Chapter 305 – Episode 303. Are You Really Going to Skip Everything? (3)
[This is the batting order of the UG Overlords in the bottom of the first inning. 1st hitter Choi Jae-hyeon, 2nd hitter Won Joo-hyuk, 3rd hitter Ma Jeong-gi, 4th hitter Koo Jin-mo, 5th hitter designated hitter McCaine, 6th hitter Park Gyeong-min, 7th hitter Lee Tae-young, 8th hitter Baek Kyung-ho, 9th hitter Yoon Young-joo. The batting order is composed.]
[The batting order is generally solid, right? Koo Jin-mo with 37 home runs and McCoin with 34 home runs are the center of gravity, and other batters also hit around 10 home runs, making it a very well-organized batting lineup overall.]
[Yes. If we were to single out the strengths of the UG Overlords batting lineup, it would be that they form a well-structured batting lineup with all batters recording batting averages near .300 and home runs in the double-digit range.]
[Batterers of note are No. 1 hitter Choi Jae-hyeon, who has a batting average of .302 9-ri and 12 home runs, and Koo Jin-mo, who has a .209 1-ri batting average and 37 home runs. There must be these two players.]
[Now, this is the AT Thunders defense. Battery by Bellingham and Yuncheol Jeong. Starting from first base, first baseman Choi Jin-cheol, second baseman Ji Maeng-ho, shortstop Yoon Seong-tae, and third baseman Kim Su-ho. And in left field, Ki Ki-joo, in center field, Kim Joo-yeop, in right field, Baek Jeong-jin.]
[Today, Baek Jeong-jin appeared instead of Lee In-hyuk, right? Sang-gyu Han was playing as a designated hitter in place of the injured Gwan-hyeong Woo, but he did not perform well during the playoffs and in the first game, so Jeong-jin Baek came in as AT’s lineup.]
[For the AT Thunders, who lost the first game, this second game is really important, right?]
[You’re right. Although Bellingham has been on AT’s mound for three years, his fall baseball performance is not that good. He gave up 8 runs in 10 innings, allowing 5 runs in 4 innings against the Hancheol Grizzlies in the semi-playoffs and 3 runs in 6 innings against the Hyunseong Mad Cats in the playoffs, but he needs to show a better performance in this game.]
*
‘Bellingham needs to throw well this time…’
Bellingham’s record this season was quite respectable, with an ERA of 3.27 and 16 wins and 6 losses. Bellingham played the role of the team’s second starter along with Jang Yoon throughout the season, but his performance in fall baseball was not that good.
In the playoffs, he showed quality starting pitching and performed well, but in the semi-playoffs, he was battered by Hancheol’s batting lineup and was punished on the mound.
In particular, today’s game was a game that could determine the future Korean Series, so Bellingham couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. Depending on the outcome of today’s game, it depended on whether the UG guys would use their stupid strategy to filter me out.
‘Please. Throw well.’
After Bellingham’s practice pitch, UG’s No. 1 hitter Choi Jae-hyun came to the plate.
-Choi Jae-hyun! Jaehyun Choi! Jaehyun Choi!
As Munhak Stadium is the home stadium of UG Overlords, the voices of fans calling Jaehyun Choi’s name were echoing throughout the stadium.
“[Bellingham! Let’s go! Feel free to throw it my way! I’ll stop everything!]”
That shout might have discouraged Bellingham, so I raised my voice and encouraged him. Bellingham, I don’t think that would be the case due to his quiet personality, but he was a bit of a bird-hearted person.
‘Because he has a new heart, he pitches well in the regular season, but then he throws it all away in Posey.’
Bellingham must have heard my voice, turned to me, smiled, and then exchanged autographs with the catcher. And the first pitch was thrown.
“Strike!”
Bellingham’s first pitch struck Choi Jae-hyun’s body with great force. The speed recorded on the electronic display board was 154 km/h. I felt it since practice, but Bellingham looked to be in pretty good shape today.
“[Good! Let’s go as is!]”
“Exorcism! Bellingham! Good ball!”
The infielders also responded to Bellingham’s first pitch, boosting Bellingham’s morale. Bellingham’s curveball fell low, and Choi Jae-hyeon’s bat wandered in the air,
“Swing strike!”
‘Two strikes with this. Seeing that the leadoff hitter was pushed this far, we can look forward to today’s game, right?’
Contrary to the concerns I heard before pitching, Bellingham did not look cool at all even though it was the Korean Series. Still, perhaps it’s because of the experience of playing two games in the post-season that I feel a sense of stability?
Bellingham, who had two strikes, started to induce Choi Jae-hyun’s swing by putting the ball outside the zone, and the fourth ball was thrown.
Perfect!
“Second!”
“Meng Hao!”
Choi Jae-hyeon’s batted ball bounced off the ground and rolled toward me. Light ground ball to second base. I immediately caught the ball and threw it to first base without delay.
“Out!”
“Good! Let’s go!”
“Two outs left!”
“The defense was good!”
The team members also fought louder than usual even though they had an ordinary out count, perhaps to make up for yesterday’s loss. It seemed like I wasn’t the only one who wanted to win the game. And as if it was the same for Bellingham, the remaining two batters also threw five balls to get an out and succeeded in ending the bottom of the first inning.
“I blocked it well in the first inning.”
“We’re ahead by one point, but let’s not forget that it’s literature. “It’s a stadium where a big hit can happen at any time.”
“Yes!”
However, the good atmosphere was immediately poured cold water in the beginning of the second inning.
“Out!”
“Strike out!”
“Strike out!”
The sixth batters, Kim Joo-yeop, Jeong Yun-cheol, and Lee In-hyuk, returned to the dugout with three outs less than five minutes after the start of the second inning.
‘Fuck, it’s not even premature ejaculation, it’s over so damn fast.’
Well, I wasn’t expecting much from Jeong Yun-cheol since he was a catcher, and I was expecting more from Kim Joo-yeop and Lee In-hyuk, but Kim Seong-gyeol, the national team starting pitcher, had high expectations. Although both of them were .300 hitters, the pitch that Kim Seong-gyeol showed today looked quite good. So much so that I don’t know why he walks me.
‘Is Bellingham okay? … ‘Huh?’
As the attack ended without any time to rest, I couldn’t help but be surprised when I took a quick look at Bellingham’s condition. Bellingham was laughing.
‘Laughing in this situation?’
Usually, pitchers who go back to the mound like this without any time to rest didn’t show it, but their expressions showed annoyance. Of course, the act of throwing a ball was hard work that consumed a lot of physical strength, and adequate rest was important to prevent the shoulders from getting cold.
Bellingham didn’t throw that many balls in the bottom of the first inning, but it was still an annoying situation. I can’t believe you’re smiling in that situation. It wasn’t at all the hasty look we saw in the semi-playoffs or playoffs.
And in the bottom of the second inning, Bellingham gave up a single to leadoff hitter Koo Jin-mo and seemed to have stumbled, but he induced a double play by McCain, the fifth hitter, and even caught the sixth hitter with an outfield fly, putting three batters out.
As I watched Bellingham pitch from behind the mound until the bottom of the second inning, I was convinced. Bellingham’s pitch today is untouchable.
‘It’s done. ‘I almost caught today’s game.’
Pitchers sometimes have days when they throw inexplicably good balls like this. The same was true for Kim Seong-gyeol, but the difference between Kim Seong-gyeol and Bellingham was that they had to deal with me. Plus, if I gave up a walk, I would get one point, so I was confident that I would win today’s game.
“[Bellingham! Wait! I’ll add 1 more point!]”
“[Yes, please.]”
Bellingham smiled slightly and responded to my confident words. Looking at his smile, he definitely seemed relaxed.
‘Okay, let’s go add one more point.’
*
Perfect!
[Baek Jeong-jin’s batted ball goes high in the infield. Near second base, shortstop Yoon Young-ju catches it easily. One out with this.]
[Kim Seong-gyeol, except for the straight walk he gave up to Ji Maeng-ho in the top of the first inning today, he is showing an almost perfect pitch. What kind of pitch will Ji Maeng-ho show in this at-bat?]
[Now, Ji Maeng-ho, the number one batter, comes to bat. I recorded one walk today.]
[And if you count the first game, he had five at-bats and got five walks, including two intentional walks. An on-base percentage of 100% can be considered a truly remarkable record.]
The fans and broadcasters watching the game did not yet notice that Ji Maeng-ho was ordered from UG’s dugout to throw out a pitch in all at-bats. Normally, getting on base like this might feel strange, but Ji Maeng-ho’s season on-base percentage was .502.8, making him a hitter who wouldn’t be surprised if he got walked throughout a game.
And then Ji Maeng-ho’s second at-bat began.
[The first pitch is a ball.]
[Kim Seong-gyeol, who had quite good ball control today, must feel pressure as he faces Ji Maeng-ho, right? It deviates significantly from the zone.]
[Kim Seong-gyeol’s second ball, outward. It’s a ball. Two balls.]
[Hmm… Kim Seong-gyeol, you can’t give Ji Maeng-ho any more walks. Considering Bellingham’s pitching today, there is a high possibility that it will be a pitcher’s battle, so considering Ji Maeng-ho’s base running ability, any more walks are dangerous.]
[Kim Seong-gyeol’s third ball, ah! It’s a ball! Three balls!]
[All three balls are facing outwards, so we must fight boldly. No matter how Ji Maeng-ho is, he doesn’t hit a home run or hit in every at-bat. Now he’s a three-ball, so you have to put it in the strike zone.]
[Kim Seong-gyeol’s fourth ball! Outside again this time! Walk! Ji Maeng-ho gets on base with one out.]
[Hmm, Kim Seong-gyeol has quite good ball control, but something is strange?]
But at this point, the broadcasters and the fans watching couldn’t help but feel strange.
-Why is sex like that? Whenever he meets Ji Maeng-ho, he whines like a dog caught in the rain
ㄴㅅㅂ Let’s be famous for those new breasts
How can a player like that win twice? Fabrication
-Wow, fierce tiger snow baseball is crazy!! 6 walks in Kosi
But is it just me who finds it strange? Since yesterday, the ball has been hitting the outside
Like the last game of the season of Fierce Protector, this seems a bit strange
-Hmm… The Korean series is a bit strange… I checked the records, and in the first and second games combined, Ji Maeng-ho didn’t get a single strike?
ㄴIsn’t the control bad?
The pitcher is Kim Seong-gyeol on the web?
ㄴIt sure seems strange looking at the records.
Coach Moon Ki-taek said there was a way to stop Ji Maeng-ho, and this seems to be it haha. It is worthy of the nickname. This is amazing, Chutaek!
Why do you call someone else’s team coach that name? As expected, the fans of that team haha
ㄴㄴI understand the level of you who say you are a fan of that team haha
And when Ji Maeng-ho started running, the baseball community realized that something was strange and started to burn up.
[Kim Su-ho’s batted ball heading toward second base! Meanwhile, third base runner Ji Maeng-ho reaches home! Coming in! Score 2:0! AT Thunders trading out counts and scores!]
-ㅅㅂ Chutaek, are you crazy? I’ve been watching baseball for 20 years, and this is my first time seeing baseball like this. ㅅㅂ
-I understand the intentional phrase, but this is a bit…
ㄴIf it’s going to be like this, why do you make them throw the ball when it’s not intentional? LOL
-I feel sorry for Kim Seong-gyeol, the ball was good today. He seems like he wants to compete too. I’m having a hard time meeting Director Duksin haha
-FACT) A fierce defender can score points without swinging the bat.
ㄴfactos👍👀
And it was natural that this piece of cake that heated up the community would fall into the ears of reporters.
“Senior, have you seen the community just now?”
“Uh, I just saw it. If UG loses today, there will be interesting articles, right? Hehe.”
“I see. Director Moon Ki-taek already has a lot of enemies, right?”
“Well, thanks to that, reporters like us can make a living. Let’s see how the game goes today.”
“Yes. “Senior.”