Chapter 358 – Episode 350. Fall of a Dynasty? (2)

1 out, 1st and 3rd bases. Kim Soo-ho at third base, Ki Ki-joo at first base, and UG’s new mercenary pitcher Jeffrey who has been sweating since the first inning on the mound.

… And at the plate, it’s me, Ji Maeng-ho.

It seemed like I could already hear UG’s fans crying. The pleasure of frustrating the fans who fill the home stadium… What’s disappointing is that UG’s performance wasn’t so good, so fewer fans came to see it than last year?

‘Last year at Kosi, it was really nice because it was full.’

‘It’s the first pitch curve.’

‘Yes? First pitch curve? Is this guy crazy…’

You throw a curveball at me from the first pitch. I fell into 7th place and must have turned around hard. Why do you bastards always show off their pride like this the first time they meet me?

“Secret security guard, are you crazy?”

“… “I’m not a senior security guard.”

Of course, I knew it wasn’t Baek Kyung-ho. That guy has been avoiding me since the exhibition game after the Korean Series ended, and he wasn’t even in the lineup for today’s game. Well, there was some saying that it was because they had a dedicated catcher system, but when I saw it, it was clear that they were avoiding me.

Why did someone who knew that ask this question?

“No, it’s because I don’t play like crazy and the ball combination is shit.”

“What? “Speak as if you know.”

“I can predict what they’re going to throw at me.”

I did it because I was annoyed when I saw him throw the first pitch curveball at me. I was expecting a tight game like the one against Hwasan, but the ball was so weak from the first pitch. I could feel the catcher looking around to see if the runner was giving him a sign.

‘Ha, it’s no fun if you hit a home run in the first inning.’

‘Just hit it and then say something.’

And the pitcher’s first pitch was thrown. However, there was something strange about the feeling when the ball left my hand.

‘… ‘Huh?’

The guy’s helmet flew faster than I expected.

Perfect!

‘Fuck, I missed it!’

Fortunately, I was aiming for a curve and touched a two-seam fastball that was thrown downwards, but the moment I hit it, a numb feeling came out of my hand. Does it feel like I was hit from behind?

“Hey, sir!”

Throw away the bat and slowly walk towards first base. The batted ball, like a pushed ball, was flying slowly and high toward right field.

‘But looking at the distance, it looks like I can hit an outfield fly.’

I took a quick look at the runners and saw that Su-ho Kim, who was on third base, was preparing to tag up, and Ki-joo Ki, who was on first base, was looking at the batted ball in the middle between first and second base. Following the meteorologist’s gaze, UG’s right fielder Choi Jae-hyun is stepping back and preparing to catch the batted ball.

‘Look at the speed of the ball, ha. It’s been a while since I hit a ball like this. Still, it’s not bad if it comes first. But why did the fastball come in? Mr. Rossby! How did this happen?’

‘I guess the catcher changed his sign while you were talking.’

‘You changed it in such a short period of time?’

How can they change signs so quickly, not in an elementary school baseball team, but in a professional baseball game that uses complicated signs?

‘Huh?’

At that time, Rossby suddenly made a dumb sound.

‘Ball, ball!’

Rossby urgently shouts for the ball. I looked towards the fence to see if Choi Jae-hyun had missed the ball, and I saw Choi Jae-hyun leaning against the fence and jumping up and down. And the batted ball passes over the fence while grazing the glove.

“… Uh? “This?”

-Wow!!

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

“Is this going to pass?”

As I looked at the first base umpire in disbelief, the first base umpire was twirling his hands. The timing was really late, and the pushed ball went over the fence. I glanced at the pitcher and saw that the pitcher was smiling helplessly with a puzzled expression on his face.

‘I guess he didn’t know he was going to get over it either. But Hwi-cheol said the ball was heavy, but he didn’t think it was true when he saw it fall over… Jeong Hwi-cheol, we need to get this kid to exercise.’

“Under…”

As I slowly ran down the diamond road, passing by Koo Jin-mo, who was sighing deeply with her head down, Kim Soo-ho and Gi Ki-joo, who were runners, greeted me at home.

“How did you get over it?”

“I guess so.”

“The home run was good.”

“Thank you.”

When I calmly answered Ki Gi-ju and Kim Su-ho’s words, Gi Gi-ju looked at me as if I was strange.

“What, why aren’t you hitting a home run today?”

“If anyone hears it, they’ll think it’s really shit.”

“It wasn’t?”

“Hmm. It’s just because it’s cute. I didn’t know it would pass…”

If it weren’t for literature, it was a ball that could have been caught in any stadium. Because the speed was slow, and the launch angle was large. It was a hit that made the opposing team feel sorry for hitting a home run like this.

Of course, unlike me who felt sorry, the dugout was in a festive mood after the three-run game that started in the first inning. Only after receiving such enthusiastic cheers from my colleagues did I have time to talk to Rossby.

‘Mr. Rossby, why did the two-seam fly?’

‘Tsk, didn’t the catcher change his sign because you were talking nonsense with the catcher? Last time I checked it was a curved grip.’

‘Really?’

I was definitely a little annoyed and talked to the catcher about changing signs in such a short period of time. I was caught off guard because there was no catcher like that until now.

‘But because I changed the sign too quickly, the ball was flat and seems to have ended up in the middle.’

‘It was definitely on the low side, but it seemed like it was centered in the middle.’

For some reason, the ball was light, and the pitch clock seemed to have caught the pitcher in a hurry. A fantastic collaboration between a pitcher in a hurry and literature with a small stadium.

‘Maybe it’s because it’s a failing team, but it’s unlucky. Well, it’s good for me.’

It certainly seemed easier than last year, perhaps because there was no starting catcher. If the starting catcher, Baek Kyung-ho, had been there, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to change his sign. If the catcher becomes impatient, the pitcher will also become impatient.

The catcher got impatient after hearing what I said and tried to overdo it, which acted as a handshake to the guys.

Ta – Aak!

And perhaps in the aftermath, Choi Jin-cheol’s batted ball disappears at a rapid pace.

-Waaaaa!!!!!

– Choi Jin-cheol! Choi Jin-cheol! Choi Jin-cheol!

Choi Jin-cheol’s back-to-back home runs. 4:0 from the 1st inning. I thought today’s game would be pretty easy.

*

[Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball! Fly high! A batted ball flies toward right field! Third base runner Kim Su-ho prepares to tag up. Jaehyun Choi ready to catch the batted ball. Back, back, back, ah! There is no place to retreat anymore! The batted ball passes Choi Jae-hyeon’s glove and goes over the fence! This hit becomes a home run! Ji Maeng-ho’s three-run home run!]

[Hey, this batted ball goes over. Ji Maeng-ho, you really have tremendous strength, right? If you look at the replay, it looks like the bat came out slightly late and was hit from behind, causing the ball to be pushed back. But it goes over the fence.]

[Incredible power! Ji Maeng-ho, you are truly amazing!]

[Jeffrey’s ball was slightly centered, but it was slightly low in the middle. As expected, if Ji Maeng-ho is caught in the lower zone, he will pass without a doubt. Wow, looking at it again, it’s a huge home run. The launch angle was high, and the batting speed was slow, but even though the outfield is narrow, it is truly an incredible power.]

[Now, Choi Jin-cheol is at bat… I hit it! Choi Jin-cheol! Left fence! Let’s go! Solo home run! Choi Jin-cheol hits back-to-back home runs following Ji Maeng-ho!]

[Choi Jin-cheol shows off his amazing hitting skills this time. Once with a slow ball and once with a fast ball. With Ji Maeng-ho returning, Choi Jin-cheol also seems to be slowly coming back to life, right?]

[The score is now 4:0. In the top of the first inning, the AT Thunders widen the gap against the home team, the UG Overlords!]

[Yoon Seong-tae’s hit! Jeffrey, are you shaking?]

[In times like these, you need to focus more.]

[Han Sang-gyu’s batted ball! Trapped in the infield! Second baseman! Shortstop! And first baseman! Jeffrey ends a long inning with a double play. The game now goes to the bottom of the 4th inning.]

AT Thunders’ long first inning attack ended, and Park Seung-jun, UG’s candidate catcher and military prospect, returned to the dugout and was dragged into the passage behind the dugout as soon as he took off his catcher’s mask.

“Hey! Seungjun Park! Don’t lose your mind!”

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you? Why do you change your sign as you please?”

“That is…”

Seungjun Park tried to make excuses for the battery coach’s words, but his mouth wouldn’t fall.

“I’ll see you after the game. Ha, Seungjun. The club is pushing you. “The guard will be retiring in a few years, so you should seize this opportunity.”

The battery coach’s words seemed to comfort him as if he had let go of all his anger. However, Park Seungjun was even angrier now than before. It was because he gave off the nuance that he was forcing himself to do something despite his lack of ability.

‘Fuck, it looks like Ji Maeng-ho is reading all your autographs!’

Last year, when I met Ji Maeng-ho, the young guy called me “You” And made fun of me, but what was more annoying than that was the battery coach’s signature that seemed to be read right away. No matter how much I thought about it, Ji Maeng-ho seemed to be above the battery coach’s head.

No, it was definitely over his head. Even in his opinion, the first pitch curve did not make sense. To be honest, if he had called for a two-seamer from the beginning, or at least played in Jamsil, he would not have hit a home run.

‘The power analysis team also says to never throw a curveball, so how did they send the curve sign? Of course, I changed the sign and hit a home run, but it definitely wouldn’t have been a home run if it had been in a different stadium. Moreover, this guy also requested the ball that hit Choi Jin-cheol’s home run. As if it wasn’t his fault at all… How can a person be so disgusting?’

When I thought about it that way, it seemed like it was all the fault of this incompetent battery coach that we finished second last year and that coach Moon Ki-taek, who was like a gift to us, was fired.

‘This guy is still the coach, so he hit Ji Maeng-ho in last year’s Korean Series. Why didn’t this guy go out with the director? This incompetent bastard should have left the team and Coach Moon should have stayed…’

Moreover, the dislike got even worse because I had heard the rumor that the battery coach was the president’s line. So, when Park Seung-jun played against Ji Maeng-ho last year, he completely forgot that he hit a home run even though he signed and started cursing the battery coach.

The distrust between the catcher, the battery coach, and the two people who were supposed to support the pitcher caused the game to become shaky, and that anxiety spread to the pitcher, who had keener senses than anyone else in the stadium. And with the team looking like this, there was no way the game would go well.

[Goo Jin-mo’s batting ball is flying high! Shortstop Yoon Seong-tae slowly approaches. Out. The final out is counted in the bottom of the 9th inning! 14:5! Game over. When the Mega Thunders Four is activated today, AT will take an easy victory thanks to the batting line that scored double-digit runs!]

[Ji Maeng-ho’s home run in the top of the first inning was decisive, right? 3 hits in 3 at-bats, 1 home run, and 2 walks. As expected, it’s an incredible score. Ji Maeng-ho. I wonder how long this momentum will be maintained.]

[Ji Maeng-ho’s performance was truly outstanding. Interviews with Soo-Hoon and Ji Maeng-Ho are scheduled soon, so please show your interest. Well, the broadcast ends here. Caster so far…]

The day after the game ended in UG’s crushing defeat, Baek Kyung-ho, the starting catcher for the UG Overlords, and who had missed yesterday’s game to avoid Ji Maeng-ho, was called in by the battery coach.

“Yes? “You want me to start as a starter?”