Chapter 618 – Episode 605. New Season.
“So, where do you see the second-place team this season?”
“The second-place team I chose this season is AT Thunders.”
“Yes? AT Thunders are in second place?”
“Yes. Yes. In fact, you may be wondering, but there is a saying, ‘hwamu, 11hong,’ right? In fact, the AT Thunders won the championship last year by recording 100 wins, but Ace Crongs was at the center of it? However, when Lee Crongs went to the major leagues, a new player, Diaz, was recruited. But honestly, I don’t think Diaz can replace Krongs’ vacancy.”
“Well, that’s right. “If Crongs, who won the Golden Glove Award as a pitcher last year, is missing, we are bound to stumble to some extent.”
“In addition, hitter Yong Byeong-il Williams also went to the major leagues and recruited a new player, Burch. However, I think that even Birch will not be able to completely fill Williams’ empty spot. In fact, Crongs and Williams are both players who have adapted by playing in Korea for more than two years.”
“You might think so. But AT has Ji Maeng-ho, right?”
“Of course, there is Ji Maeng-ho. However, the key players in the AT batting lineup have grown one year older. Choi Jin-cheol has been showing signs of an aging curve since last season, and Kim Su-ho is expected to miss at least 2 to 3 months due to an injury suffered in this WBC. Ki-Gi-Ju Ki is already 35 years old. No one knows what will happen. “I think there are more minuses than pluses in terms of power compared to last year.”
“… Okay. Oh, instead, veteran Baek Kyung-ho was hired as catcher, right?”
“Baek Kyung-ho, of course, is a good player. However, due to his age, to be honest, he probably wouldn’t have recruited AT as a starting player. I think he will fill the vacancy as a backup catcher when Jeong Yun-cheol retires. The same goes for the contract amount.”
“Definitely, after listening to it, it feels a bit like that. Somehow it feels like there are more minuses than pluses.”
“Yes. But that doesn’t mean AT is a weak team. Jang Yoon, Park Jun-hyung, and Lim Jun-hoo are the three domestic starters, and although Bellingham is older, he is a player who can do the basics. In addition, the batting lineup includes young hitters such as Ji Maeng-ho, who has proven that he is the best on the international stage, as well as Yoon Seong-tae, Baek Jeong-jin, and Jeong Hwi-cheol. However, the Hwasan Falcons, who I predicted to be the top team, are maintaining last year’s power without any power leakage.”
“Now then, shall we analyze the Hwasan Falcons, the team that you predicted to be in first place?”
“Yes. The Volcanic Falcons…”
*
“Umm…”
The day before Media Day, manager Lee Soo-hyun was thinking about the starting pitcher for the opening game.
“But wouldn’t Bellingham be better?”
“Well, it’s not Bellingham. I am now thirty-six years old. Honestly, it’s hard to show the same performance as last year. It would have been difficult last year if it weren’t for the strike zone benefits. This year, the strike zone also returned to its original state. To be honest, the performance of the exhibition game wasn’t that good either.”
“An exhibition match is an exhibition match.”
“Diaz is better.”
“They say Diaz has too many ups and downs. Coach, if you let Diaz go and then collapse, it will be completely messed up from the opening game. Isn’t the first series important? The aftereffects from the first series lasted almost two weeks.”
“Then how about Jang Yoon? “Isn’t Yoongi trustworthy?”
“Yooni is fine, but the NV kids will definitely turn out to be mercenaries…”
“This doesn’t work, that doesn’t work either. Then who pays? Do you pay after Jun?”
And the coaches were equally worried. Compared to last year, when there was a clear ace called Krongs, it is a situation where there is no ace that gives confidence… AT Thunders announced the start of their dynasty by winning three consecutive league games, but in fact, their internal situation was not that good.
The KBA league was a league heavily influenced by mercenaries, where one mercenary could lead a team to the fall baseball league or championship. However, with the absence of certain mercenary cards such as Krongs and Williams, the new mercenaries Diaz and Burch were showing unfavorable performances during exhibition games and training camp.
Diaz is a lefty who throws a 150 fastball and showed solid performance when he pitched well, but showed a lot of ups and downs, and Burch, who was recruited for the outfielder/designated hitter position, was hired as a 5-tool player, but in exhibition games, he had a batting average of .200 and With 0 home runs, it was reminiscent of the mercenary hitter’s nightmare before Williams came in.
In fact, in a way, it was a natural story. Crongs and Williams were players whose abilities were checked by Soyoung, who went all the way to the United States. However, last year, when it was time to list up mercenaries, Soyoung’s attention was only focused on Meng Hao and Pregnancy, so the probability that AT, which is known as a team that cannot recruit mercenaries, would sign a contract with a good mercenary was low.
Moreover, Bellingham, now in his 6th year, was also aging, and although Jang Yoon, Park Jun-hyung, and Lim Jun-hoo all recorded 10 wins last year, it was a bit difficult to be an ace pitcher. After transferring to AT, Jang Yoon was playing the role of the first starter in the country, but he is now 36 years old.
‘… I miss Krongs.’
AT did not have a pitcher who could be considered a clear ace. But still, he had to make a choice. Because he can’t have a starting pitcher.
“… “Let’s go to Bellingham for the opening game and Diaz for the home opener.”
“Umm… As expected, Bellingham is the best. “I was a little nervous in the exhibition game, but I don’t think a pitcher who won 17 games last year will collapse in just one year.”
“Diaz will definitely feel at ease if he makes his debut in Jamsil.”
Coach Lee Soo-hyun’s choice was a stable one, using Bellingham, who has shown consistent performance for six years, in the opening game, and Diaz, who has had ups and downs, in the opening game at Jamsil’s home, which has a large stadium.
“The only thing left to do is for the hitters to play well.”
The impact of the opening series lasts for a week or two, and the higher the ranking, the more important it is to hit from the beginning, so the only thing you can trust is the batting line that has put AT on the throne for the past three years.
“Well, there is a fierce tiger, so why not give him at least 4 to 5 points?”
And in that batting lineup was Ji Maeng-ho. Ji Maeng-ho led Korea to the championship in the WBC by performing like a one-man carry against major league pitchers. The faith that AT Thunders coaches have in Meng Hao is almost like faith.
“Whoa… “Our power is weaker than last year, but I’m glad we have a fierce tiger.”
Director Lee Soo-hyun also believed in Maeng-ho, so it felt like the headache that had been complicated by concerns about his selection had cooled down to some extent. Even though baseball is a pitcher’s game, Ji Maeng-ho was a hitter who was outside that category.
The final meeting of the AT Thunders coaches before the opening game ended with faith in Meng Hao…,
-AT Thunders lose the opening game!
-AT Thunders loses the opening series for the second time in a row!
-Break the losing streak! Diaz is the starter for the home opener!
-Diaz, 5 runs in 2.2 innings! AT Thunders fall into 3-game losing streak.
-Ji Maeng-ho, breaks the losing streak! 3 hits and 2 home runs in 4 at-bats!
-Ji Maeng-ho, silence! AT Thunder lost 10:3!
-Jang Woo-joo, pitched well, allowing 2 runs in 7 innings!
-Future Buffaloes! A valuable sweep away from AT!
…
-Hyunseong Mad Cats, a thrilling comeback wins in the last game of April!
-Professional baseball rankings as of April 30.
#1 Hwasan Falcons 21 wins, 10 losses, 0.677 0
2nd place Shilla Triggers 19 wins, 13 losses, 0.594 2.5
3rd place Hyunseong Mad Cats 18 wins, 14 losses, 0.563 3.5
4th place JT Golden Eyes 16 wins, 15 losses, 0.516 5
5th place Future Buffaloes 16 wins, 16 losses, 0.500 5.5
6th place Charlotte Blue Mariners 15 wins, 17 losses, 0.469 6.5
7th place NV Rex 14 wins, 17 losses, 0.452 7
8th place UG Overlords 14 wins, 17 losses, 0.452 7
9th place AT Thunders 13 wins, 18 losses, 0.419 8
10th place Hancheol Grizzlies 11 wins, 20 losses, 0.355 10
… On the last day of April, about a month after the game opened, the AT Thunders were in 9th place.
*
‘Hehe, if you feel a wall, tell me quickly. I will help you right now.’
‘I don’t need it!’
Before the game against the first-place team, Hwasan, Mr. Rossby asked if I would help him again because he was bored, but I refused.
To be honest, it was true that Mr. Rossby’s suggestion was appealing because the team’s situation was very bad. However, the current situation of the team was not one that would change just because I played well. Besides, I wasn’t saying that Mr. Rossby wasn’t there.
One month since the league started. My performance was 0.351/0.555/0.856/1.410 with batting average and 9 home runs. Although it was slightly lower than when Rossby was helping me, there was no player in the league whose OPS exceeded 1.1, and I was performing quite well enough to be selected as a monthly MVP candidate in April.
But when the team asked why it was like this, the reason was quite complex.
First, the gap at third base without senior Suho was quite large. One month since the league started. The gap at third base was so great that three third basemen were already selected as starters. The plan went awry when the guy who played third base in the opening game made a critical error on the first day, and even after that, as soon as he got to third base, he kept making mistakes as if his hands were on fire.
Since the infield is shaking, it is natural for the pitcher to be shaking. The batting lineup should have helped me in those times, but I was a bit lost in the early part of the season trying to adapt to the situation without Mr. Rossby’s help, and Jincheol, the captain who should be the center of the batting lineup, wasn’t doing so well, so he was batted up to number 6. It went down.
Moreover, the guys who came because they where mercenaries were not cool. Diaz, a new mercenary pitcher, appeared in 4 games and had an ERA of 1 win, 3 losses, and 5 points, and Burch, a mercenary hitter, was placed at number 8 with a batting average in the low .200s and one home run.
The mercenary wasn’t that cool, and after the two-strokes were slightly off-beat, it was only a matter of moments before the team fell. Although their form has been improving recently, today’s opponent is the Hwasan Falcons, who are ranked overwhelmingly in first place.
‘Tsk, we need to win this series to bounce back…’
If we lose this series and continue the same mood in next week’s Children’s Day series against the 10th ranked team Hancheol…
‘No, let’s not think like that. Just sweep this time and go up to Seoul.’
This series, the Hwasan starting lineup is a difficult matchup, starting with the 5th starter Kim Min-jun, Seong Hyun, and Tainier. Well, the Hwasan starters were always a tough opponent, but they still had to win in order to bounce back.
“Hwicheol! Minjoon is a piece of shit, so take it easy!”
“… Out!”
… Although it didn’t seem easy.
‘Whoa, but Junhu is throwing well these days, so let’s grab this game for now.’