Chapter 370 – Episode 362. An Uninvited Guest at a Famous Banquet. (2)

[Kim Su-ho’s batting ball flies high! The center fielder runs forward and takes care of it. Jang Woo-joo prevents a crisis with one out and runners on first and third base. The game now moves on to the bottom of the first inning.]

[Jang Woo-joo, as expected, is amazing. Although he gave up a walk to Ki Ki-joo, seeing him strike out Ji Maeng-ho and Choi Jin-cheol, the best home run hitters in the league, and catch Kim Su-ho with an outfield fly, I think we can now perfectly call him the ace of the future Buffaloes.]

[Now, I will call out the Future Buffaloes’ offense and lineup in the bottom of the first inning. Type 1… Lee Jin-hong, batting number 4, batting number 5…]

[Future Buffaloes. They are currently in 4th place with 27 wins and 26 losses, and this can be attributed to the performance of ace Jang Woo-joo and 4th hitter Lee Jin-hong.]

[Jang Woo-joo is the pitcher, and Lee Jin-hong is the batter. In addition, you remember that the Future Buffaloes advanced to the fall baseball whenever Jinhong Lee was active, right?]

[You’re right. After Jin-Hong Lee’s debut, it is no exaggeration to say that the Buffaloes’ future advancement into fall baseball will depend on Jin-Hong Lee. Especially in 2009 and 2017 when the Future Buffaloes won. Jinhong Lee led the championship by recording an OPS of over 1.000%. This season, although it is early in the season, Jinhong Lee recorded an OPS of 1.175, so future fans are placing high expectations on him.]

[If Lee Jin-hong completes the league without injury, that expectation wouldn’t be a dream, right?]

[Yes. And to do that, they have to beat AT, a strong favorite to win. Since we recorded a loss in yesterday’s game, we need to balance wins and losses in today’s game.]

[Cronx’s pitching begins now.]

The reason why the Mirae Buffaloes, who finished the season in 8th place last season, are settling in the top rankings this season is that there is not much difference in the winning percentage between the top and bottom ranks, but the two players who play a pillar role at the center of the two-hit team The activity was great.

Ace Jang Woo-joo, who has a maximum velocity of 100 mph and an average velocity in the mid-150s, and No. 4 hitter Lee Jin-hong, who completely shook off the aftereffects of last season’s injury and succeeded in making a comeback by playing in 45 games and hitting 15 home runs, are future fans. It was enough to make people’s hearts flutter.

[Third batter Yoo Jun-hwan gets on base with a walk. And now, with 2 outs and runners on first base, number 4 hitter Lee Jin-Hong comes in. Hey, Champions Field is buzzing! I think we can see how much future Buffalos fans love this player.]

[Kronx is also one of the top three foreign pitchers in the league, so we need to watch this match.]

A match between aces. It was no exaggeration to say that the most important thing in that match was to score first. And when No. 4 batter Lee Jin-hong comes to the plate to score the first run, the cheers of future fans become even louder.

[The match between Crongs and Jinhong Lee! The first pitch… !]

And perhaps he heard the voices of those fans, Lee Jin-hong swung the bat without delay from the first pitch,

Ta – Aak!

Lee Jin-hong’s batted ball sailed smoothly between left fielder and center fielder and headed for the fence.

[This batted ball… ! Left fence! Left fence! Left fence! It hits and falls! The runner on first base who has already started running goes all the way home! Home! Let’s go! Jinhong Lee is on second base! Lee Jin-hong’s go-ahead double in the bottom of the first inning! Future Buffaloes lead by 1 point!]

*

Perfect!

Lee In-hyuk’s batted ball soars high. And Jang Woo-ju handled a fly ball, and the attack in the top of the 5th inning also ended in a three-way throw.

‘Sweet, he throws well.’

As expected, the records do not lie, Jang Woo-joo’s pitching was powerful. Until last year, he was like a piece of shit… After Jeong Hwi-cheol and Ki Ki-ju got on base in the first inning, our only walk was the only one on base until the 5th inning. Jang Woo-joo was blocking our batting lineup with only three batters on base until the 5th inning.

Fortunately, Crongs was also blocking future batting lineups by only allowing one run until the bottom of the fourth inning, but since the pitcher was bound to be chased if no score was scored, he was in urgent need of tying the run or scoring the run.

“[Good! I will keep this inning scoreless, so please ask for the next inning!]”

Looking at Crongs’ condition, he didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry.

‘Why is that bastard, a starter, making such a fuss? True.’

The 5th inning, along with the 1st inning, was the most dangerous inning for pitchers. Usually, batters’ second or third at-bats come around, and it’s time for the pitcher’s stamina to gradually decrease. In addition, Lee Jin-hong, who has been in unusual form these days, returns for his third at-bat. I wish Crongs would focus as well, but after watching him for about a year, he wasn’t that kind of guy, so I stopped hoping.

‘Well, whether it floats or sinks, you just have to throw the ball well.’

In the bottom of the 5th inning, the future leadoff hitter is No. 2 hitter Kim Yun-il. He was a second baseman like me. I heard he had a knack for hitting, but he wasn’t a very threatening hitter. The batting average is around .28?

Perfect!

Crongs, perhaps because he was underestimating him, threw a fastball into the zone from the first pitch, and the ball hit by Kim Yun-il rolled comfortably into second base. He caught it lightly with his glove and then tossed to first base.

“Out!”

“Oh, fuck!”

Kim Yun-il, who belatedly stepped on first base, throws his helmet and gets angry. He wasn’t a bat to get very angry, but seeing him get angry made it clear that future hitters were also being chased.

-Yoo Jun-Hwan Fighting!

-Yoo Jun-hwan~ Home run! Yoo Jun-hwan~! Home run!

And future third hitter Yoo Jun-hwan comes to bat. He was the guy who walked and scored the first run in the first inning, and he was also the guy who eased Crongs’ shoulders by hitting a double play in the second at-bat.

Crongs must have been aware of that, too, as he put the ball into the zone from the first pitch this time. A cool pitch that shows the determination not to give a walk.

“Strike!”

“Strike!”

“Strike~! Out!”

And he hits two balls in a row in the strike zone, creating a three-pitch strikeout. Honestly, I felt comfortable with this when Crongs started. Perhaps because he was a confident guy, his pitching tempo was fast.

Ta – Aak!

“Fuck! Throw it slowly!”

Lee Jin-hong’s batted ball flies high. And away. The batted ball flew quickly over the wall to his left and disappeared. Even though it was a weekday, the fans who came to watch the game could be seen being happy after picking up the ball. 2:0 with this.

“Fuck! Fuck!”

Crongs swears while covering his mouth with his glove, probably because he’s angry even though Ji threw the ball like crazy.

‘That guy is the ace, so this is what the team looks like. Still, do you think it’s fortunate that it’s a solo home run?’

However, Crongs, who could not calm his excitement, again competed strongly from the first pitch to the body,

Bang!

‘Fuck, I’m surprised. It was almost dangerous.’

The inning ended as a line drive ball flew toward me as I took my seat.

“[Ji. Please. You can give me 2 points, right?]”

A proud and proud attitude that would make anyone think he had the score right.

“[Yeah, dude. Please wait.]”

“[I’ll believe it. My friend.]”

‘Fuck my friends. After… Still, I have to do it.’

It was ridiculous to ask for a favor after conceding a point, but it was also my responsibility to clean up after this Crongs guy. Because I bat 4th.

‘Isn’t he batting number two today?’

‘It’s just a feeling. Don’t you know that these days, the number 4 hitter goes into number 2? Both Judge and Trout go in at number 2!’

I ignored Rossby, who still couldn’t keep up with the trend and was making stupid noises, and called in Jeong Hwi-cheol, the leadoff hitter in the 6th inning.

“Hey! Hwicheol!”

“Yes! Brother!”

“Get on base.”

“… Yes?”

“First, to tie the score, there has to be a runner in front. “Get on base.”

“… Yes, I will try my best.”

“Hey, what did I say earlier?”

“Oh, I’ll do well!”

“Okay. Get on base. Okay?”

“Yes!”

The guy who answers loudly. Honestly, I don’t have many expectations.

‘But why did you call that guy?’

‘… It’s fun.’

‘Scumbag.’

‘Hey, what a senior gave me was some trash. ‘There is no senior who cares about their juniors like me.’

After the cleaning time was over, Jeong Hwi-cheol’s third turn at bat.

“Ahh!”

Jeong Hwi-cheol’s scream rang out, and he fell down at the plate. The speed stamped on the electronic display board was 158 km/h. Although he was hit quickly, it didn’t seem like it hurt that much, but it was a serious hit.

‘Wait a minute, isn’t this a strategy to prevent people from throwing themselves? Well, getting hit in the butt doesn’t hurt that much.’

It’s probably a strategy to make it uncomfortable to throw the ball towards the body. It didn’t seem like Jang Woo-joo would be scared, but it was quite remarkable.

‘If you do this, you’re on first base safely. Is Jang Woo-joo filtering me out? There is little chance of that happening.’

Slowly, it seemed like the time had come to use what I had been practicing.

*

[Top of the 6th inning, no outs and 1st base. Ji Maeng-ho slowly walks to the plate.]

-Waaaaa!!!!!

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

[The fans’ enthusiasm is also great in Gwangju, isn’t it?]

[It has to be that way. Because it’s Ji Maeng-ho. Ji Maeng-ho is hitting .400, 3.7, and hitting 14 home runs in 25 games. He is aiming for the record of .400 and 60 home runs this season as well. It is natural for not only AT fans but also fans who like baseball to be curious about Ji Maeng-ho’s records. Haha.]

[Today, Ji Maeng-ho’s previous at-bat record includes one strikeout and one walk.]

[When I struck out in my first at-bat, I almost got into an argument with the umpire due to an unexpected decision, but it ended with Ji Maeng-ho apologizing, right?]

[Correct.]

[Actually, I felt a little disappointed as a baseball fan, aside from being a commentator.]

[Is that so?]

[You’re right. Jang Woo-joo and Ji Maeng-ho. These are players who can be said to be the pillars of pitching that will lead Korean baseball. Could this be the heart of a fan who wants to see a real battle between these two players?]

[And now, there is a situation where the game is unavoidable with no outs on first base. Uh? Uh! Ji Maeng-ho lifts his bat and aims at the fence! Ji Maeng-ho’s predicted home run came again this season!]

[Oh, Ji Maeng-ho’s predicted home run! Excluding intentional walks, walks, and the Korean Series, we have a 100% hit rate so far, right? Will Jang Woo-joo break this record?]

[Jang Woo-joo is also smiling?]

[As far as I know, the two players are quite close, having worked together at the WBC and Asian Games, right? In particular, these two people are so close that they shared the same room at the Asian Games, so they probably know each other that well, right? I think it will be a fun match.]

[Now Jang Woo-joo’s first pitch is thrown!]

As soon as he came to bat, Ji Maeng-ho pointed his bat at the fence and Jang Woo-joo laughed at the sight. The fans watching the game couldn’t hide their excitement at the sight of the two players. And the first pitch of the universe was thrown.

[Outside! I’m hooked! Strike! The speed is 161.6 km/h! Ji Maeng-ho nods his head.]

[Jang Woo-joo’s highest speed was 162.1 km/h last year. Jang Woo-joo is one whose restraints may increase further.]

[Jang Woo-ju’s second ball! Ji Maengho! Big swing! Uh… ?]

And Jang Woo-ju’s second ball was thrown. Ji Meng-ho, who missed a big swing at a high ball, missed the bat because his hand slipped. And the bat left Ji Maeng-ho’s hand and flew toward the umpire,

“Aaaaah!”

A loud scream echoed through Champions Field, and the referee who was watching fell backwards. A fallen referee and a rolling bat. And Ji Maeng-ho, who has a dumbfounded expression on his face. When everyone who was watching the game was starting to panic, the caster kept talking, hiding his embarrassment.

[The bat that Ji Maeng-ho missed hit the referee? Ah, it shouldn’t be a major injury, right?]

[Jang Woo-joo’s speed of 162.7 km/h was just recorded as the KBA’s highest speed, and it was a ball that even Ji Maeng-ho had no choice but to miss, and Jang Woo-joo’s ball was so fast that Ji Maeng-ho applied too much force and missed the bat. It seems. Although there is a head protection, the bat is essentially a weapon, right? I hope it is not a major injury.]

-??? What is Ji Maeng-ho? Did you miss the bat?

ㄴㄷㄷㄷ The sound was so fucking loud?

What? Wow, the referee was right ㅅㅂ

– Ji Maeng-ho, didn’t that bastard do that on purpose?

ㄴWhat does that mean?

No, there was a dispute about the decision earlier. So I think he threw the bat on purpose? Considering the personality of this little bastard, doesn’t it seem strange?

ㄴㄴㅈㄹ ㄴ We’re losing 2-0, but what kind of bastard is doing that damn thing by losing the ball count? Do you think it makes sense? And the referee’s position is further back than expected, so it’s difficult to try to hit it on purpose.

Hey, did you do that on purpose?

– Referee Ji Maeng-ho’s true education haha

Hahathis is it haha

-Wow, this is the first time in 10 years of watching baseball that I’ve seen an umpire get carried away haha

ㄴWhy are you smiling when the referee is being carried away?

ㄴㄴThen you don’t look like you’re laughing? Haha. Please don’t see me in the first team game, Donghyuk.