Chapter 312 – Episode 310. Game 5 of the Korean Series. (2)

‘As expected, Ji Maeng-ho, that guy is dangerous… Why does a guy like that stay in Korea?’

The emotion Moon Ki-taek felt as he watched Ji Maeng-ho hit a low ball toward his body and hit a double was unreasonable. It’s surprising that he hit a low ball to the inside and made a hit, but the guy ran all the way to second base. Even though 90% of batters in the league could not reach second base with that ball.

‘That’s the speed of a 60 home run hitter? This is absolutely ridiculous. Nonsense… Plus up to 40%… Why did the god of baseball give such talent to a guy like that?’

.400 and 60 home runs. A batsman who simultaneously set records that would cause a stir even if only one record was released. In Moon Ki-taek’s opinion, Ji Maeng-ho was a player outside the standard.

Ji Maeng-ho, a batter who destroys even the basic common sense that batters who aim for home runs have lower batting averages. The performance he showed in the postseason made even more sense. Clearly, there were bound to be players who went crazy in short-term matches. But that crazy player, both in the semi-playoffs and in the playoffs. And even the Korean Series, where I had a few opportunities to hit. He’s been playing crazy for three series.

‘Doesn’t that guy even have a hitting cycle? Well, for a player with that ability, hitting .400 would have been impossible.’

In a professional baseball game where home runs are becoming more and more important, Ji Maeng-ho, who achieved a batting average of .400 and hit 60 home runs, was a player who deviated from Moon Ki-taek’s common sense. It was a deliberate plan chosen to stop such players, but in the end, the plan was in vain due to opposition from the players.

-“Director, I can’t do this anymore.”

When several players, including Koo Jin-mo, came to the coach’s office, Moon Ki-taek, who had not given up on his convictions even in front of his president, had no choice but to withdraw the plan.

What coach Moon Ki-taek considers most important is victory. For the sake of victory, Moon Ki-taek was willing to do anything within the rules. However, if he continues this operation, it will go against his beliefs.

Baseball was ultimately played by players, and the most important factor in winning was the players. With unmotivated players, no matter what coach came, they couldn’t win. Moreover, the intentional throw operation was an operation conducted under the belief that batters would score points. However, as long as Koo Jin-mo was the center of the batter’s opposition, he could no longer win with that strategy.

‘Tsk, so-called professionals shouldn’t be swayed by useless public opinion or interviews…’

Of course, Moon Ki-taek did not understand such players. The job of a professional was to present victory to the fans, and skipping Ji Maeng-ho was the most likely way to win. Ji Maeng-ho, who does not know when he will unleash his explosive power, is simply confined to 1 point. Except for Lee Seok-gyun’s collapse, everything has been as expected so far.

AT’s winning team continued to show signs of uncertainty as fatigue accumulated during the postseason, and UG’s starting lineup was superior from the beginning. In addition, by restraining AT’s leader Ji Maeng-ho, AT’s explosive scoring power was also prevented.

‘This is why I should have held on to the 4th game. No, it’s my fault. There, I should have definitely ordered an automatic intentional phrase.’

I also knew Moon Ki-taek because he was a professional pitcher. It is difficult to accept the strategy of giving a walk when the bases are loaded. Therefore, Seok-gyun Lee’s ball headed near the zone. However, even so, the ball that Seok-gyun Lee threw was a ball that would not be swung even if the elementary school baseball team was at bat. An incredible decision made in a clutch situation that cannot be considered as a rookie.

‘As expected, that guy is stronger in clutch situations. If I hadn’t actually seen it, I would have asked what a clutch means in modern baseball, but it’s real. When he hits the ball, something happens.’

In Moon Ki-taek’s opinion, Ji Maeng-ho’s greatest strength was not his ability to hit .400 with contact, nor his power to hit 60 home runs, nor his ability to steal bases whenever he wanted to. Ji Maeng-ho’s greatest strength was his striking ability to change the mood of the game in clutch situations. No, whenever Ji Maeng-ho hits, it becomes a clutch situation at any moment.

If Ji Maeng-ho batted, the game he was supposed to win in a big way would become a close game, leading to a sure-win, overturning the game he was winning, and driving a wedge in the game he was losing.

Ta – Aak!

[Kim Su-ho! You hit it! Park Kyung-min and Choi Jae-hyun are running! Hitting a ball! Can’t catch it! Kim Su-ho’s hit that perfectly pierces the best outfielders in Korea! Ji Maeng-ho, the runner on second base, goes all the way home! Coming in! 2:0!]

… Just like the situation right now. As Kim Soo-ho’s batted ball splits through right-center, Ji Maeng-ho, who was on second base, easily hits home.

‘This is why I didn’t want to give that guy a chance to hit…’

Austin Webb began to shake with Ji Maeng-ho’s one shot. And weather warning at-bats. Web, who was shaking, ended up giving a walk to Ki Ki-ju. What was supposed to be an easy inning with the leadoff hitter out was already giving off the scent of a big inning.

“Director, shall we get the kids ready?”

“… I guess so. I can’t believe the web didn’t last even 5 rounds before it collapsed. “This is beyond calculation.”

“It hasn’t collapsed yet, right? Choi Jin-cheol is a home run hitter, but he also makes double plays…”

Ta-ah!

As soon as the pitching coach spoke, another bloody hitting sound was heard from inside the ground.

[Choi Jin-cheol! Pulled! Left fence! Left fence! Left fence! Let’s go! Choi Jin-cheol’s three runs! This home run is decisive!]

“… “I will prepare the left-hander with Geun-woong and the right-hander with Jung-hwan.”

“No, I think today’s game will be long, so get Dongho ready first.”

“I understand.”

Austin Webb, the ace, is collapsing. Moon Ki-taek’s choice was the fifth starter, Seo Dong-ho. Seo Dong-ho, who was the 5th starter, was a pitcher who had been a swingman until he took over the starting position due to Lee Seok-gyun’s injury last year, so he was familiar with this situation, and he was also a player with enough skills to perfectly fill the void left by Jang Yoon.

Moreover, when he was playing as a swingman, he was the type of player who would immediately relax after throwing a few balls, so he was the right person to solve this situation.

‘I can only hope that Dongho puts out the urgent fire.’

[Yoon Seong-tae’s batted ball passes between the second baseman and the shortstop! AT Thunders another hit!]

[Kim Joo-yeop’s batted ball! It falls in front of right field! Now the situation is 1 out, 1st and 2nd base!]

[Webb is a player who does not give up a lot of goals, so is this because his rest days were short? It looks difficult today.]

[Jeong Yun-cheol’s batted ball! It’s big! Center field! Center field! Park Kyung-min catches it. Two outs.]

When Webb barely added to the out count, a call came from the bullpen.

“Dongho’s body is completely relaxed.”

“Raise it. “I explain it well to Web.”

“I understand.”

[In the end, the web ends here. The pitcher who took over UG’s mound is Seo Dong-ho. … Swing strike out! The long fifth inning ends. But the score is already 5:0.]

[If UG wants to win this game, they must follow suit in the next inning.]

Seo Dong-ho, who came out to put out the fire, did his job well, but the game was already tilted towards AT. AT’s starting pitcher Krongs ended the bottom of the 5th inning with a three-way strike with 5 runs on his back, and Ji Maeng-ho, who gave UG fans a nightmare in the top of the 6th inning, returned to the plate.

[One out. Ji Maeng-ho is now at bat.]

[Many runs were allowed in this situation in the top of the 5th inning, but only by stopping Ji Maeng-ho can the runs be prevented.]

‘Is it that guy again?’

Moon Ki-taek’s wrinkles deepened as he watched Ji Maeng-ho’s at-bats,

Perfect!

The hitting sound rang again.

[Pushed batted ball! Right field! Right field! Right field! Run! Catch it! Fantastic diving catch! UG’s right fielder is Choi Jae-hyun!]

However, contrary to Moon Ki-taek’s worries, Ji Maeng-ho is out.

‘You probably think today’s game is over. But is this because I’m still a rookie? I can’t stay focused until the end.’

Moon Ki-taek looked at Meng Hao to see if he was out, but he didn’t notice anything strange. … Until the game ends.

[10:6 Game over! Today’s match ends with the Mega Thunders Cannon exploding. AT Thunders are only one step away from winning!]

[That’s really great explosive power. AT Thunders. The strength of the batting lineup that fans were waiting for burst forth today. UG Overlords’ batters followed suit, scoring 5 runs against the AT Thunders’ bullpen, but were unable to turn the game around.]

Game 5 of the Korean Series ended with a score of 10:6, and the players were resting for the next day’s game.

“Uh, senior? “Isn’t this a little strange?”

“What?”

“Ji Maeng-ho.”

“Why Ji Maeng-ho? Today, 1 hit and 2 walks in 3 at-bats. Plus one double and three runs scored. Excluding the meaningless first at-bat, 1 hit in 2 at-bats… Moreover, if it weren’t for Jaehyun’s popularity, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the number of hits increased… Is it strange that I didn’t hit a home run?”

“No, I mean batting form. “Don’t you think things have changed a bit?”

“… Uh? Hey, try back there for a second. When swinging. … Write it. It’s really a bit strange, isn’t it?”

“Is that so? Right? The distance was different from usual, and the hitting speed also decreased.”

“Uh, … It’s true. … “Is there a director?”

“Yes, I guess you haven’t gotten off work yet?”

“Let’s take this data and go.”

“I understand.”

UG Overlord’s power analysis team, which has been continuously analyzing Ji Maeng-ho’s batting throughout the season and while preparing for the Korean Series, discovered that Ji Maeng-ho’s batting form had become somewhat sloppy.