Chapter 527 – Episode 519. Friend. (3)

Ta – Aak!

A clear hitting sound was heard, and the ball quickly flew toward the outfield. It was a ball that went out farther than expected, so I didn’t hit the sweet spot properly, but perhaps because I got the timing right, I hit a low and fast ball, and it was enough to cut right-center.

“Turn around! Turn around! “Turn around!”

Because there were two outs, the runner on first base and the runner on second base had already started running, and while I was watching, I stepped on first base and ran to second base.

-Wow!!!

‘To third base?’

‘Stop.’

‘Yes.’

And Mr. Rossby’s judgment that third base was impossible. Perhaps because the ball was hit quickly, Silla’s broadcast was also fast, and the ball was already reaching third base. And taking advantage of that situation, Williams, who was a runner on first base, had already reached home, making the score 3:0.

‘Wow, but I didn’t throw it into the zone. It felt like something was going to be thrown into the zone…’

I don’t know if he threw it intentionally, but the ball that Wonho threw went out by about one ball. If he had entered the zone, he could have passed it right away, but Wonho chose to throw it outside. Like other ordinary pitchers.

‘As expected, Wonho is just like this. It’s not fun.’

I hit a double, but maybe it was a little disappointing? Timing of no ball, one strike. It was great timing to get the ball out. It is natural for ordinary pitchers to throw the ball there. However, I thought Wonho would throw a strike here and target that psychological loophole…

‘For now, I’ll think about it later and do what I have to do. Mr. Rossby?’

‘It’s two-minded.’

‘Okay. Senior Jincheol. It’s two-seam.’

Perfect!

It was announced that it was a two-seam ball, but the 6th inning ended when senior Jin-cheol’s hit the top of the ball and became an ordinary shortstop grounder. With this, the score is 3 points higher. Although he was anxious because he was pitching after a 4-day break, it seemed unlikely that Crongs would give up 3 runs in one inning, so this could be seen as a stable score difference.

After that, the game went as smoothly as I expected. I got an intentional walk in the remaining at-bats, and we won the game 5:2.

“Then, let’s meet Ji Maeng-ho, who hit a home run, a double, and 3 RBIs, including the game-winning RBI, in today’s game.”

And of course, the Distinguished Player was me, who hit the final RBI today.

“Hello. Ji Maeng-ho.”

“Yes. Hello. I love AT Thunders.”

“Today, you led the team to victory by scoring 3 RBIs against your friend Kim Won-ho. How do you feel?”

Dude, hmmm… Yes, Wonho is my friend, so I thought I should take this opportunity to teach him how to become a better pitcher.

*

[Well, it’s a bit disappointing. The home run was good, but Wonho must have been working out hard and his bat broke after hitting the home run. If it weren’t for that, it was a home run in consecutive hits.]

[Okay. And, in the top of the 6th inning, you hit a double that drove the wedge. What kind of ball was he aiming for at that time?]

[Well, I was thinking of just watching and hitting, but that’s a bit disappointing.]

[Are you still disappointed that you couldn’t hit a home run?]

[Well, there is that, but the Wonho I know is capable of throwing it well into the zone. It’s Wonho. Are you watching? Why are you so scared? Just throw it in the middle.]

“What is this, you bastard? Suddenly.”

6 innings, 3 runs allowed. Wonho, who showed quality starting pitching but suffered the pain of defeat, was eating as usual and watching an interview about the game he lost.

Generally, in games where Wonho lost, the batters who scored against him would be interviewed, and by watching the batter’s interview, you could see what he was thinking when he swung the bat at the plate, and the approach of those batters was as follows. The next time we met, he was quite helpful.

However, since it was the first time someone spoke to him, he couldn’t help but be embarrassed, even if the subject of the interview was his friend Meng Hao.

[Uh, uh. Suddenly, a video letter was sent to Kim Won-ho…]

[Yes, then shall we send a video letter? The reporter told me to do it, so I’ll give it a try.]

“This guy started fucking again.”

When I first met him, he was a kind and gentle friend. After wondering for a moment how such a friend could end up like this, Wonho began watching the interview with a serious expression. For some reason, Meng Hao’s expression did not look like he was making fun of himself.

[Wonho. Boldly put it in the zone. It’s really hard to pull the ball out at the end…, He seemed like a very ordinary pitcher.]

“Huh? “I think I was just about to say shit.”

I laughed at Meng-ho’s attempt to use profanity during an official interview, but Won-ho soon focused on Meng-ho’s words.

[I swung it thinking it would land in the strike zone, but I was a little disappointed. You’re not that low-level pitcher, are you? If you just run away like other guys, you’ll be at that level for the rest of your life. You have a decent pitch, so why are you running away like other pitchers? Let’s have more fun next time, Wonho. The first at-bat was kind of fun. Then work hard!]

“Umm…”

Meng Hao said that he would be at that level for the rest of his life.

Although his tone was harsh, Wonho could understand what his friend was saying. In fact, in the top of the sixth inning, when the catcher called for an outside ball, he just wanted to coolly hit it toward his body. With those thoughts combined, he was unable to get the ball out and ended up in an awkward position, allowing a hit to the right-center field.

‘If it were inserted into the body from there…’

Of course, better results may not have been obtained. In his first at-bat, he put it in the zone and hit a home run, but the third at-bat that allowed a double was more uncomfortable than the first at-bat that allowed a home run.

When he hit a home run, he was hit while fighting, and when he hit a double, he was hit while running away, so it was natural for Wonho to feel that way during his third at-bat.

Moreover, Maengho is currently the best hitter in Korea and is also the best hitter who has been proven against major-leaguers in the WBC and Olympics.

If I thought about it a little more, I thought this interview could be an opportunity to step up.

‘A ball thrown by a low-level pitcher… So, you mean the ball I threw felt that way? And what I mean is that the first at-bat was kind of fun…’

From Maengho’s perspective, who is aiming for the major leagues, a low-level pitcher would mean a pitcher who would not make it to the major leagues, and wouldn’t saying that it was fun mean that it was at least close to the major league level? In his first at-bat against Meng Hao, he threw the ball without any fear…

‘So you’re saying that in the end, you should hit the ball with confidence? Oh, wait a minute. So, when Meng Hao thought about it, didn’t you mean that my pitch was at a level where I could aim for the major leagues?’

Major League. The stage that a baseball player dreams of.

Wonho also wanted to go to that stage. It was his dream since he started playing baseball, but even with that, he didn’t want to lose to his friend Meng Hao since it was almost certain that he would go to the major leagues.

Don’t you want to be embarrassed by your friends?

In fact, Wonho’s feelings about Mengho were complex. Meng Hao was my best friend for 4 years, including the time he was rehabilitating from an injury, and when Meng Hao had a bad accident, he was a friend I watched a lot because I was worried that something might go wrong.

At that time, unlike the two men’s positions now, Wonho was already a strong player to be selected as Seoul’s first round pick, and Maengho was worried about whether he would be able to play in the game. Of course, the fierce tiger has been on the rise by bombing high school competitions since his third year.

When Mengho was bombing the high school competition, Wonho was thinking in his heart that something was going to happen.

Within the team, Daewoo was in a completely different situation as an ace pitcher targeting a professional club and a bench player throwing batting balls, but Wonho knew. Meng Ho is the person who works harder than anyone else on the team.

In Wonho’s view, Maengho was a sincere friend who worked hard without losing his will to play baseball by checking his cell phone to see what was wrong with his batting in a situation where no one was teaching him and his coaches were not paying any attention.

Therefore, when we were nominated in the first round together, Wonho was happy as if it was his own work. Because he thought it was a fair result that a friend who worked hard even in a bad situation should receive.

And now, two seasons later. Maengho became a player aiming for the league MVP and a record that will never be broken, and he became a player who worried about whether he would be able to reach that dream stage.

In such a situation, even Wonho, who had celebrated his friend’s work as if it were his own, couldn’t help but feel jealous.

Jealousy of a friend who is better than you, congratulations on a friend who becomes a pinch hitter, and envy as a player. And although he failed in love, he had complex feelings mixed with the desire to enjoy being on the same team with his friends like he had during his high school days playing baseball…

They were now competing on the same stage, but time was running out. If Mengho went to a big stage alone, and if he couldn’t go up on that stage, he wouldn’t be able to congratulate Mengho like he does now, so Wonho wanted to stand on that stage too.

He could not tolerate the sight of himself being jealous of his close friend, and he could not allow a situation where such a friend looked at him pitifully for not being able to stand on stage. He wanted to see the world seen by his close friend since high school. … Even if we lag a little behind.

That is the pride of Wonho, who was born into a wealthy family and lived his entire life as an ace.

He had to go one step further to protect that pride. And now Meng Hao’s interview could have been a clue.

‘Sseu-eup, the coach said I could go, but…’

People around him said that he could go far enough, but Wonho thought he was still not good enough. However, Meng Hao discovered his problem, and if Meng Hao’s words hold the answer…

‘Isn’t it? I’m not sure because he’s just a guy who speaks without a filter.’

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with an answer.

“Sweet, I don’t know. Hey, let’s just ask him directly.”

So the method Wonho chose was to ask Mengho directly. I was able to say this because the person who said these meaningful words was not just a distant senior, but a friend.

Wonho was dumbfounded as to why he was thinking about this right now, so he smiled slightly and dialed Mengho’s phone number.

-Turururu. Toorururu. I can’t connect…

However, all I hear is not my friend’s voice, but a cold mechanical sound.

The time is 11 o’clock. It may not have been possible because some time had passed since the game ended at 5 o’clock, but it was not the time for a typical professional baseball player to sleep. And considering Meng Hao’s lifestyle, there is only one reason why he doesn’t answer the phone.

“Ha, looks like this guy is having sex again. “No, when on earth does he exercise and can he hit so well?”

Of course, except for the time he was having sex, Maengho was exercising and training all the time, but Wonho couldn’t know that fact. And a little bit of resentment came over me. In order to beat Meng Ho, he has given up all leisure activities such as clubs this season and is focusing only on exercise…

“Fuck, when I play with this guy, I win and get the same interview, really.”

To do that, all he can do is try. Just like Meng Hao, who had a bleak future at the time when he was still ahead, did not give up on his dream and continued to film his batting videos.

Of course, the odds of him being able to beat Meng Hao even if he tried were slim. Because there was already a lot of difference. But Wonho knew that only then would he be able to stand on the same stage as Mengho.

The stage that is wide open to Meng Hao is a stage where he has to work hard to open the door.

In order to stand on that stage, Wonho was determined to keep working hard without giving up.