Chapter 429 – Episode 421. This Makes the Atmosphere Awkward. (1)

-AT Thunders! 2 consecutive wins thanks to the batting lineup!


… Meanwhile, AT Thunders selected Jang Yoon as the starting pitcher. The game, which attracted attention as it was expected to be a pitching battle between foreign pitchers Light and Jang Yoon, ended with AT’s hot batting match, contrary to expectations. At the center of it all was Ji Maeng-ho, the number one hitter. Ji Maeng-ho, who hit a triple in the first inning, added a home run in his last at-bat, leading the team to a 13-5 victory.

…

┗Do you admit that you missed the first episode of Fierce Protector? Hitting a triple after eating Toast was crazy haha

┗┗After being hit by that, Light’s mentality was broken, and he was destroyed haha

┗1st place: Gaza!!!

┗Wow, how should I deal with Ji Maeng-ho? If you intentionally take two strikes, you might want to compete

┗┗I think we should just pass it off as an automatic intentional phrase like NV did. For no reason, I force a walk and this situation comes up again haha

┗Pitcher Ho Ho-in’s true education haha

-AT Thunders! Pajuk’s 3rd consecutive win!


… AT Thunders continued their winning streak with a narrow 5-4 win. The star of the game that day was, of course, Ji Maeng-ho. Ji Maeng-ho played a leading role in the victory, recording 2 hits in 5 at-bats, 1 home run, 2 runs, and 3 RBIs. …

┗LOL I hit a come-from-behind home run in the 8th inning and did a sniping ceremony, but I almost missed it LOL

┗ㅇㅅㅁㅎㅅ

┗Yesterday’s game may have stimulated the game, but it’s still a good match haha

┗┗It seems like it’s been a while since I saw a ball, so it looks like I’m swinging everything haha

┗But there were a lot of sand dunes today.

┗┗A lot of sand dunes have been appearing since yesterday.

*

“Guys, the atmosphere of today’s game is strange, so take care of yourselves.”

“Yes.”

Before the meeting ended, the director added a word telling us to take care of ourselves. In the first at-bat of the first game of the series, after I hit a triple, Ki Ki-joo was hit by an empty ball, and as the score gap widened, Jang Yoon took revenge.

And the second game. There were three sand dunes. Two from NV and one from us. Although no one said it was an empty ball, the people on the ground could clearly feel that it was an empty ball.

He didn’t throw it at me, but I was so annoyed by the atmosphere that I forced myself to hold a ceremony for the first time in a long time.

“Especially Meng Hao. You be careful.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t run when you get hit. You know there are only 30 games left, right? If anything goes wrong, you could be suspended from the Korean Series as well. Be careful.”

“Then, if you get hit, will you stay still?”

“Don’t shake your fist. Assault is absolutely prohibited. Okay?”

“Yes…”

Tsk… Should I throw the bat?

“I’m just saying this just in case, but you shouldn’t hit someone with a bat. Because then I might not be able to come out next year.”

“… Hey, I’m not some kind of gangster.”

… Did you notice it?

“Okay, there are 35 games left, so don’t get hurt and let’s go to the end. Okay?”

“”Yes!””

“Invincible!”

“”AT!””

*

In NV Rex’s meeting room, a video of the home run hit by Ji Maeng-ho during the at-bat just before yesterday was shown on the screen.

“Ha, you kid is so fucking laughing.”

As the final ceremony appeared on the screen, someone from NV Rex’s pitching team muttered.

“Now, focus, focus. The important thing right now is the child. Did you know that Ji Maeng-ho had 2 hits in 5 at-bats yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“He hit a home run, but according to the data, it was a normal hit. The exit speed was also higher than the average exit speed. Now, take a look at the data. Surely yesterday’s game was easier? As expected, Ji Maeng-ho’s condition doesn’t seem to be that good these days.”

“I guess so.”

Ji Maeng-ho’s record yesterday was 2 hits in 5 at-bats. Although his performance was good, it was true that he lacked the destructive power that Meng Hao showed in his prime. In addition, in the first game where a walk was induced, the team lost the team’s first foreign starter, Wright, but in yesterday’s game, they had a direct match, but lost narrowly by 1 point.

In other words, sending him out with a walk was not the way to stop Ji Maeng-ho. So the measure NV chose in this game is to win. That’s why all the pitchers who could play today were analyzed while watching Ji Maeng-ho’s at bat in yesterday’s game.

“Honestly, it would be better for me to get hit by something big by chance. “If I see that bastard fooling around on the floor, I really want to kill him.”

“… “I’m sorry.”

NV’s starting catcher Jeong Tae-seong, who was meeting with the pitchers for analysis, let out an apology.

“Hey, it’s not your fault. I couldn’t catch Lee Yong-gi, and when I watched the Olympics, I saw that even major catchers couldn’t catch him. How does that bastard get his timing so good?”

But as someone said, it wasn’t Jeong Tae-seong’s fault. Because there was no catcher who caught Ji Maeng-ho.

“That’s right. Isn’t that stealing signs? Those guys are good at stealing autographs.”

“What’s different is that you just run without a runner in front of you.”

“Well, that guy keeps changing his signs when he gets on base, so it doesn’t make sense.”

“Then how on earth do you run? First, if you look at the records, it is clear that he runs at the timing of the breaking ball…”

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t throw a curveball. Ki-joo Ki, Williams, and Jin-cheol Choi are competing only with fastballs? “It would be better to let him steal base and let the batter compete.”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s leave that story aside and talk about how we can compete with Ji Maeng-ho. In any case, if you prevent getting on base, there will be no need to steal bases. Dogyun. How are you going to compete?”

In response to the pitching coach’s words, NV’s 4th starter Park Do-gyun, who is scheduled to start today, opened his mouth after much thought.

“Hmm… First, the curve and changeup are a bit… Under… It’s difficult. You don’t have the balls to deal with Ji Maeng-ho? “I am.”

Of course, there was no answer. His batting average was close to .400 and his OPS was 1.659. Moreover, Park Do-gyun is the type of player who catches out counts through his ball control and breaking balls. He was the type of person who was no different from prey to Ji Maeng-ho.

“Still, you’re confident in your command. Ji Maeng-ho is not in good condition these days.”

“For now, I will compete on the outside. Still, there is less chance of getting hit by a long hit on the outside.”

“Yeah, plus…”

Coach and Park Do-gyun. The two leaders took the lead in talking about ball combinations, and the pitchers who pitched against Ji Maeng-ho in this series added to their experience. As time passed, the meeting was somewhat concluded.

“Well then, that’s it. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes, I appreciate your hard work.”

A break that came after the pitching coach left the meeting room.

“But, didn’t these guys act too much yesterday?”

Seunghoon Lee, NV’s pitching team leader, opened his mouth. Lee Seung-hoon, who played yesterday’s game and increased his losses by one, was very angry because of the ceremony Ji Maeng-ho showed at the end. Moreover, because the 1-point margin was maintained until the end, there was no time to throw a retaliatory ball, so I was unable to relieve my anger.

“Yes, of course. How can I guess one person today?”

“These bastards keep making fun of me even though I warned them.”

“Do-gyun, guess Ji Maeng-ho once.”

“… Ji Maeng-ho?”

“Uh. “Not from the first inning, but when there are two outs or the score increases.”

Park Do-gyun looked embarrassed when his seniors told him to guess Ji Maeng-ho. To hit Ji Maeng-ho, who committed all kinds of heinous things on the field. As for Ji Maeng-ho, it was natural that he would run to the mound the moment he hit it. And swing his fist. It’s 100% due to his personality.

When Park Do-gyun was sweating coldly with such thoughts, it was NV’s ace Kim Si-hyun who saved Park Do-gyun.

“I’m a bit against it?”

“Huh? Why?”

“Ji Maeng-ho, that bastard is really crazy.”

Kim Si-hyun, the only member of NV who was on board for this Olympics, was fully aware of the dangers of Ji Maeng-ho. The first time I realized it was when I threw the bat at Gerrit Cole. At that time, Ji Maeng-ho, who returned to the dugout and smiled and remained silent when asked questions from other seniors, was like a crazy person.

“When he gets angry, he throws the bat. What are you going to do if it just slipped? You won’t get disciplined? And Do-gyun, are you confident?”

“… To be honest, guessing Ji Maeng-ho is a bit like me. Last year, one of Silla’s starters got kicked out because he got hit by him. And honestly, if I go out like that, I think I’ll run.”

“Hmm… Then Choi Jin-cheol? “It’s a claim.”

“Senior Jincheol… To be honest, Jincheol is a little scary too… And because I’m a senior in high school…”

“Well, then it’s a bit ambiguous.”

“Tsk… Then Suho?”

“Hey, Suho played with us until a few years ago. “Isn’t it a bit like that?”

“Then all that’s left is a weather pole or a tubular sun band…”

NV’s pitchers didn’t particularly want to bench, so Williams, who had missed several months due to a side injury, was excluded from the team. However, the meaning of a warning could have faded if you hit players who are not in your class like Seongtae Yoon, Yuncheol Jeong, Jeongjin Baek, or Hwicheol Jeong.

Therefore, the remaining list is Ki Ki-ju and Woo Gwan-hyung.

“But Sangju hyung got hit by a blank ball on the first day. If I guess again, wouldn’t it be a little different?”

“… Then, senior Gwan-hyung?”

“Hmm… It’s okay”

Woo Kwan-hyung. Although he was the league’s oldest player, he was a player with great symbolism within AT. If I got it right, it seemed like it could definitely be a warning.

“Then, when the situation arises, I will guess.”

“Okay.”

*

“Base on balls!”

All runners are filled. Two outs and bases loaded from the bottom of the first inning.

“Time!”

Jeong Yun-cheol, who is no better, calls time and visits the mound. And the infielders gathering. After all, I can’t be left out in a situation like this.

“Hey! “Concentrate!”

“Oh, I’m doing it!”

A kid who has already conceded two runs is angry. Anyway, the problem was that this bastard, Lim Jun-hoo, had a strong sense of pride. Two runs allowed in the bottom of the first inning. Although we got two outs, it looked like it would be difficult to complete 5 innings today if we continued like this.

“Junhoo. Just stick it in the middle. Trust the beasts. You know that 2 points isn’t a big deal anyway.”

“… I understand.”

Yun-cheol Jeong taps Jun-hoo Lim on the shoulder and comes down from the mound. Bringing a catcher to the mound from the first inning, this bastard Lim Jun-hoo was truly disqualified as a pitcher.

“Ruler! Let’s make up our minds and try again!”

With Choi Jin-cheol’s final words, the beasts return to their original positions. And then Lim Jun-hoo’s pitching began.

Perfect!

NV’s 8th batter touched the first pitch. The ball is in my direction!

‘Gotcha!’

With quick footwork, I approached the batted ball, picked up the ball, and threw it to first base.

“Out!”

“Junhu, buy a meal later. “My brother saved your life once.”

“No, they said to trust me and throw at some point.”

“Did I tell you?”

“The beast should catch that much.”

… Just keep your mouth alive. Heck, even if I didn’t get out in the first at-bat, I would have gotten hit.

Anyway, the crisis that began in the bottom of the first inning with two outs and bases loaded ended without allowing any runs. Although they gave 2 points, it was a disappointing inning from NV’s perspective. There was a good chance that the atmosphere would change if the lead hitter got on base. Considering our batting lineup, we could always turn the tables by about 2 points, and the players were fully aware of that fact.

“Hyung Kwan! “Let’s get on base once!”

“This time, let’s hit a home run! Senior!”

Therefore, our mood as we entered the second inning was bright.

“Okay. “I’ll show you once.”

Senior Kwan Hyung confidently walks out of the dugout holding a bat. It was also reliable.

And then, in the beginning of the second inning,

“Huh?”

“What?”

“… “Isn’t it an empty ball?”

“Under…, Fuck, really.”

Woo Kwan-hyung, who said he would show and left the dugout confidently, collapsed at the plate.

‘These bastards… !’