Chapter 522 – Episode 514. Returns as the Number 4 Hitter. (1)

“Ruler! It’s the next batter’s day, so let’s come to our senses and compete!”

The catcher threw the ball to the pitcher and encouraged him in a loud voice. It’s already the third intentional throw in today’s game.

‘Fuck, I thought this season the zone would be a little wider, so we could compete, but here we are again.’

I was a little annoyed, but rules were rules and there was nothing I could do about it. Still, after getting hit on the shoulder by Tinie, his pace dropped, and he tended to win, but as he showed signs of regaining his pace from last week, he was now completely blatantly filtering me out.

In particular, what was more vicious than last season was that he did not pay any attention to intentional throws. There were a lot of intentional throws last season, but unless first base was empty, I threw four balls as far out as possible in the hope that I might be fooled.

But these days, no such effort was shown, and whenever there was a runner, he would just skip me with an intentional throw.

The reason why such blatantly intentional phrases suddenly appeared was simple. Wouldn’t it be worth doing at the beginning of the season because the strike zone has expanded? I had been told to compete with myself with this thought in mind, and these days, I realized that that wasn’t working, so I was blatantly ignoring it.

Anyway, even now that we’re nearing the end of June, it’s a league where no one, excluding me, has hit even 20 home runs. Although the hitters behind me were good hitters, I had calculated that it would be better to filter them out like this. Considering that not only one team did this, but other teams did the same after the JT game where I hit 3 home runs in one game, there was a high probability that other teams would continue to ignore me in the future.

Some baseball fans even say that Moon Ki-taek’s deliberate walk-out strategy in all at-bats was the right answer.

Ta – Aak!

‘But Sangju senior hit a home run. Ugh. So what should I do? My time at bat is over anyway.’

These days, the only opportunities to bet are when the score difference is large, a mercenary pitcher, or each team’s ace appears. That means there were no more opportunities today. Sangju senior hit a home run and won the game, but I didn’t feel good because there was only one inning left in the game.

No, it feels good to win, but there’s something strange about it.

“Nice!”

“Sangju, congratulations on your 10th home run!”

“No, those bastards keep filtering out even though I am behind Meng Hao.”

“… “Let me hit it a little earlier.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. “You bastard.”

So today’s game ended with our victory thanks to Sangju senior’s final three-run.

And the next day, the director called me while I was resting after training before the meeting started.

Knock,

“Director. “I love you.”

“It’s open, so come in.”

“Yes.”

When I entered the director’s office, I saw the director sitting in his seat, and Ki-cheol Lee was sitting next to him.

“What happened… ?”

“Meng Hao, you’re in good condition these days. “Your shoulder is completely healed now, right?”

Was he called because of an injury?

“Yes. It’s been fine since last week. But I can’t say I’m in good condition. “The pitchers are so filtered that I don’t even remember when I batted.”

“Hey, the director is here, and the bastard…” .”

“Oh, sorry. “I got emotional at that moment.”

Although I didn’t like Lee Ki-cheol’s criticism, I am a Confucian boy who knows how to respect my elders. I got annoyed for a moment and swore out loud, but immediately apologized to the director.

“Hey, it’s okay. This coach. “These days, everyone except our team is an enemy, so there has to be that level of hostility.”

‘Fuck, the director says it’s okay, but I don’t like that bastard Lee Ki-cheol anyway. But why is that bastard here?’

“Anyway, that’s why I called.”

“Ah…”

“I talked to this coach a little bit, and I think we need to adjust the batting order.”

“Oh, number 1 again?”

Number 1. It wasn’t bad. First, I was able to swing the bat for one at-bat. Still, if it was intentional, it was unavoidable. Fortunately, in situations where there were no runners, the probability of an intentional throw being thrown was 50/50.

“No, how about going up to number 4 again?”

“Number 4?”

“Well, I talked to the coach, and he said it would be better to place him in a batting lineup where there is a high probability that runners will be full. Starting from number 1, Suho and Sangju. Williams. And you. No matter what, I wouldn’t skip it with the bases loaded.”

It was true. Because I haven’t been filtered out with the bases loaded yet.

Additionally, I liked the fact that the three people in front of me were the three with the highest on-base percentages, excluding me. Even if he gave up his on-base percentage slightly as the strike zone expanded, senior Suho had the highest on-base percentage on our team except me, and seniors Sangju and Williams had a batting average of .200-300 and an on-base percentage close to .400 even in the pitching league. Was being recorded.

As the manager said, if the three players with the highest probability of getting on base were in front of me, it was clear that there would be more opportunities to hit bases than now. In order for the bases to be loaded in the second batting order, Hyunseong, who is currently hitting number 8, or Baek Jeongjin, who is currently hitting number 9, had to get on base.

Well, Baek Jeong-jin’s OPS hovered around 0.8, but it was still nothing compared to Sangju senior or Williams.

‘If you think about it, it’s good, isn’t it? ‘Why didn’t I think of this?’

“It’s not a burden or anything, right? “I have experience doing it four times.”

“Of course. It doesn’t make any difference which batting line you join.”

“Yes, I thought you would answer that way. Of course, no dramatic changes will occur. Because a situation where the bases are loaded is not going to happen easily.”

“That’s right.”

Of course, it was clear that there would not be a dramatic change like the director said. However, it was clear that there would be more opportunities to swing the bat than now.

“Then I guess that’s it. Coach Lee. Are the kids resting? “Now.”

“Yes. It’s time for a break.”

“Then, please call the batters and explain.”

“All right. Meng Hao, let’s go.”

“Oh, yes.”

The reason why Lee Ki-cheol was called in was probably to listen to my opinion and reorganize the batting lineup in case the manager did not like the batting lineup he had arranged. I feel more responsible for the director’s consideration.

“Maengho, let’s go to the group chat room and tell everyone to gather in the meeting room.”

“Yes.”

‘But this bastard has been a bit annoyed since he started talking. ‘I will do it.’

I was already annoyed because I didn’t have a chance to swing the bat these days, but I thought I’d have to swing the bat a little today when I met Hyejin.

“Coach. “The kids are growing up well, right?”

“Then. How cute everyone is. Oh, do you want to watch it at my house today? “It’s the last day anyway and the next series is also held in Gocheok.”

“Yes. I like it. “The kids are cute.”

“By the way, don’t you send messages to your kids? Anyway, are you showing off that you ate too much? “You’re still in your third year, brat.”

… I felt like I had to swing it a bit more.

*

[The top of the first inning ends with Jang Yoon ending the inning with a three-way throw. Now, let me tell you about AT Thunders’ batting line-up. 1st hitter Kim Su-ho, 2nd hitter Ki Ki-joo, 3rd hitter Williams, 4th hitter Ji Maeng-ho, 5th hitter Choi Jin-cheol, 6th hitter Yoon Seong-tae, 7th hitter Kim Hyun-seong, 8th hitter Jeong Hwi-cheol, 9th hitter Baek Jeong-jin. AT’s lineup has changed a lot since yesterday, right?]

[Yes. AT is a team with certain starting hitters, so it is not common for the batting lineup to change unless Woo Gwan-hyeong, who is spending this season as a pinch hitter, comes into the starting lineup, but there was a pretty big change today. Ji Maeng-ho moved up to number 4, right?]

[Yes. 4th batter Ji Maeng-ho. It was a batting lineup that I saw a lot during my rookie days, but it was moved to No. 2 to give Ji Maeng-ho more at-bats, as is the major league trend of giving more at-bats to the best hitter, right? But what does it mean that Ji Maeng-ho went to number 4?]

[Perhaps this is because the checks on Ji Maeng-ho have become more severe these days. In the past few days, Ji Maeng-ho has made over 10 intentional throws. He couldn’t hit properly. However, as Ji Maeng-ho moved up to number 4, it became difficult to filter him out.]

[Is that so?]

[Yes. As it is, if Ji Maeng-ho were to come to bat with the bases loaded, the 8th, 9th, or 1st batters would have been

You have to get on base to stand at bat with the bases loaded, but that probability was increased by placing Kim Su-ho, Ki Ki-joo, and Williams in front of Ji Maeng-ho. Because with the bases loaded, you won’t be able to skip Ji Maeng-ho.]

[Now, No. 1 batter Kim Su-ho comes in. He has a season batting average of .209, 6, and an on-base percentage of .407.]

[Excluding Ji Maeng-ho, this is the highest on-base percentage on the team, right? Ki Ki-joo, the second hitter, is hitting .308 with 4 ri, and Williams is hitting .309 with 1 ri. The on-base percentages of the three batters in front of Ji Maeng-ho are all close to .400, so I wonder if they will be able to set the table with the bases loaded in this game.]

[Other than that, I expect that everyone else will make deliberate excuses.]

[Well, if you look at the flow of pitchers facing Ji Maeng-ho these days, you can probably guess it well. Moreover, today’s starter is Seo Dong-ho, UG’s 5th starter. If Seo Dong-ho goes to another team, he could take the 3-4 starting spot, but he won’t risk competing with Ji Maeng-ho.]

[As I speak, Seo Dong-ho’s first pitch. It’s a strike.]

AT’s Kang-su puts Ji Maeng-ho in the position of the number 4 hitter. However, Seo Dong-ho was not an easy pitcher who easily allowed the bases to be loaded.

[… Strike out! With Williams on base and Ji Maeng-ho’s intentional walk, there was a chance for 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd bases, but Choi Jin-cheol was unable to complete the game and the game went to the top of the 2nd inning.]

Of course, that didn’t mean no points were given. Giving Ji Maeng-ho an intentional throw in a situation where there was no runner meant paying the appropriate tax.

[Ji Maeng-ho, who reached base on an intentional throw with one out, steals two bases and comes home on Choi Jin-cheol’s sacrifice fly. Score 1:0! AT Thunders scoring first run in the top of the 4th inning!]

[After getting hit on the shoulder by Tinie, Meng Hao didn’t play well, but he seems to have decided to come out today, right? Ji Maeng-ho’s consecutive steals created the score. Since he has feet like this, it might seem like filtering would be a burden for him, but he seems to filter thoroughly. To be honest, I don’t really understand, but I guess there was a team decision that it was better to do it this way, right? It appears that it is better to deal with the last two batters than to skip Ji Maeng-ho. Now Ji Maeng-ho has become that type of hitter.]