Chapter 670 – Episode 657. Aim for the Wild Card! (2)
“Strike!”
“Oh? You’re not doing well today, are you? Well, if you don’t want to get hit, you have to throw it like this.”
“Let’s focus on the game, right?”
“Yes.”
The first pitch in the universe was a 162 km/h fastball that hit low and outside. Is this a ball that is sure to result in a bad hit even if you hit it?
This was our second confrontation after being hit by a dead ball, and seeing the guy whose ball had bounced slightly until the first confrontation show such control, it seemed like his condition had definitely improved.
‘Phew, if it wasn’t for the WBC, I wouldn’t have even been able to go to the fall baseball season.’
The gap between future games with the Buffaloes is 0.5 games. Honestly, if Woo Joo’s form had improved a little sooner, we wouldn’t have had a guillotine match like this, so in a way, it was lucky that we did the WBC this year.
‘It’s a change-up.’
‘Okay.’
The second ball he chose was the high-speed changeup, which is now his statement piece. Of course, it was true that it was slower than a fastball, and it was clear that he wouldn’t put the changeup in the zone against me, so I decided to watch this ball.
“Ball.”
And as expected, the guy’s changeup goes low. Up to this point, the results were expected. Did they put it together like a stuntman?
Our real match begins now.
Just as I was wondering what choice the universe would make, I heard Mr. Rossby’s voice.
‘It’s a fastball.’
‘Also…’
If it were obvious, wouldn’t it be an obvious choice? Thinking back to when I was in high school, it’s been 5 years since I learned about space. A lot of time had passed, but this fastball was the only ball he could count against me.
Woojoo has also been equipped with a high-speed changeup of his own, but the results have not been very good. Other than that, the curveball, which is a breaking ball, was just like my food, and the slider, although fast, was not a high-quality ball.
So our game ultimately depended on this fastball.
‘Because it’s one and one…’
Perhaps, given his personality, there is a high possibility of putting him in the zone, right? Woo Joo was also one of the best pitchers in the country, and like most pitchers with high pride, he was not a pitcher who liked being dragged down in the count.
I was waiting for the guy to pitch, thinking that I would hit him if he came into the zone, and then he raised his leg.
‘… ‘It’s coming!’
Even though he knew it was coming, the ball flew by in the blink of an eye. However, because it was a familiar timing, my bat was already meeting his ball.
Perfect!
‘Use it!’
And the sharp sensation felt in the hand holding the bat.
I threw the bat and ran toward first base, but the batted ball was sinking in front of the fence.
“Out!”
‘Ha, fuck. I skipped over literature, but it sucks, really.’
If the stadium were only 3-4 m smaller, it would have been enough to pass over… However, if I hit it right, the size of the stadium doesn’t matter, so my mistake was clear.
‘… ‘You’re not in the zone, are you?’
‘Okay. It was deep in the body.’
‘Also…’
Surely you can’t let down your guard at all when dealing with the universe? Of course, he didn’t really let his guard down this time, but the ball was so fast that it was hard to tell unless it went completely out of the zone.
“Wow, I see 164 in the distance.”
When I was about to soothe my regret and go into the dugout, Seongtae hyung’s muttering caught my ear.
‘… 164?’
The universe’s highest velocity so far is 163.6? 7? It was probably like that. But breaking through the 164 barrier? Since it was a guillotine match, it definitely seemed like Woo-soo had sharpened his sword.
‘Okay, I’m not going to take it easy, right? ‘It’s fun.’
As expected, I felt like I needed to make sure I went there before going to the United States.
*
“Whoo, whoo.”
After defeating Meng Hao with a massive hit, Woo Joo calmly took a deep breath to calm down his excited mind.
‘Still, I climbed a big mountain.’
But even so, my excitement did not subside easily. Although I have faced Maengho dozens of times so far, it was always special to get an out against Ji Maengho.
‘Woowoo, the fastball is good right now, so let’s keep going with the fastball.’
‘Okay.’
Of course, it was not possible to remain excited forever, so Woo Joo exchanged signs with the catcher.
“Strike!”
And the thrown ball is a fastball that lands in the middle of the strike zone. It was a ball that hit the middle of the field, but Choi Jin-cheol, who came out as a hitter behind Maeng Ho, just watched the ball and shook his head.
‘Yes, it’s a ball that works for Meng Ho, but how can other guys hit it? Hehe.’
If it weren’t for Jamsil, it wouldn’t be surprising if the ball went over, but it was still a bad hit. Before the game started, Woo Joo, who had been slightly intimidated by the memory of being beaten like a dog on a dog day, began to gain confidence.
… And the more confident Jang Woo-joo became, the more fiery the ball he threw.
Perfect!
“Out!”
[Second baseman Jang Woo-joo catches Choi Jin-cheol with a fly!]
[It’s too late to hit now, right?]
“Strike! Out!”
[Jang Woo-joo strikes out Yoon Seong-tae after just three balls!]
[Seongtae Yoon is not an easy hitter, but Woojoo Jang sends him back to the dugout after just three balls.]
[Actually, it’s Seongtae Yoon, who has been the league’s leading shortstop since last year, right?]
[You’re right. Seongtae Yoon won the Golden Glove when he joined the 20-20 Club last year, and this year he hit 22 home runs and became a hitter worthy of the title of a slugging shortstop, and Woojoo Jang’s pitch was so powerful.]
A confident Woo-ju needed only five balls to get the remaining two out counts, and all five balls were fastballs.
Also, against Choi Jin-cheol and Yoon Seong-tae, who can be said to be the AT Thunders’ key hitters.
After returning from the second team, Choi Jin-cheol, who raised his batting average from .204 to .300 by hitting hard, and Yoon Seong-tae, who hit .300 with 22 home runs and 108 RBIs while recording an OPS in the upper half of 0.8, were opponents that were not easy to meet even in the universe. .
If it were a normal universe.
However, Woo Joo’s confidence was at an all-time high, and except for Ji Maeng-ho, the remaining batters were only 1st and 2nd batters.
[… Out! Jang Yoon ends the inning with a three-way throw.]
Therefore, even though the team’s attack ended quickly in the top of the third inning, there was no sense of impatience. No, I was more glad that the attack ended quickly. Right now, the universe wanted to throw the ball as quickly as possible.
[Kim Sang-min… ! Baek Kyung-ho… ! Baek Jeong-jin has to come out and it’s a ground ball! Once again, a three-way trip! Jang Woo-joo continues his streak of hitting 9 batters in a row!]
Just as quickly as the attack, the defense ends quickly.
Did he gain strength from that kind of pitching from the universe? In the top of the 4th inning, future hitters began targeting Jang Yoon.
[… The 4th batter, Ra Young-yoon, hits a timely hit! Runner on second base goes home! Coming in! Ra Young-yoon gets a timely hit with 2 outs and runners on second base! Score 1:0! Future Buffaloes are starting to take a step ahead!]
One precious point gained in the guillotine match.
That one point was enough to instill confidence in the universe again.
[Jang Woo-joo strikes out Kim Soo-ho! This is the 6th strikeout in today’s game! … Jeong Hwi-cheol is treated as a catcher’s grounder! Jang Woo-joo continues his streak of hitting 11 batters in a row!]
And the batter who came to bat with two outs was veteran Ki Ki-joo, who had been quietly performing his role in front of Ji Maeng-ho this season.
‘Let’s finish quickly and go in.’
But is it because I’m so excited? The more excited he got, the more he developed a chronic disease peculiar to Jang Woo-ju, which caused his control to shake,
“Base on balls.”
[Ah! There is a runner in front of Ji Maeng-ho. 2 outs, 1st base, Ji Maeng-ho at bat!]
Ji Maeng-ho came to the plate with one runner on base.
“Time!”
The pitcher, who had been on a streak of 11 batters in a row, gave up a walk, and the batter who came to bat was Ji Maeng-ho. In an unpleasant situation, Min Hyeong-yoon, who had been working with Jang Woo-joo all season, visited the mound to break the trend.
“Wooju, what should we do? Should I skip it? I don’t think it’s a bad idea to skip here.”
“… Filter it?”
“Okay. Same thing with walks. The feeling is strong.”
2 outs, 1st base. There is no reason not to skip Ji Maeng-ho. Min Hyeong-yoon responded to Woo-ju’s words with the hope that Jang Woo-ju would give up his stubbornness.
“Brother. I’m in good condition today. Let’s compete.”
However, the words that came out of Woo Joo’s mouth were a completely different answer than the answer Min Hyeong-yoon wanted.
“…”
“Brother. Please trust me.”
And Woo-joo, who caught Min Hyeong-yoon’s nervous expression, spoke in a confident voice and patted his chest. He was sending a clear signal to trust him.
‘Ha, I’m not even a fucking idiot… Skip Meng Hao in this condition? If I skip today, I might not be able to win for the rest of my life.’
The universe was confident. I am confident that if I am in good shape today, I can beat the fierce tiger who was beating me.
I was a little scared in my first match against Meng Hao, but I was able to feel it as I faced other batters after that. I know that even if Barry Bonds comes today, I can win.
“… Yes, I understand.”
And Min Hyeong-yoon nodded at the confidence of the universe. No matter what anyone says, Jang Woo-joo was the ace of the team.
After a short period of time, the game resumes.
‘Fastball.’
As always, the catcher’s sign was a fastball. The position to put the ball in is the low ball near the body, which is said to be the most difficult for batters to hit. The universe nodded at that sign. And a moment of silence. As I grabbed the grip of the fastball and took a moment to catch my breath, I made eye contact with Meng Hao.
Eyes that seem to be looking down at you… Those devil-like eyes were staring at me, but I felt confident that I could win today.
And the arm of the universe swung.
‘… ‘Huh?’
But is it because I am too confident? Or is it because the good flow was interrupted by time?
The moment Woo Joo threw it, he realized something was wrong. And, the fact that Meng Hao was smiling while looking at the thrown ball,
Ta-ah!
In the blink of an eye, the ball heading toward home plate flies toward the fence faster than its speed.
The first real throw I threw today.
Even when Ki Ki-joo was walked, there wasn’t a single missed pitch, but the missed pitch happened during Ji Maeng-ho’s at-bat.
-Wow!
[Ji Maeng-ho’s first pitch hit! And this batted ball becomes a come-from-behind two-run hit! Ji Maeng-ho’s two-run home run regains the lost lead in one go! Score 2:1! Today too, the problem solver is smart!]
And Ji Maeng-ho was a hitter who never missed a missed pitch.
‘Bitch, you’re no good to me.’
Before heading to first base, it felt like Meng Hao was talking to me with his eyes. It’s probably just your imagination, but you’re definitely thinking that way.
‘Ah…’
Woo Joo’s eyes, which were full of confidence, immediately turn white with tears. But I couldn’t cry here. Because the team still had five attacks left.
‘… You just need to come to your senses from now on. It’s only 1 point anyway. 1 point.’
So the universe ended episode 4 with hope,
[… In the bottom of the 5th inning, Jang Woo-joo creates a three-way inning!]
Such a good fight from the universe continued in the 5th inning,
[… At the end of the 6th inning, Jang Woo-joo once again blocks AT’s attack with a three-way throw!]
In the 6th episode,
[… Strike out! Jang Woo-joo strikes out Ji Maeng-ho and creates three consecutive innings with a third-strike strike! The game now goes to the top of the 8th inning!]
In the 7th episode,
[… Jang Woo-joo puts two runners on base, but ends the inning with a double play!]
It continued in the 8th inning.
However, the news that Woo-joo, who was preparing for the end of the 9th episode, wanted to hear was never heard.
[Jitterbug! Game over! AT Thunders bring the match! It was the AT Thunders led by Ji Maeng-ho who advanced to the wild card game!]
[Ji Maeng-ho’s home run was perfect, but coach Lee Soo-hyun’s mound management was perfect today. By replacing pitchers in times of crisis, he seems to have shown the fans why he is the manager who has lost 3 times in a row in the Korean Series.]
‘… Fuck. Today was really different. One lost pitch… Why is there such a ball… Why did it happen during Meng Ho’s at-bat…’
A single misfire decided the game.
“..? It’s space. Don’t cry “You did your best.”
“… “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, you guys should have done a little better…”
“No, I… If only I hadn’t been so arrogant there…”
If I were given another chance… No, just one ball. If you give me a chance to throw just one ball again…
But they couldn’t turn back time, and their season was over. And in the end, he was unable to defeat Meng Hao.
Therefore, the tears of the universe were flowing without stopping.
And in that blurry vision, you can see the AT Thunders players bowing loudly to the home fans.
‘Let’s not forget today…, ‘
In this way, Wooju engraved the importance of a single ball in his mind and saw a scene that he would remember for the rest of his life.
*
“[I seem to be in good condition today. Ji did hit a home run, but I think that can be considered a natural disaster.]”
“[Well, it’s not like I can’t use it. If I could reduce the ups and downs, I would become a better player.]”
“[He is still young, so he may grow further next year. Haha. By the way, I’m glad I can see more of Ji’s games in the future. I think this will be a good example before posting. Also, isn’t it important what kind of performance you show in the post season?]”