Chapter 635 – Episode 622. Hell of a Schedule. (1)

[At the top of the 5th inning, the score is 0:0. Leading batter Ji Maeng-ho comes to the plate. In the previous at-bat, he retired with a fly to center field.]

[Today, Kim Won-ho was hitting 12 batters in a row. I think winning now is really important.]

*

“Strike!”

In my previous at-bat, I threw the ball with the first pitch to see if I had time, but in this at-bat, I called it a strike from the first pitch…

‘Hmm… Have you changed the pattern?’

It was common to change the pattern every time the batting line went around and throw, but today, Wonho was showing good pitching enough to record 12 batters in a row, so I was a little curious about his intention.

There are two things I can think of. Either the batting lineup took a turn and changed the pattern like any other ordinary pitcher, or the condition was so good today that he decided to actively compete.

‘I wish it was the latter if possible…’

Changing the pattern for the latter reason was similar to saying that he was letting his guard down to some extent, so I liked that, but…,

“Ball.”

… Watching him throw a breaking ball after a strike, it didn’t seem like he was letting his guard down.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter either way. All I have to do is get on base.’

The current situation is that he is the leadoff hitter with no outs. Since it was a situation where I would hit a home run, get on base, or get one point anyway, all I had to do was watch the guy hit the ball as calmly as possible.

I set the timing a little later than I normally pull… !

Perfect!

“Foul!”

“Oh, this is the last twist.”

If he had hit it at the same timing as usual, he could have hit the ball within the ground. However, when he saw the state of the batted ball, there was a high probability that it would go in front of the fielder, so he quickly erased his regret and regained his composure.

‘It’s two strikes and one ball, so it would be a splitter or a slider here…’

As much as I cared about his crystal ball, it was clear that he cared about my shot as well. But do you throw a fastball in a two-strike situation where timing the fastball is basic? There are three ball counts left?

Then, I decided to take action and waited for the guy’s ball, thinking about the ball falling.

“Ball.”

“… After.”

However, the ball he threw was neither a slider nor a splitter, but a downward curve. Because the ball came completely unexpectedly, I almost swung the bat, but I managed to hold back and when I looked at Wonho’s expression, I saw that he was full of regret.

‘Try putting on a poker face. We’ve known each other for years. I can see it all in my eyes, you bastard.’

And with this ball, I felt like I could roughly figure out what Wonho was thinking. Jang Yoon gave an unexpectedly good performance and the situation was like a 0:0 sheet of thin ice. Judging from the fact that he threw a curveball at me and tried to make me swing, it seemed like he was clearly feeling pressured by this situation.

Well, it wasn’t that I didn’t understand. Because it was a no out, even a walk was like giving up one run.

‘If that’s the case, there’s no need to aim for breaking balls, right?’

Does the pitcher feel pressure? Then, in the end, the only choice left was to throw the ball that one was most confident in. And the pitch that most pitchers were most confident in was the fastball they had thrown the most.

Rather than throwing a breaking ball and risking a three-ball or walk, now was the time to throw a fastball to win the game.

Whoo, whoo. The sight of Wonho laughing mischievously after getting an out in his first at bat, pretending to have a poker face and breathing heavily was a bit funny, but it wasn’t enough to make me let down my guard, so I focused on his every move. Do it.

Raising the leg, extending, swinging the hand, each movement feels like a separate movement, and the ball flies low below.

… Just right, easy to hit!

As long as it was a fastball, it was the exact location for the swing trajectory,

His pitch was a fastball, just as I expected.

Ta-ah!

“Wonho, didn’t you say your brother would beat you up?!”

“Oh! Fuck!”

The moment it flew, Wonho, who sensed it was a home run and lowered his head, heard my voice and threw down his glove and cursed.

‘You idiot, so who wants to provoke first?’

1 point for this. Although it was a little late, this was the right timing to lighten the starting pitcher’s shoulders, so I returned to the dugout, fully enjoying the cheers of the crowd.

*

[… Game over! AT Thunders, who preserved the 2-point gap, takes the victory!]

[AT Thunders’ game schedule this month looked quite difficult, but they are off to a good start. As expected, it has the potential of a team that has lost three consecutive league games.]

[Then let me inform you that AT Thunders won…]

-AT Thunders! ‘1 point’ Defeat Kim Won-ho and win 2:0!

… The AT Thunders scored 2 runs with Ji Maeng-ho’s solo home run in the top of the 5th inning and Ji Maeng-ho’s sacrifice fly in the top of the 7th inning with one out and runners on third base, with starting pitcher Jang Yoon pitching 6.1 innings, reliever Kang Se-ho, and Park Jin-hyuk and closing pitcher Kim Yun-ho held off the remaining 2.2 innings without allowing any runs…

Meanwhile, Kim Won-ho, who currently has the best performance in the league, pitched well, allowing 2 runs and 13K in 8 innings, but recorded his second loss of the season…

… In a post-game interview, Ji Maeng-ho was asked what he said to Kim Won-ho after hitting a home run, and he answered, “After the first at-bat, Won-ho looked at me and provoked me first, so I just gave it back.” …

┗Kim Won-ho threw well, but it doesn’t work against fierce tigers haha

┗But if you look at today’s game, it seems that the best pitcher in the league is Kim Won-ho

┗ㅋㅋㅋ They were caught swearing at each other on the broadcast

┗┗You two are close haha. We went to rehabilitation together in high school

┗┗Becoming the best in the league in a two-bat between friends is a romantic thing haha

*

-Wonho: Hey, what is this interview? When did I provoke you first? You said you would beat me up first

-Meng Hao: ? That’s not a provocation, it’s fact? You started the fight during the game ㅡ

-Wonho: Ugh, it’s done. And Gaepaegin had only 1 hit in 3 at-bats today

-Maengho: Four home runs and two RBIs. Since you’re attacking me, why don’t you change your mind?

-Wonho: ㄲㅈ. Ha, why the fuck can’t the batters hit the ball if I play only with you guys?

-Maengho: ㅉㅉ So, just like your brother, do volunteer work on a regular basis haha. In that sense, today’s club ㄱ?

-Wonho: ? What kind of service do you do?

– Meng Hao: You always serve to make women happy haha

– Wonho: You’re so upset haha ​​Anyway, I quit the club, you bastard, you should do it in moderation too, you’re breaking your bones haha

-Maeng Hao: I heard you’re not sleeping?

-Wonho: Ugh haha, but I heard somewhere that you sent Jincheol to the 2nd team after beating him so hard, is it true?

– Meng Hao: No, it’s a fabrication. But who said that?

-Wonho: No, well, the seniors from other clubs will do it later.

-Maengho: ㅇㅇ You to play baseball moderately. You have been throwing well these days, but take some rest.

-Wonho: If you want to go to the majors, you have to work hard haha. Don’t you also have to work hard if you want to go to the fall baseball season?

-Maengho: Don’t worry, let’s meet in the fall. I’ll really blow you away.

-Wonho: hahaI will work hard and wait at Kosi^^ ㅅㄱ

*

“You know AT is coming up these days, right?”

“I know!”

“I believe you all know that if you meet in the fall, you will be a tiring opponent. What’s important is who shows crazy performance in the fall, and Ji Maeng-ho is the guy who is always crazy. So, let’s completely crush them, so they can’t even set foot in the fall.”

“Yes!”

“I thought it was a Korean series and stuck with it. Then, let’s go.”

“I understand!”

As the players’ voices echoed through the locker room, Hwasan coach Moon Ki-taek nodded with his usual expressionless face. However, there was a hint of fear hidden in that expressionless face.

AT Thunders’ current ranking is 7th. Although they were 11.5 games behind the first place team, they couldn’t help but be more concerned about Hyeonseong or Silla who were following them below.

The reason was simple. This is because Moon Ki-taek’s fear of Ji Maeng-ho was imprinted in his DNA.

In the season in which Ji Maeng-ho debuted, he finished second in the Korean Series with a batting average of .500 and allowed 20 stolen bases. Last year, he finished second with a batting average of .600 and allowed 6 home runs in 4 games, so there is Ji in Moon Ki-taek’s DNA. The fear of fierce tigers was bound to be imprinted on me.

Therefore, even if AT Thunders fell to 7th place, it seemed like they would come up at any time and strangle their team.

And the signs have been showing since the last series. In the first meeting with AT, Moon Ki-taek laughed and said that the team had completely collapsed, but the performance AT showed in the last series was definitely different from then.

As captain Choi Jin-cheol voluntarily moved to the second team, it was felt that the players were close together, and the batting line-up became more structured. Although the series was swept, Moon Ki-taek’s honest feelings were that the game could have been overturned if he had not implemented a newly designed strategy against Ji Maeng-ho.

In addition, AT is currently in a situation where the atmosphere has been boosted by defeating the 3rd place team, Shilla Triggers, in a winning series. It was also something that could not be overlooked that he won against Kim Won-ho, currently the best pitcher in the league, in that series.

‘In times like this, Hyeon is trustworthy… It would have been nice for Seonghyun to come out and break the flow, but he can’t change the rotation… Still, Tinie is solid this season, so we have to trust him. … The newly designed opponent method for Ji Maeng-ho also worked last time.’

Of course, if Tinier faltered, Moon Ki-taek planned to use the bullpen mercilessly like in the Korean Series, but for now, he trusted Tinier and the first game of the series between Hwasan and AT began.

*

[Match between Hwasan Falcons and AT Thunders, AT Thunders and Hwasan Falcons. Today’s game will be a match against foreigners, right? Tinier and Diaz. Diaz and Tinier. What do you think, Commissioner?]

[First, I would like to favor the Hwasan Falcons in the starting matchup. Tinie is a player who throws 160 like he eats. Last year, he recorded 14 wins, 7 losses, and an ERA of 2.84, and although his overall performance was good, he showed ups and downs, right? However, he appeared in 11 games this season, recording an ERA of 2.15 and 8 wins and no losses, standing tall as the ace of the Volcanoes.]

[Yes. Tinie is showing good performance, right? Then what about Diaz?]

[Diaz… This player is quite ambiguous. He has appeared in 11 games and has 3 wins, 5 losses, and a 5.34 earned run average. In the 3 wins, he has been an ace, going 8 scoreless innings, 7 scoreless innings, and 7.1 innings while allowing 1 run. Actually, that’s what I expected from a lefty who throws 150, but I don’t know. It’s so ambiguous. However, if Diaz is in good condition today, I think it will be a good match for both teams.]