Chapter 676 – Episode 663. The Spy Is Crying. (2)

‘Oh, fuck. ‘Why is that guy like this today?’

To be honest, Charlotte’s foreign pitcher Jose Gonzalez was not that threatening. He was a guy whose earned run average was in the low 3-point range, making you think, ‘What kind of guy is playing in Korea?’

However, the fact that such a guy is playing in Korea still means that the high point is high. On days when he pitches well, he can go 7 or 8 innings without allowing any runs. Moreover, even on days when he was robbed, he was the type of guy who would go 6 or 7 innings, so the game was not easy for him.

Jose Gonzalez gave up only 1 point until the 5th inning. If it wasn’t for my stolen base and Seongtae’s sacrifice fly, we wouldn’t have given up even one point.

Fortunately, today’s starter, Jun-hoo, was handling Charlotte’s batters well after Kang Han-beom hit a home run in the bottom of the first inning, but since the 5th inning was over and the score was reached, we didn’t know how long Jun-hu could hold out.

‘So we have to score this inning…’

In the top of the 6th inning, our leadoff hitter was number 2 hitter Baek Jeong-jin. However, Baek Jeong-jin had 0 hits in 2 at-bats today, and the pitcher seemed to be in good condition.

“Out!”

And as if my thoughts were not wrong, Baek Jeong-jin hits an ordinary infield grounder.

Now, senior Sangju is at bat.

‘It would be nice if Sangju senior got on base…’

My record today was 1 hit, 1 walk, and 1 at-bat. I confirmed by hitting a hit in the previous at-bat that if Sangju senior gets on base, I will be at bat with one out, and if it is a one-out situation, I will be conscious of my stealing and will not intentionally throw a pitch.

In other words, if only Sangju senior gets on base, he can score at least one run. Well, it wouldn’t mean anything if I got out, but my condition wasn’t bad today.

That’s why I watched Senior Sangju’s at-bat while praying earnestly that he would get on base.

“Ball.”

“Ball.”

“Strike~!”

And Sangju senior was also choosing the best ball as possible, as if he had no intention of backing down easily. Now the count is two balls, one strike. Perfect timing for the batter to swing the bat. There was no way a batter of Sangju’s senior would easily pass this count,

Ta – Aak!

Senior Sangju’s bat produces a lively hitting sound.

-Wow!!

‘Please, please! Because home runs are good too… !’

Although there are more people here than yesterday, I still fold my hands as I hear the cheers of the small group of away fans.

‘Ah…’

“Out!”

But the result is out. The right fielder, who was waiting with his back against the fence, reached out and handled Senior Sangju’s batted ball.

If this happens, two outs.

‘… Fuck.’

And by two outs…,

“Base on balls!”

… It had the same meaning as filtering me out.

Although it is not an automatic intentional throw, he heads to first base with a walk that makes him feel strongly about wanting to avoid the game.

‘Fuck, I don’t even think about keeping it in check anymore.’

He arrived at first base, but the pitcher’s eyes were still on the catcher’s mitt. I get a little excited by the pitcher’s gesture, which seems to tell me to run if I’m going to run.

‘… But that doesn’t mean I won’t run.’

“Safe!”

So he took advantage of Jose’s breaking ball and landed on second base.

‘Mr. Rossby, please!’

‘Yes, it’s a fastball.’

‘Senior! It’s a fastball!’

And as usual, he tells Jincheol the pitch type. Senior Jin-cheol in this series was a reliable hitter and a right-handed hitter, so he had an advantage over Jose, a left-hander.

‘Senior Jincheol is enough…’

I sent the autograph with little expectation,

“Base on balls!”

It didn’t happen that I got into the groove. Jose gave up another walk. He gave a walk, but it felt a bit vague to say that his control was shaky.

… Just like when dealing with me.

‘… Did you really skip it?’

-Batter number 6, Seongtae Yoon. Seongtae Yoon.

And the announcer’s comment is heard.

‘Fuck, that spy here.’

Skipping senior Jin-cheol meant that the batsman behind him looked like a piece of shit. And Seongtae was a bad batsman only in the Charlotte game. Seongtae recorded 0 hits in this series. Although he gave up 2 RBIs, all the RBIs were sacrifice flies, so Charlotte was able to handle it.

Choi Jin-cheol, who is in good condition as a right-handed hitter, and Seong-tae Yoon, who looks to be in poor condition as a left-handed hitter.

If I had to face one of the two, even if I was a pitcher, I would have chosen Seongtae Yoon.

‘Please, just do it once. Brother Seongtae!’

But something has already happened, and Yoon Seong-tae is at bat.

-Yoon Seongtae~! Seongtae Yoon~! Seongtae Yoon~! Give me a hit~! Seongtae Yoon~!

Seongtae’s cheering song sounds like a karate shift song.

However, professionalism requires that you do your best even in these situations.

‘Bro, it’s a real slider, so please try it this time.’

I quickly moved my hand and sent a sing to Seongtae Yoon.

*

‘A slider? Okay. Confirm.’

Seongtae Yoon nodded once at the sign Meng Hao sent. Since he didn’t completely steal Charlotte’s sign, there was a chance he was wrong, but Seongtae Yoon had complete faith in Meng Ho.

Meng Hao is the world’s best guess hitter, even against major-leaguers. It was natural that it was more likely to trust a fierce tiger than to trust one’s own instincts.

And aside from that reason, Seongtae Yoon had a reason to swing the bat at the timing given by Maengho.

‘If you don’t swing the slider at the right time, it’s definitely going to be a mess.’

If I swung at a different time and got out, it was clear that I would be in trouble!

When I thought about that, I felt goosebumps appear on my body.

‘Slider, slider.’

Therefore, Seongtae Yoon waited for the slider that Jose Gonzalez would throw without a single doubt about Meng Ho’s words.

And Jose’s slider was thrown. A slider thrown from the hand of left-handed pitcher Jose flew high as if it had passed the cheek, and Seongtae Yoon had no choice but to wait while flinching at the ball.

“Strike!”

But the result is a strike.

“This is st… ?!”

“I came in.”

“Ah…, Yes.”

Seongtae Yoon looked at the referee with an aggrieved expression, but the referee’s decision did not change.

Hehe.

It was unfair, but it already happened. Seongtae Yoon spat on the ground once and then focused on the pitcher’s movements again. No, he tried to concentrate.

‘… Look in the eyes.’

But he made it known at second base that he was a ‘slider, do you get away with that? Are you a scary guy? Or are you spying on me?’… I couldn’t concentrate because Meng Hao was looking at me with those eyes.

‘Fuck, did you try it?’

It was only for a moment that I thought about that when I saw the look in Meng Hao’s eyes. Seongtae Yoon focused on the game again, thinking that if Meng Hao had hit it directly, he would have gone over the fence right away.

‘Fastball.’

And the sign Meng Hao sent was a fastball.

Seongtae Yoon waited for Jose’s ball with the determination not to miss it this time.

“Ball.”

However, Jose’s ball goes deep into the body. If it had been a year or two ago, he would have been in a situation where the bat would have been thrown out because he was determined to hit the ball, but Seongtae Yoon was able to hold back the ball with difficulty.

And holding up on one such pitch means that the outcome of the at-bat can completely change!

Yun Seong-tae, who had been talked about as an unfinished prospect until Maeng-ho joined the team, had now grown to the point where he could be called the best shortstop in the league.

‘Come, come, come. Only one person can enter the zone.’

And as he endures the attack, Seongtae Yoon’s senses become sharp as a blade.

‘Slider.’

“Strike!”

The next pitch that Meng Hao told me about was a slider. However, Seongtae Yoon boldly threw away the ill-timed slider. Even if he was cornered with two strikes, he had the confidence that he could hit at any time.

‘Curve.’

And Jose’s decisive ball that Seongtae Yoon was waiting for is thrown.

‘… ‘One, two!’

Seongtae Yoon’s bat came out at a slower tempo than usual to catch the curve,

Ta-ah!

It was swung with a cheerful sound.

[Uh, huh?! This batted ball!]

[Oh, I skipped it.]

[Right fence! Let’s go! Yoon Seong-tae’s come-from-behind three-run with two outs! We will destroy Jose Gonzalez, who was in excellent condition today!]

[Hey, Seongtae Yoon’s swing was perfect just now, right? The ball came low to the knee, but Seongtae Yoon scooped it up as if he had been waiting.]

-Yoon Seongtae! Seongtae Yoon! Seongtae Yoon!

His own name resounding from his resignation. Although the voices of the home fans were not what he dreamed of as a child, Seongtae Yoon was satisfied with the cheers.

“Seongtae, it was good.”

“Seongtae hyung! I really believed it!”

As soon as he hits the homepage, Meng Ho and Choi Jin-cheol, who were waiting for him, greet him by tapping his helmet. In particular, Meng Hao was smiling brighter than ever and welcoming him.

‘Fuck…’

And when he sees that, Seongtae Yoon’s eyes turn red.

The reason for his tears was that he was happy about the comeback, and also because he hit a dramatic home run in the stadium he dreamed of as a child.

But, the biggest reason is…,

‘Finally, I won’t hear you calling me a spy.’

The reason was that he was now free from the stigma of being a spy. Now Meng Hao is going to the majors, and he proved it by hitting a home run in his last game. It was natural for Yoon Seong-tae’s eyes to turn red because he was under stress knowingly or unknowingly at being called a spy.

“Wow, this guy, he’s crying right away because it looks like he’s going to fall. It’s really poisonous.”

Of course, Meng Hao, the person who created that feeling, didn’t seem to notice at all.

“Hey, you idiot!”

Just like that, Yoon Seong-tae just kicked Meng-ho’s ass and cursed at him like he did when he first met him.

*

[… With one out, Kang Han-beom hits a double and gets on base! Now at the plate is Park Jeong-hyuk. … Safety! Kang Han-beom goes home! Score 4:3! Park Jeong-hyuk raises the flame of pursuit! … Out! In the bottom of the 6th inning, Charlotte’s offense ends with them chasing 1 point.]

[… Three outs like this! In the 7th inning, both teams exchange three-way strikes and the game moves to the 8th inning!]

[In the top of the 8th inning, the leadoff batter is Baek Jeong-jin. … A hit in front of left field! Baek Jeong-jin succeeds in getting on base! … Out! Now at bat is Ji Maeng-ho, the number 4 hitter. … This batted ball! Let’s go! Score 6:3! Ji Maeng-ho’s decisive two-run against the changed pitcher Shin Jeong-hoon!]

[Oh, it’s not easy like this. A 3-run gap in the 8th inning is big.]

[… This is how the game ends! Score 6:3! The AT Thunder’s second straight win sends the fifth-place team in Wild Card history to the semi-playoffs for the first time! The main characters of new history are AT Thunders! The AT Thunders, the kings of fall, are starting up once again!]

[As expected, the momentum of the AT Thunders is terrifying as they enter the fall baseball season. AT Thunders is AT Thunders. This may make Silla, who is waiting in the semi-playoffs, a little nervous. Haha.]

[Then, we end with an interview with Seongtae Yoon, the hero of today’s miraculous comeback with 4 RBIs, including 3 runs…]

*

“Of course, AT Thunders. The batting line is scary. “Charlotte continued to block Ji Maeng-ho, but was unable to block Choi Jin-cheol and Yoon Seong-tae.”

“Well, if AT Thunders were a team that could only block Ji Maeng-ho, they wouldn’t have won the league three times in a row.”

“Then what should we do?”

“First, I think it would be better to compete with Jimeng Tiger. To be honest, Ji Maeng-ho’s performance in big games is ridiculous, but if you think about it, it’s not that bad during the season, right? But I think my performance has improved because I keep skipping Ji Maeng-ho during big games. Anyway, he’s a guy who enjoys the atmosphere.”

“… Then how about dealing with Ji Maeng-ho?”

“Yes. That’s my opinion. And don’t we have an arc? “Wonho is enough to stop Ji Maeng-ho.”