Chapter 353 – Episode 345. Teaching. (1)

[Choi Jin-cheol’s batted ball is high! Far! Fence! In front… ! Caught! Seonghyeon handles a crisis with 2 outs and 3rd base!]

[The timing is a little late, right? The velocity was 152, which was the second-fastest ball in this game.]

[Seonghyun hit Choi Jin-cheol with a fastball! The game now goes to the bottom of the 4th inning!]

Choi Jin-cheol’s batted ball caught from the deepest part of Daejeon Stadium. Seonghyeon turned around and looked at the batted ball, wiping away the sweat running down his forearm.

“Wow, that was dangerous.”

What would it have been like if it had been Choi Jin-cheol in his prime? Seonghyun, who had such a scary imagination, laughed once and looked at Ji Maeng-ho, who had been harassing him at third base.

“Oh, fuck!”

I laughed again at the sight of Ji Meng-ho throwing down his helmet and expressing his disappointment with his whole body.

“Hyung, how is he?”

“Who? Ji Maeng-ho?”

“Yes.”

As he was doing so, Lee Yong-gi, wearing a catcher’s mask on his side, approached and started talking.

“Are you okay?”

“It’s not a joke, right?”

“That’s amazing. I understand why there is such an uproar in Korea. Rather, what’s a catcher to do? Doesn’t it make it easier for the pitcher? “I gave up 1 point, so please give me a score.”

“Ah… I’ll try my best. But I feel like Crongs is getting scratched today. For now, I will do my best.”

Crongs was a pitcher whose name I had heard a few times while I was in the United States. He has good ceiling, but he doesn’t have a good work ethic, so I thought he was a guy who bounced around for several teams, but seeing how he pitches well, it seems like he’s adapted well in Korea.

‘Still, if Siwoo and Courage are as good as me, how can I give them 1 point? Well, the more problematic thing is that guy Ji Maeng-ho.’

7 years with the Dodgers, 4 years with the Yankees. The batting that Seong Hyun-do and Ji Maeng-ho, who spent a total of 11 years in the major leagues, just showed was quite surprising. Although he was not in his prime when he was competing for the Cy Young Award, Seong-hyun thought that his current physical condition was not much different from when he won 10 games with the Yankees.

And the first at-bat against Ji Maeng-ho. The game went as expected. The sight of him swinging in surprise when a ball came in with unexpected speed was not much different from that of other batters. In particular, he seems to be in a hurry to keep up with his winning shot, the change-up.

Considering the way he looked when we trained together at WBC last year, I thought he would pass if he hit it right, but will he be able to hit his ball? A look that raises questions.

‘I thought he was just a mouthy guy during his first at-bat.’

However, he was surprised to see him hit his changeup in the next at-bat and score a double. Usually, batters like Ji Maeng-ho who experienced his changeup for the first time took quite a while to attack the ball. No, not only did it take time, but there were many batters who kept hitting ground balls in the infield.

Even in the major league where talent gathers. However, Ji Maeng-ho was different. Sending a change-up that you couldn’t catch at first straight to the outfield in the next at-bat? It was an adaptability that made no sense. He threw only two changeups to Ji Maeng-ho. It was difficult for him to accurately push a ball that he had only seen twice and send it into the outfield, unless he was very talented. Even in the major league, which is full of true talent, there were not many hitters like that.

‘What an amazing guy. How can he adapt like that after just one at-bat?’

What was even more surprising wasn’t just the hitting. The guts to steal from second to third base on the first pitch.

Seonghyun was a pitcher famous for his ability to keep in check even in the major leagues. He is a pitcher who allows less than 20 stolen bases in 11 years, allowing only 1 or 2 stolen bases per year. It was clear that he had analyzed himself thoroughly and was playing the game, so it should be assumed that he knew that as well.

Even though he knows this, he runs right away. He looked like he had no fear.

‘Well, since you’re so fearless, I guess that’s why you conduct interviews like that.’

Overall, he was a fun hitter. The strength I observed from the sidelines during the WBC period, the adaptability I saw in this match, the ability to steal 2nd and 3rd bases, and the guts to run on the first pitch against myself. It was a type not easily seen even in the major leagues.

‘Well, if I continue to grow like this, someday I will be able to become the best player in the major leagues. But…’

… It wasn’t yet.

Ji Maeng-ho is still somehow lacking. He sent a changeup to the outfield in this at-bat, but it was not a straight hit, especially considering the late swing on the 150 ball in his first at-bat. I didn’t think a batter of Ji Maeng-ho’s caliber couldn’t get the timing right for a 150 pitch. The secret to his slow timing is his Geth-hitting ability called ‘Devil’, which he learned about from his colleagues and articles.

If you think about the first at-bat, the two-strike, one-ball situation was generally not a situation for a guess hit. With two strikes, the rule is to react to every ball that comes into the zone. Guess hitting in such a situation was no different from Guess hitting in all situations.

However, it was impossible to become a good player in the major leagues with Guess Hitting. He could be an average player, but if he wanted to reach the top level, he would have to give up his guess hitting.

If you’re lucky, you might be able to get at least one at-bat, but those guess heaters are prey to finesse pitching types like yourself. Can you anticipate and hit more than five different pitches from the same form in every at-bat and every pitch?

It was impossible. Unless, as they say in real articles, you have made a deal with the devil and know what pitch the pitcher is going to throw.

Moreover, guess hitting was a hitting method that ultimately diminished the potential of batters. Most of the hitters who do Guess hitting are those who lack physical strength or are old and have slow reaction times. It was a waste of talent for a hitter with the physical strength of Ji Maeng-ho to hit for Guess in the first place.

There are two ways for a pitcher to survive in the major leagues. Either he throws a ball that he can’t hit because he doesn’t know it, like Seonghyun himself, or he throws a ball that he can’t hit even if he knows it, like a real monster. In particular, he said that all pitchers above him were of the latter type. Throwing a fastball at 105 mph, a sinker at 100 mph, a breaking ball with a large angle over 90 mph, a curveball that drops from head to knee, etc.

The Major League was a monster league full of balls that you couldn’t hit even if you knew them. And in order to hit those pitches, hitters also had to give up guess hitting. If you rely on gething, your ability to cope will decline.

That type of hitting is not good at all for finesse pitchers like Seonghyun himself, or for monster pitchers who throw balls they can’t hit even if they know it.

What the major leagues require of hitters is the ability to respond to any pitch. It’s not just about dealing with the balls you know.

In that respect, Ji Maeng-ho was still lacking, but he had plenty of potential. Because I hit a long ball in just one at-bat with a change-up that I couldn’t even do in my first at-bat.

Even though he is a good player, he is still young and needs some teaching.

‘But why is a guy like Meng Ho doing a Guess hit?’

And the fundamental question that comes to Seonghyeon’s mind. There is no reason for a player with Ji Maeng-ho’s physical strength to do a guess hit. Even with the naked eye, he has a fast bat speed and a body that appears to be full of muscle despite being a large man weighing over 100 kg. No matter how you think about it, he was a hitter who had no reason to hit.

“But who is the AT hitting coach?”

“AT hitting coach? “I guess it’s Coach Lee Ki-cheol?”

“Senior Ki-cheol? The catcher?”

“Yes. But why?”

“No, because of Ji Meng-ho. “Why are you doing a Guess hit?”

“Oh, as far as I know, Ji Maeng-ho’s coach in high school was Ki-cheol Lee. I guess that’s what I learned there.”

And thanks to my junior who answered the question I was muttering to myself, I was able to find the answer to that question. Lee Ki-cheol was a great catcher who won the Golden Glove several times during his time in the KBA. He also won the home run title.

‘… And he was famous as a Guess heater.’

He was famous for his ball combination in defense, and even won the home run title with his unique guess hitting. Having learned from someone like that since I was in high school, I thought I could understand why he sticks to that type of hitting method. And it was a loss for Korean baseball for a better as good as Ji Maeng-ho to do that. Especially considering the Olympics taking place this year.

‘Guess hitting has its limits. I guess I should teach it to a promising junior.’

Even though I was such an enemy, as one of the people who love Korean baseball, and as a senior who played in the majors first, I thought I should teach a promising junior whom I haven’t seen in a long time.

And that opportunity came not long after.

[Lee Yong-gi’s batted ball! Far! High! Let’s go! In the bottom of the 7th inning, Lee Yong-gi’s two-run shot turns the game around! 2:1! Master Lee Yong-gi puts strength on Seong-hyeon’s shoulders!]

“Hyuna, how? Do you want to go up to the 8th episode as well?”

The coach of Hwasan asked a question to Ace, who was struggling with only one run until the seventh inning.

‘This inning starts with Su-ho, so even Ji Maeng-ho gets to bat.’

The result of the third match, which took place in the 6th inning, was a high fly to the outfield. If this at-bat ends with a hit or strikeout, there is a high possibility that a player of Ji Maeng-ho’s caliber will realize that his methods were wrong and develop the true talents he was gifted with, the physicality and ability to adapt. Well, if you still don’t realize it, you can let me know after the game or tomorrow.

I was able to give that much advice to my juniors who will lead the future of Korean baseball.

“I will go up.”

So Seonghyun chose to go up to the mound. And he cooked the previous two hitters according to his plan.

[Seonghyun strikes out Kim Soo-ho!]

[Watch out for the weather and hit high! But center fielder Kim Joo-yeop catches it! Two outs with this! The number of pitches so far is 96! If this continues, today may be the first complete game after returning to Korea?]

[Although AT hitters basically had a quick game, Seonghyun’s veteran-like distribution of stamina shines.]

[The game now comes down to Ji Maeng-ho’s turn at bat.]

‘Are you finally here? I was waiting.’

And Ji Maeng-ho walked into the batter’s box with burning eyes. The kind of look that comes from a batter whose concentration is at its peak.

‘Is that what Joo-yeop was talking about? Your eyes are nice. But can you predict my ball?’

There are 6 types of balls that Seonghyun can throw. Four-seam, two-seam, cutter, slider, curve, circle changeup. In addition, the fact that all pitches come from almost the same form that cannot be distinguished with the naked eye was one of Seong Hyun’s main weapons in the major leagues.

‘Courage. From now on, I will give the autograph.’

And Seonghyeon is a big pitcher who played in the major leagues for 11 years with a below-average four-seam pitch. The foundation of his performance was a battle of numbers that could chew through most major league hitters. No matter how much the media called Maeng-ho the devil, he had no intention of losing to Aesong-i, who was now in his second year of debut.

‘I understand.’

The first pitch is a two-seamer toward the body. The two-seamer, which had a trajectory that entered the right-handed batter’s body and then curved into the zone, was the perfect ball for a strike after waiting for it to be a ball. Especially for a pitcher with ball control like Seonghyun.

Perfect!

And when the two-seamer is thrown, Ji Maeng-ho reacts and clears it.

‘You can react to this level, right? Of course, it’s fun. If it were our team, I would have taught you more. Well, if you’re a hitter as good as Ji Maeng-ho, you’ll probably learn something from this at-bat.’