Chapter 463 – Episode 455. The Last Spark. (5)

“Stop it! Stop me! Stop Ji Maeng-ho!”

“You son of a bitch! You’ve been playing dirty since yesterday, really?! Huh?!”

“Meng Hao! Hold on! Hold on!”

Before I knew it, senior Jincheol came running and blocked me as I tried to take up the mount position. As expected, this brother also has strength… !

“Hey, it’s okay to be sent off, but think about the follow-up disciplinary action. “You might not be able to come out in two rooms.”

My body loses strength when I hear the words “Posthumous punishment.” Yes, I have to play the remaining games.

“Ugh…”

While Choi Jin-cheol was stopping me, our team’s players and Han-cheol’s players rushed out.

“Hey! You are a thug! “This bastard is swinging his fist at a senior?!”

“Fuck you! Let’s try it with me too. “This guy has been like shit since yesterday!”

“Stop! Stop!”

“Oh my! Seniors, why are you like this!?”

Near first base, which quickly became chaos. I can still feel the taste of my hand in my fist. A Si-Hwon’s appearance was hidden by the players, but he probably fainted. You can also see an ambulance coming. And the referee looks at me and comes closer…

“Ji Maeng-ho! “Exit!”

“Yes… Under… Fuck.”

Any word that comes out of the referee’s mouth is an ejection. I was prepared.

This wasn’t my plan… Still, the taste felt directly from the fist was not bad. Although I was sent off.

“Hey, what if I shake my fist in the Korean series?”

“… “I’m sorry.”

“You, the central hitter, must act with responsibility.”

“… “I’m sorry.”

“Still, I had a hard time. Are you hurt anywhere? “I fell down earlier.”

“Yes. “I’m fine.”

“Hey, go in and rest for a bit.”

The coach’s reaction was naturally not good. Even though we were winning 1:0, it was an atmosphere where it wouldn’t be strange if the game turned over at any time. I knew that too, so I quietly lowered my head and went into the break room and started watching the game.

[There was a brief commotion.]

[Ah, Ji Maeng-ho should have held back a little, but Ji Maeng-ho needs to kill his temper on the pitch.]

‘Fuck, was it floating in the air and being pushed?’

‘Hmph, enduring something like that is something only girls do.’

‘Is that so?’

As expected, Mr. Rossby. Certainly, you have to be at least as good as Mr. Rossby to understand the language.

[Kim Dong-jin prepares to bunt. Bunt. Out at first base. The Hancheol Grizzlies succeeded in sending a runner to second base. Now, Kim Jeong-hyun comes to the plate.]

“Lingham, block it cleanly!”

The reason I can watch TV in the break room without worrying even after shaking my fist is because Bellingham’s ball was perfect today. Bellingham’s pitch from behind the mound today was perfect. So even if it was a scoring situation with one out and second base on base, I wasn’t too worried.

Perfect!

And as I expected, Kim Jeong-hyun’s batted ball was trapped in the infield.

[This batted ball floats high. The changed second baseman Kang Joo-hyun handles it easily. Two outs.]

“Nice, this is it!”

[Now 2 outs, 2nd base. And at the plate, it’s this player, Joo Seung-cheol.]

-Joo Seung-cheol! Joo Seung-cheol! Joo Seung-cheol!

The vibration caused by Hancheol’s fans chanting Joo Seungcheol’s name can be felt even here.

‘… Is it strong? Since first base is empty, can’t we just skip it?’

Bellingham is in good condition, but is Joo Seung-cheol a little scary this fall?

Still, all I can do is cheer.

“Lingham! Try blocking it!”

Although no one could hear, I raised my voice and cheered for Bellingham.

*

“Strike!”

The speed recorded on the electronic display board was 152.3 km/h. Although he was throwing nearly 100 pitches, Bellingham’s velocity showed no signs of dropping.

‘Well, I guess that’s why I signed a contract for four years.’

Joo Seung-cheol nodded his head and stepped down once.

2 outs, 2nd base. One hit would tie the game. Since first base was empty, there was no way he would get a good ball.

Joo Seung-cheol kept that fact in mind and went back to bat. And the second ball.

“Ball.”

A ball that slightly deviates from the borderline is hit low and outside.

‘The ball is definitely good. However…, It’s not to the point where I can’t play.’

However, Joo Seung-cheol’s efforts were slowly becoming familiar to Bellingham’s efforts. This at-bat is the third at-bat of the day. The confidence that I can get over the fence just once if I get caught in the middle takes over my body.

‘Today, no, my condition these days is enough. Let’s swing with confidence. Seungcheol.’

And that confidence was not unfounded. Because my body was showing strangely good condition this fall.

It was as if heaven had foreshadowed me to win. This fall, every ball hit was going to the outfield, and even the slightest hit was going over the fence. Besides, now was a golden opportunity. A golden opportunity when Ji Maeng-ho, the most dangerous batsman in the AT Thunders, was sent off.

If I miss this opportunity, when will the next Korean series be?

If he fails in the major leagues and returns, he may return to this position sooner than expected, but such a future is not envisioned for Joo Seung-cheol. There is only one future that Joo Seung-cheol is drawing.

All we have to do is win this series proudly and go to the United States.

[Bellingham’s third ball… !]

And the third ball thrown. Joo Seung-cheol’s bat stopped on the way to the ball that seemed to be coming toward the center, and Bellingham’s ball fell straight to the bottom.

[I’m holding on to this ball! Joo Seung-cheol! Now the count is two balls, one strike!]

[It was an amazing curve, but I endured it. From now on, it’s Joo Seung-cheol’s count, right? Since I have one strike to spare, I’ll probably go for it. But Bellingham is in no hurry either. Because first base is empty.]

[What is Bellingham’s choice? .]

The ball leaves Bellingham’s hand. The fourth ball that Bellingham threw was a fastball full of body parts that could safely be considered the best hit in today’s game. However, Joo Seung-cheol was aiming for the ball. A fastball thrown in an unfavorable count.

Ta – Aak!

Joo Seung-cheol’s bat swings in a perfect curve. The sound of hitting a ball as powerful as a beautiful swing resonates at Jamsil Stadium.

[Joo Seung-cheol’s batted ball… !]

The caster rests for a beat and follows the batted ball with his eyes. And the place where the batted ball arrived…

[Joo Seung-cheol’s come-from-behind two-run hit at the top of Jamsil! Joo Seung-cheol! Creates a come-from-behind two-run! The hottest man this fall! Joo Seung-cheol!]

… It was the top of the outfield seats in Jamsil.

[You just went in too honestly, right? The game could have been more difficult because first base was empty… I think Bellingham’s ball was so good today that it actually became poison. Normally, I would have had a harder time winning…]

[Miracle Hancheol! Let’s start to create a miracle once again!]

-Joo Seung-cheol! Joo Seung-cheol! Joo Seung-cheol!

-Ah~ Ah~ Ah~ Joo Seung-cheol! Joo Seung-cheol of Hancheol! (Home run~! Joo Seung-cheol!) Ah,~ Ah~ Ah~ Joo Seung-cheol! Joo Seung-cheol of Hancheol! (Home run~! Joo Seung-cheol!)

-Wow!!!!

A shot from the team’s main gun that turns the game around. The gloomy atmosphere of Hancheol’s fans began to revive again, and Joo Seung-cheol stepped on the home line with his fists clenched for the fans who called his name.

“Oh, fuck! “I told you to skip Joo Seung-cheol!”

Ji Maeng-ho, who was watching this in the lounge, threw the water bottle he was holding, but the score did not narrow down.

[Strike out! Bellingham allows a comeback, but does not concede an additional point. Bellingham comes off the mound after giving up 2 runs in 6 innings!]

[Bellingham showed a good performance today, but it would be a shame to hit a home run. Still, I blocked it well. From bunt hits to bench clearing. The atmosphere was quite chaotic.]

Still, the good news for the AT Thunder is that Bellingham did not allow any more goals?

However, the trend that had already changed did not easily change again.

[Simmons puts two batters on base, but does not allow the tying score! Simmons pitched well, allowing 1 run in 6 innings!]

[The foreign players on both teams played their roles well today. Simmons also passed 100 pitches, so he probably won’t come up in the 7th inning.]

The 7th inning started after both teams’ starting pitchers went down.

[Kang Se-ho’s three-way inning! In the top of the 7th inning, Hancheol’s attack ended after three batters.]

[Park Hee-min comes up to Hancheol’s mound. He started the rotation with 5 starters this season, and the coach’s determination to take this game clearly is visible. … Woo Kwan-hyung’s hit! The leadoff hitter gets on base! … Seongtae Yoon! A bunt appears! Out! One out! … Jeong Yun-cheol’s hitting is at shortstop! Second baseman! First baseman! End the inning with a double play!]

The 7th inning went by without the score changing as both teams’ winning teams took the mound, and the 8th inning ended similarly.

And in the top of the 9th inning.

[AT puts closer Kim Yun-ho on the mound to block the top of the 9th inning. … Joo Seung-cheol! Leadoff hitter doubles!

[You look like you’ve completely taken control of the day today, huh? Joo Seung-cheol? This is a great performance.]

[… Out! Kim Yun-ho allowed the leadoff batter to hit a double, but finished the inning without giving up a run! There is only one regular inning left. See you at the end of episode 9.]

Closer Kim Yun-ho blocked Han Cheol’s batters, maintaining a tight score gap of 2:1. Before the bottom of the 9th inning began, AT coach Lee Soo-hyun gathered the players.

“Come on, gather around. If you lose here, Ji Maeng-ho, he lost because I wasn’t there, right? How much will you make fun of me? Let’s win and prove that we are a strong enough team even without Meng Hao. Okay?”

“Yes!”

“Well, Meng Hao is good at it, but it gets a little annoying every time he does that.”

“Yes, Sangju. Please.”

“Leave it to me, director.”

After such a brief meeting, the leadoff hitter who walked to the plate was Ki Ki-joo, who scored the only RBI in the team today.

[Ki Sang-joo’s record today is no hits and one RBI in three at-bats. He has an RBI in the fourth inning.]

[Isn’t it an exaggeration to say that that RBI was also created by Ji Maeng-ho’s feet? AT would not have thought that Ji Maeng-ho would be left out like that, so it will be disappointing in many ways.]

‘Ha, if only Meng Hao was there. I wouldn’t have been dragged away like this.’

The first thing that came to mind when Ki Ki-ju entered the batter’s box was Ji Maeng-ho. He was a junior who was rude and said a lot of ridiculous things, but he was a more reliable player than anyone else on the field. And the ridiculous guy who shook his fist on the stage of the Korean Series.

‘This kid left after the game. Really. ‘I need to feed you ten honey chestnuts.’

I knew you were hot-tempered, but you were shaking your fists in such an important game. As soon as the game was over, I didn’t think I could bear it without running over and giving him a sweet chestnut to help him come to his senses.

And to do that, winning this game was important. Considering his personality, as the director said, it was clear that he would brag that he lost because he wasn’t there.

‘We win no matter what.’

Ki Ki-joo began to concentrate on his last appearance at bat, imagining hitting Ji Maeng-ho on the head with a honey chestnut.