Chapter 401 – Episode 393. Vs Dominica (1)

[Ji Maeng-ho! Alcantara’s sinker is lifted! This ball is hit high! Far! Left fence! Left fence!]

After the game starts, the caster’s voice becomes louder as the first ball passes behind the outfielder. And as the caster shouts, Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball flies toward the left wall.

However, unlike the initial momentum of flying quickly, it gradually began to sink near the fence.

[Left fielder! I can’t catch it! Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball hits the fence and falls! Ji Maeng-ho passes second base! Third base! Ah, it’s coming back. Ji Maeng-ho made a double against Alcantara!]

Fortunately, Soto, the Dominican left fielder, was not a very good defensive player. If he had been a good defensive player, he could have caught the hit. Although he hit well, it could be said that he was lucky.

[Ji Maeng-ho is on base and in scoring position with one out!]

[As expected, Ji Maeng-ho should do it!]

[Now, Ki Ki-joo is the number 3 batter at bat. In this Olympics, I hit .500 and hit a home run.]

[Ji Maeng-ho leaves and the meteorologist is called in. In a way, it can be said to be AT Thunders’ scoring formula. I am looking forward to Ji Maeng-ho as he is a player who can aim for third base at any time. Although Sanchez has a good arm, considering Ji Maeng-ho’s ability to steal bases, it is quite possible.]

Ji Maeng-ho’s total number of stolen bases in the KBA League is 93. In addition, there were quite a few third base steals, so the fans watching the game wanted Ji Maeng-ho to steal third base. If you are on third base with one out, you can score one point unless there is a special situation such as an infield fly or strikeout.

And Ji Maeng-ho was the player who always stole third base in these situations.

However,

‘Are you going to run?’

‘Are you crazy? How do I run to third base?’

Meng Hao, who was actually standing on second base, had no intention of stealing third base. Ji Maeng-ho’s mechanism for stealing bases was simple. He runs when the pitcher throws a breaking ball. Unlike fastballs, which are usually around 140 to 150, the velocity of breaking balls is around 120 to 130. A difference of 10 km/h may not seem like a big deal, but in baseball, where the game is decided within 0.1 seconds, the difference was beyond imagination.

However, Alcantara was not a player who could steal bases using that mechanism. The speed of the slider and changeup, which are breaking balls, was at least 90 mph, which was 144 to 5 km/h, so the risk was high. In a situation with 1 out and 2nd base, you steal 3rd base and then get a walk-off?

‘Then it’s a catastrophe… I don’t know when I’ll get on base again, but I can’t die here like that.’

Even though the success rate was about 99%, I couldn’t help but be conscious of the 1% probability.

‘Still, I have to do what I have to do. Mr. Rossby, please let me know.’

Of course, this opportunity came his way, but he couldn’t stand still at second base.

‘It’s a sinker.’

He pulls his glove once to signal that he has stolen the sign, then turns his head to the right, pretending to check the shortstop, and signals that he is outside. And he shook the dirt off his uniform twice. Once a fastball, twice a sinker, and three times a changeup.

‘What? Did you find out?’

Although I had heard it during the pre-game meeting, I had erased the sign from my mind. Gyeonggi-ju’s eyes widen.

In fact, it made no sense to steal signs on a stage like this. It was natural to change the sign after each game, and even in Korea, a different sign was used for each inning.

But I know. The sign Ji Maeng-ho sends is real. Because it was something I experienced countless times in the league.

One day, when asked how he found out the cause of death of a battery that even the power analysis team couldn’t figure out, he always smiled and answered, ‘It’s Ji Maeng-ho.’ However, the cause of death he gave was almost accurate.

Therefore, Ki Ki-ju focused on Alcantara’s pitch, aiming for just one sinker.

[Weather warning! Aim for the first pitch! Jitterbug! Strike.]

[The bat was a little late, right?]

[The speed was 99.3 miles (159.8 km/h).]

However, Alcantara’s sinker was not a ball that you could hit even if you knew it. If he could hit 160 km/h, no one in baseball would call 100 mph the speed of his dreams.

Does a 100 mph ball even bend?

‘Meng Hao, how did this guy hit that ball?’

I glance towards second base one more time. A fierce tiger sending a signal again.

‘Sinker this time too. Outside again.’

But, I had to hit it. For the victory of our country.

Behind him is Kang Han-beom, who is struggling with 1 hit in 13 at-bats in this tournament. Although Joo Seung-cheol, the 5th hitter, was hitting hard with 7 hits in 12 at-bats in this tournament, there was a chance that the inning would end on a strong note if he was out.

I feel the burden of having the fate of my country resting on my shoulders.

Perfect!

And that pressure wasn’t the kind of feeling that helped at bat.

[Watch out for the weather! Rolls toward shortstop. Shortstop catches the ball and tosses to first base. Out! Dominica added a light out count. Now the situation becomes 2 outs and 3rd base.]

“Fuck!”

After the ball arrived, Ki-Gi Joo, who had stepped on base, threw down his helmet and swore, but the result did not change.

[Now, Korea’s number 4 hitter, Kang Han-beom, comes to bat. Kang Han-beom’s record in this tournament was 1 hit in 13 at-bats. He recorded one hit against Panama.]

[Kang Han-beom is underperforming, but he is a player who can strike at any time. In addition, Kang Han-beom hit a home run against Alcantara in 2021, so it is worth looking forward to.]

[Actually, there was some opinion from fans that Kang Han-beom should be removed from the lineup, right?]

[You’re right. However, coach Lee Geum-hyun’s style is one where he trusts his players’ performance, and I remember winning the championship in 2008 like that. And Kang Han-beom is not the kind of player who can be removed just because he performs poorly in two or three games.]

Perfect!

[Kang Han-beom’s first pitch hit! It flies high! The pitcher raises his hand. Out. The inning ends like this.]

‘Ha, fuck. Anyone can see that he’s out of form, so let’s take it out. At least they should at least adjust the batting order…’

The commentator, holding back the curses that rose up to the top of his throat, continued his next words.

[… It’s still episode 3. Even though no score was scored, Jung Woo-sung is blocking the Dominican hitters perfectly.]

[The game now goes to the bottom of the 4th inning.]

Korea’s attack in the top of the 4th inning ended without any results, but that did not mean that Korea collapsed. Because starting pitcher Jung Woo-sung was throwing powerful balls.

[Jitterbug! Strike out! Jung Woo-sung puts two batters on base, but ends the inning without allowing a run!]

Episode 5 also went with a similar flow. Lee Yong-gi got on base, but was blocked by allowing no runs, and Jung Woo-sung was in danger by allowing a double and a walk, but he induced a double play and blocked the Dominican attack with no runs.

-Jung Woo-sung’s strength seems to be slowly decreasing. Will he change?

┗ㄹㅇ Change it ㅅㅂ

┗┗No, the ace is pitching well without conceding any runs, so how do you change that?

┗┗Jung Woo-sung Who doesn’t know that if you go beyond the 5th episode, you lose strength?

However, Jung Woo-sung’s balls also began to move out of the zone, and it was not strange when a score was scored. A situation where you desperately need points…

And episode 6.

[Ji Maeng-ho comes in with 2 outs and no runners. … Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball! Fence! Caught in front… Ji Maeng-ho sent the ball to the farthest part of Dodger Stadium. But this hit was caught.]

[Ah… I should have passed, Ji Maeng-ho. I’m really sad that today ended. Under… However, sending the ball near the center fence means that the hitting feeling is quite good.]

Alcantara blocked Korea’s pitches with 63 balls in 6 innings.

[Jung Woo-sung appears on the mound for Korea in the 6th inning. At the plate is Fernando Tatis Jr. You hit it! This ball… Let’s move on… Fernando Tatis Jr. Takes the lead 1:0.]

[Ah… As expected, he is a great player.]

As the bottom of the sixth inning began, Jung Woo-sung, who was showing signs, hit a home run to the leadoff hitter, giving up the first run.

[Machado’s double… Jung Woo-sung is shaken…]

[… I’m starting to think it would be a good idea to change the pitcher.]

[… Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Hits! Oh, I’m going over the fence. I think that’s it for Jung Woo-sung. The pitcher is replaced. The next pitcher is Choi Jung-hoon. This season at Hyunseong Mad Cats…]

-No, it should have been taken down when a weak hitter hit a home run.

-What if I change it now? I skipped the game ㅅㅂ

-That sucks.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’ S two-run home run added 2 runs, and 1 more run was allowed, making Dominica’s big inning 4-0, ending the bottom of the 6th inning.

4:0. Just as darkness was casting over the faces of Korean baseball fans due to the hopeless score gap, a ray of light shone.

[The pitcher on the mound in the top of the 7th inning…, Felix Bautista. He throws a powerful fastball and a splitter that is said to be the best in the major league.]

Sandy Alcantara, who was throwing a ball that seemed impossible to hit, came down from the mound.

[Hey, Sandy Alcantara is coming down here. Actually, Alcantara was on a shutout pace right now… You’re probably thinking about the next game, right? Given Alcantara’s phenomenal stamina, it seems likely that he could still be in the game by the final round after throwing 63. If only he would go up.]

In modern baseball, if you take the mound without even observing a rest day, you are bound to be criticized by the pitcher.

However, Alcantara was said to be the last romantic pitcher left in this era. Because he was confident in his physical strength, he accepted the coach’s plan in order to help his country win the championship, even though the player’s life could be at risk.

It was a pitcher change that showed the team’s determination to participate in the semifinals after receiving a day’s rest after the quarterfinals.

However, the replacement of the pitcher was also a result of carelessness due to the illusion that Korea had completely taken control.

‘Fuck you guys, you’re completely ignoring us, right?’

[100 miles! Batista’s first pitch hits 100 mph.]

[Wow, every pitcher that comes out throws 100 mph. The scary thing is that most pitchers in the Dominican Republic throw these fast balls. But since he is a player whose ball control is not that good, if you wait…]

[Weather warning! You hit it! A ball passing between the second baseman and the shortstop! The weatherman arrives at first base.]

100 miles called the Redemption of Dreams. Unfortunately for Dominica, however, Korea’s batsmen were looking at 100 mph throughout the game.

Felix’s pitch was slightly faster than Alcantara’s, but it wasn’t a big difference, and compared to Alcantara who threw a mix of sinkers, fastballs, and changeups, the pitches he was aiming for were simpler.

Fastball or splitter. Ki Ki-joo, who was said to have the best contact ability in Korea, went to bat aiming for a fastball, and finally succeeded in hitting a 100 mph fastball with his bat.

[Kang Han-beom, Two and Two. Ah, here comes the strikeout. Kang Han Beom just swings the ball at the splitter. 1 out, 1st base. Now Joo Seung-cheol comes to bat. Joo Seung-cheol’s record today is 2 at-bats and no hits.]

‘Whoa, you can do it.’

Joo Seung-cheol took a deep breath and went to bat. His record against Alcantara was 0-hit in 2 at-bats. But it wasn’t that his batting skills were bad. It’s not like Alcantara’s contribution wasn’t visible.

While preparing for this Olympics, he continued to train with his father to see balls over 100 mph in line with the pitchers who throw fast balls, so there was no problem seeing them. He even hit the ball at the center of the bat during his last at-bat against Alcantara. It was a ball that was hit so hard that the left fielder could catch it comfortably.

‘The only thing left is to choose whether it’s a fastball or a splitter.’

He wanted to fight persistently, but when he saw the condition of the batters behind him, he had to do it himself. Then, there is only one ball to aim for: the fastball.

‘Seungcheol, aim for the fastball.’

His father, who is the batting coach for the national team, also signs that he should aim for fastballs as if he feels the same way.

‘Father…’

Joo Seung-cheol nodded his head and finally recalled the victory of the previous two hitters. The ball hit by Ki Ki-joo was a fastball, and the ball thrown by Kang Han-beom was a fastball-splitter-splitter-fastball-splitter.

At that time, a thought crossed Joo Seung-cheol’s mind.

‘Is it possible for three batters in a row to throw a fastball on the first pitch?’

The thought that this ball is going to be a splitter. Even though his father, whom he respected so much, told him to aim for the fastball, his instincts seemed to tell him to aim for the splitter.

If you throw a first-pitch splitter, it will probably be slightly lower than the zone to induce swings and misses, right? The bat’s trajectory goes lower, lower…

[Batista makes a throwing motion. Break! Joo Seung-cheol!]

Joo Seung-cheol follows his instincts and swings the bat according to the timing of the splitter.

Ta – Aak!

A light hitting sound, a touch that makes your whole body tingle. … A batted ball that draws a perfect parabola. When the ball passes over the fence, you feel a refreshing sensation as if something that has been bothering you disappears.

“Aaaaah!”

Joo Seung-cheol, who had let go of his feelings of inferiority toward his father that had been bothering him all this time, clenched his fists toward the dugout.

[Joo Seung-cheol! Joo Seung-cheol! Joo Seung-cheol! A two-run home run over the left field wall! The score is now 4:2! Joo Seung-cheol is the ‘son of a hero’, no, he is now the new ‘Hero of the Republic of Korea’! Break the streak of 0 and score Korea’s first score! Korea’s new hero! His name is Joo Seung-cheol! Yet! Game! It’s not over!]