Chapter 718 – Episode 705. Wonho, Be Happy! (3)

[Yankees’ batting lineup! We destroy Urias! Score 6:3! Ah, Urias finally comes down the mound… … In the top of the 4th inning, the Astros take advantage of Ji Maeng-ho’s error, and Tucker is at bat. … The batted ball that Tucker fired! Go over the fence! Score tied! Turn the game on its head with one hit! Logan Gilbert is also coming down the mound.]

[Wow, this is a really great strike. The starters from both teams were unable to last the fourth inning and left the mound. They are definitely two teams with the best batting staff in the American League.]

[… Ji Maeng-ho’s hit! Verdugo all the way to second base! Ji Maeng-ho is on first base! … Judge strikes out. … Soto’s hit is to left center! Cut it out! Leave it alone and go home! Ji Maeng-ho also goes home! Ji Maeng-ho shows off his incredible power! Score 8:6! The Yankees are 2 points ahead!]

[At the bottom of the 5th inning, Musinsky goes on the mound. At bat is Kelnick, the number 8 hitter. … Kelnick’s batted ball! Let’s go! Score 9:6! … Verdugo’s hit! Verdugo succeeds in getting on base! And now Ji Maeng-ho is at bat! Ji Maeng-ho has 1 hit and 1 walk in 2 at-bats today.]

[I hope Ji Maeng-ho delivers a blow here. In fact, he must be feeling bad for recording his first error in the major leagues, so I hope he takes that burden off his mind here.]

[Ji Maeng-ho! First pitch hit! This hit is to the right! Right! Right! Let’s go! Ji Maeng-ho’s two-run gun drives a wedge! Ji Maeng-ho’s huge home run that hits the second floor of the outfield! Score 11:6! It’s totally a Yankees vibe!]

[Hey, I swiped it this time too. It was a cutter with an initial pitch of 87.1 miles (140.1 km/h), but it was a backdoor cutter with one ball missing? I just pushed this ball and passed it.]

[Haha, when Ji Maeng-ho first said he was going to the Yankees, he was worried because the left-center field was wide, but I think it was a needless worry.]

[That’s right. It is said that Yankee Stadium is disadvantageous for right-handed batters and advantageous for left-handed batters, but if you have the batting skills of Ji Maeng-ho, it doesn’t matter, right? Ji Maeng-ho is a hitter who can get over the fence whether he pulls or pushes.]

[… In the bottom of the 7th inning, Kelnick’s batted ball cuts into right-center field! … Kelnick takes advantage of Verdugo’s fly to right field and lands on third base. And here, Ji Maeng-ho comes to bat. … Ji Maeng-ho’s 3-pitch strike! A hit that passes between the shortstop and second baseman! Kelnick heads home with ease! Uh, uh! Ji Maeng-ho challenges second base! Three leaves at second base! Score 12:6!]

[Okay, this is Ji Maeng-ho’s main focus. He’s showing great striking today, but he’s also showing off his feet. Just now, it was a changeup about 3 balls low in the zone, but Ji Maeng-ho made contact with this ball and made a hit. In fact, throwing two changeups in a row to Ji Maeng-ho is not a good choice, right?]

[… Ji Maeng-ho ran to third base and Judge hit the first pitch! Oh, it’s blocked by first base. Two outs, third base. Now it’s Soto at bat. … Ah! The ball fell out! Ji Maeng-ho makes it home with ease! Score 13:6!]

[… In the bottom of the 8th inning, with one out and the bases loaded, Ji Maeng-ho, who today has 3 hits in 4 at-bats and 1 home run, hit Ji Maeng-ho! Ah…, Caught by center fielder. However, in the meantime, Volpi, the runner on third base, heads home. The New York Yankees score one more point with a sacrifice fly! Score 16:6!]

[… Game over! The Yankees won 16:6, scoring 16 points with 5 home runs. New York Yankees on a 2-game winning streak!]

[Hey, if this goes on, tomorrow’s game will be really fun, right? If they lose three in a row here, Houston is off to an absolutely terrible start, so they must win tomorrow’s game, right? And tomorrow’s starter is our Korean ace, Kim Won-ho.]

[Yes. The Yankees need to be swept, and Houston needs to avoid the sweep.]

[It feels like fate to have the Korean Leaguers meet in such an important game. Also, Ji Maeng-ho and Kim Won-ho are close friends, and really, an interesting situation unfolded from the first meeting.]

[Personally, I think it would be good to see Ji Maeng-ho perform well and Kim Won-ho to win. Haha. Because I’m Korean too. Well then, see you tomorrow. Until now…]

*

-Ji Maeng-ho, 3 hits in 4 at-bats, 1 home run, 1 walk, 4 runs, 4 RBIs!

… The Yankees, who were ahead 6-3, allowed Tucker to tie the game with three runs in the top of the 4th inning, triggered by Ji Maeng-ho’s error. However, Ji Maeng-ho recorded a two-run wedge that widened the score gap with the score at 9:6…

‘This guy is bombing even after coming to the major…’ .’

Wonho, who was checking the news for the last time before the match started, sighed deeply when he saw the article containing Mengho’s performance yesterday. Meng Hao, whom I saw with my own eyes from the dugout, was truly amazing. So much so that one wonders why a guy like that was playing king in Korea.

I had some expectations that Meng Hao would do this well, but did he come up too quickly than expected?

In fact, baseball was a sport where pitchers had a significant advantage. Since the ball trajectory and throwing form were different for each pitcher, it took a considerable amount of time for the batter to adapt. It’s not for nothing that I say that even if I hit .300, I’m good at it.

‘Well, it’s better than not being able to hit and then waking up with me as a sacrifice.’

I consoled myself like that, but I couldn’t help but feel burdened.

His first pitch in the dream stage, the Major League. It would have been nice to have come on the mound in a more comfortable situation, as it was already a nerve-racking situation, but the team’s mood was the worst after losing two games in a row as soon as the game opened.

There were no coaches or players who put any pressure on Wonho, but the unspoken pressure was stimulating Wonho.

‘… Still, we must win today.’

Although it was such a situation, Wonho really wanted to win today. Of course, as a professional athlete, he always wanted to win, but today he wanted to win more than ever.

The reason is Joohee, who is throwing the first pitch today.

Wonho was also a man who had received quite a few dashes, so he was aware of Joohee’s blatant favor towards him. That spirit continued from his dinner table, and in particular, after yesterday’s game, he was able to convince me of this feeling by teaching me how to throw a ball.

Although they are not talking, they have feelings for each other…

And Wonho also had a crush on Joohee. Her height was about 174 cm, so she wasn’t as tall as her first love, Hyuna, but she was quite tall, and with her cool features and white skin, she had a style that everyone would like, just like an idol.

Until now, for the sake of baseball, he had erased thoughts of women from his mind and focused only on sports, but it was natural to want to date a woman of Joohee’s caliber.

Wonho wanted to show his cool side in front of Joohee.

Joo-hee’s ideal type, as found out through the article, is a man who is sexy while doing his day job. And baseball was a sport where the pitcher could look the sexiest in the game.

Showing a great performance in front of a team that is in trouble after losing two games in a row and in front of a girl who wants to be seen well.

In order to catch those two rabbits, Wonho continued to control his mind and concentrate until he went up to the mound.

‘… But since I move around so much, how can I meet him? Should I get some tips from Leah or Seungcheol? … Two kids? No, three is fine. Because one person is so lonely…’

While I was thinking about that, the game started, and I saw Joo-hee throwing the ball from the mound with the form he taught me.

When I see Joo-hee throwing the ball in the form he taught me, I can’t help but laugh. The smile that spread across Wonho’s mouth was one that seemed to have forgotten the pain of her first love failing. But now it’s time to focus on the real game.

Wonho wiped the smile from his face and focused on the game. The Yankees’ starting pitcher is Rodon, a left-handed pitcher. He was a major league veteran who recorded more than 15 wins and an earned run average in the 3-point range for three consecutive years from ’24 to ’26.

‘It would be nice if you hit me hard like yesterday…’

Although Rodon was a good pitcher, he was one step worse than Logan Gilbert, who pitched yesterday, so Wonho watched the top of the first inning, praying that yesterday’s batting sensation would continue today.

However, Rodon, who grounded out Hamilton to shortstop, struck out Altuve and grounded Tucker to shortstop, ending Houston’s first attack in a three-way strike.

‘Yes, it’s no fun if it’s easy from the beginning.’

While I was walking to the mound, my heart was pounding like it was going to jump out of my head. And the first practice ball I threw on the mound.

‘Ah… !’

“Hey! Kim! Calm down! “Calm down!”

And then you hear the voice of catcher Diaz.

“Sorry, power. A lot.”

“[Anyone can do that when they first debut. Let’s go calmly. Calmly.]”

Diaz’s fast, unintelligible words can be heard. But in this situation, the catcher has only one thing to say to the pitcher. All I have to say is to stay calm.

That’s when Wonho took a deep breath to calm his trembling heart and turned his gaze towards the catcher.

‘Uh… ?’

I felt like I made eye contact with Joohee, who was looking down at me from the VIP section on the second floor. No, I didn’t feel like it. Juhi was clearly waving at herself.

‘Okay, I can’t show up like a dick here.’

I threw a practice pitch with such determination.

Bang!

As the catcher catches the ball, a cheerful sound is made from the mitt.

‘As expected, I’m in pretty good shape today…’

The condition I felt today while practicing pitching was the best. Recently, there has not been a day in better condition than today.

And Wonho was confident that this level of ball was enough to do the job.

The problem is…,

‘… It’s a game of first hitter.’

… The first batter to come to bat is Ji Maeng-ho.

However, seeing the friend who had been bullying him all the time in Korea come to bat, the familiarity seemed to ease his tension.

‘Yes, I dealt with you too much. Because it’s like this, it feels like Korea. Also wearing a striped uniform.’

Wonho hid the smile that was about to bloom and chose the first pitch. The first pitch is a falling splitter.

“Ball.”

Although the ball fell about two balls out of the zone and became a ball, the speed shown on the electronic scoreboard was 88 miles per hour (141.6 km/h). As expected, I was in good condition today. Usually, this level of speed only comes out when conditions are perfect.

‘The splitter is in good condition, so one more.’

Wonho chose a splitter for the second ball as well, and one ball was thrown closer to the zone than before.

Perfect!

And Ji Maeng-ho’s bat swings like lightning.

“I’ll catch it!”

However, this time the ball flew high in the infield, and the shortstop caught it easily.

‘Whew, I did a good job of getting him out of the zone. Since it’s similar, the bat comes out right away.’

“Ugh.”

He sees Meng Hao returning to the dugout, spitting and looking at himself. Wonho smiled happily at that and checked the electronic display board, which showed 91 miles (144.8 km/h).

‘Oh, what is it?’

The velocity of the splitter he originally threw was around the high 130s to low 140s. It was my first time seeing a splitter reach 91 mph, so I was a little confused for a moment, but my confidence grew in the fact that I caught Ji Maeng-ho cleanly with an infield fly rather than an outfield fly.

‘Was the effort to increase the splitter velocity effective? Is this really worth doing?’

In Wonho’s mind, Ji Maeng-ho was already the best hitter in the world. And catching the world’s best hitter with an infield fly in just two balls means that your ball has the power to beat the world’s best hitter.

‘Okay, let’s give it a try.’

Wonho was filled with confidence that his pitch would be effective even in the major league.