Chapter 420 – Episode 412. The Cheater Hides the Cheat. (2)
On a Monday without baseball, the Huashan Falcons’ coaching staff and power analysis team were passionately meeting in the office meeting room to beat their next opponent, the AT Thunders.
“Ji Maeng-ho’s batting average has definitely dropped a lot, right?”
The PPT pointed by a middle-aged man wearing a comfortable shirt contained monthly performance records from May, when Ji Maeng-ho played.
May: 0.438/0.592/1.096/1.688, 32 hits in 73 at-bats, 12 home runs, 29 walks/11 strikeouts
June: 0.392/0.536/1.152/1.688, 31 hits in 79 at-bats, 16 home runs, 28 walks/9 strikeouts
July: 0.400/0.500/1,100/1,600 8 hits in 20 at-bats, 3 home runs, 4 walks/0 strikeouts
August: 0.314/0.679/0.886/1.565, 11 hits in 35 at-bats, 5 home runs, 42 walks/10 strikeouts
September: 0.500/0.800/0.500/1,300 1 hit in 2 at-bats, 0 home runs, 3 walks/1 strikeout
Excluding July, when he played only 5 games due to the Olympics, and September, when he was just starting out and played only 1 game, August’s performance certainly didn’t look that good. Especially the batting average, which is far off compared to the on-base percentage.
His batting average fell to the low .300 range compared to his on-base percentage that was close to .700. Perhaps it was a natural result. Since the Olympics, there have been very few pitchers who have challenged Ji Maeng-ho.
Ji Maeng-ho’s performance at the Olympics was that shocking. Not only did he perform close to bombing against players who were starting or starting players in the major leagues, but he also hit home runs against Cy Young contenders such as Alcantara, Gerrit Cole, and Ohtani, proving that he is at ‘another level’.
The public opinion of fans was also similar. In last year’s Korean Series, when Ji Maeng-ho reached base on an intentional throw in the last at-bat, there was an uproar over what he was doing, but after returning to the Olympics, there were not many fans who blamed the opposing team even if the ball did not go to Ji Maeng-ho. If so, how many fans would like to see Ji Maeng-ho’s new home run record?
After the Olympics, Ji Maeng-ho’s status changed to that extent. Even though he got on base with a walk in most of his at-bats, Ji Maeng-ho was a player that fans and other teams did not find strange.
The game gap between the 2nd place Hwasan Falcons and the 1st place AT Thunders is only 2.5 games. Since it was a game that could change the standings if they swept this series, the Hwasan Falcons initially planned to skip most of the at-bats like other teams that faced Ji Meng-ho after the Olympics.
However, the data brought by the power analysis team was quite interesting.
“I definitely feel a bit lost when I watch the video, right?”
There were countless strengths that Ji Maeng-ho showed at the plate, but if one were to pick the biggest strength among them, people who know even a little bit about baseball would naturally pick out his ‘devilish’ guess-hitting ability, which is beyond the scope of humans. It was at the same level.
However, looking at Ji Maeng-ho’s swing over the past few days, there were quite a few balls that seemed delayed or fast in timing.
“Hmm… I’m not sure, but it looks that way to me.”
“Is that so? 30% 1 penny 4 ri. It is difficult to call it a bad performance, but it is true that it seems a bit lacking compared to the monstrous performance Ji Maeng-ho has shown so far.”
According to records, the months Ji Maeng-ho did not hit .400 were June and August last year. Even then, he did not come down from the late .300 mark, recording a batting average of .307, 8, and a batting average of .309. His batting average of .301 and 4.0 was the lowest monthly batting average recorded by Ji Maeng-ho, even though he only played 17 games.
“We thought there were two reasons.”
The attention of everyone in the meeting room is focused on the middle-aged man.
“First. It’s a matter of adaptation.”
“Adaptation problem?”
“Yes. I heard from players who were selected to the national team that Ji Maeng-ho trained every time he trained to match the fast balls of the major league players. But there aren’t many pitchers in the KBA who throw that fast a ball.”
“That’s right. It makes sense.”
Isn’t it easier for ordinary people to hit a fast ball and then see a slow ball? You could have thought so. However, hitting wasn’t that simple. The difference between a hit being a hit is 1/100 of a second. When the ball slows down, it means that the ball is hit ahead of the correct timing, and even that slight error results in a hit being out and a home run becoming a foul.
“Furthermore, Ji Maeng-ho had a powerful experience at the Olympics.”
Additionally, intense experiences are likely to change a player’s hitting style. In baseball, even players who only hit one or two home runs in a season would not be able to forget the taste of the home run for several days after hitting their first home run and would be busy scooping up the ball. If it’s true in the professional league, how much more powerful was it at the Olympics?
It wasn’t easy to change the method that worked for major league players.
“What about the second?”
“Of course it must be a feeling of impact. No matter how good a player is, he or she must eventually hit the ball in practice. However, Ji Maeng-ho has not been able to hit properly for several weeks. Moreover, he is still a young player. In such cases, we lack the know-how to find the sense. In fact, he seemed to have lost his hitting skills after missing a few games in the Korean Series.”
Hwasan coach Jeong Cheol-min listened to the power analysis team’s words and recalled last year’s intense Korean Series.
“Definitely, toward the end of the series, I wasn’t able to respond well to batted balls. “The last at-bat was also a bunt.”
“Yes. He is a young player whose batting ability was ruined to that extent after only a few games. “This time, he hasn’t had a real game at the plate in almost three weeks, so it’s probably natural that he’s not hitting as well.”
The last at-bat of the Korean Series was exactly what Ji Maeng-ho liked. Because Ji Maeng-ho was a guy who enjoyed such situations. Ji Meng-ho was a guy on fire whose timing allowed him to become a hero. But did Ji Maeng-ho bunt there instead of aiming for a home run? He said he had no confidence.
Coach Jeong Cheol-min thought Ji Maeng-ho was not the kind of guy who would bunt at such a chance. This was the Olympics, and we only needed to score one point, so we were able to bunt, but at that time, UG’s horse attack was still remaining, so we needed as many points as possible. If it hadn’t been for the subsequent home run, he wouldn’t have been able to guarantee victory.
“It’s clear that his hitting ability has decreased. The rate of ground balls also increased.”
“Yes. So, our power analysis team thinks it would be a good idea to compete with Ji Maeng-ho this time. It seems like Ji Maeng-ho’s speed has slowed down a bit because it’s summer, but he has such good base running sense that it’s a burden to let him get on base for free.”
The Hwasan Falcons had Lee Yong-gi, who also caught Ohtani, who easily steals double-digit bases in the major leagues, but even Lee Yong-gi had never caught Ji Maeng-ho. No, there was no catcher who caught Ji Maeng-ho in the first place. Although he failed to steal two bases last year, both times would have been safe runs if it weren’t for bad luck, such as a misjudged or blocking the base.
It is no exaggeration to say that Ji Maeng-ho’s ability to steal bases is ahead of his hitting ability, so coach Jeong Cheol-min was attracted to the power analysis team’s proposal. Moreover, the rotation against AT this time was a rotation consisting of Chae Jae-hyun, Garcia, and Seong-hyeon. Because the rotation was managed from the start of the second half for the AT game, it was a game where the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd starters all appeared.
“Okay, let’s give it a try this time.”
Manager Jeong Cheol-min made the decision because he trusted the team’s strong pitchers and Ji Maeng-ho, who had poor hitting skills.
“Then we will prepare materials in a way that will help us win.”
“Good.”
The key before AT was Ji Maeng-ho. If Ji Maeng-ho’s bat or feet were tied up, it would not have been a dream to beat AT and regain first place.
In this way, coach Jeong Cheol-min and Hwasan’s coaching staff made a big decision to deal with Ji Maeng-ho and began to prepare measures to deal with the AT Thunders.
*
“Strike~!”
“Huh? “Are you in?”
“Of course, dude.”
It was Lee Yong-gi, not the referee, who answered my question first.
“I thought he went out…”
Is it also Chae Jae-hyun? In my opinion, Chae Jae-hyeon was the pitcher who threw the ball with the most unusual form in Korea. Should I say that his body leans backwards when he does a windup? Although he was a left-handed pitcher, he had a lower-than-average arm angle due to his three-quarter style, which was close to the sidearm, and he was a pitcher with a fairly good deception as he only showed his back when he did the windup.
So he thought it was going out, but it seemed like the ball went in. He lost the ball count, but the situation was good. Throwing a strike from the first pitch means that you will compete with me.
‘Good.’
Chae Jae-hyeon, it was not an easy opponent. The guy who woke up in the second half of last year took a step-up this season with the circle change-up he learned from Seong-Hyun, and played his role as Hwasan’s second starter following Seong-Hyun, making the national team and recording 3 scoreless innings at the Olympics. Because it was.
I already had 10 wins. In particular, he performed well against left-handed hitters, so it was quite a difficult opponent for our team, which has many left-handed hitters.
In other words, I, a right-handed hitter, have to do it. My heart is already pounding at the thought of leading the team to victory.
‘Aren’t you nervous?’
‘What’s going on? ‘I’m coming to see it in person.’
‘When you see a strike coming from the first pitch, you think I need it?’
‘I’ll try it alone for now.’
He refuses Rossby’s help and regains his composure. Chae Jae-hyun’s windup continues again.
“Ball.”
This time it was a fastball that hit deep into the body. Surely his career as a player has not been in vain? Will it be possible to easily filter out such absurdly deviating balls without Rossby’s help?
‘One strike, one ball. Considering Lee Yong-gi’s personality, I think he could come in right away.’
Fortunately, the only pitches Jaehyun Chae can throw to me are fastballs and sliders. Even in head-to-head matches so far, he has not thrown a curveball or changeup. Whenever this happens, I am grateful for that fact. Anyway, all I had to focus on was my fastball and slider.
And the 3rd district. I felt like the guy’s ball was heading outward, so I quickly put out the bat.
Perfect!
A batted ball hit slightly late heads toward the second baseman.
‘Oh, fuck. ‘I should have swung from behind a little more!’
I tried running at full speed toward first base, but a person could not be faster than the ball.
“Out!”
“Oh, fuck.”
The result of the first at-bat is out.
‘How can I help you?’
You can hear Rossby’s whisper of help.
‘No, I’ll try it alone for now.’
But I declined the offer. It was a little late this time, but I thought that if the ball was in the zone, I could send it over the fence.
‘I fell behind in my next at-bat. Really.’