Chapter 413 – Episode 405. Am I the Only One? (3)

I’ve heard the story, but this is my first time seeing it in person. In the Olympic finals, when you’re losing 3-1, you act like that? It was clear that if he failed to hit a home run, it would be a huge embarrassment. However, even though Ji Maeng-ho knew that fact, … He predicted a home run. To raise the morale of a team that was being dragged down and to show their will.

That’s why Otani laughed.

‘Don’t look at me as a junior who needs to be taught, right?’

Maybe he was thinking he was being arrogant. No, he seemed arrogant. As long as you enter the game, as long as you stand on the mound and at bat, you are in an equal position regardless of age and experience. Ji Maeng-ho’s predicted home run seemed like a warning to himself.

‘Okay, let’s give it a try.’

[Ohtani’s first pitch! Strike! 102.1 miles are recorded. 164.3 km/h!]

[And… You can’t hit a ball like that, right? Ohtani, you are truly a great player.]

[Ji Maeng-ho was caught on screen laughing as if he were dumbfounded.]

[… If I had seen a ball like that during my active years, I would have felt the same way as Ji Maeng-ho.]

What is the best pitch a pitcher can throw? Although there were many different pitches in the major leagues, they have been thrown consistently since the beginning of baseball, and the most thrown pitcher by a pitcher was the fastball. The power of the fastball was proven in that the pitchers who threw any pitch to catch the batter threw it the most and for the longest time.

A ball that went over 100 mph was tantamount to violence using speeds beyond the limits of human perception. A ball that you cannot see or react to. A ball that can only be hit with experience and prediction.

Once again, Ohtani’s fastball is thrown.

However, this time Ji Maeng-ho’s bat responded.

Ta – Aak!

A foul ball that passes toward the third base stands.

[Ji Maeng-ho clears this ball. The speed is 102.3 miles! 164.6 km/h recorded!]

[Ohtani’s highest speed recorded at the last WBC was 103.1 miles per hour, or 165.8 km/h. This velocity was also recorded against Ji Maeng-ho.]

[Okay. I think Otani will gain strength when he meets Ji Maeng-ho. He would like to lose some of that power.]

[Still, I pulled it off well. It was a high fastball that came about one level higher than the zone, and the fact that this ball was cleared means that Ji Maeng-ho is not pushed by Ohtani!]

[Ji Maeng-ho is quickly driven to two strikes with one strike and one foul.]

[Now you have to be careful. Otani’s defining ball, the sweeper, can fly at any time. Although Ji Maeng-ho hit Ohtani’s sweeper in the previous at-bat, it should never be taken lightly as it was the highest pitch value in the major league.]

‘What are you going to do now?’

Otani asks with his eyes. A batter with two strikes has only two options to choose from. React to every ball that comes near the zone, or swing in anticipation of a pitch.

Usually, batters’ choice was the former. If you swing in anticipation of a ball, you are likely to miss the swing when another ball comes. If this game had been an ordinary game, it could have been so, but now the game was on the stage of the Olympic finals, and even the batter’s team was losing. In this situation, trust your senses and predict a pitch? No one had the strength of heart to do that.

Moreover, Ohtani is a pitcher who can throw six pitches, excluding fastballs… Ohtani’s choice here was his own decision pitch, the sweeper. A sweeper that flows about one ball outside the zone. The sweeper, which caused numerous major league right-handed hitters to swing and miss, was thrown in a two-strike situation.

Perfect!

And then the sound of the blow rings again. This time, he headed towards the audience.

‘Yes, I can hit this level.’

In a situation where a fastball is hitting the body, react to an outside slider. In fact, he would have been rather disappointed if he had not responded here. Ohtani was happy to clear the ball. Regardless of victory or defeat, the joy of baseball itself.

The pleasure that can only be obtained from a match between a pitcher and a batter is a type of pleasure that is superior to any pleasure in the world for a baseball player.

‘How about this?’

Sinker this time.

Perfect!

Once again, Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball misses the foul line.

Perfect!

Fastball, once again Ji Maeng-ho’s hit misses the foul line.

Perfect!

Splitter, once again Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball misses the foul line.

‘… ‘What is it?’

As foul balls were hit four times in a row after two strikes, Ohtani felt strange as well. And even though he threw three more balls, Ji Maeng-ho succeeded in clearing his own balls as if he knew.

‘This can’t be happening…’ .’

A ball that bends left and right and a ball that falls downward. If you include the 100 mph fastball in between, this shouldn’t have happened.

‘… ‘Do you really know all the tricks?’

The fear felt when faced with something incomprehensible. He couldn’t hit every pitch unless he really knew every pitch. Even while maintaining his swing.

At that time, the coach’s words suddenly appeared in Ohtani’s mind when he said in an interview that some pitchers in Korea called Ji Maeng-ho “The devil.”

‘… That’s nonsense. There is no other person in the world who can do that. It’s over now.’

After erasing the thoughts from his mind, the ball that Ohtani chose last was a curveball. Because the rate has been reduced since 2023, it was a ball that was never thrown today. Predicting this now was impossible unless you looked into your own head.

Besides, he was confident. I knew that Ji Maeng-ho was strong in curves, but his curves were different.

Because he had a 100 mph fastball. High fastball of 100 mph and curve of 75 mph (120.6 km/h).

The speed difference of about 25 miles (40 km/h) was enough to fool the batter’s eyes. All the balls I have thrown so far have been fast, over 90 mph. Therefore, the ball he was throwing was something he could never have predicted or reacted to.

The destination was set to the lowest point in the zone. This is a course where you can strike out if you don’t swing the bat.

Ohtani threw the ball away, thinking this was the last time. Looking forward to Ji Maeng-ho’s refreshing missed swing.

However,

Ta – Aak!

Otani didn’t know. That ball was the ball Ji Maeng-ho was waiting for the most. Ji Maeng-ho, who made a tremendous hitting sound, stretches his bat high into the sky and waits for the whereabouts of the hit. And when the batted ball went over the fence, he threw the bat lightly.

[Aaaaah!!! Ji Maeng-ho’s tying two runs! In the bottom of the 6th inning, Ji Maeng-ho hits a tying two-run hit against Ohtani! Ji Maeng-ho’s tenacious 10-pitch game! It creates a tie!]

[Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maengho! Ji Maengho! Ji Maeng-ho did it! Ji Maengho! This is Ji Maeng-ho!]

-A fierce home run!!!!!!

┗Fuck!!!!!!!!

┗I believed it!!!!!!!!!

-Ah, is it you again GOAT…

┗The savior of Korean baseball… Maengho ‘THE SEX MACHINE’ Ji…

-Tani Kun is no match for Fierce Tiger God… Well, it’s only natural.

┗This is why the Angels didn’t win.

┗I can hear them crying all the way from here. Hehe.

-From today onwards, I am just rooting for Ji Maeng-ho. To be honest, there were a lot of rumors that he didn’t have a good personality and there were controversies, but he was a player I didn’t really like, but I’m just impressed. Ji Maeng-ho. It’s amazing.

┗Honestly, my skills are recognized

┗I will also support Ji Maeng-ho from now on. Well, we can have sex.

*

As I sat down on the bench after my colleagues’ congratulations, the thoughts that came to my mind were relief rather than joy.

‘Wow, if the curve hadn’t come in there, I would have been screwed.’

To be honest, if I threw a ball that was completely outside the zone, about two and a half balls, it wasn’t surprising if I struck out at any time. Because his ball was so fast, it was difficult to just hit it. However, the slow curve that was thrown in the midst of all that was like meeting an oasis in a real desert.

‘Anyway, this is the problem with those who think they are the best. You should do basic research.’

Why did Otani throw a curveball? It was obvious. It was clear I hadn’t done my research properly. Well, the mercenaries who come to KBA sometimes throw curveballs out of pride, so it wasn’t something I couldn’t understand.

Additionally, the predicted home run may have had an impact. The better a pitcher is, the more likely he is to throw the ball into the zone rather than take it out when he hits a pre-emptive home run. In the end, Ohtani was also a pitcher.

Perfect!

And a pitcher who gets hit by a big hit is bound to be shaken. Ki Ki-joo targets Ohtani’s first pitch, hits a hit, and gets on base.

“Nice!”

“Wake up! Weather warning!”

A hit that came after a home run. The players in the dugout were excited by the smell of a big inning slowly rising. However,

Perfect!

“Ah…”

Joo Seung-cheol’s sharp batted ball becomes a straight hit to first base, and Gyeong Gi-ju, who did not return to base, is out. The count goes up by two at once, and two outs. The 6th inning ended with Ohtani, who had found stability, striking out 5th batter Koo Jin-mo.

“Ohtani pitched 73 times. “It will come up in episode 7, right?”

“Even in the league, there are days when I throw about 110 shots. “Considering that it is the Olympic finals, you probably won’t be able to throw 120 unless you get hit hard.”

“Under…”

Still 73? Even though I subtracted 10 pitches, there are still 73… Moreover, when he struck out Koo Jin-mo, the pitch was easily in the upper 90s, so the pitch didn’t drop.

‘Fuck, Otani needs to get down quickly…’

Although I somehow hit a home run, I never thought that other players could target Ohtani. Even Joo Seung-cheol, who has the best batting sense, was having a hard time today.

There are 3 innings left. My at bat once. Can we make the score again?

‘Whew, even if I think about it now, there’s no answer. Let’s focus on defense.’

So I put on my gloves, forgetting all my thoughts.