Chapter 462 – Episode 454. What Is Coming Has Come.

“Senior Joong-ki, are you okay?”

“They say my finger was fractured… Dude, get better at sliding. It’s a shame the season is coming to an end. “They said my bone was torn into pieces and I had to rest for two months.”

“Yeah, that’s a shame.”

“After finishing, I went to visit the patient.”

“Well, if you have time, let’s go together.”

Before the game started, I talked to Joo Seung-cheol and checked the mood of Hancheol’s players, but it seemed like there was nothing special.

So it was a little strange. It’s clear that the players didn’t try to soak me out of their own will, but the atmosphere of the Hancheol team didn’t seem much different from yesterday. I was a little depressed because I just lost one game.

“Meng Hao, be gentle today.”

“Yes. “Senior.”

Except for Joo Seung-cheol, other players also came and said hello, and people I knew personally greeted me warmly. Definitely the same atmosphere as before.

‘What? ‘Isn’t that what the club ordered?’

If the entire team had shared a plan for me, a plan to somehow scratch or injure me and drive me off the field, this atmosphere would not have been possible. I should have realized that my involvement in Park Joong-ki was revenge and gave him an evil look.

However, looking at this atmosphere, it seemed like not all the players were thinking that way.

‘Then what is it? Did you just tell me to soak it because you didn’t like me?’

I wonder where in the world there is a good person like me, such a terrible thought… I got more angry. In particular, this bastard, An Si-Hwon, who was blatantly targeting me… Why on earth did you try to step on the back of my hand just because you had some kind of enemy against me?

If it weren’t for the base running gloves, the back of my hand would have been sore.

‘This kid really fell behind today.’

“Why is your expression like this all of a sudden?”

“No. Let’s do our best today. Yesterday’s home run was good. “I heard you played some pata?”

“… Is this a compliment? Why do I feel bad?”

“It’s because my brother has a twisted personality. “I’m going anyway.”

“Get out.”

‘Hmm… Seungcheol obviously doesn’t know.’

Well, if Seungcheol had known, he would have definitely opposed it. If you think about this person’s personality, he was a person who could win with skill. Even though Seungcheol took drugs, he wasn’t a person with a bad personality.

‘So, you’re not going to do it today?’

‘… What do you mean? Once you start, you have to see the end.’

Still, I had no intention of seeing it. Because he was the one who started the fight first.

*

[Game 2 of the Korean Series between AT Thunders and Hancheol Grizzlies. Today’s match will be a matchup between Bellingham and Simmons as starters.]

[Bellingham is an orthodox right-hander, and he is a long-time foreign starter who won 10 games this season and has won 10 games for four consecutive seasons, right? Continuing from last year, he performed well this season and helped the AT Thunders advance to the Korean Series.]

[Then what about Simmons?]

[Simmons is a pitcher who was recruited in the middle of this season, and he can be seen as a left-handed pitcher. He doesn’t have a fastball, but he runs well. Yesterday’s game got better quickly as Derenski collapsed, but Simmons is a player with good stability, so it is expected that this second game will be a pitcher’s battle.]

[Continuing from yesterday, Game 2 of the Korean Series will be played against foreigners. Which team will take the victory? Now, let’s call out Hancheol’s offensive lineup. 1st hitter Kim Dong-jin, 2nd hitter Kim Jeong-hyun, 3rd hitter Joo Seung-cheol, 4th hitter Timothy Thompson, … The number 9 hitter is An Si-Hwon.]

[Park Joong-ki got injured yesterday and was left out of the lineup, right? According to the article, he needs surgery. We wish him a speedy recovery. And I hope no player gets hurt in today’s game.]

[Yes. The game is important, but not getting injured is also important. Now, let me call you AT Thunders’ defensive lineup. Starting pitcher Bellingham, catcher Jeong Yun-cheol, and Choi Jin-cheol from first base…]

The match between Bellingham and Simmons. Even if it was a slightly less prestigious matchup compared to Cronks, the league’s co-winner, and Derenski, who had an average velocity in the low to mid 150s and struck out many strikeouts, no fan would have questioned it.

Therefore, fans’ attention turned to the two teams’ main guns.

To Ji Maeng-ho and Joo Seung-cheol, who each hit a home run in yesterday’s game. Although both players’ home runs came after the game was slanted, it was not unusual for such home runs to come early in the game.

However, there is one thing that fans overlooked. The point was that this stage was the Korean Series held about three weeks after the end of the regular season.

The professional baseball season is long, and the stamina of starting pitchers gradually declines. And as the season progresses, it is natural for pitchers who run without rest to have lower velocity. At that point, after 3 weeks of rest, you throw the ball?

“Strike! Out!”

[Bellingham perfectly hits the ball at 153 km/h! He strikes out leadoff hitter Kim Dong-jin with a missed swing!]

“And… Was Lord Bellingham always like this? “I can’t even touch it?”

“Useup…”

[Kim Jeong-hyun’s batted ball! You can’t leave the infield! Two outs.]

Ta – Aak!

[Joo Seung-cheol’s batting ball is high! Far! However, we couldn’t get past Jamsil! Bellingham is off to a good start with a three-way inning from the start!]

Bellingham’s ball, which did not show its true skills in last fall baseball because it was the first postseason, was dancing properly in this Korean series.

However, fortunately for Hancheol, the game did not tilt from the beginning like yesterday’s game.

[Kim Su-ho’s batted ball! Right field front! Kim Jung-hyun’s fantastic defense!]

Leadoff hitter Kim Su-ho was allowed to hit, but starting with the ball hitting right field,

[Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball is big! Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball hits the fence and falls! Ji Maeng-ho reaches second base! Stand all the way to second base! AT Thunders create a scoring opportunity from the first inning!]

Although they allowed a double to Ji Maeng-ho,

[Weather warning: The hit is in front of the shortstop! The shortstop hits second base and doubles out! Simmons prevents a scoring crisis!]

After the shortstop caught a meteorological line drive, he directly touched the second base, resulting in a double play.

[Simmons’ ball doesn’t look that good, but he is definitely getting help from the defense today.]

Also known as the day. Even though he got a lot of correct hits, Simmons’ day was blessed by the God of BABIP (probability of a fielder failing to handle a fair ball), with all the balls going directly in front of the fielder.

However, both the people watching the game and the players playing it themselves knew it. This luck won’t last that long. The quality of the hitting balls was unusual, and if we give up even one point, we could end up conceding a lot of runs.

So Game 2 of the Korean Series was a tight 1-0 game until the 5th inning between Bellingham, who used his pitches to punish Hancheol’s players, and Simmons, who was helped by defense and Babisin.

And in the top of the 6th inning.

[Bellingham, who allowed only two batters to get on base until the 5th inning, comes on the mound in the 6th inning as well. The lead batter is No. 9 batter An Si-Hwon.]

[Even though Simmons continues to get hits, he is leading the game by allowing one run? We gave up one point by allowing two stolen bases to Ji Maeng-ho, but if Hancheol scores, we won’t be able to play today. To that end, An Si-Hwon’s at-bats are more important.]

[An Si-Hwon! Lower the bat on the first pitch! Surprise bunt! Foul!]

Leadoff hitter An Si-Hwon attempted a surprise bunt.

[It seems like an attempt to change the stuffy atmosphere, right?]

[Yes. Every attempt like this is important.]

A situation where everyone thought a bunt was attempted to change the atmosphere of being dragged without a run.

‘With this, the bunt has been planted.’

However, An Si-Hwon’s intentions were different. This bunt is just bait. While other players were just looking at one win, An Si-Hwon was looking at winning the series.

‘I planted a bunt, so as long as the next bunt rolls between the first baseman and the pitcher, Ji Maeng-ho will cover first base. Then, he targets the guy.’

What An Si-Hwon was aiming for was the second baseman’s defensive position when fielding a bunt.

Ji Maeng-ho is a second baseman. To hurt Meng-ho, he has to walk all the way to second base. Anyway, that means you have to get on base. Moreover, even if he got on base, it was not easy to contact the second baseman. Because the second base was managed by the second baseman and the shortstop.

Several situations had to overlap to make contact with the second baseman.

It was the same reason that Ji Maeng-ho, who wanted to show An Si-hwon his skills in yesterday’s game, could not help An Si-hwon.

But what if you bring the second baseman to first base? It’s so easy to make contact with the first baseman. Besides, hurting people was much more natural.

Therefore, An Si-Hwon used the easiest way to call the second baseman to first base.

Bunt right away. The basic defense against a bunt was for the pitcher and first baseman to defend the bunt hit, and one of the two to reach first base. However, if you give the impression that you are going to bunt first, the first baseman will move forward to prepare for the bunt. Then, the empty base will be filled by the second baseman.

‘As expected, it turned out just as I expected.’

When the bat is laid down again, AT’s infielders move into a position to defend the bunt. If he stood here, Ji Meng-ho would return to his original position, but that was not the result An Si-hwon wanted.

As I lay down the bat and wait, the ball is thrown again to Bellingham.

Tap!

[Surprise bunt again! A Si-Hwon hit the ball in an exquisite position!]

An Si-Hwon’s bunt rolls exquisitely between the pitcher and first baseman, just as he had intended. And An Si-Hwon started running to first base with all his might.

In front of him, he sees Ji Meng-ho waiting for the ball with his glove extended forward. Generally, when a runner and a fielder collide, the runner on the running side is bound to get hurt, but the situation is different if the runner is aiming for injury from the beginning.

‘It’s Joong-gi’s revenge… !’

Si-Hwon An gave strength to his entire body as he ran to first base. The target is Ji Maeng-ho’s side or feet! If you run at full speed and step on your foot, no matter how powerful it is… !

[An Si-Hwon’s sprint!]

But then, something unexpected happened. Bellingham’s throw, which caught the batted ball, was high, and Ji Maeng-ho jumped high to catch the ball.

Thud! And a strong collision is felt. Ji Maeng-ho’s large body leaps high into the sky and falls backwards due to impact.

[Crash at first base!]

“Ahh! Fuck! Really!”

If Ji Meng-ho’s body had been fixed, he could have been injured by his elbow or by An Si-Hwon, who aimed at him with a spike. However, because Ji Meng-ho’s body was high up, the impact Ji Meng-ho received was just a headbutt to the body.

And, Ji Maeng-ho’s body was too hard to be injured by such an impact.

“Hey! Are you crazy?!”

Ji Maeng-ho gets up less than a second after falling to the ground.

‘Hmm, what is it? Why do you wake up so quickly?’

It is common sense that if you fall like this, you usually fall for at least 2–3 minutes… A Si-Hwon couldn’t help but make a dumbfounded expression as he recovered so quickly.

“You did it on purpose again, right?”

“… Missing child… B.”

When An Si-hwon, surprised by his murderous expression and amazing resilience, came to his senses and was about to offer an apple,

Poop!

[Ji Maeng-ho! Suddenly he throws his fist! Oh, what’s going on all of a sudden?]

Ji Meng-ho’s fist had already hit An Si-hwon’s chin.

*

‘Ah, fuck it.’

I wasn’t planning on hitting him, but I was planning on submerging him cleverly! I was so angry for a moment that I threw my fist without realizing it. If you do this, you will 100% be kicked out.

But even if you think about it, it has already happened.

“Fuck, I don’t know! One more!”

I swing my fist at the stumbling guy once more.

“Quaaaaat!”

Just two rooms.

This was the number of punches I needed to knock An Si-Hwon to the ground in the Korean series.