Chapter 616 – Episode 603. 2026 WBC. (6)

Perfect!

“Huh?!”

[Huh?!]

Ji Maeng-ho’s bat drew a perfect curve and hit Trilling’s ball, and the moment they saw the scene, the players in the dugout, the fans in the stands, and the broadcasters who were watching from the broadcast stand all stood up and shouted at Ji Maeng-ho. I confirmed the direction of the batted ball.

[I hit Ji Maeng-ho!!]

Among them, the person who came to his senses the fastest and continued speaking was the caster with a strong sense of professionalism. He batted a ball that flew at a high speed in a low parabola. The angle was too low to be a home run, so Caster screamed and prayed that the ball would hit the ground.

And the left fielder and center fielder running toward the batted ball. Of the two outfielders, the left fielder was gradually slowing down, and center fielder Grisham, who replaced Trout at the end of the seventh inning to strengthen the defense, was running all the way to catch the batted ball.

Grisham is an outfielder who is confident enough in his defense to be included in the national team as a defensive model. The moment when everyone in Korea watching the game held their breath as the outfielder followed the batted ball to the end and threw his body at the point of the fall.

[… I threw myself away! I couldn’t catch it!! Ji Maeng-ho’s hit! Choi Joo-tae, who was already running, made it all the way home! To home!]

Ji Maeng-ho’s batted ball passed by Grisham’s glove and fell to the ground, and Choi Joo-tae, who was running with confidence in Ji Maeng-ho, was already rounding third base. A situation that some might criticize as bonehead play.

However, Choi Joo-tae trusted Ji Maeng-ho, who always saved his country in such situations, so he hit home with aggressive base running.

[Safe! Choi Joo-tae arrives home! The score is now tied 4-4! And Ji Maeng-ho reaches second base! Ji Maeng-ho created the situation with 1 out and 2nd base!]

[Ugh! Ji Maengho! How can you not love a player like this! This is Ji Maeng-ho!]

Korea was in a festive mood as Ji Maeng-ho made a clutch play that seemed to prove why he won the Olympics and won MVP and Korean Series for three consecutive years in Korea.

Interest in the national baseball team was at an all-time high as they finished second in the last WBC and won the Olympics, and the final match against the United States recorded a viewership rating of over 30%. Moreover, the situation of 4:3 in the beginning of the 8th inning was enough to create a festival atmosphere in Korea by recording a huge instantaneous viewership rating, and Ji Maeng-ho proved himself in front of such people.

[Ji Maeng-ho! Steal third base! Three leaves! 1 out, 3rd base! Once again, an opportunity for a comeback has arrived!]

Moreover, Ji Maeng-ho’s proof did not end there. He used his quick feet to steal third base, creating a situation where a sacrifice hit was enough to turn the game around, and at the plate was last year’s National League Rookie of the Year Joo Seung-cheol.

[Joo Seung-cheol is struggling a little today, but if he could just raise his RBI in this situation like his father did…]

Today, he is struggling with no hits in 3 at-bats and is blocked by Trilling. However, Joo Seung-cheol remembered that the game ended scoreless in the first inning when he hit an infield fly with one out and third base on base. Same situation as episode 1. There, Joo Seung-cheol,

[Trilling’s first pitch! Ah! Joo Seung-cheol laid down the bat! Joo Seung-cheol’s squeeze bunt!]

Just like Choi Joo-tae, who trusted Ji Maeng-ho’s batting ability, he trusted Ji Maeng-ho’s feet and chose a squeeze bunt.

A squeeze bunt just to get the runner on third base home without any thought of buying!

Since Joo Seung-cheol was not a player familiar with bunts, the bunt ball that Joo Seung-cheol hit quickly headed toward the first baseman.

‘Meng Hao! ‘I believe!’

The American infield shakes as the clumsy bunt hits the first baseman’s mitt. And then first baseman Olson quickly takes out the ball and throws home.

“Home! Home!”

However, Ji Maeng-ho’s feet were faster than that. Ji Maeng-ho, who had already received the squeeze sign sent by Joo Seung-cheol, trusted Joo Seung-cheol and was running toward home from the moment Trilling threw the ball.

[Three leaves! Three leaves at home! The catcher quickly throws to first base! Three leaves! Joo Seung-cheol’s bunt creates a comeback for Korea!]

[This is the terrifying thing about Ji Maeng-ho! There was no hesitation going from third base to home! To be honest, it wasn’t a perfectly placed bunt, but Ji Maeng-ho’s base running was perfect!]

[Ah…, The trilling goes down here. 5:4 AL Cy Young pitcher Trilling comes off the mound as Korea reverses the United States!]

[Everyone is here. They’re all here. Just a little more and you will be your first WBC winner!]

As Trilling left the mound, the new American pitcher on the mound was Hader, one of the best closing pitchers in the Major League. As soon as Hader got on the mound, he easily dismissed two batters to end the top of the 8th inning, but he was unable to turn back the score that had already been reversed.

[At the bottom of the 8th inning, Chae Jae-hyeon comes on the mound.]

[There is also Kim Won-ho, but he seems to have pitched left-handed against left-handed hitters like Olson and Seager.]

The bottom of the 8th inning started with a reversal. The pitcher chosen by Joo Hyung-jin and the coaches was Hwasan’s left-hander, Chae Jae-hyun.

Although he was a bit disappointing as a pitcher compared to Kim Won-ho, who was waiting in the bullpen with him, Chae Jae-hyun was also a pitcher with many strengths.

Unique form and deception. And Chae Jae-hyeon, who recorded 15 wins last season with a fastball in the low to mid-150s, was a reliable pitcher who served as the Hwasa’s de facto third starter, following Seonghyun and Tainier.

In addition, the opponents were left-handed hitters, and the form of Olson, Seager, and Chae Jae-hyeon made it difficult to attack left-handed hitters, especially if it was your first time seeing a left-handed hitter, so it made a lot of sense to replace the pitcher.

[… Out! One out! There are now five outs left.]

And as if repaying the manager’s faith, Chae Jae-hyun got off to a good start by catching the first batter with a ground ball.

[… Chae Jae-hyeon allows a hit to Seager. It becomes 1 out and 1 base. … Walk. Ah…, 1 out, 1st and 2nd bases. Coach Joo Hyung-jin comes on the mound right away.]

But was it the pressure of the final stage? Or was it the majesty of major league hitters? Jae-Hyeon Chae was shaken after receiving a hit, gave up a walk to the batter behind him, and had no choice but to leave the final stage.

[The pitcher selected here is Ko Young-hwan, the best closing pitcher in Korean history.]

In such a situation, the pitcher chosen by Joo Hyung-jin was the national team’s closer, Ko Young-hwan. Although it was an early introduction, Ko Young-hwan was the only pitcher who could prevent the crisis in this situation.

[… In the bottom of the 8th inning, Ko Young-hwan finishes off the US attack! Now there are only three out counts left until Korea wins!]

And as expected from the coach, Young-Hwan Ko blocked the bottom of the 8th inning and the game continued into the 9th inning.

*

“Let’s give just one more point!”

“Let’s go!”

Top of the 9th inning with a 5-4 lead. The players were strongly wanting one point. If we scored just one more point, victory was almost certain. Plus, the batting lineup wasn’t that bad. The batting lineup started with Sangju senior, the 6th hitter. Senior Sangju recorded one hit, and Seongtae hyung, the 8th hitter, also recorded a home run.

If two people got on base like that, the batting lineup could lead to major-leaguer Joo-tae, and maybe even to me.

“Strike~! Out!”

“Out!”

“Strike~! Out!”

But the world was not so kind. Hader neatly blocked three batters and blocked our attack in the top of the 9th inning.

‘Well, I wasn’t expecting anything.’

It was also terrible to think that Seungcheol didn’t bunt and got a fly, strikeout, or straight hit. Honestly, if it hadn’t been a bunt, there was a high probability of that outcome given the state of Trilling’s ball. I also hit a double, but it was a ball that could have been caught by the center fielder even if the direction was a little strange.

‘I’m glad though. Seungcheol hyung made a sensible bunt. He wasn’t good at practicing bunts, but people who are good at baseball are also good at it.’

While Seungcheol was secretly thanking his older brother for calling me home, the coach, who was about to end today’s game, called us all together. After joining the players who were resting on the bench today so as not to get the sweat of the other men on the shoulders that started with the coach, I listen to the coach’s last words.

“There is now one inning left. If you last just 1 inning… “If I don’t say more, will I get it?”

There wasn’t much time left until my shift, and since I’m not the type of person to talk for long, the director spoke briefly. But the director’s short words were enough to boost our morale.

“Republic of Korea!”

“Fighting!”

“Go!!”

The ground we entered after shouting the final slogan. The ground was so quiet that you could hear the breathing of Siwoo or Seongtae standing next to you.

‘I’m so nervous. After… Come to your senses. If you make a mistake, you are a traitor.’

In order not to be infected by the atmosphere of the field, I take a deep breath and focus on the mound and at-bats. On the mound is our closer Ko Young-hwan, and at the plate is Betts, the leading figure in last year’s Dodgers championship. I recorded a double today, so be careful…,

Perfect!

‘Fuck! ‘Fucked up?’

… Betts’ batted ball flies into the outfield with a line drive. Sangju senior cut off the batted ball that bounced once on the ground, but Betts had already reached second base. As expected, Betts hit a double with no outs and advanced to scoring position.

And a pinch hitter comes to bat in place of No. 2 hitter Grisham, who came in for defense. The batter who came to bat was Harper. Although he started the game on the bench, behind first baseman Olson and designated hitter Judge, Harper was not an easy hitter. I don’t remember him well, but I heard yesterday that he hit 30 home runs and had an OPS in the low 0.8s. Moreover, even putting those records aside, Harper was Harper. A batter who can hit a home run at any time…

“Ball.”

“Strike!”

“Ball.”

“Ball.”

And because Ko Young-hwan also knew this fact, he made the game as difficult as possible. And the 5th pitch.

Perfect!

There was a light sound, and Harper’s batted ball headed toward center field. I was also following the ball to catch it, but I was closer to center field than I was… When I glanced ahead, I saw Yang Ji-hyuk, who had come into the defense, running at full speed to catch the ball.

‘Can you catch it? It’s too much for me to catch.’

Betts was checking the direction of the batted ball between second and third base, and when he looked forward again, the batted ball landed in front of Jihyuk Yang.

‘That guy is spinning!’

And Mr. Rossby’s urgent voice.

“Give it to me!”

Yang Ji-hyuk’s shoulder wasn’t that good, so I made a quick decision and shouted for Yang Ji-hyuk to give the ball. And at the same time, a baseball comes into my glove. As soon as I received the ball, I turned around his body and used the momentum to shoot the ball home.

“Please! Please!”

Yong-hyung is holding his stance with the ball flying toward home. And Betts runs quickly toward home! Yong Ki, who caught my throw slightly in front of home plate, swung his mitt toward home plate so quickly that it could almost be said at the same time.

‘… Did you catch it?’

And the hand of judgment rises…

“Out!”

Just like the words that came out of the referee’s mouth, the shape of the hand was a fist, meaning out.

“Nice!”

“Fuck! Hey man! I really love you!”

“Ji Maeng-ho!”

“The game isn’t over yet. Let’s focus! “Focus!”

I return to my seat while shouting loudly to the players who are running toward me to focus.

‘Whew, I thought it was going to suck. So why is a 30-year-old kid running in front of me?’

To be honest, I was a little scared, but fortunately the runner was a little slow. I wouldn’t have known it if he had used a pinch runner, but Betts is now 33. Although he stole more than 20 bases last year, the rules had a big impact and his actual running speed was not that fast for his age.

The arrogance of the U.S. Team in not using a pinch runner resulted in one out count.

‘Now, one out, two runs?’

It’s unfortunate that a runner is in scoring position again, but there are two outs left. And with two out counts left, the manager came back to the mound. It was because Betts, Harper, and Ko Young-hwan were in an unusual situation.

Both Betts and Harper’s batted balls were correct hits. And the batters behind them are Tucker and Judge. The manager’s choice, which seems obvious, brings a new pitcher to the mound.

“Meng Hao. “Please play defense even when I throw.”

“Of course, dude.”

And the new pitcher is my friend Wonho. Among the pitchers currently available in the bullpen, there is none better than Wonho, so this was a natural choice. And I also believed in Wonho. Wonho in the second half of last year was a pitcher good enough to challenge for the majors.

Perfect!

“Nice! Two out! “There is one out left!”

Tucker’s attack on the changed pitcher’s first pitch resulted in a fly out to right field. Now there is only one out count left to win.

“Time! [I will automatically make an intentional request.]”

And the empty first base will be filled with last year’s AL MVP jersey. There was no need to deal with Judge in this situation.

Now the situation is two outs, first and second base. The batter was Olson, who was not in good batting condition today. The U.S. Bench, perhaps because they trusted Olson, did not use a pinch hitter until the end and gave Olson the last at-bat.

“Ball.”

“Ball.”

“Strike!”

The game is getting longer as it could be the last at-bat of the finals. And Wonho threw the fourth ball.

Perfect!

A batted ball flying towards me strong and fast. … However, the hit was directly in front of me. I calmly open my glove and catch his hit.

“Out!”

I caught the final out count and as soon as I heard the outcall, I threw my gloves in the sky and stretched out my arms towards the players running towards me.

“Aaaaah! It’s a win!”

“Menghoyaaa!!”

“Sibaal! I love you bastards!!!”

… Are you running too fast? Now, wait!

“Evil! Don’t be too sticky! Oh, shit! “I told you to stop sticking around!”

… Fuck, did you open your arms for no reason?