Chapter 532 – Episode 524. Charlotte, AT and Resignation. (2)

[This batted ball! Fence! It passed! No. 6 hitter Choi Young-seok balances the game in two innings! The atmosphere of today’s game is unusual!]

[This should have put an end to the mood after the home run, but Ji Maeng-ho’s mistake was a bit fatal, right? Of course, Choi Young-seok’s swing, which created a home run against Crongs, was good, but the defense was a bit disappointing. There were irregular bounds, but that needs to be dealt with.]

[The game becomes strange. Actually, when AT and Charlotte meet, there are a lot of great matches like this, right?]

[Yes. It is also called Erotrashiko by fans, but with AT rapidly emerging as a team aiming for a third consecutive win, the kind of games fans are looking forward to having not been coming out often these days, right? But I think many fans will enjoy today’s game.]

[Ah, walk… Crongs is shaking a lot?]

[Kronx should not show himself like this. We must forget the past.]

[… This batted ball! Second baseman Ji Maeng-ho! Throw to second base this time! Out! Seongtae Yoon to first base! Out! AT Thunders get two out counts in one go with a double play!]

[Ji Maeng-ho’s defense was very good just now, right? Because the ground conditions were not good, the bounce bounced again this time? But it was handled well. Crongs is smiling slightly. I feel like I’m at peace now.]

[Fan! Crongs ending a long inning! The score is now 3:3!]

-Wow, you are doing so well today haha

┗ㅋㅋㅋ I miss this tasteㅋㅋ it’s been a while

-It’s so fucking funny to play a fool and make a mistake haha

┗ㅋㅋㅋ That’s 1 bad karma

[Now, in the top of the third inning, the AT Thunders attack. Let’s start with No. 1 hitter Kim Su-ho. Oh, the raindrops are getting thicker.]

[On rainy days like this, both pitchers and fielders need to focus. It’s not strange if anything happens on a day like this.]

[Walk! Kim Su-ho gets a walk and succeeds in getting on base as the leadoff hitter!]

-Swanson, you bitch, I erased your defeat, but throw it straight, damn it

┗ I started boring because the dog gave me 3 points against Krongs ㅅㅂ

-Wow, fucked up. Ji Maeng-ho comes out again this inning

┗You can catch it with a double play

[Meteorological warning hits! AT Thunders make 1st and 3rd bases with no outs in one go! Today’s game! This is really unusual!]

-Ah… I’m screwed.

[Now at the plate is Williams, who has a batting average of .303 and 10 home runs this season.]

*

‘I will make up for it no matter what.’

Since my error tied the score, I had to make up for it in this at-bat. It was still the beginning of the third inning, but the rain was getting heavier, so we didn’t know when the game would end, and the mentally unstable Crongs could have collapsed further, so scoring multiple runs in this inning was essential.

Fortunately, senior Suho and senior Sangju succeeded in getting on base, so the situation ended with no outs and 1st and 3rd bases. Additionally, the batter standing at the plate was the trusty Williams. Last year, Williams was upset because he was slowing down, so I had to give him some training, but after receiving my training, Williams was a sincere and reliable hitter.

Besides, Swanson’s condition didn’t look that good.

“Ball.”

The first pitch hit Williams. The crisis of rain, a soggy mound, and first and third base with no outs seemed to be shaking his composure.

‘Okay, let’s just leave it like this.’

And, as if he had heard my prayers, Williams’ bat burst into flames.

Perfect!

“It’s done!”

If you look at the quality of the batted ball, at least a double! Williams’ batted ball flies coolly through right-center field. As I watched him hit the ball and clenched his fist, an anxious thought passed through my head.

‘Uh… ? You shouldn’t hit double…’

Here, if they reach second or third base with no outs, it is as clear as day that they will skip me and compete with senior Jincheol. If you reach 2nd or 3rd base with no outs, no matter how good you are, you have no choice but to skip me

“Don’t go! “Don’t go to second base!”

I shouted hard near home plate, but my voice didn’t seem to reach Williams’ ears. Senior Suho, who had already approached home plate, looked at me as if I was dumbfounded, but this is absolutely necessary for the team’s victory… !

Fortunately, the first base coach must have heard my voice and stopped Williams from stepping on first base and heading for second base. The coach must have thought the same thing when he heard my voice.

“Stop! Stop!”

At those words, Williams, who had stepped on first base and was about to head to second base, returned to first base with a puzzled expression.

“Phew.”

With this, no outs and 1st and 3rd bases. The best meal was prepared to make up for the points I gave up due to a mistake.

‘Okay, let’s go.’

Fastball, slider, splitter. I checked all the balls Swanson threw in the previous at-bat, so I was fully prepared to go over the fence.

‘The problem is empty… That kid’s control isn’t the same as before.’

Clearly, the guy’s control, as seen in his first at-bat, was at the top level in the league. However, perhaps because of the rain, he had unusual control.

‘The first pitch is a fastball.’

‘As expected, my control seems to be unstable. When you see him throw the ball he is most confident in from the first pitch.’

The fastball was the ball pitchers threw the most, and as such, it was the ball with the best control. There were some guys who could control breaking balls better than fastballs, but those guys were really rare guys, and of course Swanson wasn’t that type of pitcher.

And here, taking out the ball you are most confident in means that you will definitely hit it in the zone!

‘Yes, you have to be this strong to return to the majors.’

The guy who was looking at Williams and timing seemed to have an intention to throw, and started to take a pitching stance. And the ball is sprayed with a quick slide step.

‘Now… !’

Ta – Aak!

Unlike the previous at-bat, the guy’s fastball was struck at perfect timing. This time, as usual, the swing was so perfect that I didn’t even feel the heavy sensation that I feel after hitting the ball.

If this was the case, there was nothing more to see.

-Wow!!!

Cheers heard from the expedition seats. When I put my hand to my ear and made a gesture asking them to cheer louder, the away fans seemed to have realized my intention and started to cheer louder than before.

‘Okay, what if the atmosphere of the game is strange? I just need to hit a home run.’

‘Hehe, it makes me laugh to hear the person who created the strange atmosphere say that.’

‘… Wow.’

Ignoring Rossby’s words that hit the nail on the head, I took a lap around the diamond. And after high-fiving the runners who were waiting for me, I even gave a congratulatory smack to my teammates who were cheering in the dugout.

After hitting a home run, I finished all the rituals I could, and Krongs came up to me.

“[Ji. I believed it.]”

‘The bastard who was staring at me when I made a mistake earlier… Well, I did something wrong.’

I wanted to punch the guy in the head who changed his stance like flipping his palm, but unfortunately, he was today’s starting pitcher.

“[Okay, throw it comfortably. Crongs. Because I’m behind you.]”

Crongs’ expression brightened upon hearing my answer.

‘Okay, I won’t give you any more points at this rate.’

… That’s what I was thinking until then.

*

[Ah! The fastball is heading towards Choi Jin-cheol’s body! Ugh, it must hurt a lot, right? Choi Jin-cheol looks at Swanson.]

[Choi Jin-cheol also felt that there was an intention, right? It seems that Ji Maeng-ho’s home run ceremony stimulated Swanson. Hmm… Seeing Swanson glaring at Choi Jin-cheol, it seems like that too.]

[Fortunately, Choi Jin-cheol walks to first base.]

[There’s no need to clear the bench when it’s raining, right? In addition, if bench clearing occurs, the game will be delayed, and given the amount of rain, the game could have been stopped before the 5th inning, so Choi Jin-cheol made a good decision.]

[Now at bat is No. 6 batter Yoon Seong-tae. … Strike out! Swanson strikes out! Hey, Seongtae Yoon’s career batting average against Charlotte is over .300, but Swanson is blocking well today, right?]

-That bastard is starting again ㅅㅂ

┗ㄹㅇ How does that kid hit .300 against a close opponent? Every time I see you, you’re so bad at it?

┗┗Lot) Seong Tae-ham Don’t you know how to hit the damn thing in a schizzi situation? Sung Tae-ham even saved our team’s salary cap by raising Garbage pitcher’s earned run average haha

┗┗That bastard is Jinseong’s concubine ㅅㅂ

Yoon Seong-tae’s strikeout followed Choi Jin-cheol’s walk. Although there was only one out count, the heated atmosphere of the big inning began to cool down slightly. That’s because Swanson’s pitch, which struck out Seongtae Yoon, was a perfect pitch that struck every corner of the zone, no matter who saw it.

[Now, number 7 hitter Kim Hyun-seong is at bat.]

In such a situation, there was only one thing that Kim Hyun-seong, who is considered the weak point of the AT batting lineup, thought of as he came to bat.

‘Ha, damn, if I don’t hit it again this time, Ji Maeng-ho will be so damned. Are you no longer shaken? Why did Jegu get caught in front of me?’

A clear picture was drawn in Kim Hyun-seong’s mind, where he missed Swanson’s ball and returned to the dugout, where Ji Maeng-ho, his direct senior from middle school, was looking for him.

‘That’s not possible…’ !’

“Ball.”

Perfect!

Perfect!

“Ball.”

Perfect!

Perfect!

With the intention of preventing that situation, I held the bat briefly and tried to clear Swanson’s ball several times.

“Time! Time! Senior! It’s raining too much!”

And as if the sky was moved by Kim Hyun-seong’s efforts, rain began pouring down as if there was a hole in the sky.

[Oh, the game is stopped. It is difficult to continue the game in rain like this.]