Chapter 801 – Episode 788. 2027 Major League All-Star Game. (3)
[In the first inning, the two leagues went 1:1 with Ji Maeng-ho’s solo home run and Ohtani’s solo home run, but which star will entertain the fans this inning… In the top of the second inning, the American League’s offense starts with 5th batter Tucker. The new pitcher, Alcantara, is on the mound in the National League.]
[Alcantara is achieving the best results in the National League along with Ohtani, including first place in wins this season with 13 wins, 4 losses, an ERA of 2.65, and an ERA of 4.5. Will he be able to do so in the All-Star Game? …]
[… Strike out Tucker! … Guerrero Jr.’ S batted ball is caught by the left fielder! … Alcantara strikes out Rutschman! The inning ends with a three-way strike!]
[As expected, it’s Alcantara!]
[… Now, Shane McClanahan is on the mound in the American League.]
[McClanahan has 8 wins, 5 losses, an ERA of 2.42, and a WAR of 3.9, recording the highest WAR and ERA among American League pitchers…]
[… Fan! … Fan! … Fan! KKK! McClanahan also shows what kind of pitcher he is.]
[Well, actually, I thought this All-Star Game would be a batting contest as both teams opened with home runs, but contrary to expectations, it turned out to be a pitching contest.]
[… Top of the 3rd inning with a tight score of 1:1. Cortes is now on the mound.]
[Cortez has continued to show good performance since moving to Pittsburgh, right? In particular, this season he recorded 10 wins, 5 losses, and an earned run average of 2.53…]
[… Seager gets a walk! The leadoff hitter succeeds in getting on base. Now at bat, Debus… Fan! And with one out on first base, Ji Maeng-ho, the lead scorer, comes to bat.]
*
‘Wow, why the fuck, kid again?’
I can’t believe I got to see that bastard’s face at the All-Star Game!
Now, I was excited because there was no game against Pittsburgh this season, but to meet that kid in the All-Star game where he pitches one inning each. Even though I was unlucky, it wasn’t bad.
The guy who had a strange pitching form and threw balls that didn’t match the timing engraved on my body at all was my natural enemy, and what was even more annoying was the fact that after experiencing his shitty pitching form, my batting skills were ruined for a while. .
Moreover, such a broken batting sensation was not something that could be normalized in just one game.
But what I’m aiming for is All-Star Game MVP. I didn’t want to ruin my hitting by trying to match the bat’s timing here.
‘It would be better to just let it go.’
The best option I can make here is to just watch him pitch, whether he strikes out or not.
“Ball.”
And the guy’s first pitch was thrown. The guy threw the ball normally without any unusual behavior. No, the timing was still weird, but compared to throwing the ball in the glove and swinging with an empty hand like a meow punch, this was a normal enough pitch.
‘… Huh? Why is that? … Ah, there is one runner.’
She was probably scared of getting balked. If you do that shit even when there is a runner on base, it’s only natural that a balk will be called. If he did this, he somehow felt confident that he could hit it. Now that I think about it, I think the time I hit him was when there was a runner on base.
‘Mr. Rossby! ‘Let’s give it a try.’
‘Slider, towards the body.’
‘Okay!’
And when his slider looked like it was going into the zone, I swung the bat with confidence.
Perfect!
However, because I threw it normally, my experience and body felt good, and the batted ball went comfortably into the shortstop’s glove and passed through the second baseman to first base.
“Out!”
“Out!”
“Oh fuck!”
So, I had no choice but to go into the dugout, vowing not to deal with him again.
*
[Ji Maeng-ho’s hit! To the shortstop! From second base to first base! Double play! Cortes ends the inning by catching Ji Maeng-ho with a double play!]
[Wow, Ji Maeng-ho’s double play is a record that is really hard to see… I’ll have to look up the records, but as far as I know, Ji Maeng-ho recorded less than 20 double plays during his time in Korea. And in the major leagues, not a single double play has been recorded.]
[Cortez can boast about this fact.]
┗Kkkk When the other guy meets this bastard Cortes he gets all excited like a dog that has seen the number of dogs kkkk
┗┗Maengjangsu ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
┗┗ㄹㅇ It’s an appendix haha. From the WBC, if you meet Cortés, you won’t be able to use the page
┗As I said yesterday, Meng Ho-shin is a technical hitter, so he doesn’t fit that type.
┗┗This guy has been gaslighting since yesterday haha. Anyone can see that he is so fucking stupid.
┗Wow, how long has it been since you made double plays in the fiercest defense? You’re a kid who doesn’t make double plays unless it’s a line drive double play. It’s so amazing.
┗┗First time in major league
┗┗ㄹㅇ?
┗┗ㅇㅇ 0 double plays this season
┗┗ㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋ The first double play in the Major League was hit in the All-Star Game
┗┗ㅋㅋㅋ Fans are showing everything so that they don’t get bored. As expected, the love for fans is fierce.ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
┗┗ㄹㅇ It’s fan love, isn’t it? I don’t think there’s anyone who has had more sex with fans than Ji Maeng-ho
[… In the bottom of the third inning, the National League’s offense starts with 8th hitter Elvis. On the mound is a new pitcher, Skubal. Skubal has 8 wins, 7 losses, a 2.86 ERA, and 3.2 WAR this season. … Acuña’s batted ball! Second baseman! Ji Maeng-ho blocks it! Turn around and get to first base! Out! Three out! Ji Maeng-ho shows off his amazing defense! Prevents a crisis with 2 outs and 1st and 2nd bases!]
[Hey, Ji Maeng-ho’s defense was perfect just now, right? Actually, Ji Maeng-ho’s defense isn’t that good in the major leagues, right? He recorded 13 errors in 713 innings and recorded a fielding percentage of 0.968, which is not very good. In fact, he is recording a fielding percentage that makes you think that he may not be able to play second base unless his batting performance is good, but the reason why Ji Maeng-ho is used as a second baseman is. It’s because of this kind of defense.]
[Of course!]
[Ji Maeng-ho is currently the second baseman who boasts the 9th widest range among all second basemen in the Major League, and thanks to his athleticism, he catches a lot of out counts, right? In fact, most of the mistakes are due to basic mistakes, but there are also many cases where they are missed while trying to catch these batted balls. Like Ji Maeng-ho, he showed great defense in the All-Star Game.]
┗Hosibi, the fierce god of defense, haha
┗Isn’t it because Ji Maeng-ho can’t defend? They always criticize him for that?
┗┗If you hit 40%, you don’t have to be able to defend. But it’s not to the point where you can’t be a fierce defender. You just make mistakes sometimes. Your range is so wide and your shoulders are strong, so you’re good at relaying.
┗┗So, if you look at Ji Maeng-ho’s defense alone, where does he rank in the league?
┗┗Just in the lower to middle tier? But I think I will do well as I gain experience. First, my athleticism is tier 1.
[Top of the 4th inning, American League offense. A pot player comes up on the mound. Pot’s performance this season is… … Judge’s hit! Cut right and center! Safe first base! … Soto’s hit! It hits the wall on the right and falls! But Acuña caught the ball! Throw to third base! Grab the jersey! No outs, 2nd and 3rd bases! Changes to 1 out, 2nd base!]
[Acuña, who had a hit stolen in the previous inning, is given an out this time! When there is a home run, it is a home run, when there is a lake rain, it is a lake rain! Both teams provide great things to see for their fans, right?]
[… He struck out Alvarez and got two outs. And then the 5th batter, Tucker, comes into the batter’s box. … Tucker’s batted ball! It passes between the shortstop and second baseman! Soto goes home! 2:1! The American League All-Stars are starting to get ahead! … The inning ends when Guerrero Jr.’ S hit leads to a 5-4-3 double play. However, he is an American League All-Star who succeeded in running away with an extra point.]
…
…
[In the top of the 5th inning, Luzardo takes the mound in the National League. This season he went 8-4 with a 3.03 ERA… … Lutchman gets on base with a walk and reaches first base with no outs. … Seager’s batted ball lands in front of right field! 1st and 2nd bases safe! … Luzardo catches Devers with a strikeout! One out, first and second bases. And at the plate is Ji Maeng-ho, who recorded a home run and double play today! … Oh, the National League is changing pitchers? Dodgers player Patrick Cooper comes on the mound.]
[Cooper of the Dodgers is a second-year rookie who debuted last season and has 8 wins, 2 losses and an ERA of 2.59 this season, right? What’s noteworthy is that he throws a knuckleball, which is almost extinct in the major leagues…]
*
‘It’s a knuckleball.’
‘… ‘Knuckleball?’
When he heard Mr. Rossby’s words, his mind went blank for a moment. It had been so long since I heard the word knuckleball that my brain stopped working. Moreover, I heard these words not from someone else’s mouth but from Mr. Rossby’s mouth.
‘Yes, knuckleball.’
And when I heard Mr. Rossby’s confirmed kill, I immediately remembered who the guy standing on the mound was. Dodgers starting pitcher, Patrick Cooper, who throws a knuckleball.
‘I heard there’s a guy on the Dodgers who throws knuckleballs. Is he him?’
Knuckleball. A ball that floats without any rotation and arrives at the mitt. Since the knuckleball had no rotation, it was the strongest breaking ball in theory as it was a ball that shook back and forth depending on the air around the ball.
The shaking was so great that even the catcher who had been catching the ball his entire life had difficulty catching it, making it almost impossible for a batter to hit the ball. Of course, that was only when I threw it properly.
Due to the nature of the ball, control of the knuckleball was inevitable, and since it was a difficult ball to throw, even the most skilled knuckleballer was bound to throw a miss.
However, the guy on the mound now is the guy who broke through the Dodgers’ starting lineup with just that knuckleball. I had heard his name a few times, so I couldn’t help but feel nervous again.
‘Ha, what kind of opponent is Cortés and a knuckleballer… I’m going crazy, really. But this is my first time seeing a knuckleball in real life, so I’m curious what it’s like.’
For a moment, I was annoyed by the constant encounters with pitchers who were my natural enemies.
Still, as a baseball player, his heart trembled slightly at the thought of dealing with a knuckleball called Magu.