Chapter 611 – Episode 598. The World’s Strongest. (2)

“Strike~! Out!”

The referee’s strikeout call came less than three minutes after the game started. Senior Joo-tae shook his head and began to take heavy steps toward the dugout.

“What kind of ball was it? “I heard you were arrested quickly?”

“… Cutter.”

“Okay.”

For some reason, senior Joo-tae, who has good contact skills, couldn’t even hit the bat, so it seems that the decisive ball of the call that struck out senior Joo-tae with three pitches was a cutter. It was difficult to get a sense of what kind of ball combination he was using today as he pitched a series of sliders, fastballs, and cutters, but one thing was certain.

‘… It won’t be easy today, right?’

Considering Cole’s condition, today’s game was not going to be easy.

In fact, I spoke with bravado when analyzing yesterday’s performance, but honestly, just by looking at the video, Cole was a tough pitcher. This is especially true when looking at the records.

Gerrit Cole, who won the Cy Young Award in 2023 by winning the American League Cy Young Award, has an award experience worthy of his name by winning the Cy Young Award again in 2024. Last year, he also recorded 12 wins, 2 losses, and an ERA of 2.24, winning 2 Cy Young Awards. I was on top.

There is only one reason why he did not receive the Cy Young Award despite his performance. Despite his reputation as a bully, he suffered a minor injury to his cruciate ligament at the end of the season, giving up his spot to Trilling, a rising rookie pitcher in the major leagues.

Trilling also had a 2.29 ERA in 224.2 innings, and there was no doubt that he beat Gerrit Cole to win the Cy Young Award, but if there had been no injury, it wouldn’t have been surprising if Gerrit Cole had won his third Cy Young Award.

‘I thought my playing status would be a little lower because I injured my cruciate ligament, but looking at this WBC, it looks like that’s not the case.’

It wasn’t a cruciate ligament rupture, but it was still an injury, so I had some expectations, but as expected, Gerrit Cole was Gerrit Cole.

‘But I still have to do what I have to do.’

However, you cannot give up on the game. I had to do the best I could, and as soon as I got to bat, I aimed my bat at the fence.

“[What are you doing? Predicted home run?]”

And the catcher, who seemed embarrassed by the sudden unexpected home run, and Gerrit Cole, whose white face was turning red.

“[Do you know what another word for home run is in Korea?]”

“[… Huh?]”

“[In Korea, a home run is called a gerrit differently.]”

Gerrit Cole’s expression seemed to change slightly, perhaps because he raised his voice as much as possible to be heard on the mound.

‘I couldn’t believe it when Jia told me, but it seems to be effective at this level, right? Young. ‘Do you remember the last Olympics?’

The number of home runs has been decreasing since he won the Cy Young Award, and last year he was unable to complete the season due to injury. However, even though he only hit 9 home runs in 177 innings, he was muttering something under his mouth as if he was scratched a lot. 〈 Br〉

I feel like I know what Cole is talking about even if I don’t listen. Baseball was a sport where the more excited the pitcher was, the more advantageous the batter was, so it was the best start.

‘It’s a fastball.’

‘Okay.’

And after a few nods, the selected ball is a fastball. Does the pitcher throw a fastball when he’s slightly upset? The only place the ball could go was towards my body, so I prepared to dodge and waited for his ball.

“Ball.”

And the guy’s ball goes straight into the body. If you hadn’t twisted your body, it wouldn’t have been strange if it had grazed you slightly, but since you dodged it, this ball was just a round ball.

‘To put it simply, this is shit.’

Getting hit was the best, but since I had no hobby of hitting a ball traveling at 96.7 mph, I was satisfied with having an advantage in the ball count and waited for Mr. Rossby’s next words.

‘It’s a slider.’

‘Slider? Write… Since they gave me a ball, I think I want to put it in the zone.’

While winning the Cy Young Award in 2023, he didn’t often throw fastballs exceeding 160, and his overall velocity was 1 to 2 miles lower than his prime probably due to his age, but he was a guy who had become that much more skilled and paid attention to control and command, so he was able to throw this ball well this time. The slider had a high chance of being stuck in the zone.

Moreover, throwing a ball that threatens the body and throwing a slider that bends from the body into the zone is always a best-selling combination.

‘The problem is that it’s been a while since I’ve seen his slider… Shall we watch? Or swing it? Anyway, the slider is the same as long as it’s not a sweeper type that bends completely sideways… Write it. Let’s take a look first.’

Assuming a slider is coming toward you, plan a response and calmly wait for the guy to throw the ball. And the guy’s legs going up. The moment the ball left his hand, it was hard to explain in words, but I could see a trajectory that looked like it was going to be in the zone.

‘You have to hit this!’

Feeling like I would regret missing this ball, I swung the bat without hesitation,

‘… ‘Huh?’

The bat broke as it hit a ball that came in lower than expected.

‘Fuck!’

‘Run! ‘You monkey!’

Although the bat was broken, the speed at which the ball was hit was quite fast, perhaps due to the force applied to the end. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to pass through the infield! Anyway, if I only got to first base, it was the same 1 point, so when I came to my senses and was about to run to first base,

“Aaaaah!”

… A scream was heard from the mound.

“Huh?”

What happened the moment I turned my eyes toward the first base. When he turned his head and looked in the direction from which the scream came, he saw Cole lying on the mound, holding his knees, and next to him was the remains of a bat that had been blown into pieces and a baseball still spinning.

‘What are you doing! You idiot! The third baseman is running!’

When I was slightly wondering whether I should apologize for something unintentional, Mr. Rossby’s voice woke me up.

It was now a match, and this was a match where Korea’s first WBC title was at stake! There was no time for him to tarry here.

“Keuuuuu…”

I leave behind Cole’s groans and run toward first base. The first baseman is reaching out with the base getting closer.

‘I threw it!’

And the urgent voice of Mr. Rossby!

Place the base one step in front of you and extend his feet on the last step. At the same time, the sound of the ball hitting the mitt is heard. … It was subtle, but I could instinctively know that my steps were fast.

“… Safe!”

And, as expected from the final match, the best umpire was assigned, and the first base umpire also called out three leaves after a moment of deliberation.

“Ugh… Ah.”

I almost roared without realizing it, but given the situation, I kept my mouth shut and held back the roar. In this situation, it was clear that if either me or Seungcheol got injured and missed the game if we roared, the game would become difficult.

“… “You didn’t do that on purpose, right?”

“How do you control the direction of the ball? If that happened, I would have been a 100% hitter.”

If I really had that ability, being a 100% hitter wouldn’t have been a dream. Baseball is essentially a sport where you hit a ball into an empty space. Even Mr. Rossby couldn’t give me that ability, and no matter how much I was, there was no way I could control the direction of the batted ball.

“First, go to the pitcher. Even if it’s during a game, you have to apologize.”

Since bean balls should always be avoided, the first base coach’s words were correct. I was worried that he might get angry if I approached him, but he still had to do something, so he took his time and walked toward the mound.

Seeing the guy with a few tears in his eyes and spitting out anger filled with anger rather than pain, I almost felt a little better, thinking that this was all for today, but I tried not to show it and walked up to the guy surrounded by coaches and trainers. .

“[Ugh! Ugh, you bitch… Ugh.]”

Fortunately, Cole’s rationality was not paralyzed, and he refrained from swearing. Because this was just a simple mistake. He could have been blaming himself if he had been a caller. If he blocked it with his glove, he would have gotten a free out count.

“[Sorry. It wasn’t intentional this time.]”

“[This time… ?]”

“[No, that’s because I’m not good at English. It was not intentional.]”

“[Ugh, I understand so get out.]”

Fortunately, Gerrit Cole coolly accepted my apology.

‘Boy, you’re tough. This is a pitcher. Hehe. If you are an American, you should definitely have this kind of spirit.’

And Mr. Rossby seemed satisfied with that call. If she were black, it was clearly visible that she would have been scolded for not having the strength to attack her.

Anyway, the other players handed me apples to avoid getting hit by the bean ball, and even if I was here, there was nothing I could do to help, so I walked back to first base. And not long after, Cole was helped and taken away in an ambulance…

‘Was the area that was injured last year the same one that was just hit? I feel a little sorry. I hope it’s not a major injury. If I accidentally soak it like this, I feel uncomfortable.’

I felt a little sorry, but the game was a game, so I erased thoughts of him from my mind.

‘The question is, should I steal a base here? . Yes, but in order to score 1 point, you have to steal base… Hey, I’m sure you won’t throw an empty ball like that. The United States is the home country of baseball.’

In Korea, if a batter who had injured a pitcher went to the base and stole a base, it would not have been strange for an empty ball to come out, but I trusted the generosity of American baseball and decided to steal. When that decision was made, a pitcher was walking out of the American bullpen.

‘… Greg Trilling. You said he was the guy who beat Cole to win the AL Cy Young Award last year, right? As expected, it came out as expected.’

The next pitcher chosen by the United States was, as expected, Trilling, who had reached the top spot in the American League last year.

The guy, who debuted at the age of 21 in 2023, has 6 wins, 6 losses, and 4.35 in his first season. In his second season, he recorded a record of 14 wins, 9 losses, and 2.89, beating out prominent pitchers and emerging as the best blue chip pitcher in the United States. Last year, he won the AL Cy Young Award, and it is safe to say that he is currently one of the best pitchers in the major league. I heard it.

An orthodox right-hander who throws a fastball with an average speed of 94-96 mph and a top speed of around 100 mph, as well as a slider, curve, and circle changeup, he has strengths in innings pitching and a heavy pitch that is among the best in the league.

Last year, he recorded 16 wins, 4 losses, a 2.29 ERA, and 236 strikeouts in 224.2 innings, recording a WAR of 7 points in the major leagues. Why can he follow in Gerrit Cole’s footsteps and be on the mound for the U.S. National baseball team? He was a guy who had proven himself well.

‘… ‘It’s a mountain beyond a mountain.’

As the world’s most powerful country, I felt like I would be dizzy from the majesty of the United States, which had the best pitchers coming out in succession, but I held my nerve because I was in a hurry and my body wasn’t fully warmed up yet, and if I stole a base, I could have scored one point.〈 Br〉

‘Let’s run first. When I saw the video, the checks were ordinary. Please let me know right away when you get a curveball.’

‘Okay.’

After asking Mr. Rossby, he was fully prepared to run for 1 point, but

‘It’s a fastball.’

‘Again?’

… He didn’t give me a chance to run. Seungcheol, the number 3 hitter, tells his brother that the ball he chose was a fastball with 3 pitches in a row. And the fourth ball was also a fastball.

Perfect!

And Seungcheol’s batted ball flies high. Seungcheol swung the bat to punish the guy who threw four fastballs in a row, but the batted ball was hit and caught by the shortstop. Two outs with this.

“Three leaves!”

“Three leaves!”

After that, I ran all the way to third base to catch an unexpected wild pitch,

“Swing~! Strike out!”

Siwoo, the 4th batter, couldn’t even touch Trilling’s ball and got three outs.

‘Fuck, when I made the call, did that bastard come out? Is this because it is America?’

… So, our first attack was fortunate enough to get the best pitcher named Cole off the mound, but it ended when Trilling, another best pitcher in the world, came up after him, and we faced the American attack in the bottom of the first inning. .