Chapter 743 – Episode 730. The Bomb Explodes. (1)

-Ji Maeng-ho, the final home run again! Season No. 12 Four!

… In the top of the 6th inning, the Yankees, who won the game with Ji Maeng-ho’s decisive two-run hit…

“Ha, 12 home runs already? There is no batter in Korea who has hit 12 home runs… This is truly absurd. A guy like this was playing in Korea…”

Moon Ki-taek, who saw an article saying that Ji Maeng-ho hit 12 home runs, was dumbfounded and crumpled the newspaper. That’s what he felt in the Korean Series, but it didn’t make sense to try to stop a guy who had already hit 12 home runs in the major leagues in the first place.

“For no reason, I was so determined to win. Yeah, that doesn’t make sense. What does it mean to block a hitter like this? Should we take a look at the records? Batting average .405 9 ri? OPS 1.646? “Only the on-base percentage dropped, but it’s similar to the Korean record.”

And Ji Maeng-ho’s record, which he looked up on his cell phone, was enough to make you laugh. He may be a small sample, but he once again realized how meaningless he was trying to stop a guy from putting up records like that in the major leagues.

“Still, I feel a little better now that he’s gone.”

In fact, Moon Ki-taek felt refreshed these days, as if a tooth he had been suffering from had fallen out. The league that Ji Maeng-ho left was so boring that one wonders if the competition for rankings was originally this easy.

The team’s ace, Seong-Hyun, was not showing the same performance as before due to aging, but Hwasan was in first place even with weakened power.

There were games where I lost, but was each game too easy? So, he was even grateful to Ji Maeng-ho for helping him grow.

Of course, I didn’t want Ji Maeng-ho to return to Korea for a more interesting game, but fortunately, looking at Ji Maeng-ho’s performance, it seemed like if he was going to return, it would probably be after he retired.

“Okay, stay in the major leagues like this. “Never come back.”

In this way, Moon Ki-taek prayed earnestly for Ji Maeng-ho’s major league performance. And in Korea, besides Moon Ki-taek, there was another baseball player who prayed more earnestly for Ji Maeng-ho’s success than anyone else.

“Brother Kyung-ho, did you see the article on Meng Ho that came out today? “That bastard was featured on Byeolgram as having grown taller.”

The main character of that prayer was AT catcher Baek Kyung-ho, who won a championship ring with Ji Maeng-ho in the last season.

“Thank goodness.”

“Yes? What are you happy about? Meng Ho is getting criticized for doing something strange again.”

“I’m glad Meng Hao isn’t in Korea.”

“What is that…”

“If that bastard had been in Korea, he would have gone to the kids who were tallest and beat him up, but because Meng Hao wasn’t in Korea, he bought a few people.”

“Hey, Meng Hao is not that bad.”

“Junhyung, it’s because you haven’t dealt with him before. That bastard is a real idiot.”

“No, it’s true that he’s an idiot… Still, it’s not that bad…”

‘How much did Ji Menghoi roast and boil his teammates? … Is that really it? Stockholm Syndrome? I guess something happened to Junhyung’s brain because he got hit so much.’

Baek Gyeong-ho was dumbfounded as he watched Park Jun-hyung, who was desperately hitting Ji Maeng-ho on the mound or in the dugout, shield Ji Maeng-ho. And when he thought that he could have become like that if he had been with that guy for a few years, he felt fortunate.

Anyway, regardless of that, Baek Kyung-ho was playing baseball comfortably these days.

In the batting lineup, the team was performing poorly due to the disappearance of Ji Maeng-ho’s huge nuclear umbrella and the aging of key hitters, so the team was recording an average score of 5th place, but Baek Kyung-ho was having an easier time than ever since he started playing baseball.

Thanks to the new starting catcher Kim Hyun-seong, who is now surpassing him and increasing his playing percentage, he was able to feel comfortable by only playing 2–3 times a week, but what made Baek Kyung-ho comfortable was peace of mind.

The thing that made Baek Kyung-ho most uncomfortable for the past four years was the presence of Ji Maeng-ho.

I felt uncomfortable every time I met him, wondering if I would get hit by his bat when he was at bat, wondering if he would hit me first when clearing the bench, and wondering if he would break my ribs again when he rushed home.

When I became a team with him to erase that inconvenience, I was worried that the pata that was directed at the mercenaries would also be directed at me, my senior. Fortunately, he did well in his last season with the guy, so that didn’t happen, but in any case, Baek Kyung-ho always went to work anxiously while Ji Meng-ho was around.

And now that there was no possibility of encountering Ji Maeng-ho, Baek Kyung-ho was playing baseball very comfortably.

‘Uh, wait…’

“Brother. “What’s wrong?”

“Hey, if I file a complaint in Korea, do I have to come from the U.S.?”

“Hey, are you really going to sue Meng Hao? If I met him in court, I would go straight to the goal. The entire nation knows what kind of personality Ji Maeng-ho is…”

“Yes? “You won’t do it, right?”

“Oh, are you pretending not to be my brother and worrying about Meng Ho?”

“… Well, that’s right. Still, we stayed together for a year.”

Baek Kyung-ho laughed awkwardly at Park Jun-hyung’s words, but Park Jun-hyung did not notice the meaning of the laughter. And Baek Kyung-ho, who smiled awkwardly, sighed in relief.

For some reason, it seemed like if they met in Korea, they would gather the AT players and have a fight, asking why their performance this season was so bad.

‘Please, don’t come back. Even in the off-season, I play in the US whenever possible.’

So Baek Kyung-ho left work, praying earnestly that Ji Maeng-ho would not come back to Korea, and while he was watching iTube on his way home after parking his car, he was able to see a video of the guy in his shorts that popped up in his algorithm.

“Fuck, why is this bastard’s video popping up so unluckily? Are you saying this because I talked to Junhyung about that bastard today? “Aren’t these idiots on iTube really recording my conversations?”

Although he was saying that, his swing was one that even a batter would like to emulate, so Baek Kyung-ho stopped walking and stood there watching the video.

“Well, the swing is still the same.”

Ji Maeng-ho’s home run flies through the dome stadium as if it were falling apart. And even that ill-mannered ceremony.

Ji Maeng-ho was still in the major league.

“Isn’t he going to get hit by an empty ball like this?”

And I was worried that Ji Maeng-ho might get injured after being hit by an empty ball.

Of course, I wasn’t worried about that because I was thinking about Ji Maeng-ho’s career.

The reason Baek Kyung-ho was worried about Ji Maeng-ho was because he was worried that he might get seriously injured and return to the KBA league.

Baek Kyung-ho was thinking about retirement, but looking at his current physical condition, he thought he could play as a backup catcher for about three more years, and he wanted to delay retirement as much as possible in order to support his children.

And in order to do that, Ji Maeng-ho should have stayed in the major league to manage stress.

However, in Baek Kyung-ho’s opinion, it did not seem easy for Ji Maeng-ho to avoid the empty ball. Because when Baek Kyung-ho also faced Ji Maeng-ho, he found it quite difficult to resist throwing empty balls at this guy. It was obvious that it would be even more difficult for him to tolerate American players who had stronger pride than Korean players.

Rather, isn’t it more surprising that he hasn’t been hit by a bean ball until now?

“Please, when the ball comes, avoid it. “It’s Meng Hao.”

Baek Kyung-ho prayed earnestly that Ji Maeng-ho would not return to the KBA league for any reason,

[… The Texas Rangers win 7-5 with a big inning in the bottom of the 7th inning. Now the series result is 1 win and 1 loss. Tomorrow’s game will be so intense that it will determine the winning series, right?]

[Yes. Tomorrow’s starting matchup is expected to be between Gerrit Cole and Lucas Giolito, but who will win…]

As time passed, it was time for Game 3 between the Yankees and Texas.

“Hey, try playing Major League Baseball. Let’s watch the tiger fight.”

And the AT players, who visited the hotel restaurant to have an early lunch at the away hotel, ate after the weather warning was announced and began watching Meng Hao’s major league game.

‘Tsk, the food tastes bad.’

Baek Kyung-ho was a little annoyed to see Maeng-ho in the middle of eating, but once the game started, he focused on the game as a baseball player.

“Hey, how was yesterday’s game?”

“They say Texas won 7:5?”

“The Yankees lose too.”

“Oh, here we go.”

[The leading batter is No. 1 batter Ji Maeng-ho. … Ji Maeng-ho’s strike! Cut left and center! Ji Maeng-ho reaches second base! Ji Maeng-ho’s leadoff hitter hits a double!]

“Wow, that kid is still the same.”

“How does he hit like that in the major leagues?”

“Ah, Brother Meng Hao, I miss your time there. Meng Ho definitely took care of Seungri…”

“Junhoo, are you singling out your hyungs for not helping you score goals?”

“Sorry!”

[… Judge’s two-run home run! The 11th gun of the season explodes! The New York Yankees are quickly ahead! Score 2:0!]

“Wow, Meng Hao and Judge. I’m really vomiting.”

“How do you block that batting line?”

[… Soto’s batted ball! Right fence! Let’s go! Soto’s back to back home runs! The 6th gun of the season! The Yankees take the lead from the first inning!]

[Wow, it’s been a while since the JJJ gun exploded.]

“And even Soto… It would be fun to pitch for a team like that. Really.”

“Lim Jun-hoo.”

“… Yes?”

“Why do you say that you want to exercise hard today?”

“… “I’m sorry.”

The AT players watched the game between the Yankees and Texas with great anticipation, but the game began to widen in the first inning, and by the beginning of the fourth inning, Maengho also hit a home run, bringing the score to 8:1.

“Wow, they said that ceremony in the first game, and they did it again today. At this point, it’s almost over. Well, today’s meeting is at 3 o’clock, so those who want to work out individually can go work out, and those who will stay can watch.”

So when Ki-Gyeong-ju, who became AT’s captain this season, created an atmosphere for disbanding,

[… Judge’s back to back home runs! The Yankees got the day today! Hot exploding JJJ gun! Three players hit 4 home runs in today’s game alone! Now the score is 9:1!]

Judge’s second home run of the day hit, and the weatherman changed his words.

“Wow, that’s perfect. No, hitters, let’s just watch the game a little more. Wouldn’t it be more helpful to watch the Yankees play today than to take a break? Is there anyone you don’t like? It won’t take long anyway, right? Since the meeting is at 3 o’clock, I guess I can make it to the meeting.”

“… Yes.”

The young players wanted to go back to their rooms and rest, but the veterans Kim Su-ho, Choi Jin-cheol, and Ki Ki-joo all stayed in their seats, so they couldn’t move, and Baek Kyung-ho continued to watch TV as the kids didn’t let him start first.

“Look at the Soto swing I just made. It’s as good as it’s supposed to be. Even though I was out, I had to make a hit like that. Even when I was in America…”

‘Ah, Sangju, it’s starting again.’

Time passed as AT’s hitters all gathered together to watch the game and at the same time listen to batting lectures on weather warnings, and in the top of the sixth inning, Tyga, who boasts the fastest average velocity among the Texas bullpen, took the mound.

[… Tyga is a player who throws a fastball at an average of 97 mph, right? Last season, he started as a starter and recorded an ERA in the 8-point range, but since he is young and has plenty of potential, the Texas dugout seems to be planning to give the player experience by giving him this game entirely.]

[Batter number 8, Ohapi. … Out. Volpi, the 9th batter, comes to bat. … Volpi’s hit is in front of right field! Volpi aims for second base! Martin’s fantastic throw! He catches Volpi at second base! Two outs.]

And in the top of the sixth inning, Ji Maeng-ho appeared with two outs.

“Look. Especially Junhyuk, listen carefully. I’m not asking you to hit like a fierce tiger. But take a close look at Meng Hao’s swing. What do you feel?”

As soon as Ji Maeng-ho appeared, Ki Ki-joo started nagging the player who replaced Ji Maeng-ho as second base this season,

“You haven’t even thrown the ball yet?”

“So, I threw the ball…”

[Taiga’s first pitch against Ji Mengho! Ah… ! It puts you in a dangerous position! Ji Maeng-ho urgently escapes! Ji Maeng-ho falls while at bat. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to have hit!]

[A 98 mph ball hit near Ji Meng-ho’s face. A ball like this is really dangerous, right? Taiga needs to pay more attention to ball control.]

… As soon as I saw the first pitch that Taiga threw to Ji Meng-ho, I thought of one thing.

‘Is this a Benkle angle?’

Of course, Ki Ki-ju was not the only person who had such thoughts in that situation.

“That bastard is screwed?”

Because all AT hitters who played with Ji Maeng-ho felt the same way.

AT players felt that Ji Maeng-ho was a time bomb with a hidden timer that could explode at any moment. Since they were playing with fire next to such a time bomb, it was natural for AT players to feel the same way.

[Ah, is Ji Maeng-ho standing up and smiling? Fortunately, it seemed like I would just get over it.]

Although his mouth is smiling, his eyes look like he is about to kill someone, or rather, he looks like he has already killed someone.

“They say Meng Hao is really upset if he just smiles.”

And with someone muttering…,

[Ah! Ji Maengho! You can’t do this!]

… Ji Meng-ho kicked his catcher and ran to the mound.