Chapter 489 – Episode 481. Let’s Go on a Winning Streak! (1)
“Catch it!”
“Throw it!”
As soon as he stepped out, the future infield became busy, and the third baseman was struggling to somehow catch the ball. However, those efforts were in vain because the timing of the perfect breaking ball was stolen.
“Safe!”
“Oh, I almost lost the ball. Be careful.”
“… “I’ll take care of it.”
The fluttering… After shaking the dirt while watching the third baseman tremble, I slowly widened the lead again, and Trey, the left-handed pitcher, looked back at me and started paying attention. He seemed very anxious that I might steal his groove. However, there was no reason to steal home with 1 out and 3rd base, so I kept my center of gravity on 3rd base as much as possible and kept going back and forth.
‘I wish it would shake a little more.’
It would be nice if the weatherman could produce a hit, but in fact, it is not easy for a left-handed batter to hit a powerful left-handed pitcher he has never seen, so when you are not expecting it,
Perfect!
The weather warning bat cleared the ball.
“Run!”
The hit ball was headed toward the shortstop. Since the batted ball was a little slow, there was no problem running to home.
“Stand and come in! “First base.”
“Yes.”
Since it was the first inning for the future infielder, I chose to count out one rather than gamble and was able to get home with ease.
‘1 point for this.’
“Meng Hao, how was the ball?”
“Uh, it’s a little tricky to hit, but once you hit it, it feels like it goes straight. “I guess the position is not as good as I thought.”
“Okay.”
After handing over information about the pitcher to Choi Jin-cheol and high-fiving Ki Ki-joo, who had scored an RBI, he went into the dugout. It’s a little disappointing, but it comes first anyway.
“Strike! Out!”
Hearing what I said, senior Jincheol seemed to be aiming for a big hit, swung the bat coolly, and returned to the dugout. It seemed like he made up his mind and turned it around because it was two outs, but it seemed like Trey’s ball was better than Jincheol thought.
“Hey, the ball is good? Is it because it’s early in the season?”
‘Use it? ‘Is that tidy?’
“Brother, it’s okay. Because I gave up 1 point. “I will try to stop it.”
Senior Jin-cheol grumbled when he returned to the dugout, as if he was embarrassed by his big missed swing, but today’s starting pitcher, Jun-hyung, effortlessly declares that he will block future batting lineups.
“Yes, Junhyung. Let’s work hard today.”
“Yes.”
But why does Junhyung, who is confident, feel more anxious when he hears his older brother’s voice?
‘I need to focus a little more on defense.’
*
[AT Thunders comfortably scores first in the top of the first inning. Now we come to the future Buffaloes’ attack in the bottom of the first inning. Let’s take a look at the future Buffaloes’ offensive lineup. 1st hitter Lee Hyun-kang, 2nd hitter Kim Yun-il, 3rd hitter Yoo Jun-hwan, 4th hitter designated hitter Jin-hong Lee, 5th hitter Bright… I will explain AT’s defensive position. Starting pitcher Park Jun-hyung and Kim Hyun-seong’s battery, starting from first baseman Choi Jin-cheol…]
[There were many comments that Park Jun-hyung broke the ice by winning 10 games for two consecutive years. So he successfully signed a 4-year, 6 billion won free agent contract this season. Of course, he is not a so-called S-class player, but Park Jun-hyung can still be considered a calculating pitcher, right? What will you show today…]
[The moment I tell you! Lee Hyeon-gang’s first pitch hit! It extends far! Center fielder Jeong Hwi-cheol! Diving catch! Thunders center fielder Jeong Hwi-cheol steals a hit! Junhyung Park takes off his hat and says hello!]
[It was a very well hit ball, right? He went in strong from the first pitch, and it wasn’t strange if it ended up being a hit. I can’t help but praise Jeong Hwi-cheol’s defense. This season, Woo Kwan-hyung mainly played as a pinch hitter, and Jeong Hwi-cheol was selected as the starting center fielder, right? His defense is perfect, unlike a rookie.]
[… Walk. After a 10-pitch match, Kim Yun-il gets a walk. … Yoo Jun-hwan’s hit! A hit that misses the center! Future Buffaloes creating opportunities with 1 out and 1st and 3rd bases! Now, the fourth batter, Lee Jin-hong, comes in.]
[Jinhong Lee had high expectations that he would win the Golden Glove as he rejuvenated last year, but as his pace dropped in the second half of the season, he was pushed out by Jeonghyeon Kim, right? Last season, his pace dropped in the second half of the season because he was not at full strength due to the aftereffects of an injury sustained the year before last, but he said he prepared really well for this season.]
[… Three ball! It’s a one-strike three-ball approach. Oh, Jinhong Lee is being sent to first base. Now with one out and bases loaded. At the plate is Bright, a new mercenary hitter recruited this season.]
[Bright did not do well in the last 3 games, recording a batting average of .100, but it appears that he is going through an adjustment period.]
[Bright’s first pitch hit! This hit is for second base! Ji Maengho! Catch it! Toss to second base! Seongtae Yoon! All the way to first base! Out! AT Thunders overcome the crisis of bases loaded with one out!]
[Hey, there was a series of good defenses in the first inning, right? Jeong Hwi-cheol and Ji Maeng-ho also help pitchers with good defense.]
[The game now goes to the top of the second inning!]
-Ha, what the fuck, doesn’t Maeng Hosin soak the batsman? I wish you would soak that bastard in the water.
┗ㄹㅇ I soaked the volcanic pitcher, but it would be nice to soak the Bright as well.
┗Dol Jong-seok, you bastard, take him out of Bright Cleanup ㅅㅂ
┗With 1 out and bases loaded, I want to kill Mudeuk
In the bottom of the first inning, which started with the first run scored, the Mirae Buffaloes had a huge opportunity with one out and bases loaded, but foreign batter Bright hit a double play, and Mirae fans began to spit out double insults. Normally, mercenaries would get criticized when they performed poorly, but the stress felt by future fans was even worse.
Because atrocities against foreigners have been going on for several years. Last season, the team was unfortunately eliminated in 6th place. The club’s Achilles heel was by far the mercenaries. The performance of Lee Jin-hong, who recovered from an injury and led the batting lineup by burning in the first half of the season, and the performance of Jang Woo-joo, who has grown into a pitcher who can aim for the Golden Glove Award just three years after his debut, were enough to make future fans dream of fall baseball.
However, the mercenary pitchers and batters they had ambitiously recruited failed and were eliminated from the fall baseball competition, and the trauma was enough to torment future fans.
-Ah, the mercenaries are shit this year tooㅡ
┗ㅅㅂ I’m going to compete again in the fall and fall in 6th or 7th place.
But, today. The stress of future fans caused by the mercenary batsman quickly subsided.
[Tray! He strikes out Williams.]
[The corner work was perfect, right? Are you making good use of the expanded zone?]
[… Kim Su-ho is allowed a walk. Seongtae Yoon touched the ball, and this ball was hit by a shortstop! Catch it! Throw to second base. Two outs.]
[Trey catches Kim Hyun-seong with a three-pitch strikeout. The inning ends with four batters.]
[Trey, you throw a perfect ball? Although they gave up a score in the first inning, it seems like Mirae has brought in a solid pitcher this time, as they did a good job blocking AT’s hard-hitting lineup, excluding Ji Maeng-ho.]
-Are you good at throwing the tray?
┗Do you have a feeling? That’s enough against the AT lineup.
This is because Trey, who was selected as the starting pitcher for the home opener, was showing pitching that lived up to expectations. Trey’s pitch, which immediately relieved the stress of hitting the bases loaded with one out, was not only a result, but the content was also enough to satisfy the fans.
In particular, Trey’s pitching was so perfect that fans who had been watching baseball for a long time wondered, ‘Why did he come to Korea?’ There was one walk, but that walk was also due to the umpire not calling an ambiguous course, so the fans’ satisfaction was almost at the highest level.
And as fans were satisfied, Trey was a pitcher who knew how to deal with batters.
Against left-handed batters, he induces strikeouts and batters with fastballs and sliders, and against right-handed batters, he leads the bats with his two-seamer and change-ups that get busy outside. It was natural for future fans to be happy at the sight of a former KBA-level mercenary pitcher who appeared after waiting for several years.
-Wow, we have to win this season no matter what? That bastard will throw this season and unconditionally return to the United States.
┗ㄹㅇ Why did such a bastard come to Korea?
┗It’s been 2 innings now. I’m excited.
┗┗Are you sure that’s bad enough against the AT batting lineup?
┗┗But I guess I should take a spin first
┗During the demonstration, I thought I was screwed because I pitched 3 innings. LOL
┗┗I also cursed Dol Jong-seok so much, but there is a reason why the club used him as a starter in the home opening game haha
Some people cursed and told people not to get excited, but fans who know anything about baseball can’t help but look forward to this situation.
[Park Jun-hyung also blocks this inning with a three-way throw. Now, in the top of the third inning, the AT Thunders attack. The lead hitter is No. 9 hitter Baek Jeong-jin. … Fan! This is the 4th strikeout of the game. Now at bat is the number one batter, Jeong Hwi-cheol. … Swing strikeout! Tray creates two outs with consecutive strikeouts!]
In such a situation, Ji Maeng-ho’s second at-bat came.
-Now let’s stop Ji Maeng-ho!
┗ㄹㅇ Just need to stop Ji Maeng-ho
-Honestly, I think a tray could be enough to block it?
┗It seems worth looking forward to it.
Future fans were naturally expecting Trey to stop Ji Maeng-ho. Given Trey’s pitch today, it wasn’t strange to think that he could stop Ji Maeng-ho.
[Ji Maeng-ho! Pick a straight walk!]
[Ah, the plan is to not bother dealing with Ji Maeng-ho with two outs, right? It almost seemed like an intentional phrase.]
[Now it’s time to compete with the meteorologist.]
However, contrary to the expectations of fans, the future coaches chose not to deal with Ji Maeng-ho. From the perspective of future coaches, Trey is in excellent condition. It was a decision made based on the judgment that it would be more reasonable to face left-handed hitter Gi Ki-joo rather than having to go into a game for no reason and then block a home run.
And Ji Maeng-ho starts running again.
[Three leaves! It completely takes away the timing of the tray! … Three leaves at third base!]
[Oh, it was a bit scary just now, wasn’t it? However, it was not enough to catch Ji Maeng-ho.]
-Still, if it’s 2 outs and 3rd base, I won’t give up a run haha
┗How do you stop that bastard from stealing bases? Really ㅅㅂ
Still, future fans were able to take a breather when Ji Maeng-ho arrived at third base. Unlike the 1st inning situation with 1 out and 3rd base on base, if there was an out, he didn’t have to score. But, when everyone is so relieved…
‘What? Don’t you look at third base at all? Mr. Rossby, please check the timing.’
Ji Maeng-ho’s eyes sparkled.
‘When are you going to run?’
‘It runs on a slider, right? I think it will be a big deal anyway.’
‘I get it. … ‘Now!’
Even before Trey stepped up, Ji Maeng-ho started running toward home,
“Throw it!”
Trey, embarrassed by the sight, threw the ball to make a throw, but by the time he threw the ball, he had already entered the throwing motion. And the umpires who saw that all pointed to the mound.
“Bolk!”
[The referee declares a balk! Ji Maeng-ho induces a balk and scores one more point! Score 2:0!]
[Just now, Trey threw the ball home without making a complete pitching motion, right? It seems that Trey was taken aback when Ji Maeng-ho tried to steal home when he was least expecting it.]
The atmosphere in the home team’s cheering room, which was still heated by the sudden timing of the home steal attempt and balk declaration, subsided as if cold water had been sprinkled on them. And on the contrary, the away cheering area where AT fans were located was definitely in a festive mood.
“Ah…”
“[What? Why balk, this?]”
“Hey! “Try drying the tray.”
“Hey, cam down! Calm down!”
After that, there was an uproar where Trey disobeyed the decision and requested a video review, but Ji Maeng-ho did not return to third base in a balk situation that was obvious to anyone.
[Ji Maeng-ho made a very smart play, right? Originally, a pitcher should have been able to tie up the runner on third base with his eyes, but he couldn’t do that, and the pitcher was so focused on winning against Ki Ki-joo, who was such a heavy hitter, that he seemed to have missed the runner on third base, Maeng-ho Ji.]
“What? “You even got a balk, but why do you look like you chewed shit?”
“Under… Even if it wasn’t a balk, it was just timing for success. You stole one base. It’s annoying.”
However, because it was a clear timing for a successful steal, Ji Maeng-ho was in a slightly bad mood, but it did not affect the game much.
[Trey strikes out the weatherman! Ending a messy inning.]
Fortunately, Trey came to his senses and ended the inning by striking out Ki Ki-ju, but baseball is a sport of momentum. The atmosphere calmed down with the declaration of balk, and Park Jun-hyung clearly blocked future batters.
[Park Junhyung! 6 innings, 1 run allowed, showing quality start pitching!]
[You gave up 1 point, but you saved it well, right?]
Although Park Jun-hyung did not receive many points, he was able to block future batters who were losing momentum and came off the mound, allowing only 1 run in 6 innings.
[Trey ends the top of the 7th inning with a three-way throw! I come off the mound with a high-quality start, allowing 2 runs in 7 innings!]
[It looks like this is the end of the tray. The number of pitches is 94, which is quite a lot, right?]
[In the top of the 8th inning, the leadoff batter is Kim Hyun-seong. This is where pinch hitter Woo Kwan-hyung comes in. … Safety! Woo Kwan-hyung’s leadoff hitter gets on base! … Baek Jeong-jin’s batted ball! It passes by the second baseman! 1st and 2nd bases safe! … Jeong Hwi-cheol’s bunt attempt safely sends runners to second and third base. One out. … Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball! High! Far! Fence! Caught in front! The runner on second base and the runner on third base move one base! Ji Maeng-ho records a sacrifice fly RBI! AT Thunders run away with one more point! … Weather warning hits! Runner on third base, home in! Score 4:1!]
Moreover, after Trey came off the mound, AT’s batting lineup that was tied to Trey began to wake up,
[… Out! 5:2! Game over! AT Thunders are on a 4-game winning streak!]
The game ended with AT’s victory without any upsets, and the atmosphere in AT’s dugout was bound to be good as they won against a mercenary pitcher who had been selected as the starting pitcher for the opposing team’s home opener.
“Good! 4 consecutive wins. Hey! What is the longest winning streak at the opening?”
“10 consecutive wins? Probably.”
“10 consecutive wins? Let’s go, one time.”
“Hey, it’s still my 4th win in a row, so I’m excited.”
“Meng Hao! “You’re being interviewed as a distinguished player today.”
“Yes! “I’m going!”
The AT Thunders, who had won four games in a row against the league’s ace pitcher named Trey, were showing unwavering momentum for the time being.