Chapter 559 – Episode 551. Toward a New Record! (2)

‘It’s easy.’

The long-awaited 63rd home run was a bit in vain. As soon as Mr. Rossby heard that it was a fastball, he just looked towards him and swung it, but it went over the fence. Otherwise, he swung in a way that said, “I’ll just take a strike or not,” But he came in toward me from the first pitch, so I was embarrassed.

“Strike! Out!”

The good news was that Na Seung-yoon’s mentality didn’t seem to have collapsed that much. Na Seung-yoon showed powerful pitching even after hitting a home run against me, and the game ended at 1-0.

‘The problem starts now…’

But the problem starts now. Since the 63rd home run was a record-tying home run, it could have been a home run that did not put pressure on the pitchers. However, the 64th home run is a record that no Korean has ever achieved… It was an honorable record for me who hit the home run, but it was a disgrace for the pitcher who allowed his 64th home run, so there was a high possibility that he would avoid it again from now on.

My second at-bat while feeling a bit worried.

“Strike!”

Unexpectedly, Na Seung-yoon once again boldly attacked the zone from the first pitch.

‘Put the slider towards you from the first pitch? ‘Asshole, I recognize one asshole.’

As soon as Mr. Rossby heard that it was a slider, he thought it was a ball that was going out, but he hit it towards his body.

And this was also a signal to me.

‘Okay, let’s stick together properly, right?’

‘Then how should I get out of the way? Do you want to do it alone?’

‘Yes? Why me? This is victory.’

It is polite for me to fight with all my might against a guy who shows up with all his might. Since this was both sport and war, there was absolutely no reason to watch it.

‘A shameful bastard.’

‘Thank you for the compliment. I learned everything from Mr. Rossby. Please tell me the next ball.’

‘Hehe, wait. ‘It seems like you have a lot to worry about.’

Certainly, as Mr. Rossby said, Battery seemed to be constantly thinking about the next ball. The guy’s second ball that he decided on after much deliberation.

‘It’s a change-up.’

‘Oh, change-up? It’s good.’

Change-up. It was a reasonable choice. When I was hitting alone, I had a bit of trouble with my changeup. If you enter the zone, wait a few seconds with the bat ready to swing.

“Ball.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t throw the changeup in the zone, so I just let the ball go.

‘After all, now that I know, it’s so convenient. What about the next ball? Fastball?’

‘Yes, it’s a fastball.’

Two breaking balls, then a fastball. Well, it was a standard operation. The problem is the location of the fastball. If you had to choose between the inside or the outside, the outside was more likely. Because the pitcher hit a home run in his first at-bat while throwing toward his body.

‘But, it feels uncomfortable…’

However, a corner of my heart felt uneasy. The guy who threw a fastball to the inside of the first pitch in his first at-bat and a slider to the inside of the first pitch in his second at-bat, now avoids it to the outside? It didn’t match his pitching today.

Common sense said it was the outside, but my heart was telling me that he was going to hit the fastball to the inside.

‘Because now is one and one… Okay, otherwise I’ll just miss the swing.’

Since there was plenty of room in the count anyway, I decided on the same hitting direction as the first at-bat this time. And, as soon as I decided on the direction to hit, he started lifting his leg as if he was ready to hit the ball.

‘Come!’

The baseball left his hand and quickly came towards me,

‘… Towards the body!’

As soon as I checked the trajectory, I was sure it was toward the body, so I swung the bat hard.

Perfect!

But the sound the bat made was different from what I expected.

‘Oh, fuck. It was a little high.’

The ball came in higher than I expected. Although he hit the ball with the bat, the batted ball was high and flying toward left field. A perfectly hit ball… When I stepped on first base, the left fielder had already caught the spot of the dropped ball and was reaching for his glove.

“Out.”

“That’s it!!!!”

And even the pitcher roars as if he had just pitched a shutout in the Korean Series with one out count.

“Ugh.”

When I saw that, I had no choice but to spit and walk towards the dugout. Because it was true that I lost this match.

‘Fuck you.’

I thought it was an appetizing ball, but it turned out to be higher than I expected… It was urgent. Even though it was urgent, it was too urgent. Normally, I would have looked at the ball a little more and hit it… Normally, it would have been a trajectory that could have been judged calmly, but when he hit a home run from the first pitch in his first at-bat, it seemed like he was in a hurry without realizing it.

My mistake was that I was unknowingly excited about setting a new home run record.

‘Tsk, let’s come to our senses.’

However, if you keep thinking about your mistakes, you won’t get better grades. Since I knew what mistake I made, I just had to avoid making that mistake next time.

‘Yeah, I’m so excited about something that’s nothing special.’

‘Bad God.’

‘…’

Mr. Rossby, who never misses an opportunity, swore, but since it was a stupid mistake, he quietly nodded and returned to the dugout.

‘Fuck, but thinking about it makes me angry. Throw the ball there? This bastard pretends to be a real man and throws himself into the zone, then hits him in the back like this. You fell behind in your next at-bat.’

‘What a child. ‘I don’t get upset just because I’ve been cursed once.’

‘I’m not upset!’

‘Then again, why did I make such a stupid mistake? You won’t go into the dugout crying, right?’

‘Because it’s not!’

The game progressed while being teased by Mr. Rossby, and one out in the top of the 6th inning with the team trailing 2:1. Finally, the opportunity for revenge has come to me. With one runner in front.

An opportunity to turn the 64th home run, a new Korean record, into a two-run comeback… But unlike before, my mind was calmer than ever.

Hehe, why am I such a jerk? Mr. Rossby, am I not talented at baseball?’

… He couldn’t help but lose his cool because Mr. Rossby, who had been on the receiving end for the first time in a long time, kept teasing him throughout the game. The only thing that can silence Mr. Rossby is a cool home run.

‘Tell me the type of pitch.’

‘It’s a fastball.’

‘Fastball? You traitorous bastard. I’ll pretend to throw it in the zone again and take it out.’

His first pitch was a fastball. The guy was standing on the mound with an expression that looked like he was going to put it in the zone at any moment, but I didn’t believe that expression. Because I threw a high ball out of the zone with this look earlier.

“Ball.”

And as I expected, his first pitch went far outside. Since there is only one runner, the hearts of the guys trying to win as carefully as possible can be conveyed here.

‘Fastball.’

‘Another fastball?’

The count is one ball. Since the ball count was generous, there was no reason to swing the bat. Moreover, if I saw 2–3 balls, I could get a feel for what kind of ball combination the battery would use against me, so watching the balls was a pretty effective strategy.

“Ball.”

And the pitcher’s second ball falls outside again. Slowly, I started to feel it.

‘If you keep hitting the ball to the outside like this, it means you want to get a strike with the ball to the outside, right? Then a slider?’

The ball strategy is to throw an outside fastball twice in a row to distract the sense of distance, and then catch a strike with a slider that seems to come deep toward the body. It wasn’t bad. If you look at outside fastballs in succession, the zone tends to look far away, and if a ball comes in at that time, the ball may look deeper than usual.

Plus, he throws a slider, a pitch that curves slightly outward? If so, it was almost certainly a body slider.

‘Slider, right?’

‘Yes, it’s a slider.’

A cheek combination with a bit of hair that doesn’t suit you. It was a good ball combination.

… If the opponent wasn’t me.

‘This bastard is behind.’

Since I knew it was a slider, there was nothing rough about it. Maybe throw it outside? Then, it didn’t matter because I just had to stop the bat the moment it showed signs of coming out. A few seconds to wait for his pitch.

He threw the third ball.

‘… ‘Huh?’

To the middle… !

‘I will eat well!’

The moment I threw it, I felt like there was a little less rotation, so I immediately realized it was a lost throw, and since I was preparing to swing the bat, it wasn’t difficult to hit the guy’s ball.

Ta-ah!

And the moment it hits the bat, a definite feeling travels through the bat and throughout the body. A home run that is nothing to see.

-Wow!!!!

I listened to the cheers of the crowd and briefly admired the batted ball, then threw the bat and slowly ran toward first base.

‘Tch, that’s not fun. ‘You’re making a mistake here.’

We had already reached the 6th inning, and it was a stressful situation, so I knew there was a good chance of a missed throw. No, even if it wasn’t that situation, I wasn’t surprised because there were many pitchers in the league who threw misfires.

But, is it somehow empty for a new record?

-Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maengho! Ji Maengho!

Still, a new record is a new record. Today, after celebrating my new record at Jamsil’s third base and touching my helmet to the fans who were enthusiastically cheering my name, I returned to the dugout and enjoyed the congratulations of my teammates.

“Nice!”

“Let’s pass 70 home runs! “It’s a fierce tiger!”

“70 home runs? Of course.”

It’s been a few days since I hit 62 home runs, which is the threshold for a new record, like nine moves. Since he broke those nine moves with two home runs in one game, he was ready to reach 70 home runs. No, it goes beyond 70 home runs and even Bonds’ 73 home runs.

‘Baby, you’re excited again.’

‘Oh my! I’m not excited!’

… But unfortunately, Mr. Rossby, who thought he would be killed with a single home run, kept talking and not stopping until the end of the game.