Chapter 456 – Episode 448. The Last Spark. (3)

-Garcia! 8 innings, 2 runs allowed! Turn the momentum around.

… The Hwasan Falcons won 7:2 thanks to Garcia’s excellent pitching of 2 runs in 8 innings and Shin Su-ho’s closer. The Hwasan Falcons, who suffered the bitter taste of defeat even though ace Seong-Hyeon was selected as the starter due to an error in the first game, succeeded in turning the game around thanks to Garcia’s good pitching.

… Series score 1:1. Both teams, with a balanced game, returned to Jamsil after a day’s rest…

┗LOL I thought I had it all after winning the first game? LOL

┗Koshi Kazua!!!!!

┗You can do it!!!!!

┗┗It was like this last year, too. We can easily win the upset.

– Haha, it’s cute that they think they can beat the Falcons. Haha, they only won because Garcia was scratched. The players were shaking haha

┗If you just rob those bastards of the starting lineup, there will be no problem, and it will collapse on its own haha

┗Yes~ Try to win mentally~ Anyway, how are you going to stop Chae Jae-hyun and Kim Min-jun and Markel?

┗┗ㅋㅋㅋㅋ You’re scared, so you come to my place and peep at me, right? You’re the one lol

┗┗We were alternate selections anyway, so even if it wasn’t for the semi-finals, it would have been a sweep, right?

-Lead the ‘Ace’ Derensky team to victory!

… Derensky, who showed his dedication by coming out of the bullpen in Game 5 of the semi-playoffs, showed perfect pitching in his return as a starter. Derensky blocked the Volcanoes’ batting lineup by allowing 2 runs in 7 innings…

… With Hancheol leading the series 2:1, baseball fans are interested in whether it will end in Jamsil or go to Daejeon for Game 5…

┗Let’s end the season. What will we do if we come in 2nd place? If this is going to happen, don’t even come in 2nd place

┗┗ㅋㅋ Even if I don’t try to fold it, it will probably fold tomorrow haha

┗Palcols, you bastards, you guys have been showing off your excitement by previewing the Korean series throughout the season haha. You bastards, wait for it haha

┗As expected, most of the players are young, so there is a difference in experience. I would have tried it today if it wasn’t for the sudden death… Let’s do well next year

┗┗It’s not over yet.

-Volcanic Falcons! In the fateful Game 4, Seonghyeon is announced as the starting pitcher!

… The Hwasan Falcons, who were outnumbered 2-1, announced Seonghyun as the starter for Game 4. Hwasan coach Jeong Cheol-min explained the reason for Seong-hyun’s appearance, saying, ‘Seong-hyun himself had a strong will.’ Meanwhile, Seonghyun, who pitched in Game 1, will take the mound after a three-day break.

… A confrontation between Seonghyeon and the foreign mercenary Simmons. Will this game be successful? …

┗Dol Cheol-min, you human butcher, are you only going to play baseball this year? ㅅㅂ I can do better next year with this season’s experience, so why go here as a player?

┗┗Then you lose? I have to win at least in Seonghyeon

┗┗It’s better to watch next season. What kind of shit is this? Seonghyun already has a lot of injuries, so is it right for him to pitch after 3 days of rest?

┗┗Seonghyun wants to come up, you bastard

┗┗ㅉㅉ I have to look at it for a long time. If I go up like this, can I use Seonghyeon?

┗┗The last time I went to Kosi was in 2006. I haven’t been able to go for 18 years, but I have to go this year. Seriously, is there any guarantee that Hyunseong and ug will be at odds again next year?

┗┗You fucking idiot. Team Depth is just on a different level, so of course I’ll have to see it next year

┗This is the difference between Hwasan and Hancheol, who are beginners in fall baseball. Look at Hancheol, they used up all the pitchers in the 5th game, so they blocked the 1st game with Kim Hyun-sik and used a substitute starter in the 2nd game, and gave the pitchers a rest. Haha, this is the difference.

*

[Swing strike! Out! Seonghyun gets his 10th strikeout through the 6th inning! Joo Seung-cheol strikes out!]

[Seonghyun’s pitching is very different from the first game, right? He showed some catching ability in Game 1, but in this game, he is pitching to maximize the ball count and strike out as many as possible. The number of pitches until the 6th inning was 106. In fact, the number of pitches at the end of the 6th inning usually does not exceed 100, but today is quite different.]

[As expected, Seonghyun is Seonghyeon. He came back after a three-day break and still pitched like this. Moreover, he does not seem to lose his prestige even after exceeding 100.]

[That’s the scary thing about Seonghyun. It is not for nothing that they say he is the best pitcher in Korean history.]

6 scoreless innings. 10 strikeouts and 3 double plays. The pitching that Seonghyun showed in Game 4 of the playoffs was ‘perfect’ itself.

‘Eww… Sorry, my arms don’t have any strength.’

However, even though he pitched such a perfect pitch, his condition was not that good. Even though he clenched his fist, his left hand, which had no sensation, was showing the condition.

‘I got a strikeout at the end due to a missed pitch, but from the next inning, they will take advantage of the fact that I am losing strength.’

The ball that struck out Joo Seung-cheol was a slow fastball of 138 km/h. Moreover, it was a perfect pitch that went into the middle. Even if Joo Seung-cheol was having complicated thoughts due to the pressure of his name, it was not strange for the ball to go over his wall.

The time remaining until the inning shift is as short as 5 minutes or as long as 15 minutes. Since he had to recover by then, Seonghyeon put on his towel and focused on recovery.

“Hyuna, what do you want to do?”

And then Director Jeong Cheol-min approached Seonghyun. Seonghyeon actually felt more sorry for himself as his tone was full of regret.

After 3 days of rest, starting mound. Although this was not possible in modern baseball, Seonghyun actually wanted it.

The team’s first Korean series in 2006. And the bitter taste I felt at a young age. From then on, Seonghyeon longed for the championship. For Seonghyun, who had won Rookie of the Year and MVP as a high school graduate as soon as he joined the team, winning the title seemed really easy.

‘Well, what will happen next year?’

One year with that thought. The team fell out of the playoffs. And one year. The team did not even advance to the fall baseball season. Before entering the major league, Seong Hyun’s last record in the Korean Series was in 2006.

‘Still, since we’re the Dodgers, wouldn’t we be able to win at least once?’

And he joined the LA Dodgers, a prestigious major league team. However, winning the major league championship was not easy. Although they won several district and league championships, they were never allowed to make it to the World Series.

‘The Yankees are not doing well these days. Still, it’s the Yankees.’

New York Yankees. A club with a dream of winning the most major league championships. Until he transferred to the Yankees, Seonghyun had big dreams. Because he was in the best team, the Yankees, not anywhere else. Of course, it wasn’t quite at its peak, but it was still a strong team that occasionally won the district championship.

… However, even there, Seonghyun had no chance of winning. In fact, the Dodgers he left won the championship that year, but it was not easy for the Yankees to win the district. However, in 2022, we took our first step into the postseason by winning the district championship with the league’s best hitter, Judge.

The Yankees were eliminated. And now, Seonghyun was on his way to victory. Even though it was the KBA league, not the major league.

Of course, Seonghyun’s goal was to win the Korean Series. A goal that can be considered a dream for a baseball player who returns from the major leagues and helps his home team win the championship. The goal was one step away, and he didn’t want to give up.

So, he volunteered to start. The coach may be criticized, but in Seonghyun’s opinion, it seemed like it would be difficult for this team to rise to a higher level without him. Except for Lee Yong-gi and Kim Joo-yeop, who transferred to FA, they were seen frozen even during training or games.

“How can I pitch one more inning? Minjun is getting ready, but…”

“… “I’ll throw more.”

“There are over 100, is that okay?”

“It’s okay.”

“Yeah, but I’ll change it even if just one batter goes out.”

“Yes.”

That’s why Seonghyun said he would throw more at the director’s words. And he hoped that his juniors would feel something when they saw him throw. If the juniors felt something like that, winning wasn’t just a dream.

The starting lineup consists of himself, Chae Jae-hyeon, Garcia, Kim Min-jun, and Marquel, and the league’s top finisher, Shin Su-ho. And Choi Si-woo and Lee Yong-gi, who hit 30 home runs in the league. Hwasan was no longer a weak team that was in last place in the league. I’m just nervous about my first postseason. If it were possible to break that tension, it would have been worth doing in the Korean series.

[Three-way failure! The balance of 0:0 is maintained! Simmons roars!]

And again, it is Seonghyeon’s turn.

-Saint! Saint! Seonghyeon!

My own voice echoing in Jamsil.

‘Maybe this inning will be the last?’

Seonghyun had a feeling that this inning would be his last. However, I didn’t want to send out a single batter in the last inning.

-Just right!

[A batted ball gets stuck in the infield! Pitcher Seonghyun takes care of it himself! One out!]

-Ta – Aak!

[This ball is hit high! Far! Center field! Catch it! Kim Joo-yeop is familiar with Jamsil! Add out count!]

[Hey, this defense is big, right? It was a situation where he could have given up a double, but he helped with defense.]

[Swing strike out! Three pitches, three strikes! Seonghyun strikes out the last batter of this inning with three pitches! Saint! He is the first pitcher whose name will be engraved in Korean baseball history!]

[Ah, Seonghyun is waving his hat for the fans as he comes down the mound. Maybe this inning will be the last, right?]

[Seonghyun took the mound after a 3-day break and pitched 7 scoreless innings! He throws 121 pitches and throws 7 scoreless innings with fighting spirit!]

“Whoa…”

“Senior! Thank you for your hard work!”

“Okay, let’s score some points! Now!”

Seonghyeon shouted out his heart to the juniors who greeted him. If we win this game, the next game, and the next series… Such scenes pass through Seonghyeon’s mind.

“Yes! Let’s go to the reverse!”

And the juniors who respond to such sage. Did Seonghyeon’s heart resonate greatly?

[Lee Yong-gi, who was silent during today’s game! He hits a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the 8th inning! Lee Yong-gi helps Seonghyeon!]

The Volcano Falcons were finally able to take the lead.

[Now Minjun Kim is on the mound. Looks like he’s planning on going for one inning, right?]

[Kim Min-jun! Three-way trip! He cleanly blocks Hancheol’s 7th, 8th, and 9th batters!]

[Hey, the ball is nice. Kim Min-jun is playing as a swingman in this series and is definitely preventing the team from a crisis. He is hitting the ball well today as well.]

[Now there is only one inning left. Will the volcano balance the series…]

And that fighting spirit continued to Kim Min-jun. The momentum of the Hwasan players increases with the sight of Kim Min-jun, who clearly blocked the first inning. The top of the 9th inning started in such a good mood.

[9th batter Han Seong-jin hits a double! First hit of the series! It roars as if washing away the past sluggishness!]

[This double is big, right? Han Seong-jin made a mistake in the first game and was in a lot of trouble, but coach Jeong Cheol-min gave him faith and continued to hire him. This is how I repay that trust.]

Starting with 9th batter Han Seong-jin, who had been criticized as a traitor throughout the series, hit a double.

[Kim Joo-yeop’s walk! The chances continue! Safe 1st and 2nd bases!]

First batter Kim Joo-yeop got a walk, giving Hwasan a chance to score a key point.

[Now, Lee Won-hyung is the number 2 batter at bat.]

[Wonhyeong Lee must also be having a hard time. His batting performance is good, but he gave the mood with a decisive error in the first game of the series?]

[Wonhyung Lee! You hit it! Center fielder’s sliding catch! Ah! Didn’t catch it! It falls in front of center field!]

And Lee Won-hyung, who made an error in the first game of the series, hit a sharp ball. The destination of the batted ball is in front of center fielder Joo Seung-cheol. Joo Seung-cheol, who tried to slide, stands up immediately and picks up the ball.

[Joo Seung-cheol! Shoot home!]

No outs, 1st and 2nd bases. A batted ball where it is unclear whether the center fielder will catch it or not. Second base runner Han Seong-jin, who was making a skipping motion, ran home, but that momentary batting judgment gave Joo Seung-cheol time. And Joo Seung-cheol is a player who is evaluated as having the best athletic ability in Korea, excluding Ji Maeng-ho.

Naturally, as expected from that evaluation, he was a player who could be said to have the best arms in Korea.

[Han Seong-jin! Home! Home! Home!]

A laser-like throw comes from Joo Seung-cheol’s shoulder and heads home in a straight line.

“Out!”

[Out at home! One out, runners on 2nd and 3rd base!]

“Ah! “Don’t turn it!”

“Fuck! It’s Joo Seung-cheol, so does it make sense to turn it into a home run?!”

Cries pouring in from all over Jamsil blaming the third base coach. … So much so that I could hear it directly from the third base coach.

‘I have to make up for it, I have to make up for it.’

You have to forget your mistakes quickly, but because not many people can do that, isn’t that why such a saying has become an old adage? And Hwasan’s third base coach was one of those ordinary people.

[Choi Si-woo’s batting ball is flying high! The direction is right field! The runner on third base prepares to tag up.]

It’s an ambiguous distance whether you can come in or not. The third base coach thought.

‘Because Joo-yeop is quick on his feet! Please! Joo-yeop!’

The third base coach’s mind was filled with thoughts of making up for his mistakes rather than forgetting them.

[The distance is ambiguous… Kim Jeong-hyun is an outfielder who boasts the best arm among Korean right fielders…]

The moment the ball was hit, the third base coach immediately sent a sign.

[Hold it! Shoot! Win at home!]

“Out!”

[It’s out! The Hancheol Grizzlies prevent the risk of conceding a goal with two assists! The opportunity to reach 1st and 2nd base without an out is lost!]

Two home assists in such a critical situation. The atmosphere in Jamsil, which was behind 1-0, was changing.