Chapter 279 – Episode 277. Asian Games. (3)

“Now, Taiwan and Japan have advanced from Group B. If you think it’s easy like the preliminaries, you might get hit by a blow, so be careful. Well, this concludes the player analysis. If you have any questions, ask.”

After the head coach’s words, there was silence in the analysis room.

“… Yeah, kids. Let’s take care of our condition and prepare for tomorrow’s game. Disbanded.”

“Disband!”

That’s how the meeting ended right before the super round started.

The Super Round was a round in which Korea and Hong Kong, who came from Group A, and Japan and Taiwan, who came from Group B, faced each other. Since the records of the same group were replaced entirely in the preliminaries, Korea and Taiwan played each round with one win, with the top two teams advancing to the finals and the bottom two teams advancing to the bronze medal match.

‘In other words, if you only get three wins, you get a gold medal.’

National team gold medal. There were some exemptions, but even with that aside, I really wanted to win the gold medal. It was my dream to represent the national team since I was young, and I felt like I had achieved my dream by joining the national team during the WBC, but one thing was disappointing.

The result of being runner-up. Of course, second place was a good thing, but the feeling of loss at missing out on winning just one step away was quite significant. The good news is that that won’t happen this time. Except for me, all the other players knew that, so they looked quite comfortable.

“Hey, it’s been a while, but I guess I’ll be hanging out with some decent human bastards.”

“I know. Since the amateur level has been the same as that of the kids, I felt like I would also fall to the same level.”

“Meng Hao keeps saying it’s boring, but I hope it’s good this time. “Is it Meng Hao?”

“Me? I like it. I felt like it would be the first time in a long time that I felt defeated. “To be honest, you haven’t even felt like you’ve been beaten up until now, right?”

“Haha, that’s right.”

It is said that there are professional baseball players in Japan, but the level of professional baseball in Japan is similar to that of professional baseball in Korea, where there are many people who have failed to advance to the professional level or are aiming to advance to the professional level by using the draft system. It was a place.

Taiwan also had a professional league, albeit at a low level, and even had major league players or major-leaguers. In this tournament, Taiwan also aimed for a gold medal and formed a team of two pitchers who had experience in the major leagues and homegrown professionals. It was made up of the best teams to conduct a final check on the national team’s strength ahead of the 2024 LA Olympics, which could be the last baseball Olympics. In particular, in the group stage, major-leaguer Chen Jianhao fought hard and defeated Japan.

In other words, they were at a level where they could compete with us to some extent. Of course, we will hit more.

And the first match is in Taiwan. Because Taiwan defeated Japan in the group stage, Yu Wei-ming, a pitcher from the major league and the second starter in the Taiwan national team, was announced as the starter in this super round. It seemed like the first selection was being saved for the finals.

“You Weiming… “I wonder what level it is.”

A decent pitcher I haven’t seen in a long time. His heart began to pound slightly.

*

[Super Round 1st match, match between Korea and Taiwan. It’s starting soon. Commissioner, which part should we focus on?]

[I guess we should watch the starting matchup between the two teams, right? It is highly likely that it will be an intense pitching battle as it is a starting matchup between Chae Jae-hyun, the left-handed ace of the Volcanoes, and Yu Wei-ming, a player who had been in the minor league for the past two years but was in the major league rotation until three years ago.]

[If you expect a fierce pitching battle, we will have an advantage as we have more prominent hitters, right?]

[Yes, that’s right. In fact, it will not be easy for Taiwanese hitters to target Chae Jae-hyeon. But Korean hitters are different. Usually, when major league scouts evaluate the KBA League, they evaluate it as a league with a mix of AA and aaaaa players. However, among them, these two players can definitely be considered major league level: center fielder Joo Seung-cheol and second baseman Ji Maeng-ho. In particular, Ji Maeng-ho is evaluated as a player who can perform at an All-Star level even if he goes to the major league right away.]

[As expected, Ji Maeng-ho will be a key player in this game as well. As he set incredible records in the 2023 KBA League regular season with a batting average of .401, 60 home runs, and 58 stolen bases, his performance in this Asian Games is also great, right?]

[You’re right. In three games, he recorded 7 hits and 6 home runs in 8 at-bats, making him unrivaled in the Asian Games. Even though Yu Wei-ming is from the major league, it won’t be easy in front of Ji Meng-ho, right?]

[Yes. Now Taiwan’s attack begins in the top of the first inning. Let’s call the lineup. Type 1… Let me call you Korea’s defensive lineup. Pitcher Chae Jae-hyeon and catcher Lee Yong-gi formed the battery, first baseman Choi Si-woo, and second baseman Ji Maeng-ho…]

“Still, the game will be somewhat fun now that the group stage is over.”

Baseball officials were watching the first game of the Super Round with excitement as the starting matchup between Major League player Yu Wei-ming and Chae Jae-hyun, known as Post Sung-hyun, began.

“[Can Yu Weiming really stop Ji Meng Hao?]”

“[Well? I think it’s difficult? Although Yu Weiming pitched about 30 innings in the big leagues this season, if Ji Meng-ho’s level we identified is true, it will be difficult for Yu Weiming to stop him.]”

And among them were Major League Far East scouts. Now that the professional leagues in Japan and Korea have ended, the only place where baseball games are held is the Asian Games, so it was natural that major league scouts would be here.

“[Ha, if possible, I wanted to see the match between Chen Jianhao and Ji Menghao. However, active major-leaguers performed well in this competition.]”

“[I guess they sent Rangers away since they weren’t in the playoffs anyway. Well.]”

“[Hmm. Is that so?]”

“[How would I know the situation in Texas?]”

“[Yes, of course. Oh, then what do you think of that Korean starting pitcher? In Korea, they call him Post Sunghyun. If he is a saint, wouldn’t he be active for about 5 to 6 years?]”

“[Seonghyeon level is good. However, even Seonghyun, who was considered the greatest talent of all time in Korea, played less than 6 full seasons in 11 years. Asian pitchers are so weak in durability. Isn’t that why we didn’t renew our contract with Seonghyun? That guy doesn’t have a strong physique either, so it probably won’t be easy.]”

“[It is said that Seonghyun will also return to Korea after this season… As expected, Asian pitchers are a bit like that. Haha.]”

“[Still, Seonghyun will last a long time.]”

The two scouts watching the Asian Games were from the LA Dodgers, who first recruited Sung Hyun. The Dodgers, who had quite a bit of fun with the signing of Joo Hyung-jin in 2003, have been very interested in Asia ever since,

“[Of course, right?]”

“[Okay, so we just need to check on those two players. Joo Seung-cheol and Ji Maeng-ho.]”

The two’s targets this time were Joo Seung-cheol, the son of Joo Hyung-jin, who played well for the Dodgers, and Ji Maeng-ho, who is currently hot in the baseball world.

“[Even though the KBA is a low-level league, hitting .400 in the professional league means it also works in the big league.]”

“[That’s right. Uh, team leader, there are scouts from other teams over there, right?]”

“[Well, it’s only natural. That’s because I’m so interested in Ji Maeng-ho.]”

As the head of the Dodgers Far East scout team said, Ji Maeng-ho was currently receiving quite a lot of attention in the baseball world. A batting average of .400 recorded for the first time in a professional league since 2000, and a record of 60 home runs hit at Jamsil Stadium, one of the ten largest baseball stadiums in the world.

In addition, as minor leaguers who went to the KBA returned to the major league and performed well, the status of the KBA also increased significantly compared to before.

In such a situation, with a record of .400 coming out, it was natural for the major leagues to be interested in Ji Maeng-ho.

“[Oh, the first inning is finally over. Now we can see some Korean batters, right?]”

“[Okay, let’s get ready soon.]”

While the two were talking, Korea’s starting pitcher Chae Jae-hyeon caught Taiwan’s batters with a three-way throw, ending Taiwan’s attack in the top of the first inning.

“[Personally, I hope they recruit Joo Seung-cheol.]”

“[Huh? Why?]”

“[He’s physically good and a 5-tool outfielder. And he’s Joo Hyung-jin’s son. When I was young, I was a fan of Joo Hyung-jin.]”

“[Well, Joo Hyung-jin was also an attractive player. A player from the East ranks first in RBIs on the team. He excelled at work.]”

“[Besides, for some reason, Ji Maengho seems expensive.]”

“[Our club is not without money, so why are you worried about that?]”

“[This is my comment as a fan. There are many players who receive high salaries and lie down.]”

“[That’s true.]”

While talking, the two were closely examining Yu Weiming’s helmet. When Taiwan’s starting pitcher Yu Wei-ming caught Korea’s first and second batters with a base hit, Joo Seung-cheol, one of the targets, came to bat.

“[How were Yu Weiming’s Major League results this season?]”

“[31 innings and 3.81. There were 19 strikeouts and 15 walks. In the minor leagues, how many times did you go around and score 2 points?]”

Yu Weiming was a typical aaaaa level player. He performs quite well in the minor leagues, but doesn’t work well in the major leagues.

“[How will Seungcheol Joo deal with Weiming Yu? . I’m also looking forward to it.]”

With major league scouts watching this game with interest, Weiming Yu threw the first pitch in the low 150s.

“Strike!”

The first pitch is a strike. Joo Seung-cheol nodded his head as if he realized something. And the match continued.

Perfect!

After 5 pitches, Joo Seung-cheol’s bat hit Yu Wei-ming’s ball, and the batted ball passed between the second baseman and the shortstop, and Joo Seung-cheol stepped on first base.

“[Is he really Joo Hyung-jin’s son? . There is a saying like this in the East, right? Tigers don’t give birth to dogs.]”

“[It’s common for good baseball players to give birth to good baseball players.]”

“[That’s right. The same goes for Griffey and his father. Well, there are a lot of them. Oh, Ji Maeng-ho, that guy looks good, doesn’t he?]”

“[That’s what I value Ji Maeng-ho for. While Asian players are usually humble and unable to assert themselves, Ji Maeng-ho is always full of confidence. The interview was also aggressive. If I come to the major leagues, I don’t know what my grades will be, but it will be fun.]”

“[It would be unsatisfactory for a player without skill to do that, but…]”

Ta – Aak!

While the two were talking about Ji Meng-hao, Ji Meng-hao hit Yu Weiming’s first pitch. A sound like a ball being split can be heard all the way to the stands. And Yu Weiming’s head, who was chasing the batted ball, soon fell to the floor.

“[For a player with Ji Maeng-ho’s level of skill, he’s definitely a star, right?]”

“[Yes, that guy’s skills are also real, ]”

“[Six years since posting? It’s cool…]”

“[According to rumors, they are shortening the posting period, so maybe we can meet in the big leagues sooner.]”

As such, South Korea began to lead the game with Ji Maeng-ho’s two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning.