Chapter 313 – Episode 311. One Step to Victory. (1)

[Game 6 of the Korean Series, the away team AT Thunders is one step ahead at 3:2. AT is desperate for one win to win, and UG is desperate for one win to counterattack. Game 6, where the fate of both teams depends. Today’s starting matchup is scheduled to be between Kim Seong-gyeol and Bellingham.]

[In yesterday’s game, the AT Thunders’ batting line, which was showing its unique explosive power during the Korean Series, easily attacked UG’s ace Austin Webb and scored many runs. AT Thunders’ batting lineup is one that does not easily turn off once it gets hot, so it depends on how much Kim Seong-gyeol of Gyeonggi Province can suppress AT’s batting lineup today.]

[I will introduce AT’s batting lineup. 1st hitter Ji Maeng-ho, 2nd hitter Kim Su-ho, 3rd hitter Ki Ki-joo, 4th hitter Choi Jin-cheol, 5th hitter Yoon Seong-tae, 6th hitter designated hitter Han Sang-gyu, 7th hitter Jeong Yun-cheol, 8th hitter Kim Joo-yeop, 9th hitter Baek Jeong-jin.]

[Can you see that Han Sang-gyu, a hitter with a lot of room for literature, was put in as the designated hitter?]

[And when Ji Maeng-ho played as number 1, Kim Joo-yeop, who played as number 6, was moved down to number 8. What is the reason?]

[They probably want to use Ji Maeng-ho as their main batting line. It seems like the batting order arrangement is to utilize Ji Maeng-ho’s batting ability by placing Kim Joo-yeop, who originally batted first, and Baek Jeong-jin, who is showing good performance in the Korean Series, in front of Ji Maeng-ho.]

[Then, I will explain the UG Overlords’ defensive position. Pitcher Kim Seong-gyeol and catcher Baek Kyung-ho form the battery, and at first base is Koo Jin-mo…]

There is only one win left until the championship. The batter who went to bat with the important task of taking the lead was Ji Maeng-ho.

‘Ha, what should I do, Mr. Rossby?’

The problem was that Ji Maeng-ho’s condition was not the same as usual. His appearance on the outside was his usual self-confident self, but on the inside he was not.

‘For now, don’t show anything. ‘Don’t act like a piece of shit.’

‘… Yes.’

A batter’s hitting mechanism was like a sophisticated clock. Like a clock that stops working if there is a problem with one part of the part, if there is a problem in any part of the lower body, such as the lower body that carries the force, the hips and rotation that increase the force, and the arms and wrist that transmit force to the bat, it is impossible to overcome a fence that is over 100 meters long. It was impossible.

I continued to train with Rossby after yesterday’s game, but it was difficult for most veteran hitters to restore the balance that had been lost through training alone within a few hours.

It usually takes hitters several years to perfect their batting form. Some batters often retired without perfecting their batting form even after more than a decade of professional career.

In this way, batters continuously study their batting form. In extreme cases, he may change his batting form for each game, each type of pitcher he faces, and each count situation. But Ji Maeng-ho was different. Ji Maeng-ho’s batting form, as Rossby remembered, was partially modified to fit his body, so there was no trial and error.

And saying that there was no trial and error was the same as saying that there was no information on how to find balance in this situation.

‘Well, that guy also just debuted.’

Rossby thought as he looked at Ji Maeng-ho, who was hiding his anxious feelings behind his calm expression.

‘Can’t you tell me the location too?’

‘Why me?’

‘Still, it’s really just one step away from winning…’

‘I’ve said this many times, but it’s more important to develop the ability to react just by looking at the trajectory than to win in a place like this.’

‘… Yes.’

‘Isn’t it natural that in a situation like this, the more you gain? Try to concentrate as much as possible.’

‘… All right. ‘Tell me the type of pitch.’

‘It’s two-minded.’

[Kim Seong-gyeol’s first pitch! It is a ball that bends towards the body.]

[Wow, that was a sharp ball. Although about one ball was off, it was a good ball.]

[The batteries exchange signs. Second ball. Strike. The ball count is one ball, one strike.]

Because Ji Maeng-ho knew that his batting skills were not good, Ji Maeng-ho watched the ball for as long as possible and waited for a good ball. And so the game continued,

‘It’s a fastball.’

In a two-strike situation, the ball Kim Seong-gyeol chose was a fastball.

‘It’s outside!’

And Ji Maeng-ho was waiting for the ball. It’s the best move I can make since I can’t handle the ball right now.

Ta – Aak!

Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball flies high. However, the hitting speed was slower than Ji Maeng-ho’s usual hitting speed.

[Right fielder Choi Jae-hyun! I’m following! On the side of the fence! Catch it!]

[Hey, if I made a mistake, I would have missed it. Ji Maeng-ho makes a large batted ball! But the result is out. Choi Jae-hyeon’s defense was good. It can be said that Ji Maeng-ho had one hit stolen.]

‘Fuck, it seemed like I got it right… Mr. Rossby, how was my form?’

‘It’s getting better.’

Rossby answered Ji Maeng-ho’s question calmly, but was a little surprised by Ji Maeng-ho’s batting performance.

‘As always, his strength is not at human level. ‘I can’t believe you pushed it with a broken form like that and sent it near the fence.’

In Rossby’s opinion, Ji Maeng-ho’s current batting form was not transmitting the strength of his lower body to the bat. He was able to send his batted ball close to the fence using only the strength of his upper body. It’s been almost two years since he spent time with Meng Hao, but he couldn’t help but feel surprised every time he shows up like this.

“How was the ball?”

“Do you seem to be in good condition today? Other than that, I don’t think there’s anything special.”

“Okay.”

After finishing talking with Kim Su-ho, Ji Maeng-ho trudged back to the dugout.

“Good job.”

Ji Maeng-ho, dejected, sat on the bench, although he did not show any signs of consolation from the coach. But he had no time to rest. In order for him to regain his lost balance, he should have continued to practice like actual combat. And Ji Maeng-ho had a way to train even during the game.

‘What are you doing? Come in.’

‘… Yes.’

As Ji Maeng-ho closes his eyes, the shared memories of Rossby create a vivid, realistic baseball stadium. And combined with Ji Maeng-ho’s experience, today’s starting pitcher Kim Seong-gyeol was on the mound in front of Ji Maeng-ho.

“What? “Is he closing his eyes?”

“Leave it alone. Maengho is like that sometimes. Let’s try meditation again.”

His teammates around him were slightly embarrassed by Ji Meng-ho’s antics of meditating with his eyes closed during the game, but as it had happened many times, his interest soon faded. And in the image where those noises disappeared, batting training continued.

Perfect!

‘I don’t think it’s going well either.’

However, even within that, there were no satisfactory-batted balls.

‘Tsk, this can’t go on like this. Of course, the best thing is to find a sense in practice…’

If we had more time, we could have tried a new batting form, but the season ends in just two games. There was no time left to fix the broken batting form. Problems with batting form were also related to mental problems. As bad batted balls kept coming, my body became conscious of my broken batting form unconsciously and stopped responding. Without even knowing what the problem was.

However, just as a slump ends after a missed hit, it was also a problem that could be fixed more easily than expected if one finds sense in practice.

‘Well, I guess the rest is up to him to figure out.’

And Rossby actually liked this situation. Although Ji Maeng-ho has set great records without any crisis during the season so far, there was no guarantee that things would go smoothly like this in the major leagues.

First, because the level of pitching was different, the timing of a home run in Korea was highly likely to not be a home run in the big leagues unless it was hit more precisely. And when dealing with such situations, it was clear that something like this would happen from time to time.

‘It would be better for that guy if he learned how to deal with it from now on.’

With the feeling of a lion dropping its cub off a cliff. Rossby made a decision.

Meng Hao desperately wanted to win, but that was none of Rossby’s business. Because winning records in this league meant nothing.

Although he didn’t say it, he also wished he had finished second. People develop when they overcome frustration. Rossby hoped that Meng Hao, who had started his career smoothly, would be frustrated and wanted to use that frustration as a driving force to become a better player.

… Just like he did.

‘If I want to get over that bastard, I have to solve this problem myself. Considering Meng Hao’s physical strength, there is a good chance.’

Surpassing Ruth, the man called the God of Baseball. That was Rossby’s lifelong dream. In order to do that, I had to be able to overcome this level on my own.

Ta – Aak!

This time, the hit ball with more power than before disappears toward the outfield.

‘Mr. Rossby, how was the ball you just hit?’

‘It’s better than before. … ‘Maybe it won’t take that long.’

‘Yes? ‘What is it?’

‘Shut up and concentrate.’

‘… Yes.’

Just when I thought Ji Maeng-ho might be able to escape quickly,

“Hey, hey! You have to defend. “This bastard isn’t sleeping, is he?”

I heard a voice calling for Ji Maeng-ho from outside.

“I was thinking about it for a moment.”

‘Ha, I think I’ll get the hang of it if I just do a little more.’

As I returned to reality with such disappointment, the first inning was already over.

“What are you thinking like that?”

“How can I win? That’s what I think.”

“Okay, dude. The hyungs will try harder. I am secretly picking it out. “This bastard.”

“No, I have to do better.”

“… Huh? Why would you say something like that… “Child, you have grown up.”

However, contrary to Ji Meng-ho’s pledge to do better, the game went badly.

[Bellingham is grabbing your shoulder? Ah, the trainer sends a replacement sign.]

Bellingham, who had been working hard throughout the postseason, left the mound due to injury,

[The next pitcher is Kim Chan-young. Will we be able to prevent this crisis? . … You hit it! Hit the ball high! Beyond the fence! 5:0! UG Overlords takes advantage of the chaotic atmosphere to create a big inning!]

UG started to dominate from the beginning of the game as Kim Chan-young, who came up without even warming up properly, was hit.

[As expected, UG Overlords! It can’t collapse like this, right? Let’s keep the fire going for Game 7.]

[AT’s counterattack! 7:4! But more points are needed to turn the game around.]

[UG Overlord adds scores! 10:5! We will definitely win today’s game!]

When Ji Maeng-ho’s fourth at-bat came in the top of the 8th inning, the score difference was 10:5. The game was already tilted.

[Now Ji Maeng-ho comes to bat. Today’s record stands at 1 hit in 2 at-bats and a walk. Song Ho-jun is on the mound starting this inning.]

*

‘The game was going down anyway. Just come into the zone and hit the first pitch.’

Today’s game was already too difficult to turn over. I never thought Bellingham would miss out due to injury. He decided to hit the first pitch because he thought it would be beneficial to finish sooner and train more.

‘This little ball isn’t that difficult.’

The pitcher standing on the mound is Song Ho-jun. It was true that he was a bullpen that was above the league average as he was in UG’s bullpen, but that did not mean he was a pitcher who was sure to win. In other words, he is a pitcher that can be easily dealt with.

“It’s quiet now? Actually, I don’t even have time to say it.”

“Mr. Kyung-ho, what are you going to do if you hit a home run?”

“Wow.”

Moreover, Baek Kyung-ho, who had kept his mouth shut until then, was slowly shaking his mouth, so he really wanted to make him shut up.

‘The first pitch is a curve.’

‘Curve?’

Throwing a curveball. No matter how bad my batting form was, I hadn’t thrown a curveball until now, so here’s a curveball. Since the score difference had widened, it seemed like he wanted to see how far I had fallen.

‘You won’t throw it outside, right?’

The one hit I made today was a hit that hit an outside ball. In a situation where the score was high, there was a high probability of throwing a curve to the body to check how good my hitting was.

‘Whoa, let’s focus. I can hit curves well enough.’

But I also had confidence. The reason I couldn’t hit the ball close to my body was because I couldn’t deal with the fast ball coming toward my body. Although Song Ho-jun was a pitcher with a strength in fast balls, his breaking balls were average, so he was able to hit them well.

‘Okay. Hit with confidence. ‘Hehe.’

The guy’s curve thrown in with Rossby’s words. The ball, which felt like it was floating slightly as it left my hand, began to fall before I knew it, and I swung the bat to the beat.

Ta – Aak!

As soon as you hit the ball, the exhilarating sensation that comes from your knees sends a thrill down your hips and waist to your hands.

‘… ‘Huh?’

An exhilarating sensation I haven’t felt in a long time. And the batted ball disappears quickly.

‘It didn’t take longer than I thought.’

‘Yes? What does that mean?’

‘Remember the sensation now.’

As Rossby spoke, the Munhak Stadium was filled with cheers.

-Wow!!!!

-Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maengho! Ji Maengho!

A few fans left the game due to a lopsided game, but the cheers were still loud.

“What are you doing? It’s not spinning?”

“You passed, right?”

“Okay. Let’s go quickly. “We have to get off work too.”

And the referee urges. Only then did I realize that I had hit a home run. I definitely hit it in the playoffs, but it feels like it was a few weeks ago already. The tingling sensation that still lingers in my hand wakes me up.

‘Yes, this is it.’

I felt like the senses I had forgotten were coming back.