Chapters 435 – 427. Competition for Home Run King. (4)
[AT Thunders takes the first game of a double header thanks to Ji Maeng-ho’s two runs in the first inning and three runs in the fifth inning! We’ll be back for the second game in about 30 minutes.]
“What? You hit two home runs in your first game? “Is this already the 48th home run?”
Joo Seung-cheol, who had been given a break as a pinch hitter in the first game of the double header, was dumbfounded by Ji Maeng-ho’s performance after returning to the locker room. Obviously, there were only two differences before the series started…
‘No matter how much it’s called literature, I can’t believe I’ve already counted four. Under… Just avoid it like usual.’
Joo Seung-cheol lightly blamed UG’s players. While he was sitting on a chair in the locker room and looking at his cell phone, An Si-Hwon, the most senior member of the team, noticed Joo Seung-cheol’s expression and approached him to talk to him.
“What? Were you looking for AT articles?”
“I didn’t mean to see it. An article came out.”
“Hey, don’t worry too much about the home run king. I just lose my form for no reason. “The opponent is Ji Maeng-ho.”
“Yes, well…”
Home run king… It was a title that I didn’t pay any attention to until the first half of the season. Joo Seung-cheol was ranked first in almost all batting indicators during the month when Ji Maeng-ho was not suspended, but he thought that if Ji Maeng-ho returned, he would one day take all of these titles.
However, my thoughts changed after the Olympics. After the thrilling home run at the Olympics, I felt like I had unlocked something, and my grades were actually improving steadily. Enough to produce over 15 home runs in just over a month.
And the title of home run king began to be visible.
Home run king, it was a coveted title. Since his debut, Joo Seung-cheol has won the Golden Glove for three consecutive years, recorded 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases for two consecutive years, and was a hitter who aimed for 30-30 every season except last year when he was injured, but unfortunately, he had no luck with the title.
In the meantime, the title of home run king is visible right in front of you… If you were to ask Joo Seung-cheol what the most coveted title in the league was, he would say the title of home run king without any hesitation.
Before Ji Maeng-ho appeared, the term home run in Korea referred to his father, Joo Hyeong-jin.
The title of home run king was more meaningful to Joo Seung-cheol because he wanted to get even a little closer to the record of being the home run king for eight consecutive years set by his father. This is a record he wanted to achieve at least once before going to the United States.
However, ever since Ji Maeng-ho debuted, I thought it was an unachievable dream. Because Joo Seung-cheol recognized Ji Meng-ho to the extent that he felt that he was higher than his father, whom he respected.
That was the home run king title he had thought of, but as the pitchers passed on Ji Maeng-ho, and he also recorded good results, the title of home run king was one step closer.
‘If we go to the majors after this season, this kind of competition will no longer be possible… Probably the only opportunity in my life to beat Ji Maeng-ho…’
I don’t want to miss this opportunity. I wanted to win against Ji Maeng-ho and go to the major league.
The team’s current ranking is 3rd. The gap with the 2nd place team, Hwasan Falcons, was about 4 games, and the gap with the 4th place team, Shilla Triggers, was about 8 games. It was a ranking that was difficult to overturn or overturn.
That’s why Joo Seung-cheol chose it. I decided to abandon batting average and aim for long hits. The reason he was able to record a batting average close to .305 this season was because the number of pushed balls increased compared to the previous seasons, but the probability that the pushed balls would become home runs was low. Especially in Jamsil.
[Hancheol Grizzlies attack in the bottom of the first inning… With two outs, third batter Joo Seung-cheol comes to the plate.]
Ta – Aak!
[This batted ball is big! It’s big! Center field! Fence! Catch it from the front! A batted ball caught on the warning track! It was a hit that was slightly insufficient to escape the vast Jamsil.]
[It’s like a swing aimed at two outs, isn’t it?]
‘Tch, was it too tight?’
His first at-bat made in the bottom of the first inning. Normally I would have pushed the ball to the edge, but I tried to pull it wide, but the result was out. But his batting quality was good.
‘Let’s not be impatient, it’s only the first at-bat.’
And the second at-bat. A scoring chance with one out and 1st and 2nd bases was created in front of Joo Seung-cheol. Joo Seung-cheol calmly waited for the pitcher’s ball.
“Ball.”
The first pitch is a ball that hits the outside. Since it was Joo Seung-cheol who was aiming for a home run, he let the outside ball go. It seemed like he could have made a hit over the height of the second baseman if he had been touched, but that wasn’t a consideration for Joo Seung-cheol, who was looking for a home run.
“Ball.”
“Strike!”
After several rounds of competition, the ball Joo Seung-cheol had been waiting for finally arrived. An appetizing body ball that looks like it could be thrown over the fence if pulled!
Joo Seung-cheol swung the bat at the ball without delay.
Perfect!
‘… ‘Huh?’
[Joo Seung-cheol’s second at bat, with 1 out and 1st and 2nd bases, hit! The hit ball goes toward the shortstop! 6! 4! 3! Hyunseong Madcats prevents a crisis with a double play!]
“Seungcheol, your swing is too big.”
“… “I’m sorry.”
The pulled ball missed and became a grounder in front of the shortstop, resulting in a double play. Normally, I would have missed the ball, but the ball near my body was so attractive that I ended up touching it.
But I couldn’t give up.
[Swing strike out! Lee Jun-ho strikes out Joo Seung-cheol!]
[Joo Seung-cheol, who is recording no hits in 3 at-bats today, in his fourth at-bat… Ah, the batted ball flies high! Shortstop, catches it. Three outs, the game goes to the top of the 7th inning.]
He struck out in his third at-bat and hit an infield fly in his fourth at-bat, but Joo Seung-cheol was not disappointed. There are days when he goes 0-for-5 during a game, and in the end, if he gets one hit, it’s his victory.
‘You only have to hit it once, once.’
Joo Seung-cheol cast a spell on himself and went to bat for the fifth time, erasing all negative thoughts.
[Bottom of the 9th inning, one out. With the score tied at 3-3, Joo Seung-cheol comes back to bat. The score recorded in today’s game was 0 hits in 4 at-bats.]
[Joo Seung-cheol, you’re not in a good condition today, right? However, Joo Seung-cheol is ranked 2nd in batting, 2nd in home runs, and 2nd in RBIs, so you should not let down your guard just because his performance so far is not good.]
In the bottom of the 9th inning, Hyun-seong’s pitcher was Shin Dong-hyun, who emerged as a new closer in place of Kwon Yul, who was in a slump. He was a pitcher whose tip was said to be light compared to his velocity, but he was a sidearm pitcher who threw a fastball of up to 154 km/h, making it difficult for right-handed hitters to hit.
A two-pitch type pitcher who throws a four-seamer with a sidearm-like bend toward the body and a slider that bends outside a right-handed hitter. The ball Joo Seung-cheol was aiming for was a four-seamer that curved toward his body.
And the first pitch thrown,
Ta-ah!
[Joo Seung-cheol! I hit the first pitch!]
Joo Seung-cheol’s bat, which had been missing the ball throughout this game, hit the ball in the center for the first time in today’s game.
[Joo Seung-cheol’s batted ball! A fence! Let’s go! Joo Seung-cheol’s walk-off home run! Joo Seung-cheol, who had no hits in 4 at-bats, becomes the star of today’s game!]
[Wow, you pulled it right. I also liked the boldness of Joo Seung-cheol, who swung the bat from the first pitch.]
‘Whoa…, If I don’t hit it this time too…’
After hitting his finisher, Joo Seung-cheol, who was being showered with water by his teammates, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He thought he had won even if he hit just one hit, but he had no hits in 4 at-bats and had some doubts that he was going in the wrong direction.
“Joo Seung-cheol! “Today is the distinguished interview!”
“Yes, just a moment.”
When the interview with the distinguished player ended, and he returned to the locker room, Joo Seung-cheol immediately turned on his smartphone and looked up baseball articles.
‘I added one today, so now I have 44 and Meng Hao had 48 before the game started, right?’
When I opened the lock screen and went to the baseball news tab, the first screen did not have a picture of myself hitting the walk-off, but a picture of Ji Maeng-ho.
-Ji Maeng-ho! 4 home runs in one day! Exceeding the 50 home run mark!
… Ji Maeng-ho hit 50 home runs in the season, hitting two home runs in the daytime game and two more in the night game. …
‘… What? Did you hit another two? No matter how much it is literature, this is…’
And the feeling of desperation. In order to somehow increase the number of home runs, he gave up team betting and only hit one by pulling, but in the video, Ji Maeng-ho easily added two home runs by pulling and pushing.
No matter how much there is a difference between Jamsil Stadium and Munhak Stadium, it is not easy to hit 4 home runs in just one day… When I saw that, I began to feel pitiful that I had gone to the plate with my eyes only on the home run and forgetting about the team’s victory.
‘… Yes, this is Jimaengho.’
After the Olympics ended, I realized that the idea that the gap with Ji Maeng-ho had narrowed was just an imagination. And what you see is reality. The reality was that it was impossible to cross Jimaeng Lake.
“Let’s just does it like we normally do, Seungcheol.”
Joo Seung-cheol smiled bitterly and spoke to himself, then picked up the bat he was trying to put in his bag.
“Seungcheol? Where are you going?”
“I’m going to do some batting at the indoor practice range.”
“Hey, it’s strong, it’s strong. Do you go to training even after hitting the finish line? You too…”
I may have messed up my swing form today by messing around, so I had to get my senses back. So Joo Seung-cheol did not stop swinging the bat until late at night.
*
“What? Did you hit this guy again? Is your face crazy? Last year, Jincheol hit 2nd place in home runs with 44… Did this guy take drugs again?”
In this series, it strangely felt like the pitchers were competing head on, so it wasn’t difficult to hit a home run, but if Seungcheol was at this pace, it wouldn’t be surprising if he caught up at any time. I hit five home runs in this series. If things continued like this, it was a given that they would avoid competing with me starting from the next series.
“Under… But you can’t force it. This is why being a superstar has a hard time.”
I guess I need to hit more home runs tomorrow so Seungcheol won’t even think about following me.