Chapter 630 – Episode 617. God of Coaching? (4)

‘What is it?’

‘That bastard, it’s just bird breasts.’

‘Yes?’

‘I think a lot when I’m at bat. As you think more, your reaction becomes slower, and as your reaction becomes slower, your swing becomes hasty, which is why you get that kind of swing.’

‘… Really?’

‘That’s why I emphasized to you that you should swing without thinking.’

‘Such a deep meaning…’

‘Ugh… If only my intelligence was a little higher… ‘It’s done.’

‘What nonsense…’

Anyway, Mr. Rossby too. That’s how you say things you don’t like. Is there anyone smarter than me?

As evidence, I had a vague idea why Kim Sang-min was thinking a lot while at bat.

“Brother, come and see.”

“Yeah, yeah. Did you discover something?”

“My brother is thinking too much right now.”

“You have a lot on your mind? Aren’t you supposed to think about everything before you play? “You, too, are a Guess heater.”

“… Anyway, bro. “What do you think about when you go to bat?”

“Once I think of a pitch, I swing it at the right timing… ?”

“Are you talking about a curveball? “The timing keeps being late?”

“Uh, uh. Yes? “I guess I’m weak against breaking balls.”

If you are a hitter, timing the fastball is basic. Unless there is a special situation, I also time my fastball when I can. However, Kim Sang-min is also a player of about 10 years. It seemed like there was a reason for not following the basics.

“But why are you timing the breaking ball? “Normally, that’s not the case.”

“Oh, that? I’ve always been weak at breaking balls. I strike out a lot.”

Hmm… As expected, I was right. Is it like losing all your strengths to make up for your weaknesses?

Just looking at his physique, he’s about 186 and in his late 90s. Originally, he maintained around 100 kg, but this season, he lost some weight to prepare for third base as senior Suho was injured early on. However, this physique was enough to be called a slugger-type physique.

A person like this is only targeting breaking balls because of strikeouts. The solution was simple.

“Can’t you just swing it like a dick?”

“… How can you do that? Opportunities are limited. It doesn’t matter to you, but if I don’t get one at-bat, I could go straight to the second team.”

“I can’t just do one at-bat. “Then.”

“… “I’m sorry.”

‘I have no confidence, and I write. It’s just a mental problem. This person.’

Is this a slightly different type from Birch? Birch, this kid had a problem with his swing itself and was the type to hit with physicality, but Sangmin Kim had a perfect swing, but was unable to show his swing for mental reasons.

‘For some reason, I was good at training, but when it came time to play, I was terrible at it.’

And in this case, a case like Kim Sang-min was rather easy. All I had to do was instill confidence.

“Okay. Solution finished.”

“Huh?”

“Brother, just look at me before you hit me. “I’ll teach you the type of pitch.”

“Uh? What does that mean?”

“I’ll tell you what kind of ball to aim for. Wouldn’t it be better for me to do a guest hit rather than for my brother to do a guest hit? Just think that if you can’t hit the ball, you can’t hit it either. Shall we decide on a signature? The left hand is the location, the right hand is the pitch. I’ll go with my left hand starting from the shoulder, and with my right hand, I’ll start with the fastball and go from ear to ear, nose to mouth. Okay?”

“Uh, huh? Ah, I got it. What if you tell me…”

“Then let’s go to defense first.”

While I was talking with Kim Sang-min, the inning was coming to an end, and that was the end of our story.

‘You’re lucky. If it was Jamsil, you might lose confidence because you wouldn’t pass the ball, but if it’s literature, you might get lucky even if you miss. Well, if I hit a few home runs, I’ll gain some confidence.’

‘… Surely you’re not asking me to tell you? I don’t do such troublesome things.’

‘Is there even a need for that? Well, it’s not that I haven’t thought about it. It’s just a mental issue anyway. People like that just need confidence. Whether it’s right or wrong, you just need to instill confidence. Well, if you’re lucky you’ll pass, otherwise you won’t. And actually, it’s great if it goes well, but there’s no problem if it doesn’t, right? Jincheol senior will come anyway, and Suho senior will come back.’

‘Hehe, why did I hit you and shake my head.’

‘They say I’m smart.’

And although he said this to Mr. Rossby, he was honestly confident. I am confident that I can target pitches better than Kim Sang-min.

Even though Mr. Rossby doesn’t tell me the pitch types now, I have been hitting while listening to all the pitcher’s pitch types for the past three years. Now, I have a rough idea of ​​what kind of ball to throw and at what timing.

Because the experience accumulated in my body and the data were telling me. That was a big reason why we were able to maintain a certain level of performance even without Mr. Rossby.

… It was a little annoying having to focus on other batters’ at-bats instead of my own.

‘Well, it’s annoying, but I have to sacrifice this much for the team.’

*

[… Koo Jin-mo’s timely hit to tie the game! UG Overlord makes it 2:2! In the bottom of the 6th inning against Lim Jun-hoo, who was showing scoreless pitching, Koo Jin-mo hits a timely hit to tie the game! … Three out! The game now goes to the top of the 7th inning. … Top of the 7th inning, one out. Kim Sang-min, the number 6 hitter, enters the batter’s box.]

‘Whoa, let’s focus. Concentration.’

A 2:2 situation like thin ice. Kim Sang-min took a deep breath as much as possible to calm his chest and then went to bat. And as soon as he came to bat, he pretended to warm up and looked at his dugout.

“Why are you looking at the dugout like that? Just like before.”

“Don’t worry.”

“No, it’s the same for me at bat, and of course it bothers me when the batter looks at the dugout so noticeably.”

“…”

Is it because the dugout is on third base? It was so obvious that he was looking at the dugout that he heard a shout from the catcher, but Kim Sang-min focused on the sign Ji Maeng-ho sent from the dugout.

‘The first pitch is a fastball, and there is a high possibility that it will hit high? Okay, OK. However, it didn’t hit well in the previous at-bat… No, let’s focus for now. This is a sign from Meng Hao, so everyone has their own thoughts.’

A high fastball on the first pitch sent by Meng Hao. To be honest, in the previous at-bat, I was a bit skeptical because I believed Meng Hao’s words and struck out on a missed swing, but

-“Brother! If I get everything right, I’ll hit 500 home runs at 100%, right? “Don’t miss that opportunity that comes once at bat.”

When looking at him from the dugout with slightly skeptical eyes, what Ji Maeng-ho said was a straight argument, so Kim Sang-min erased those doubts from his mind.

No batter can hit the pitcher’s balls 100% of the time. Moreover, Ji Maeng-ho said he would hit 100%, but even if he hit the pitch and location 100%, he couldn’t hit 100% because it was a sport called baseball.

Even if it was the same type of pitch thrown by the same pitcher, it was bound to be slightly different, and no ball came to the exact same location. And Kim Sang-min knew very well that the slightest difference can be fatal in baseball.

-“Brother, you know? Baseball is a game of probability. Let’s go in a direction with a slightly higher probability. My brother and I. Who has a higher probability?”

-“… It’s you.”

-“Then trust me and follow me.”

-“I get it. “I’m sorry for doubting you.”

Therefore, all you can do is trust and follow the one with the higher probability. It was a natural fact that Ji Maeng-ho, who bombed the league in his first year of debut and led Korea to an international championship, had a higher probability than himself, who was a right-handed hitter or second-team player in his 10th year as a professional.

“Ball.”

‘Oh, that’s a really high fastball.’

And the first pitch that came in was a high ball. The new pitcher, Ki-Hyeon Yang, was a pitcher who used a curve as a winning shot, so it was nothing more than a standard pattern of deceiving the batter with a high fastball and throwing a low curve, but to Kim Sang-min, who trusted Ji Maeng-ho, this also seemed to be Ji Maeng-ho’s guess hitting ability. 〈 Br〉

‘As expected, it was right to trust Meng Hao. Tsk, then did I have to swing it? No, even if you hit a ball like this, you won’t get a good ball… Meng Hao will tell you again. … The next ball is a fastball again? Outside?’

“Stop glancing at me. “Did they spread honey on the dugout?”

“I told you to stop paying attention.”

The sign Ji Maeng-ho sent this time was an outside fastball. When he looked at the dugout, the catcher once again caught the pod, but since there were no runners, and it was not a situation where he could steal the sign, Kim Sang-min answered confidently and waited for the next ball.

And Yang Ki-hyun’s second ball is thrown. The ball was flying outward just as Ji Maeng-ho ‘prophesized’. When I realized that fact, Kim Sang-min’s bat had already been swung.

Ta – Aak!

The taste of your hand along with the clean hitting sound. Kim Sang-min stood still at the plate and looked at the batted ball as he felt this sensation for the first time since July of last year. The ball flies far away, cutting through the left center.

“Ha, you know what you’re talking about, you really make me appreciate the hit.”

The catcher’s small, sarcastic voice telling him to listen comes into Kim Sang-min’s ears. However, such sarcasm did not offend Kim Sang-min. No, on the contrary, even the catcher’s murky voice, which seemed to be stained by cigarettes, sounded sweet.

There is only one reason. That’s right, a home run.

[This batted ball is straight, straight! It’s expanding! Kim Sang-min’s masterful home run that goes over the left-center wall! Score 3:2! AT Thunders are ahead!]

The home run I felt for the first time in a long time made everything in the world beautiful.

“Ah! Please go quickly!”

The catcher’s voice urging. Kim Sang-min wanted to stand here for the rest of his life and admire the trajectory of the batted ball, but he soon moved to first base. The slowly walking steps began to get faster as they approached the home.

‘If I continue to be with Meng Hao like this, I too… ! ‘I can do it too!’

It was because he was so excited to see what path would unfold for him if he was with Meng Hao. As he thinks about retirement day after day, he feels a sense of anticipation he never felt when planning his future. That anticipation filled Kim Sang-min’s body.

‘Wow, is this really happening? Mr. Rossby! Did you see it? I got hit twice in a row.’

‘Hmph, I got lucky.’

‘Hehe, it’s not luck, it’s skill. For some reason, it felt like he was going to throw it like that. Isn’t this the perfect calculation using data and intuition as statistics?’

Of course, Ji Maeng-ho sent the autograph from the dugout with a light heart and without much thought, but to Kim Sang-min, who hit a home run after seeing the autograph, he could not help but be seen as a benefactor.

“Meng Hao! Hey man! I love you!”

“Oh, shit! “Don’t stick around, just a little!”

“Evil!”

… There was an incident where he stumbled when Ji Maeng-ho pushed him away, but to Kim Sang-min, such a trivial matter was nothing.

“… Now, let’s meet today’s Distinguished Player! Kim Sang-min became the winner today by hitting the final home run in the top of the 7th inning when the score was 2-2! And! “It feels like it’s been a long time since I last saw you here.”

“Hmm, hmm. Hello. This is Kim Sang-min of the AT Thunder.”

“You look like you have tears in your eyes. How do you feel about winning today?”

“Ah… First, it’s great, and I feel fortunate that my home run contributed to the team’s victory. Actually, I thought I would never be in a place like this again… Thank you so much. … Also, Mengho has been helping me a lot since I moved up to the first team, and I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Mengho once again. “I will continue to work hard!”

No matter how small the starlight is, it serves as a guidepost for a ship sailing on the open sea on a dark night,

Ji Maeng-ho’s coaching, which started with a light heart that it was okay if it worked and that it didn’t matter if it didn’t, was enough to change one person’s life.

The promising star of the past, who was sailing the dark sea at night, once again began to steer the ship towards his dream.