Chapter 434 – Episode 426. Competition for Home Run King. (3)

“… So, the sense of discomfort I felt was due to the change in form?”

“Okay. It’s usually hard to notice that. And even if you notice it, you have to make a quick decision.”

“Then why didn’t you say that during power analysis class?”

“There are some hitters who, even if you tell them such things, they will only end up confusing their minds. “I’ve told you this a few times in the past, but each time I didn’t get very good results.”

Hmm… It made sense. Hitting after looking at the pitcher’s cue is easier said than done, but it is not that simple. The probability of missing the timing while concentrating on the pitcher’s form was greater than the probability of finding out the pitch based on the form.

“Besides, you have to have a good sense of vision. It doesn’t matter if there is a clear difference, but since we are all professionals, the difference is very subtle. Especially in the case of Yoon Jung-hwan, the moment he throws, the angle of his wrist changes. “If I tell other kids, will they be able to tell the difference?”

“Yes, of course.”

It felt like it had been a long time since I had seen Kim Su-ho speak for such a long time. Maybe it’s the first time. Still, it was good to hear it because it wasn’t a nag like the weather forecast.

“Hmm… And you know that there are some kids who can see the rotation when they throw the ball, right?”

“Yes. Sometimes, I can see it too when I’m in good condition.”

When it comes to curves, it feels like it’s floating, or you can see the direction of rotation of fastballs and breaking balls. Sometimes that happened. They say that not only me but also other players are seen sometimes.

“It’s usually easier to find out that way. Still, if you can notice Kuse, you will be able to know not only the type of pitch but also other things.”

“Anything else? What is it?”

“For example, you can check whether the wrinkles on the uniform are on the outside or the body. “Charlotte’s Minhyuk has that type of style.”

“And…”

Is it a monster? How do you find out? I couldn’t imagine it at all. I haven’t checked the records, but from what I remember, Minhyuk Kim and senior Suho’s relative performance seems to have been good.

“You too, take a close look at each pitcher. You will see the habits of pitchers that only you know. Of course, don’t go around telling other kids.”

“Why is that? Oh, I’m afraid my grades will drop if I worry about that?”

He said something similar before, but this time his tone seemed a little different. His voice was quiet, as if he was trying not to hear other people’s ears.

“Well, I said that earlier. There are other reasons as well.”

“… ?”

“The baseball field is surprisingly narrow. We all know each other across a bridge and are seniors and juniors. If you say something, it may reach the opposing pitcher’s ears. “If it gets into the pitcher’s ears, there are some kids who take advantage of it.”

“… Do you also use the station? “Baseball is difficult.”

Playing baseball while thinking about all that… I was following Rossby’s instructions, but it seemed like the pro wasn’t easy.

“The guy who has the easiest time in the league is going to kill himself… Anyway, it looks like you too are slowly waking up to the blow. “It’s funny to say this to you, though.”

I woke up to a blow… Actually, I don’t know much about that. Compared to when he was with Rossby, there were more strikeouts and his batting average went down. To be honest, most of the results he is currently recording are due to pitchers who have the mindset to avoid

However, he definitely had the feeling that he could see something that had been invisible. If it had been before, he would have only thought about whether it was towards the body or outside, high or low, rather than focusing on the pitching form.

‘Hehe, am I a genius after all?’

The top of the 9th inning went in with such confidence.

“Strike! Out!”

‘Oh, shit doesn’t work.’

I was staring too intently at the pitching form of UG’s closer, Kim Woo-jun, and ended the game with a looking strikeout.

“Is it because of what I said that you were just standing there during the last at-bat?”

After losing the game, while I was sitting blankly in the dugout, senior Suho approached me and started talking to me.

“… It’s not easy.”

“Under…, You may know it or not. Sometimes I feel like a genius. Sometimes I feel stupid. Anyway, don’t pay too much attention to what I said. Anyway, you are doing well enough with your own method.”

“… Yes.”

… For now, I felt like I had to keep doing what I was doing.

*

“Meng Hao, do you want to play in the first game of the double header? Or do you want to go to the second game?”

“I will go to both games.”

“Both games? “Can you do it?”

“Yes. You can do it.”

AT Thunders coach Lee Soo-hyun was troubled by Ji Maeng-ho’s words of confidence. First double header since turning pro. I wondered if Ji Maeng-ho was overexerting himself because he wanted to go to the game, but Ji Maeng-ho didn’t look very tired on his face.

‘Well, he’s a guy who hangs out until morning whenever he goes on an expedition. Well, I didn’t go out yesterday.’

There was no way the team’s coach, Lee Soo-hyun, did not know about Ji Maeng-ho’s sex scandal, which caused a huge stir among the public. The reason Ji Maeng-ho was able to go out and meet women every away game was because it was impossible without the coach’s tacit approval.

At that time, he decided that it would be better to watch a batter who was performing like Ji Maeng-ho rather than messing with him, and that decision soon led to the victory.

I don’t know when he sleeps, but even though he plays like that, he shows a sincere attitude in training. Coach Lee Soo-hyun saw Ji Maeng-ho as a player with stronger stamina than any player he had ever seen.

… Sometimes, when I saw him dozing off in the dugout, I asked him vaguely, and he said it was his meditation routine, which bothered me a little.

“Yes, Meng Hao, you have great physical strength… I get it. Still, you never know, so be careful of injuries. If possible, don’t even steal bases.”

“Yes!”

“If it’s still hard, tell me. “I’ll change it right away.”

“I understand!”

Lee Soo-hyun was understandably impatient with the game being played on thin ice with a 0.5 game lead, but he decided to run the game as usual, giving most of the players a break.

There are only 30 games left, but the schedule was tight, so the decision was made based on the judgment that giving players a break like this would have a higher win rate than letting players accumulate fatigue and get injured.

They say there is no unimportant player on the team, but if you had to pick the most important player, there would be only one. That’s Ji Maeng-ho. The most key player for AT Thunders was Ji Maeng-ho. After finishing the meeting with Ji Maeng-ho, Lee Soo-hyun gathered the coaches before meeting with the players.

‘Hmm, in this case, I guess we can give the main players who played last night a break during the week’s games?’

The coach, who had planned to use all the starting players in the games I played, thought about it when I told him I would play in both games, and eventually decided to have the starting players play in the night games.

“Then, as announced yesterday, the starting pitcher for this doubleheader is Bellingham during the day and Chanyoung at night.”

Bellingham in the day game and Chanyoung Kim in the night game. In order to secure one win, it is right to have the starting players appear in the game where Bellingham appears, but the decision was to trust Bellingham’s pitching and win the game with the power of the starting lineup in the night game.

If you’re not careful, you could lose both games, but if you’re good, you can win both games. A judgment that combines standard operation and a winning strategy.

That judgment was based on trust in Ji Maeng-ho. Ji Maeng-ho is a hitter who can score points on his own. I thought he might be able to get the first game if he wasn’t lucky and Bellingham collapsed early on.

If you catch a night game where all the starting players appear…

“… So, I plan to put the starting players in the night game.”

“If the director says so…”

“I think it’s good too. UG starter Song Ho-jun is also weak to Ji Maeng-ho. If I do well, I think I can win both games.”

“And looking at Song Ho-jun in the first game, I think UG will probably fill its lineup with reserve players. It doesn’t look like UG’s candidates will have a hard time against Bellingham. “If Bellingham can go just 7 innings, I think I will be able to use pitchers comfortably in night games.”

The first game of a double header started with the coaches respecting coach Lee Soo-hyun’s judgment.

[Hello. Hello baseball fans. The first match of a double header between AT Thunders and UG Overlords, and between UG Overlords and AT Thunders. It unfolds now.]

[I wondered if the first place would change after the AT Thunders lost yesterday’s game, but the ranking didn’t change as the Volcano Falcons lost in a close game that went into overtime, right? AT Thunders and Hwasan Falcons, I am curious whether the rankings of the two teams competing for first place will be reversed after this double header, and whether the AT Thunders will maintain their first place.]

[Then, let me explain AT’s lineup first. 1st hitter Jeong Hwi-cheol, 2nd hitter Kang Joo-hyun, 3rd hitter Ji Maeng-ho, 4th hitter designated hitter Williams, 5th hitter…]

[Except for designated hitter Williams and Ji Maeng-ho, the lineup is comprised of mostly replacement players. I think Ji Maeng-ho and Williams’ performance will be important in today’s game.]

[Then, I will explain the defensive position of the UG Overlords. Starting pitcher Song Ho-jun and catcher Park Seung-jun form a battery… … Now, the number one batter, Jeong Hwi-cheol, comes to bat.]

‘Let’s go comfortably, comfortably.’

The number one hitter that coach Lee Soo-hyun selected for this game was Jeong Hwi-cheol. Jeong Hwi-cheol, who has good contact ability and defensive ability, and Baek Jeong-jin, who boasts unrivaled abilities, were two players I always thought about when drawing up lineups.

The player who is often in the lineup these days is Baek Jeong-jin, who has the power to aim for double-digit home runs in Jamsil, but Jeong Hwi-cheol is one step ahead in terms of contact ability. If Ji Maeng-ho or Kim Soo-ho do not play at number 1, this is a player who can be used as the number 1 hitter at any time. That player was Jeong Hwi-cheol.

Perfect!

‘This is it!’

And when Jeong Hwi-cheol’s hit came out, Lee Soo-hyun clapped with a dull face, but couldn’t hide her joy inside.

‘The standard here is to bunt or steal…’

The second batter, Kang Joo-hyun, was a player who occasionally played as a substitute to maintain the physical strength of the infielders, so he could not be expected to hit, so if it had been a normal situation, he would have called in immediately, but the batter behind him was Ji Maeng-ho. However, leaving the first base empty in front of Ji Maeng-ho means filtering him out.

Lee Soo-hyun chose to go ahead.

‘Don’t just hit double plays.’

[Kang Joo-hyun! The fourth ball was kicked up! This batted ball… ! The center fielder catches it.]

‘Hehe, if you do this, it’s Ji Maeng-ho in a situation where there is a runner. If Meng Hao hits it just once…’

The first watershed moment to easily go to today’s game. As always, Manager Lee Soo-hyun trusted and watched Ji Maeng-ho’s at-bats. And…,

Ta – Aak!

As if repaying coach Lee Soo-hyun’s trust, Ji Maeng-ho sent the ball to the right, making a sound that seemed to split the ball.

[All beasts stop! Ji Maeng-ho’s incredible hit! You can’t help but look at this batted ball! Ji Maeng-ho’s 47th home run of the season! The first scorer in today’s game is, of course, Ji Maeng-ho!]

“Good! Let’s take it easy! Comfortably!”

Ji Maeng-ho’s refreshing home run from the first inning. At Ji Maeng-ho’s home run, which perfectly executed his game plan, coach Lee Soo-hyun had no choice but to applaud loudly, forgetting that he had to maintain a poker face during the game.