Chapter 692 – Episode 679. The God of Korean Baseball. (2)

“Strike!”

Seonghyeon’s ball passed through the zone and hit the mitt, and the referee’s strike call was heard.

‘Wait, I think it’s a little fast?’

I checked the electronic display board because it felt slightly faster than Seonghyun’s speed I saw in the first game, and the display showed a speed of 152 km/h. And, from what I remember, that velocity wasn’t much different from Seonghyun’s highest velocity this season.

In other words, give your all from the first pitch.

‘… ‘Why?’

To be honest, pitching all-out to the leadoff batter in the top of the first inning wasn’t a very good thing from a pitcher’s perspective. Because the starting pitcher had to pitch at least 5 innings.

Of course, the stage is the Korean Series, where you have to throw every ball with all your might, but Seonghyun was not that ordinary player. Seonghyun is a player who pitched over 7 innings in the first game and is the best veteran pitcher in the league. He was a bit unexpected because he was a player well versed in game management.

‘Well, it would be difficult if we hit a home run in the first inning like in Game 1.’

No matter what, my role is to throw the pitcher’s ball away.

Whether you throw 140, 150, or 160. That wasn’t important to me.

‘It’s a curve.’

‘Okay.’

Well, the curve is like a ball being thrown away.

“Ball.”

“Anyway, why do you keep mixing up the curves? “I won’t fool you.”

“I guess you really wanted to hit me just now, right?”

Well, it wasn’t wrong as it was a ball that came about one ball low in the zone, but I didn’t want to lower the chances of it becoming a hit or a home run by hitting a ball that went out of the zone. Seonghyun would eventually throw the ball into the zone anyway, so I just had to pick the ball with the higher probability and hit it.

‘It’s a slider.’

‘Okay.’

Seonghyeon, a left-handed pitcher, has a slider that bends toward my body. If the slider went towards his body, he decided to hit it right away, and he waited for Seonghyeon’s slider.

‘… Outside!’

And the slider’s trajectory is almost near the left-hand batter’s box. If it’s like this…

“Strike!”

“… Yes? Strike?”

Fuck. He catches a ball coming in from the left-hand batter’s box. When I checked the electronic display board and saw the referee’s name, it was the same guy from the first game.

‘The dog-eyed bastard has come again…’

The count is one ball, two strikes.

‘It’s a change-up.’

‘Okay.’

The ball Lee Yong-gi chose was a change-up, which can be said to be Seong-hyun’s decisive ball. Seonghyun’s changeup was once the most valuable changeup pitch in the major leagues, so I had a hard time with it when I first faced it.

However, it was a ball that I had already seen many times, so it wasn’t that scary now.

‘If you enter the zone, you will be hit immediately.’

I wait for Seonghyun’s changeup, thinking that as soon as I get into the zone, I’ll throw it over the fence. And the ball, like a fastball, flew with the momentum to hit the outside zone.

But what it means is that the left pitcher’s change-up is coming to the outside zone… !

“Ball.”

‘Phew, it’s sharp as expected.’

If I hadn’t heard from Mr. Rossby that it was a change-up, it was a ball that I would have swung the bat for right away. Although the body is old, is the changeup still a luxury product? It was a credit that had no choice but to be acknowledged.

‘It’s a change-up.’

‘Again?’

‘Yes.’

The count is two balls, two strikes. Well, taking out one more ball wasn’t a bad choice. However, this time it seemed closer than before,

Ta – Aak!

The batted ball went straight toward the fence.

“Foul!”

But it resulted in a foul.

‘Oh, did I pull it too hard?’

I made contact with the ball slightly outside the zone, but it was a little disappointing. It seemed like if he had come a little further inside, he could have passed over to the inside of the pole.

‘Change-up.’

‘… Okay.’

And the ball chosen by Seonghyeon and Lee Yonggi’s battery was once again a changeup. However, it was one more ball missing than before,

“Ball.”

I was able to pick out the ball without difficulty. Now the situation is full count.

‘Change-up again?’

‘It’s a cutter.’

‘Cutter? For some reason, I was wondering why he was doing that because he only threw changeups all the time, but this was what he was aiming for?’

In a full count situation, the ball selected by the battery is a cutter. It was a fastball up to the middle like a change-up, but it was the kind of ball that curved toward the right-handed batter’s body. Moreover, the speed was not much different from that of a fastball.

In general, there are very few pitchers who can freely use two similar pitches, a slider and a cutter, but Seonghyun is one of the few pitchers who can throw both with a significant difference.

Once again, I felt that Seonghyun was great, but he had no intention of paying attention.

Throwing a cutter here was because the location was too obvious.

A changeup that curves outward and a cutter that curves inward. Throwing those two in a row means deceiving my eyes about the outside zone.

‘It was a good attempt.’

And just like the ball he threw earlier, Seonghyun’s ball flies outward on an outward trajectory. A ball like a fastball. However, the speed of this ball did not decrease, and it bent inward.

Ta – Aak!

For me, who knows that fact, hitting that ball is very easy.

The batted ball cuts through the wind and flies toward the left wall.

-Wow!!!

And then a familiar cheering sound reaches my ears.

‘It was a good attempt, but you know it’s not working for me, right?’

I asked Seonghyun with my eyes, but there was no answer. They just keep looking at me.

So I started circling the base, leaving behind Seonghyun, who was looking at me.

‘It was dangerous.’

Honestly, it was a scary match. Repeating inserting and removing a change-up from the borderline with a difference of 1 or 2 balls, throwing a change-up three times in a row to plant the change-up in the batter’s head, using the slider and cutter perfectly, and using the cutter as a change-up It was also perfectly controlled at the outer borderline.

Is a sage still a sage even when he is old?

However, for it to work for me, the speed is 10 km/h. No, it should have been about 15 km/h faster. Or prepare for a walk and take more balls.

‘Now that Seonghyun is old, the major leagues must be more fun, right?’

‘That’s up to you. ‘Baseball is only fun if you’re good at it.’

‘Then I guess it’ll be fun.’

When I returned to the dugout after hitting the home run, the dugout was naturally in a festive mood, and after a brief celebration, I shared the information I felt with the other hitters.

“Today, I have good control, my changeup is sharp, and my cutter works well. Oh, the arrest is also fast.”

“… “What is that?”

“… It’s just Seonghyun. Anyway, I don’t think it will be easy, but I’m putting my all into it, right? Do you think you can get off quickly?”

“… “Once I figured it out.”

However, unfortunately, it seemed difficult to get rid of Seonghyeon quickly.

“Out!”

The weather leader who didn’t listen to my explanation,

“Strike out!”

Birch, who came in as the third hitter today in place of Choi Jin-cheol, whose timing was not at all right with Sung Hyun in the first game,

“Out!”

Kim Soo-ho, who listened to my explanation thoroughly, ended up giving an out count in front of Seong-hyeon’s ball.

‘Yes, it may be the last time, but I have to throw that away. I will definitely have some fun before I go to America.’

*

“Hyung, are you okay?”

“What’s not to be okay with?”

“Well, because the opponent was Ji Maeng-ho. Anyway, I feel like I’m in good shape today, so let’s just keep going like this. How many episodes do you think it will last?”

“9 innings is enough.”

When asked how many innings he could go, Seong-Hyun excitedly answered 9 innings, but in fact, he knew very well that he couldn’t pitch like that. If I keep throwing like this, the 6th inning will be the end at most.

And in the meantime, I wanted to deal with Ji Maeng-ho as much as possible.

He said that the fact that he faced Ji Maeng-ho a lot meant that he could lessen the burden on younger pitchers.

Although Seonghyun chose to fight head-to-head with Ji Maeng-ho, Seonghyeon still did not give up his dream of winning.

Of course, the probability of winning would have been higher by controlling the batting lineup from now on and filtering out Ji Maeng-ho, as the manager previously suggested,

Seonghyeon didn’t want to miss out on the two birds with one stone: a head-to-head match and victory.

‘I just have to overcome it anyway.’

And since Seonghyun had been throwing the ball while carrying the burden of being an ace since his first year as a professional, he was confident that he could kill two birds with one stone.

He gave 1 point, but only 1 point.

The game was still in the top of the first inning and there was ample opportunity to turn things around. Because there were 27 outs left.

And is it because Seonghyeon’s will was passed down to Hwasan’s players?

Ta – Aak!

[Choi Si-woo’s batted ball! High! Fence! Let’s go! Choi Si-woo’s solo shot over the center fence! Balance the game!]

Choi Si-woo, who is considered the best hitter in the KBA league except for Ji Maeng-ho, hit a solo home run.

[Schreiber is out on the first pitch. With the score tied, the game goes to the top of the second inning!]

The inning ends, and Lee Yong-gi, wearing a catcher’s mask, approaches.

“You know it starts with me next, right? I’ll turn it around, so let’s do well this inning.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

After briefly touching the glove with Lee Yong-gi, who he has teamed up with for three years, Seong-hyeon returned to the mound.

[… Out! … Out! … Out! Seonghyun ends the inning with a three-way throw!]

AT’s batters, who fell like leaves in a cold wind despite Seong-hyeon controlling his pace, were unable to deal with Seong-hyeon’s full-strength pitch, and the inning ended.

And at the end of the second inning.

[… Lee Yong-gi’s double! Leadoff hitter on base! … Bunt attempt. Lee Yong-gi succeeds in sending it to third base. 1 out, 3rd base.]

[This means that Director Moon Ki-taek believes in Sung-hyun, right? Considering Seonghyun’s condition today, I decided that I only need to prevent one point in today’s game.]

[… Kim Hyeong-gun’s batted ball! Left field! Caught! And third base runner Lee Yong-gi hits home! 2:1 comeback! Hwasan Falcons ahead by 1 point!]

Catcher Lee Yong-gi’s double and manager Moon Ki-taek’s strategy lighten the burden on Seong-hyun’s shoulders.

[… Two out situation. Ji Maeng-ho comes to bat.]

Ji Maeng-ho’s turn at bat came once again,

[I’m probably going to skip Ji Maeng-ho here, like I did throughout this series, right? He doesn’t need to face Ji Meng-hao with two outs. No matter how good you are, you can’t steal home.]

[Break…, Strike! Seonghyeon boldly hits the ball toward his body.]

Seonghyun boldly started the game with a first pitch strike.

[151 km/h was recorded?]

The speed is 151 km/h. As expected, his condition was perfect. It makes me wonder if the ball has hit the ball so well lately.

‘I tried to attack the outside earlier and failed, so this time I went towards the body.’

And Seonghyun and Lee Yonggi talk with their eyes and signs. I failed earlier, but now I have the mindset of unconditionally succeeding.

[… Before we knew it, the situation was at full count.]

After several fouls and balls, the full count arrived, and Lee Yong-gi signed.

‘The last one is a body changeup?’

‘Yes.’

And Seonghyeon nods his head. The last ball he chose was a change-up that was nothing short of his statement piece.

The pitch was planted far enough toward the body that it seemed like the ball would hit the body, so there has never been a batter who could react to this ball, which goes towards the body like a fastball and then deflects into the zone. Even in the major leagues!

… Seonghyun thought.

But as always, Ji Maeng-ho was a hitter who surpassed his own thoughts…,

Ta-ah!

… The batted ball flew toward the fence.

[Ji Maeng-ho’s hit! It hits the wall and falls! Ji Meng Hoi doubles! After two outs, there is a runner in scoring position!]

[Hey, it almost went to the fence with a line drive, right? It was a hit that wouldn’t be surprising if it went over, but Seonghyun’s control was good. If he had been pushed a little inward, he would have gone over the fence.]

The ball he threw to Ji Maeng-ho was the best move that summed up his career as a player so far. However, it would not be surprising if the result was a home run, a double hit. The strategy of abbreviating everything didn’t work. It’s as if he was expecting it.

I have never seen a batter like this anywhere. In the national team and in the major leagues.

‘… Okay. You won the game. But I’ll take the game.’

Seonghyeon, a veteran who accumulated 260 wins between the KBA League and the Major League, acknowledged Ji Maeng-ho as the best hitter he had ever met,

[… Strike! Out! Seonghyun ends the top of the third inning with no runs!]

… The score of 2:1 was maintained.