt at any time, so I had no choice but to teach him a little lesson.
The current situation is two outs and first base. Joo Seung-cheol, the third batter, scored one more point, making the score 5:0. Even if I get out, I still have enough points to spare. The progress of the game was also quite good.
“… ! … ! … !”
The catcher was talking in Chinese, but of course it wasn’t something I could understand. If you look at the nuance, it’s probably because of the ‘accident’ that occurred during the defense earlier, right?
I ignored the catcher’s words and focused on the pitcher.
‘Mr. Rossby?’
‘It’s a slider.’
Soon, the Chinese pitcher takes a windup. It was a windup that seemed determined to get me out. And the first pitch was thrown.
“Strike!”
The referee catches two missing balls as a strike. But I wasn’t angry or anything. Because it was deliberately omitted.
‘If I pull this much, I’m sure I’ll get a ground ball.’
What I’m aiming for now is an infield ground ball. I thought there was no way he would throw an inside ball to me, so I was aiming for an outside ball.
“Time!”
After checking the ball, I called time and slightly left the plate. And some stretching. It was important to prepare thoroughly because I didn’t want to get injured. I loosened my ankles and thighs by stretching and called Rossby.
‘Mr. Rossby, please let me know if it is outside.’
‘Okay.’
Rossby knew what I was going to do this time at bat, so he agreed with me without saying anything.
‘It’s an outside fastball.’
‘Okay, that’s perfect.’
My plan, which Rossby agreed to, was simple. He hits an infield ground ball and runs to first base. And if the first baseman puts his leg in like before, he steps on it. If I did something like that in an unexpected situation, there was a risk of injury, but now I am doing it with complete intention. There was almost no risk of injury.
‘If you can’t find the step to take, don’t forget to aim for the ribs with your knee.’
‘Okay.’
After listening to Rossby’s kind advice, I waited for the pitcher’s second pitch. And the second ball thrown was a ball that went out as Rossby said. Just looking at the trajectory, two balls missed, so I would never have hit it under normal circumstances.
‘It has arrived!’
He extended his arms in line with the trajectory of the flying ball and forcibly pulled the ball to the outside.
Damn!
The batted ball headed towards the shortstop with a dull sound. As soon as I saw the batted ball, I quickly ran to first base.
“Il lay!”
The catcher shouts in Chinese. It probably means first base. At that moment when I was running to first base, I caught a look in the eyes of the first baseman who was embarrassed. Those eyes seemed to be taken aback by my speed, which was faster than expected. And as expected, the guy’s feet were visible, completely covering the first base.
‘Bitch, I won’t let you cover it for the rest of your life.’
‘It’s just before the delivery arrives!’
‘Okay!’
There are three steps left to reach first base. Step with your right foot. Then the left foot. If I had been aiming for an infield hit, I would have stretched out my foot here, but what I was aiming for was not a hit. Just his ankle.
Preparing to step on the guy’s ankle, I put strength into my left foot and flew up. The direction of the right foot is, of course, towards the ankle of the guy blocking the first base. It feels like an unpleasant popping sensation on a spike. But I didn’t care, I just stepped on it and rolled one wheel to the first baseline.
“Aaaaah!”
The guy’s screams followed. I didn’t lose out and screamed along with them.
“Ouch!”
“Are you okay?”
“… ! … !”
And at the same time, we could hear our coach speaking in unintelligible Chinese. While holding his ankle, I narrowed my eyes and looked at the first baseman’s condition, and saw that he was also rolling around, holding his ankle. It looks like there’s some blood between the white socks.
‘It looks like it was stamped properly on the spike?’
“Ji Maeng-ho! Are you okay?! Ha, fuck, those Chinese bastards kept blocking me… How about it, trainer! Come quickly!”
“Ugh, it hurts a little, but it’s not unbearable.”
“Bitch, it’s obvious that there’s a block in front of you, so just avoid it. Under… Why are you running so fast? “It’s just a ground ball.”
“Ugh.”
“What should I say to the injured child…” . Hey, don’t touch your feet, the trainer is coming soon.”
“How is the Chinese girl?”
“I don’t know. “I think that side is serious too.”
When I stepped on it, it felt like it was broken in one place, but I couldn’t tell because it was my first time doing something like this.
‘How does it look to you, Mr. Rossby?’
‘In my experience, if you step on something like this, it is at least a ligament rupture. The feeling was similar to that time.’
‘Is it so? It went in correctly.’
I debated whether to step on it or hit its ribs with my knee, but in the end, my choice was to step on it. It was a decision made because the first baseman had quite the stature, and it seemed like there wouldn’t be much damage if he hit it with his knee.
“Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho! Are you okay?”
“Yes, I think things are getting better.”
“Then, let me touch it a little? “If you’re sick, you have to tell me right away.”
The trainer sat next to my ankle and slowly began to examine my ankle.
“Is it okay here?”
“Yes.”
“Is it okay here?”
“Yes.”
“… Is it okay here?”
“Yes.”
“… If it hurts, you have to say it hurts.”
“Yes, Meng Hao. I can win the gold medal without you anyway. Instead of foolishly saying it doesn’t hurt and ruining the athlete’s life, tell the truth.”
When I keep saying I’m okay, the coach and trainer talk to me as if to comfort me. But it was really okay. Usually, if a first baseman and a runner collide, it is common for the runner to be seriously injured. The first baseman’s gaze is usually fixed on the ball, and the runner sees the first baseman. Therefore, it was common for runners to try to avoid the first baseman.
And in the movement to avoid the first baseman, the steps were twisted, or the runner was unable to overcome the running speed and was bound to get injured. However, I ran with the intention of stepping on it from the beginning, so there was no damage to my body. Does it feel like I’m just stepping on the steps?
Because I was aiming properly, I didn’t feel anything other than the pain of rolling on the ground.
“Meng Hao, you’re really fine, right?”
“I was sick earlier, but…”
“Then let me turn my ankle. “I will turn it slowly, so please tell me right away if you feel any pain.”
“Yes.”
When I heard that there was no pain when I pressed it, I thought I would try turning it slightly this time. And then the trainer’s hand began to slowly turn my ankle.
“How about this much?”
“It’s okay.”
“How about this much?”
“It’s okay.”
“How about this much?”
“I said it’s okay.”
“… Your ankles are quite flexible. Even if you weren’t hurt, it would still hurt a little…”
“Is this the effect of consistent Pilates?”
When there was a game in Seoul, my routine was to wake up in the morning and do Pilates with Jo Eun, so it was natural that my ankles were flexible.
“Are you sure he’s okay?”
“I guess so?”
“Hey, are you really okay?”
“I said it’s okay.”
“Then what about the scream from earlier?”
“Was it because you were a little surprised?”
While I was talking with the coach and trainer, an ambulance was approaching. Of course, since we never called, it must have been China, right?
“Can I not take the ambulance?”
“It’s really okay.”
“Hey. Let’s get help and go in.”
“I’m really fine…”
“But dude, those bastards were taken away, so we have to pretend to be sick. “Please hold that arm.”
“Yes. Meng Hao, please sell me first.”
So I walked to the dugout with two people supporting me. As we entered the dugout, team members, starting with the coaches, came rushing in. Since only the minimum number of people had to be left near the injured person, the team members who were unaware of my situation seemed to be very curious about my condition.
“Meng Hao, are you okay?”
“It’s okay.”
“But why did you come with support?”
“First of all, the coach told me to take it…”
While answering the players’ questions, coach Lee Geum-hyun suddenly approached.
“Yes, good job. Coach Kim, first, it would be better to have Sang-jun at second base instead of Maeng-ho.”
“I understand.”
I wanted to tell coach Lee Geum-hyun, who ordered the replacement, that it was okay, but the director’s order had already been given, and he didn’t want to protest. Still, the director had to know the truth, so after the situation calmed down, he informed the director of my condition.
“Director, I’m really fine.”
“I know if it’s okay, it’s okay. But the Chinese kids might come out even dirtier, so let’s take a break today. “I went to the hospital with my trainer.”
“I can play tomorrow too.”
“Okay, I’ll take care of that. “Go to the hospital.”
“Yes.”
It’s a pity that I couldn’t teach the referee a lesson, but that’s where today’s game ends.
After the conversation with the director, I headed to the hospital, and of course the tests showed no abnormalities. And our national team scored 12 points until the 7th inning and won with a cold 7th inning.
“But since my brother left, the Chinese guys haven’t done anything dirty. The strike zone was still the same.”
That evening, after returning to the dorm, Woo Joo said that the Chinese players did not play dirty, so I did not feel bad because I felt like the lessons I had given them were well conveyed to them.
“Okay? Anyway, congratulations on your victory.”
“You’re really okay, right?”
“I said it’s okay. It’s okay, I’ll leave and come back, so if anyone comes, look after them.”
“And? Are you going out today too? “You’re really crazy.”
A lot has happened, but you can’t miss the routine. After leaving the dorm, I ended the day by picking on women as usual.
*
-[2023 Asian Games] Korea wins 12:0 over China! Advance to the Super Round!
… Meanwhile, in the top of the second inning, Ji Meng-hao collided with Chinese first baseman Li Shu-hao, causing the game to be halted briefly. Ji Meng-ho’s test results confirmed that there was nothing wrong, and China’s Li Shu-hao received the unfortunate news that his posterior tibiofibular ligament had ruptured…
ㄴㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ You made it so bad for the bastards that you ended up getting hurtㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴAs expected, you are a fierce defender, you are refreshing haha
Wow, I thought that bastard was going to get hurt when he hit first base haha
ㄴEven if there was a slight mistake in the fierce defense, it would have been hurt.
-LOL How many people are you soaking today? LOL
ㄴㅇㅅㅁㅎㅅ
ㄴI almost got hurt too, but I’m glad haha
ㄴㄴThe Fierce Protector is a Diamond Buddha and doesn’t get hurt haha
ㄴIt’s 1 kill in one inning, so if you calculate it like a Chinese, you could have 9 people, but it’s a replacement.
-Wow, it was so fucking dangerous ㄹㅇ The fierce scream was broadcast from the broadcast box.
ㄴㄹㅇ If I had hesitated just a little to avoid it, I would have gotten hurt.
-Oh, that bastard should have been hurt too.
ㄴTraitor’s wages?
ㄴㄴThen are you confident about dealing with that bastard in the fall?
No, I should have been injured this time
ㄴㄴYou traitors, you bastards, it’s a shame to get rid of these bastards.
– Ji Maeng-ho was quite dangerous today. It seemed like there were a lot of accidents because the Chinese kids were pushing their bodies too hard, both in the first episode and the beginning of the second episode.
ㄴIt’s a good thing to be self-employed. Regardless of the accident, I hope we don’t see such low-level games. It’s an international game, but the strike zone isn’t like social baseball.
ㄴStill, it seems to have ended well without any accidents since the fierce hero was left out.
Haha, they are scary too. I’m afraid I’ll get hurt.
ㄴBut originally, if we were to play against China like this, it would be annoying because only our players would get injured regardless of the event, but we are fortunate that none of our players were injured.
It’s unfortunate that the Chinese player got injured, but honestly, I didn’t want to see him blocking first base, but it was refreshing haha
-Achieve 2 kills in one day in the Battle of Hangzhou Castle!
ㄴThe name of the best general of Goguryeo.
ㄴㄴ Ji Man Chun ㄷㄷ
ㄴㄴGamchanㄷㄷ
ㄴㄴGang Gam-chan is having a hard time?
ㄴI can’t use the Sui Dynasty’s side in General Eulji Maeng-ho’s plan. Hehe
ㄴThis is the spirit of Goguryeo, you bastards