Chapter 315 – Episode 313. One Step to Victory. (3)

Perfect!

‘It’s coming!’

UG’s number one hitter, Choi Jae-hyun’s strong batted ball hit the ground quickly and bounced to my side. I instinctively kicked off the ground and flew up, extending my glove. For a moment, I felt the pain of hitting my hand through the leather of the glove, before I got up from the ground, took the ball out of the glove, and threw it toward first base as I had trained so tiresomely.

“Out!”

And the first base umpire’s out call.

‘Miss, I got hit in the palm of my hand.’

It was only then that the pain began to rise from my palm. Although it was partly due to not being able to properly catch the hit, it was proof that the hit was clearly loaded with power. As I was taking off my gloves and shaking my hands, today’s starting pitcher, Jang Yoon, who was on the mound, expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you for the defense. “It’s a fierce tiger!”

“Please trust me and throw it. “Senior.”

He answered Jang Yoon with a smile, but he felt a little uneasy when he saw the power in the batted ball. Four days of rest and Munhak Stadium, which is not a good match for Jang Yoon, a flyball type pitcher. It was not strange even if Jang Yoon collapsed.

Perfect!

This time, the properly hit ball flies toward the outfield.

“Left!”

But in front of left field. The weatherman easily caught the batted ball,

Perfect!

“Short!”

The UG Overlords’ attack ended in the bottom of the first inning when a line drive to Seongtae Yoon was caught. After the first run, it was a three-way inning. In general, I should have been in a good mood, but my anxious feelings did not go away.

The fact that three strong hits in a row went straight to the fielder meant that Jang Yoon was hitting the ball.

‘As expected, we need to score more points. Because a 2-point difference in literature is unsettling.’

*

[In the top of the second inning, AT’s leadoff hitter is No. 8 hitter Jeong Yun-cheol. First pitch hit, toward shortstop. Out.]

[Benjamin suffered from an error in the first inning, but he did not lose concentration and showed good pitching.]

Although he gave up two runs due to an error in the top of the first inning, UG’s starting pitcher Benjamin was no longer shaken and began to show solid pitching. The inning ended with a three-way strike, with 8th batter Jeong Yun-cheol, 9th batter Baek Jeong-jin, and even Kim Joo-yeop, who was in his second at-bat, getting outs.

And then the bottom of the second inning began,

[At the bottom of the second inning, UG’s leadoff hitter is No. 4 hitter Koo Jin-mo. He is recording 3 home runs in this Korean Series.]

UG Overlords’ fourth batter, Koo Jin-mo, came to bat. Koo Jin-mo was also the hitter currently in the best form, hitting 4 home runs in the Korean Series, where Ji Maeng-ho was unable to hit properly due to an intentional throw.

Ta – Aak!

[Goo Jin-mo’s batted ball is big! It’s big! Over the fence! It disappears! Koo Jin-mo’s solo shot to make up for one point! The score is now 2:1!]

[Goo Jin-mo, your hitting was good throughout the Korean series, right? I hit a home run again today.]

Koo Jin-mo’s batted ball fell into the stands in the outfield, and UG’s score went up on the electronic display board.

-Ah, Jang Yoon’s spread has spread. They’ve been supporting him since the first episode and hitting him?

And the fans who were watching the game also noticed that Jang Yoon was in a strange condition. However, from AT’s perspective, there was no alternative. He couldn’t even remove the starting pitcher from the second inning, and even if he did, there wasn’t a suitable pitcher to step up.

The game continued from the semi-playoffs. It would not be strange to say that AT’s pitchers were already pushed to their limits. Moreover, unlike an ordinary game in the regular season, the pressure placed on players in the post-season was on a different level. In particular, pitchers were under even more pressure, and in such a situation, it was natural that they wasted more stamina as they threw all their strength to throw the ball.

In addition, in yesterday’s game, Bellingham came off the mound due to an unexpected injury, so many pitchers were unexpectedly used, so Jang Yoon had to pitch a long inning.

Damn!

[This time’s hit! Right in front of center field! Catch it near the fence. McCoy can’t hide his regretful expression!]

[Oh, I almost thought I was going to skip it.]

Even in such a difficult situation, Jang Yoon, like a veteran, began to finish the inning without allowing any more runs.

[UG Overlords added 1 point with a solo home run in the bottom of the 2nd inning. But there were no more points. The game now goes to the top of the third inning.]

‘Whoa, it’s hard to keep going like this. Wouldn’t it be strange if the situation were reversed at some point?’

And Jang Yoon also felt that his condition was not good. The continued extension of the batted ball proved it. But he couldn’t even ask for a replacement. This was because Jang Yoon also knew that the team’s pitching situation was not that good.

‘Are others the only ones to trust?’

In the end, the only ones Jang Yoon trusted at the last moment were the hitters who had led the team with the best offense all year long.

“Let’s go and score more points!”

“The batting order this inning is good!”

“Senior Suho, please!”

The other players must have felt this as well, so they began cheering loudly for Kim Su-ho, who was the lead hitter of the inning.

[Now, leadoff hitter Kim Su-ho comes in.]

The pitcher on the mound is still Benjamin. He was a pitcher with a form that made it difficult for left-handed batters, who hit the ball halfway between three quarters and sidearm, to deal with. In particular, when he throws his slider, it seems to come out from behind his head, making him more difficult for left-handed hitters.

However, Kim Su-ho is also a veteran hitter.

‘The breaking ball is threatening, but the fastball pitch is not that threatening. Let’s just look at the fastball and then go in.’

Before he stepped up to the plate, he had already thought about his opponent. And the match that follows.

[Benjamin threw the ball at full count! The location is ambiguous? The referee’s decision… ! It’s out! Leadoff hitter on base! Kim Soo-ho catches the ball. AT Thunders with no outs and runners on base!]

Kim Soo-ho calmly picked off the ball and succeeded in walking to first base.

‘Fucking! You won’t catch this ball! As expected, the referees are at the same level.’

And Kim Su-ho’s walk got on Benjamin’s nerves. Benjamin thought he had perfect ball control, but the referee judged otherwise, and such excitement was poisonous in a match like this. Especially in front of a batter like Ki Ki-joo.

[Now it’s time to bat! … I hit the fifth ball! Hit the ball far! Fence! It falls in front! A meteorological ball that perfectly splits right-center! Runner on first base to third base! The batter and runner reach second base… Cannot go.]

[Park Kyung-min’s fence play was good. Prevents Ki-joo Ki from reaching second base.]

[But it’s a chance to get to 1st and 3rd base with no outs. A crisis comes to UG Overlords. Uh? UG’s dugout is moving? Go up with the ball. They are replacing pitchers here.]

And Moon Ki-taek, who was watching the situation, moved. The new pitcher on UG’s mound is Yoon Jung-hwan. He was the best pitcher against right-handed batters among UG’s remaining pitchers. No one could have imagined an early pitcher change in the top of the third inning, but Moon Ki-taek’s keen sense of smell decided that now was the game.

A game-winning move that can only be done in Game 7 of the Korean Series, the last game of the season. It was a game-winning move that could be thrown because all the pitchers except yesterday’s starter, Kim Seong-gyeol, and even Austin Webb, who started in Game 5, were waiting in the dugout.

“Ji Maeng-ho and Choi Jin-cheol. Not a single hitter is an easy hitter. But I believe in you. “Junghwan.”

“I’ll give it a try.”

And Yoon Jung-hwan also willingly accepted the game. A match against Ji Maeng-ho. It was true that I was shaking. Moreover, no matter how he managed to surpass Ji Maeng-ho, the burden was even greater because the batter waiting behind him was Choi Jin-cheol, the second-highest home run hitter this season.

However, Yoon Jung-hwan wanted to repay the favor. To the manager who gave him a chance when he was a second-team player on the verge of being released for nothing, and to the fans who supported him.

‘Come to think of it, my first appearance of the season was against Ji Maeng-ho, and I was in good shape back then.’

Ji Maeng-ho, whom I met several times after that. He even struck out. He gave up a home run and received a ceremony for the first time in his life. Although I was very upset about the ceremony, I was also grateful to Ji Maeng-ho. He had nothing, but it was the impact of striking out Ji Maeng-ho that put him in the 1st team’s sure-to-win group, and that of UG, which boasts the best depth in the league.

‘Baseball did well after that. In some ways, is he the savior of my baseball life?’

The savior of baseball life… Yoon Jung-hwan laughed at a thought that he thought was absurd.

‘… Then you won’t be able to show your benefactor a poor performance.’

[Yoon Jung-hwan’s practice pitch. A speed of 156 km/h is displayed on the electronic display board.]

[You can say this is the best Cinderella of the season, right? Junghwan Yoon. He is a player who came up during the season and has been a strong defender on the mound for UG. A fast ball that curves back and forth from an overhand. It’s like a nightmare for right-handed hitters.]

[And that opponent is Ji Maeng-ho, who can be considered the pinnacle of right-handed hitters in the KBA League, right?]

[That’s why I’m looking forward to it. What kind of batting will Ji Maeng-ho show? What kind of ball will Yoon Jung-hwan show? And will director Moon Ki-taek’s winning strategy work? This is the at-bat where everything is at stake.]

*

‘How, split?’

Splitting yarn while practicing pitching. Are you confident about this? With me in front? It was absurd.

‘I probably didn’t post this to give you a walk. The reason Yoon Joong-hwan is mentioned here means that he will compete. ‘Why are you doing that?’

You’re laughing with me on 1st and 3rd base with no outs. It seemed like he wasn’t in his right mind. Still, I couldn’t let down my guard, so I didn’t forget to check his condition while he was practicing pitching.

‘The ball is still free-spirited.’

I didn’t know if it was a two-seam or a four-seam ball, but it seemed to be the same as the last time I saw it. The velocity was building in the mid-150s and the movement was still bloody. With just one fastball, you can see why it is in UG’s bullpen.

As I was analyzing his fastball like that, the practice pitch was over before I knew it.

“Hello.”

“…”

“Are you okay, Kyung-ho? “I even saw him being carried away.”

“Shut up and just hit. “I feel like I want to hit him, but I’m holding back.”

“Then you guessed it right?”

“You bastard… After…”

Today was the first time I met the new catcher, so I only exchanged greetings, but he seemed to have been scratched a lot.

‘If you do this, the first pitch will hit your body. I earned at least one ball count.’

Even though Yoon Jung-hwan has control over his pitch, he is basically a pitcher who has problems with his control. The more advantageous the ball count was, the more likely he was to be in the middle.

“Ball.”

And as I expected, the first pitch went toward the body. I appealed to the referee by dodging the ball exaggeratedly.

“Teacher! Isn’t this a threat? If this is the case, shouldn’t you be kicked out?”

“Oh, no. “You know that Junghwan is really bad.”

“… Be careful from now on.”

The umpire probably thought my story made sense and gave the catcher a warning.

‘Fastball.’

‘Well, that guy only has fastballs.’

He also threw a slider occasionally, but it didn’t seem like he would throw a slider in such an important situation. If you throw it, enjoy it.

“Ball.”

Yoon Jung-hwan’s second ball also went out of the zone. This time the ball falls outward. The first ball came curved toward me, and the second ball flew like a regular fastball. When analyzing practice pitches, there were more balls that deflected toward the right-handed batter, so this time, I wait for his pitch according to the trajectory of the two-seamer.

‘Throw it into the zone. You want to throw it. Huh? It’s two balls. Choi Jin-cheol is burdensome with the bases loaded, right? Right?’

And the third ball thrown. The moment the ball left his hand, I felt it enter the zone.

‘It’s in the zone!’

I immediately tightened my lower body and hit his ball.

Ta – Aak!

‘It’s done!’

The heavy feeling from the bat that met the guy’s ball. In addition, the bat vibrates as if the ball, which is bent like a two-seamer, finds the center of the bat on its own.

“Heavy rain!”

I couldn’t help but scream in that happy situation. A home run without even looking at it.

-Wow!!!

As if to support my thoughts, the loudest cheer of the day erupted from third base.

‘If it hadn’t broken, I wouldn’t have fallen. … Isn’t it? Did you skip it because it was literature?’

Anyway, the fact that I hit a home run didn’t change, so I stopped thinking about useless things and just raised my hand to the enthusiastic fans at third base.

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

‘Okay, I’ll let you win. ‘Please wait.’