Chapter 464 – Episode 456. The Last Spark. (6)
Perfect!
[Weather alert batted ball splits the infield! A weather note that accurately penetrates between the first and second basemen! Bottom of the 9th inning! The leadoff hitter gets on base!]
– Weather warning! Weather warning! Weather warning!
Although they were down 2-1, AT fans were speaking louder than ever today. Ji Maeng-ho, the team’s best hitter, was left out of the lineup, but the batting lineup starting from Ki Ki-ju was one that could easily aim for a comeback.
In the bottom of the 9th inning, AT’s batting lineup started with third hitter Ki Ki-joo, Williams, who did not play much of the game due to injury, but broke AT’s cruel record as a mercenary hitter by hitting .304 with a batting average of 12 home runs, hitting 38 this season as well. Choi Jin-cheol, who showed his health by hitting a home run, and Woo Gwan-hyeong, the ‘heart of the AT’ who recorded a batting average of .301.5 despite not having a home run since his return.
AT fans had ample reason to be excited.
[The weather runner will be replaced by pinch runner Jeong Hwi-cheol. And now Williams comes to the plate. Today’s score was 1 hit in 3 at-bats. Williams has 3 hits in 7 at-bats in this series.]
[He only played in 71 games during the season, but the reason AT stayed with Williams until the end despite the injury was because of Williams’ hitting ability. He appeared in 71 games, batting .304 with 12 home runs and 47 RBIs. A healthy Williams is a top hitter in the league.]
[His season record with Tae-Hwan Jeong is 1 hit in 2 at-bats and 1 walk. He showed quite a strong side.]
Perfect!
[Williams touched the ball! The second baseman catches the ball! He decided it was too late to get to second base! Throw the ball to first base. Out! Tae-Hwan Jeong adds a valuable out count!]
“Are you okay! Are you okay! “Choi Jin-cheol is behind me!”
“Oh, shit! I was crushed throughout the season’s season, and I hit the ball! “
“Please, please. Just one person. Let’s just go to the extension.”
When Williams, who showed a strong performance against Jeong Tae-hwan, hit a ground ball to second base and retired, Jamsil was engulfed in sighing. But that sigh is short-lived. When Choi Jin-cheol appeared, fans raised their voices again and started cheering for Choi Jin-cheol as if they had never done so before.
– Choi Jin-cheol! Choi Jin-cheol! Choi Jin-cheol!
Choi Jin-cheol, who hit a wedge home run after Ji Maeng-ho’s bunt hit in last year’s Korean Series, was a clutch hitter for AT fans. Although he suffered a slump during the season this year and did not show the same performance as last year, AT fans were still praying for Choi Jin-cheol to take a hit.
“Please, Jincheol. “You are the home run king.”
“Just one home run, just one home run.”
AT fans who spontaneously place their hands in front of their chest and mumble about home runs as if they are chanting a Buddhist prayer, even though no one asked them to do so.
“Jitterbug! Strike!”
Choi Jin-cheol’s swing cuts through the air helplessly, whether he knows the feelings of those fans or not.
[The first pitch is a curve! Bring out the swing!]
[You made up your mind to do it, right? If it had been a fastball, it would have gone over the fence, but since Jeong Tae-hwan is also a veteran, he induces a missed swing with a breaking ball in this situation.]
“Fuck! Jincheol! “It’s fall, stop turning on the fan!”
“Please, just this once. Because I won’t ask you to hit more in this series. Please, just this once… !”
[Next two-pitch swing! Once again Choi Jin-cheol misses the ball! Two strikes!]
[If this is the case, it is now the pitcher’s count. Jeong Tae-hwan, there is no need to rush. Since first base is also empty, you can utilize the ball count as much as possible.]
Two strikes. A situation where the pitcher has an absolute advantage. Just as it is natural to make the game as difficult as possible when a situation like this occurs during the regular season, it goes without saying in the Korean Series.
“Ball!”
“Ball!”
Perfect!
“Foul!”
Choi Jin-cheol also knew this, so he continued the game by filtering the ball as much as possible and cutting into the zone.
And the sixth ball was thrown.
Ta – Aak!
Choi Jin-cheol’s bat hit the ball with a cool sound. A batted ball flying toward the very center of Jamsil.
“It’s done!”
“It went over!”
There were no fans who could stay in their seats due to that sound. AT’s fans hoped that the batted ball would go over, and Hancheol’s fans hoped that the batted ball would not go over. All the fans stood up from their seats, and Jamsil Stadium fell silent for a moment.
[Choi Jin-cheol’s batted ball! It’s big! It’s big!]
The caster also stands up halfway from his seat and watches the hit. And the batted ball began to gradually sink downward under the influence of gravity.
“No!”
The only person moving at Jamsil Stadium is center fielder Joo Seung-cheol, who is chasing the batted ball. However, not long after he chases the batted ball, a fence blocks Joo Seung-cheol’s eyes. However, Choi Jin-cheol’s hitting is gradually decreasing.
The final destination of the batted ball is where the outfield stands begin, past the right side of the electronic display board. It wasn’t the deepest part of Jamsil, but it was already deep enough. Considering the speed of the batted ball, the ball falls slightly over the fence.
… The calculation passes through Joo Seung-cheol’s mind in an instant. After making that judgment, Joo Seung-cheol’s action was to kick the ground and jump up.
I can feel the fence in my hand without a glove. Strengthen your hands and take one step, two steps. In the spikes, you can feel the feel of a fence that is moderately soft but also moderately hard. Feeling that pleasant sensation, Joo Seung-cheol took his last steps towards the sky,
[Joo Seung-cheol! Grab the fence and jump!]
He raised his hand high towards the batting ball.
[Batting balls! Hitting a ball!]
Joo Seung-cheol’s body, which flew high while defying gravity to win the team, eventually falls to the ground without being able to overcome gravity. But even in the meantime, Joo Seung-cheol’s glove was keeping his mouth tightly shut,
[Joo Seung-cheol takes the ball out of his glove!]
Inside the glove, a white baseball was revealing itself. When Joo Seung-cheol takes out the ball with his other hand and raises it high, the baseball stadium fills with cheers again. And of course, that shout was the shout of Hancheol fans.
“Oh! Fuck! How did you catch that!”
“Ah! Is it Joo Seung-cheol again?! I’m really going crazy.”
[Joo Seung-cheol catches this batted ball! Steals Choi Jin-cheol’s walk-off home run! The hero of the season, Joo Seung-cheol, saves the team once again! Joo Seung-cheol’s incredible defense! The person who appeared like Spider-Man and saved the team from danger is this player, Joo Seung-cheol!]
And before you know it, the right fielder runs in and receives the ball and throws it to the shortstop.
[Meanwhile, Jeong Hwi-cheol reaches third base. Now it’s 2 outs and 3rd base.]
[Hey, we couldn’t stop the bases from advancing, but we showed great defense. Hey, I’ve been watching baseball for over 30 years, but this defense is truly amazing!]
[Joo Seung-cheol’s The Catch! Looking at the data that just came in, the estimated flying distance was 126 m. It was a really great catch.]
“Hey! Joo Seung-cheol! What is it? How did you catch it?”
“I don’t know. He just thought he could catch it, so he ran, and this caught it.”
Kim Jeong-hyun, who quickly made a cover play, gave Joo Seung-cheol his hand, and Joo Seung-cheol grabbed his hand and tried to get up. However, the moment Joo Seung-cheol held his hand, his face distorted. This was because intense pain came from his hand.
“Hey, but why are you frowning like that?”
“Ugh, brother, take it easy. “Try holding my hand gently.”
“What are you talking about? You’re not putting in any effort…” . Are you hurt?”
“Maybe I sprained my hand when I was climbing up, or maybe it was when I landed.”
“Hey, can you play?”
“I think I can run…” . Argh! Hands, hands.”
“Use it, I don’t think it will work.”
“Still, until the end…”
“Hey, there’s only one out count left anyway.”
Kim Jeong-hyun, who felt something strange and was checking Joo Seung-cheol’s condition, quickly sent a signal to the dugout. Trainers and coaches came running after seeing the signal.
“Luckily, there doesn’t seem to be any problem with my bones, but it looks like a sprain? “I think we need to quickly check what’s going on at the hospital.”
[Oh, Joo Seung-cheol is out of the game. Left fielder Kim Dong-jin moves up to center field, and left fielder Lee Tae-kyung comes in.]
[You shouldn’t get seriously hurt.]
[Now AT has only one out count left. And this batsman, the heart of AT, Woo Gwan-hyeong, enters what may be the last at-bat of today’s game.]
A chaotic atmosphere surrounds Jamsil Stadium after Joo Seung-cheol, who made a super catch, was replaced due to an injury. However, in that chaotic atmosphere, AT fans were not yet giving up hope. Because the batter standing at bat was Woo Gwan-hyung.
If other batters had come to bat after Choi Jin-cheol’s home run hit, the fans would have been in the mood to admit defeat. However, the batter who stood at bat was none other than Woo Kwan-hyung.
Woo Kwan-hyung, who appeared in 56 games this season and added 56 hits, hitting 3,149 hits in the regular season alone, failed to add a single home run this season, perhaps due to age, and his home run record stopped at 399, but Jamsil He was a batter who was recognized for his punching power by hitting 399 home runs while using the stadium as his home.
A career batting average of .301, 0.885 OPS, 3,149 hits, and 399 home runs. That is the path Woo Kwan-hyeong has walked for the past 23 years.
-Woo Kwan-hyung! Woo Gwan-hyung! Woo Gwan-hyung!
However, AT fans were shouting Woo Kwan-hyung’s name in unison because it was ‘Woo Kwan-hyung’ and not because of such a great record. When the AT Thunders were struggling in the dark ages, the pride of AT fans was none other than Woo Kwan-hyung. It was Woo Kwan-hyung who always helped the team solve problems whenever they were in trouble, and it was Woo Kwan-hyung who built the team’s pride by gifting a Golden Glove to a team that was not doing well.
Although he had not yet directly announced his retirement, fans knew that the end was coming soon. That’s why I raise my voice and pray that the player who devoted himself to the team for 23 years will once again bring joy to the fans like he always did.
-Woo Kwan-hyung! Woo Gwan-hyung! Woo Gwan-hyung!
The fans’ prayers are also heard by Woo Kwan-hyung, who is at bat. And the surroundings became quiet as if a loud noise had been heard, and Woo Gwan-hyeong began to focus on the pitcher. It was Jamsil Stadium, where the fans’ shouts mixed together and the sound of them leaving echoed, but at this moment, Woo Kwan-hyung felt as if he and the pitcher were the only ones in the world.
‘Hits from the first pitch.’
Woo Kwan-hyung chose Jeong Tae-hwan’s first pitch. He was replaced by Choi Jin-cheol’s big hit, which could safely be said to have gone over the fence, and Joo Seung-cheol’s super catch. The only thing that can correct this chaotic atmosphere is one overwhelming strike.
Woo Kwan-hyung, who has been playing professionally for 23 years, had such intuition. And Woo Gwan-hyung was the player who created the most hits in the KBA league, and he trusted his intuition that brought him to this position.
[Jung Tae-hwan throws the first pitch!]
As soon as Jeong Tae-hwan’s first pitch is thrown, Woo Kwan-hyeong’s bat swings beautifully, as if to say that 23 years have not been in vain.
Ta – Aak!
And the striking sound, more beautiful than any other striking sound made today, resonates in Jamsil.
[This batted ball… !]
The last flame of the veteran who devoted himself to the team for 23 years brightens the night sky of Jamsil.
[… Goodbye! Goodbye! Goodbye! Today’s protagonist, who finished Game 2 of the Korean Series, is the heart of AT! This is Woo Kwan-hyung! The home run that I saved all season! It exploded at this moment! Woo Gwan-hyung! Another name for AT Thunders is Woo Kwan-hyung!]