Chapter 606 – Episode 593. A South American Powerhouse. (4)

[Diaz… ! Marte… ! Adames! Jung Woo-sung catches it with an out! We end episode 5 with a three-way victory!]

[Jang Woo-joo left the mound earlier than expected due to the limit on the number of pitches, but Jung Woo-sung did a good job blocking it. Of course, it is Jung Woo-sung.]

[… Oh, strike out. Alcantara’s change-up is followed by Kang Han-beom’s bat. … The second baseman catches the batted ball. Ah…, I almost missed it, but I caught it.]

[Marte’s defense was very good. Ah, out of luck. Really.]

[Lee Yong-gi’s hit is in the outfield! Oh, and the center fielder handles it. Three out. The game goes into the top of the 6th inning with the score remaining at 2:1.]

[Alcantara has thrown 59 shots so far, with 21 left. If possible, I wish Alcantara would be removed in the next inning… Alcantara’s ball looks perfect today.]

[In the top of the 6th inning, the leadoff hitter is No. 1 hitter Rodriguez. … Gets a walk. … Tatis Jr.’ S batted ball! I have to get out… Korea faces a crisis with no outs on first and second base.]

[Ah, Jung Woo-sung, you must not be shaken.]

[… Machado’s hit! Rodriguez goes home! And the runner on first base goes to third base! Catch the center fielder and throw to third base! Catch it! Korea gives up 1 point but gets a valuable out count!]

[Joo Seung-cheol’s throw was very good, right? Joo Seung-cheol, who is considered a strong dog even in the major leagues, got a huge out count.]

[Now Guerrero Jr. Is at bat…, Hit! Second baseman! Ji Maengho! Ji Maeng-ho caught this batted ball! Ji Maeng-ho, second base! And all the way to first base! Korea creates double outs! Important moment! Get a two out count!]

[Jung Woo-sung’s sinker went in really well! If you hit a ball like this, you’re bound to get a ground ball! And Ji Maeng-ho’s defense was perfect! Wow, how can you fly like that? It was truly animalistic defense!]

[Korea conceded 1 point, but escaped the crisis with two fantastic defenses!]

[I gave you 1 more point, but you can do it! You have to be strong! There are still 4 offensive innings left!]

*

“Nice! Now let’s go to the reversal!”

Although they gave up one more point, the atmosphere in the dugout seemed brighter than before the 6th inning began.

‘You foolish bastards. I gave it 1 point and then liked it.’

Mr. Rossby muttered as if he was dumbfounded, but I thought it was a situation that could brighten the mood in the dugout. From Seungcheol taking care of his older brother to the double play starting with me. Because it rained twice, enough to change the flow.

In baseball, there are two things that change the flow of a game: a fielder’s throw or a batter’s home run. But the lake rain came out twice? I didn’t say anything because I was afraid that if I said it out loud, I would get cheated, but the flow of the game was slowly coming.

‘Now we can really win with just one home run.’

The lead batter in the bottom of the 6th inning was senior Suho, the 8th batter. And the number 9 batter is right fielder Kim Jeong-hyun. To be honest, it wasn’t a batting lineup I was very excited about.

Senior Suho was a hitter who batted based on the starting pitch, but Alcantara was a batter who did not walk often, and Kim Jung-hyun was a hexagonal hitter with decent contact ability, decent power, and a decent starting pitch, enough to be called a 5-tool, but he was a hexagonal hitter against Alcantara. Because it was a small hexagon.

In addition, senior Joo Tae, who was the reliable No. 1 hitter, was also in poor condition today, so I was a little anxious as I had to make use of this opportunity.

“Strike! Out!”

And as if that anxious feeling is becoming a reality, senior Suho comes back after being out in five. In a situation where it was impossible to get close to him because he had a heavy expression, the director took a game-changing strategy.

“Time! Pinch hit!”

Here, the pinch hitter chosen by the coach was Yang Ji-hyuk, who plays the role of pinch runner for the national team with good contact ability and fast feet similar to mine. The strategy was to use Yang Ji-hyuk’s quick feet to target infield hits against Alcantara, who often induces ground balls. Moreover, unlike Kim Jung-hyun, who was a right-handed hitter, he was a left-handed hitter, so this was a pretty good choice in my opinion.

‘Please, whether it’s a hit or an error, just let me go!’

At the same time as I was praying, I took the bat and walked up to senior Joo-tae and spoke to him.

“Senior.”

“… Huh?”

“If Jihyuk goes out, please don’t let him hit a double play. “I will solve it.”

“… “I’m not there yet.”

“Okay, I’ll believe it.”

The game started after senior Joo Tae, who seemed a little annoyed, went to bat.

Perfect!

Perfect!

Ji-Hyuk Yang creates a foul by touching Alcantara’s ball in an attempt to somehow put the ball in play.

‘… The problem is that their defense is a little tight.’

No matter how fast Yang Ji-hyuk is, it seems unlikely that he can produce an infield hit when the opponent is playing forward defense.

Perfect!

Yang Ji-hyuk’s batted ball went high. Behind the pulled infielders… !

“Run! Run!”

The second baseman, shortstop, and center fielder run forward to catch a batted ball!

“It’s done!”

And unfortunately for Dominica, the batted ball fell in an ambiguous position where no one could catch it.

-Wow!!!

And the cheers that erupt.

“Fuck, how long has it been since you got on base?”

As someone muttered, this was our first on-base hit since I got a hit. This time on base was also a lucky hit. Two heavy rains and a lucky hit. The real wind of victory was blowing our way.

‘Wow, did the director get the job? … But when I thought about it, my hit was also a lucky hit… Those bastards are fucking bad at shifting.’

After expressing my gratitude to the opposing team’s coaches, who were terrible at shifting, and to our manager, who showed me a pinch-hitting strategy like a legendary hitter, I walked to the waiting box.

While I was walking, I felt the warm gaze of my colleagues, but it didn’t feel burdensome at all.

Because I was going to hit a home run. No, because I had to hit it.

Perfect!

“Out!”

“Ugh! Shit!”

And just like I asked earlier, Joo-tae retired with a clean fly after the fourth ball.

‘Fuck, you listen so well. If I had known this would happen, I would have asked for a home run.’

It was a little disappointing, but I went to bat without making eye contact when I saw Joo-tae crushing the bat with his thigh.

‘Okay, let’s stick together.’

‘… ‘You bastard.’

‘Please don’t arbitrarily add meaning to what I say.’

‘Hehe, don’t hold back and tell me what you’re thinking.’

‘… ‘I never thought of it like that!’

‘Tch, that’s not fun.’

‘Mr. Rossby is more boring.’

‘… Shut up, you monkey.’

… Anyway, the ball I’m aiming for is the first pitch. His current pitch count is 71. Given the nature of a guy who blocks until the 7th inning, there was no reason to take the ball out here. Moreover, the hitters on our team that we need to watch out for are Seungcheol and me. Even if he couldn’t pitch until the 7th inning, it was clear that he would try to deal with Seungcheol.

Because that was Ace’s mindset.

What if no? If the guy who received the Cy Young Award didn’t have that much ego, it was clear that he wouldn’t have gotten there. It is impossible for a pitcher who won a Cy Young Award to throw a lot of balls in this situation because he is afraid of the .400 hitters in the Eastern League!

‘Come, come…, No, you fucking bastard.’

‘Hehe, first pitch sinker.’

‘… It’s a mistake. ‘Don’t laugh.’

Alcantara’s first pitch choice was a sinker, as if it were natural. Choosing a fastball rather than a breaking ball means that you will hit it in the zone. He was a terrible pitcher, but he had enough confidence because he had seen it through the batter’s box and in his mind’s eye.

‘Because the timing was two or three… As a service, please tell me the direction of the mitt.’

‘Hehe, it’s a gift for a bastard. The direction of the mitt is toward the body.’

‘… Okay.’

I don’t know whether I should laugh or cry because I found it helpful to have lost my words because of Mr. Rossby…

‘… It’s better to smile if possible. Come in.’

After erasing the mistake I just made from my mind, I wait for his ball. And within a few seconds, he is ready to throw the ball.

And the ball leaves his hand and flies toward the center. But since this ball was a sinker, its destination was a slightly lower area near me!

‘… ‘Two three!’

I swung the bat at the timing I had been practicing all day,

Perfect!

… The sound wasn’t as good as I expected.

‘Fuck, this angle is a scam!’

A batted ball drifting slowly toward left field. The ball looked like it was going to be a fly ball to left field, but he couldn’t give up, so he ran toward first base. Yang Ji-hyuk, who was the first base runner, was also quickly running toward third base, and I was also running with all my might toward second base.

‘Mr Rossby! What is the location of the batted ball?’

‘See for yourself.’

He asked Mr. Rossby to decide whether he should run to third base, but the only answer he got was to see for himself. When I heard those words, I instinctively looked in the direction the ball flew,

‘… Uh? ‘No way?’

I took a step back, and there was nowhere else to go, so I saw the left fielder looking at the sky with his glove raised.

… The batted ball I hit was passing over it as if it were a joke.