Chapter 569 – Episode 561. The 100-Mile Man. (1)

[Bottom of the 9th inning, no outs. With no runners on base, Ji Maeng-ho takes the fifth at-bat. Today’s record is no hits and two walks in 2 at-bats. Will Ji Maeng-ho be able to break the world record in this at-bat? .]

[Ji Maeng-ho’s swing has grown since he hit his 73rd home run yesterday, right? If he hits like usual, he could easily aim for a home run, but I don’t know. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what happens?]

[Jeon Dae-hoon throws the first pitch! The first pitch is a ball that falls down. Ji Maeng-ho endures it. One ball.]

[It was wide open, right? It’s a splitter.]

Bottom of the 9th inning, a tight game at 5:5. There were two people watching the game at the away hotel.

“How are you, Universe? When you see it, do you think it will hit?”

“Well. Wouldn’t Meng Hao hit you?”

They were Yang Han-byeol and Jang Woo-joo, the starting pitchers of the future Buffaloes, who are about to face the final game against the AT Thunders. The two people who came to Seoul ahead of the team for the final match were watching AT’s game together and doing their own strength analysis.

The gap between the two’s teams, the Future Buffaloes and the sixth-place team Charlotte, is only one game. The Future Buffaloes, who played 142 games, were recording a winning percentage of .500 with 70 wins, 70 losses, and 2 draws, and the Charlotte Blue Mariners, who played 143 games, were in 6th place with 70 wins, 72 losses, and 1 draw.

They were in an advantageous situation with just one win in the remaining two games, but AT’s momentum was unusual, so there was no guarantee that they would be able to get one win against AT. Therefore, the Future Buffaloes were also thinking of using the ace card Jang Woo-joo as a starter in this series,

The two were quite serious because the results of this series would determine whether they would be able to enjoy fall baseball or not. The main topic of conversation between the two is Ji Maeng-ho, the center of the AT batting lineup. And it was Ji Maeng-ho’s home run record.

“Ha, wouldn’t it be easier if I didn’t hit you? It seems like my swing has gotten a little bigger now…”

“But even if Meng Hao were to rest for just one day, he would immediately adjust his hitting timing. Wouldn’t it be easier to just hit now?”

“Well, that could be true. No, why did that kid suddenly have a batting ability at the end of the season?”

“That’s right.”

“Hey, but did you hear the news? “The person who caught the home run ball asked for 730 million?”

“Oh, I saw the article too. But are Meng Hao’s balls worth that much?”

“No matter how much it is in the KBA league, aren’t there people who collect world record hits?”

“But anyway, for size 74, it’s the price of shit.”

“That’s right. Anyway, whatever happens, I hope I don’t hit a home run. Well, that’s how the team wins.”

“… Me too.”

As the chat continues, the ball count is now three balls and one strike. The count has arrived where the pitchers must make a choice. Since they were both pitchers, they stopped chatting and went back to analysis mode.

“If you were my brother, would you skip that time?”

“I don’t know if it’s two outs, but if it’s no outs, I can’t skip it. Anyway, it’s over after only 1 point.”

“But the rankings are set, so I can skip the season?”

“Hmm… Yes?”

“It’s 10th place. Anyway. If we compete here for no reason and hit a home run, it would be a disaster.”

“Then are you skipping it?”

“Me? I don’t skip it. They only filter out kids who don’t have skills. It’s not like I hit a home run every at-bat anyway.”

“… “It feels like they’re secretly sniping at me?”

“… Uh, throw it. Brother, focus.”

By the time Yang Han-byeol’s eyes became bright with Jang Woo-ju’s meaningful words, Jeon Dae-hoon had finished preparing to throw the fifth ball, and Jang Woo-ju succeeded in diverting Yang Han-byeol’s attention with good timing.

Ta – Aak!

And on the TV where the two people were watching, Ji Maeng-ho’s incredible hitting sound was heard through all the noise.

“Huh?”

“Did you go?”

[This batted ball! Warning traeaeak! I’m moving on! Ji Maeng-ho’s 74th home run! Ji Maeng-ho sets a new home run record in a season with a home run!]

[Hey, Ji Maeng-ho… In this situation, aim for the fastball accurately…]

[Bones in 2001! After hitting his 73rd home run in the major leagues! After 24 years! Ji Maeng-ho! A new era opens in home run history! Ji Maengho! Ji Maengho! Ji Maengho!]

[If you look at Ji Maeng-ho’s swing mechanism…]

[Ji Maeng-ho moves the history of baseball once again! The best batsman in Korea! I’m so happy!]

Jang Woo-joo almost stood up and applauded without realizing it that his close brother had achieved a record that would be engraved in the history of Korean baseball, and indeed world baseball history.

“Wow, look at Caster Oba.”

Soon, he realized that the main character was an enemy he would soon face and spoke cynically.

“No. 74 is worth it. “It’s been 24 years.”

“But it’s not even the major leagues.”

“Jealousy?”

However, the senior next to him was making fun of himself by clapping his hands without knowing how he felt, so it was natural for a sigh to come out of Jang Woo-ju’s mouth.

“What is jealousy? Under… But I thought he lost his sense of hitting, but he passed it right away.”

“To begin with, a type like Jeon Dae-hoon is no match for Ji Maeng-ho. Even if you divide the pitch into four, you can still hit it, but two pitches just mean you’re dead.”

“Tsk. Would you say this with a light heart?”

“That bastard is more scared of that.”

Jang Woo-ju also nodded when he said that Ji Maeng-ho is scarier than Ji Maeng-ho aiming for a home run. However, it was after the caster’s last comment that he realized that there was something even scarier.

[The AT Thunders have now achieved 7 consecutive wins and are only 2 wins away from reaching the milestone of 100 wins! Will he be able to achieve 100 wins and a 70% win rate in the two-game series against Mirae? .]

“… Write it. “I’m going to do it with my teeth clenched, right?”

“That’s right.”

100 wins. The first record in Korean baseball history. If you’re a professional player, you want to be the star of that record, and it was clear that AT’s players would prepare to die like they did in the Korean Series and fight against themselves, who were fiercely fighting for 5th place.

“Under… At the end of the season, it will take a while to deal with volcanoes or other low-ranking kids. “Why are you hanging out with kids who have records?”

“That’s right.”

[And there will soon be a celebration of Ji Maeng-ho’s new world home run record, so fans…]

“Bro, are you going to watch this too?”

“No. “Why are you watching someone else’s team party?”

“Then I’ll turn it off.”

At Jang Woo-joo’s gesture, the TV turns off and silence fills the room. The two people who have the team’s advancement to the fall baseball season hanging on their shoulders have only one concern. The question was how to block AT’s hard hitting line and lead the team to victory.

And in order to do that, we had to stop Ji Maeng-ho, who today hit his 74th home run of the season and gave the team a walk-off victory.

‘How can I stop Meng Hao? Under…’

However, Jang Woo-joo, who is gifted with the talent to hit 100 mph and can be said to be the best in baseball in terms of confidence, is already breaking out in a cold sweat at the thought of having to face Ji Maeng-ho in a situation where the fate of the team is at stake. It was.

During the season, when competing against Ji Meng-ho, all he had to do was trust himself and just throw the ball. Although it usually ended in his defeat, it was always fun to compete against a strong hitter like Ji Maeng-ho, and he was able to enjoy the match because it felt like a goal for him, who had never known defeat since he was young.

But he couldn’t help but feel the pressure now that if he lost, his team’s season could be over. Moreover, he did not think that his senior, who was worried about the final series alongside him, could stop AT’s strong batting line.

‘The best bet is that Charlotte loses… Then I can go out to Waka.’

If Charlotte loses one game remaining, the competition for rankings will end, even if Yang Han-byeol loses. He was able to participate even before the wild card.

The first starter for the wild card selected internally by the team is Trey, a foreign pitcher who showed a stable performance with league MVP-level performance, and the second starter is Bush, who recorded an ERA in the mid-3-point range…

Trey was a reliable pitcher who could definitely expect one win, but Bush was difficult to see as a guaranteed one-win card, so Jang Woo-joo knew that if he became the second starter, his chances of moving up to a higher level in fall baseball would increase. .

Therefore, what is needed is a win for Yang Han-byeol, who enters the game before him, or a loss for Charlotte…

‘Well, life won’t be that easy.’

However, Jang Woo-joo was not young enough to expect such a convenient development. Tomorrow’s starting matchup is Yang Han-byeol vs. Jang Yoon. Jang Yoon was considered superior in the matchup, and the weight of his batting line was on a different level due to the presence of Ji Maeng-ho.

Moreover, expecting Charlotte to lose 1 game was not very likely.

As if predicting an all-out battle, Charlotte also announced ace Swanson as the starter, and Charlotte’s opponent was NV, which was already giving opportunities to prospects with the battle for rankings over.

‘I’m sorry to Hanbyeol, but in the end, it’s in my hands, right?’

The team’s fate depends on one win. This kind of situation was familiar to Jang Woo-joo. Since the day he started playing baseball, Jang Woo-ju, who has thrown the fastest ball among his peers, has always thrown the ball with the fate of the team at stake.

‘The problem is Meng Ho…’

However, he was bothered by the fact that the person who gave him his first loss in a game where the fate of the team was at stake was Ji Maeng-ho, whom he had met in the Blue Dragon Cup finals when he was in his third year of high school.

Ji Maeng-ho, who gave himself the memory of his first loss when he thought he was blessed by the God of Baseball by throwing 100 mph and felt that he was the main character, has given himself the bitter memory of defeat several times since then, and this time again. He was once trying to block his and his team’s path.

When he thought about dealing with Meng Hao, his heart trembled, but Zhang Wuji shook his head and shook off the fear.

‘Yeah, fuck. You can beat it this time. Fuck! I give Jang Woo, and I throw 160.’

The day after Jang Woo-ju made up his mind to deal with Ji Maeng-ho.

[With Ji Maeng-ho’s 4-hit performance, the AT Thunders completely defeat the Future Tigers and achieve 99 wins!]

[Ji Maeng-ho failed to add a home run today, but he showed perfect hitting skills with two doubles, right?]

As Jang Woo-joo expected, Yang Han-byeol was unable to withstand AT’s heavy hit and collapsed,

“Ji Maeng-ho! “Aren’t you disappointed that you couldn’t hit a home run today?”

“Ah, it’s a little disappointing. But I don’t care. First, I hit 4 hits today, so even if I can’t hit tomorrow, I don’t think I’ll fall below .400, so I think I can hit comfortably tomorrow without worrying about my batting average. Tomorrow’s selection is Wooju, right?”

“Ah… Yes, maybe Jang Woo-joo will appear?”

“Woojoo, look forward to it. Tomorrow, I will definitely go for a home run swing. I want to guess 77 by hitting about 3. Will you help me, Woowoo? Well, even if you don’t help, you can still hit it if you just throw it like you normally would.”

Jang Woo-joo strengthened his resolve once again while watching Ji Maeng-ho’s provocative interview.

‘Okay, let’s stick together properly. AT’s 100th win and our team’s fall baseball at stake.’