Chapters 853 – 839. New Neo Ji Maeng-Ho. (2)

[Situation of 1st and 3rd bases with no outs. At bat, Ji Maeng-ho recorded 2 hits and 1 home run in 2 at-bats.]

[Verdugo and Volpi are actively getting on base today, aren’t they? I wonder if the Dodgers will use the bases loaded strategy again. In the 3rd inning, he used a bases loaded strategy with 1 out and runners on 1st and 3rd bases, and then hit a grand slam to Soto.]

[The Dodgers’ choice is… Cheek! Bobby Miller enters the game!]

[It’s also burdensome. Is this the reason why the number of intentional missed balls was lower than expected despite Ji Maeng-ho’s performance this season? Behind Ji Maeng-ho, there are powerful hitters like Soto, Stanton, and Judge.]

[… Ji Maengho! I pulled the ball deep into my body! Ah! Ground ball to shortstop! Second base! Out! First base! Safe! Although it was a double play, Ji Maeng-ho uses his quick feet to reach first base!]

[Uhm… It was a ball that a normal Ji Maeng-ho wouldn’t touch at all, but was he in a bit of a hurry?]

[I guess so, right? I’ve been swinging at balls out of the zone all day today. But the situation is 1 out and 1 base. And at the plate is Soto, who hit a grand slam today. … Three leaves! … Three leaves! Ji Maeng-ho steals two bases in one go! … And Soto gets a walk.]

[Nice… Ji Maeng-ho and Soto. Isn’t this combination really amazing? The two players ranked first and second in major league on-base percentage rankings this season, which truly shows their majesty.]

[… Stanton’s batted ball! Out! Out! Inning over! However, the New York Yankees are ahead by 5 points due to Ji Maeng-ho’s 1-RBI ground ball! The core batting line that was shown in the regular season is on full display today!]

[Yamamoto and Miller. Both players have performed well, recording double-digit wins and 4 points, but it is difficult to stop the Yankees.]

…

…

[In the top of the 7th inning, Kendall Williams, who has appeared in 15 games this season and has an ERA of 2.61 over 38 innings, is undefeated with 4 wins. And at the plate, he went 3-for-3 and left. … Verdugo’s hit! It falls in front of center field! Verdugo creates a 4-hit game!]

[Wow, the player’s batting is perfect today, isn’t it?]

[… With Volpi out, Ji Maeng-ho is now at bat. Today, 2 hits and 1 home run in 3 at-bats. He is recording 1 walk. … Ji Maeng-ho hits the ball out of bounds! This batted ball flies high! Betts, Joo Seung-cheol, and even Josh Sean! Ah! A position that cannot be captured! Meanwhile, Verdugo, who started running first, made it all the way home! Coming in! Ji Maeng-ho reaches second base! Ji Maengho! Lucky hit at the right time!]

[Uhm… Actually, Verdugo’s play was a bonehead play, right? When a ball like that comes out with one out, you can’t run.]

[I think I had a lot of faith in Ji Maeng-ho. The score is 13:9! The New York Yankees take a 4-point lead again! … Soto was called out, but Stanton and Judge got consecutive hits, leaving the game with 2 outs and 1st and 2nd bases. … Hole’s batted ball! Let’s go! Three run that drives the wedge! Sixth home run today! The Yankees prove why they are considered the best batting lineup of all time!]

*

-The home run show that decorated Dodger Stadium! Yankees balance the series!

… A total of 10 home runs were hit in the game that day, providing plenty of entertainment for fans who came to watch the game.

On the Dodgers’ side, Tatis hit multiple home runs and Smith and Palensky hit home runs, each scoring 3 RBIs, for a total of 10 runs. However, on the Yankees’ side, starting with Ji Meng-ho’s solo home run, Soto’s grand slam, Judge, Hole, Vientos and Verdugo each hit a home run and scored 17 points.

… The Yankees won 17:10, leveling the series at 2:2…

Meanwhile, both teams announced Ohtani and Gerrit Cole, each team’s ace, as the starting pitchers for Game 5. Many baseball fans are interested in whether Game 5, where both teams’ aces appear, will be as competitive as Games 3 and 4…

*

Pitchers have days like that. No matter how hard a batter tries, there is nothing he can do about it.

Perfect!

‘Cheet… !’

The moment Otani hit the ball, I could feel it. Otani is in pretty good condition today.

Obviously, with timing like this, the ball should have gone over the fence, but unfortunately, it ended up being caught in front of the fence. Perhaps, in order to fly this ball over the fence, I need to swing the bat at a more precise time.

‘… ‘Today won’t be easy.’

Well, there was never an easy day between the Dodgers and the World Series, but today was sure to be one of those days.

Still, if there was one thing to believe in, would it be that the condition of other hitters has improved a lot in the last two games?

“Out!”

“Strike out!”

But after all, Otani is Otani. The inning ends with Soto and Stanton out.

I was a little annoyed, but I also didn’t want to blame the other players because Otani looked difficult today.

‘Anyway, we call today, so we only need to score one point.’

And I also had one more colleague that I trusted.

Honestly, when competing for the most wins, Cole at the time showed such an ugly side that it made me think, “I shouldn’t grow old like that,” But now, Cole is very reassuring…,

“Base on balls.”

… Was it?

Perfect!

-Waaaaa!!!!

After a walk to leadoff hitter Sean, a timely hit to Ohtani. Ohtani was not only in good pitching condition, but also seemed to be in good condition as a hitter.

‘Still, it’s 1 point. 2 points, you only need to pay 2 points…’

Fortunately, Cole struck out Seungcheol with two outs and ended the inning without giving up any more runs.

The only difference from the first game is that I didn’t hit a home run?

In the end, it comes down to regrets like I should have done a little better in my first at-bat.

‘… Are you glad it’s Otani? If your condition is like this, you won’t skip me.’

The good news is that today’s pitcher is Ohtani. There was no way a pitcher in that kind of condition would miss me, so I still had three chances to hit home runs.

The game goes on like that, waiting for the next at-bat. Cole ended the innings with perfect pitching as if he was going to make up for the runs in the first inning, and Ohtani also finished the inning without allowing any runs as the top of the third inning arrived.

And in a one-out situation with the leadoff hitter, Ohapi, getting out,

Perfect!

Ohtani gets on base for the first time in today’s game with a hit by Verdugo. Verdugo showed a good performance with 4 hits yesterday, but a cold feeling creeps up his spine.

‘… Surely not? ‘It’s Otan?’

“Out!”

2 outs with Volpi out.

‘Oh, shit.’

And that ominous feeling came before my eyes.

“Ball.”

“Ball.”

Perfect!

“Foul!”

Perfect!

“Foul!”

As soon as two balls were called, I tried swinging the bat to compete, but Ohtani did not listen to my request.

“Base on balls.”

“Oh, shit. Really…”

If I had been able to get to second base, I would have told Soto the pitch, but with Verdugo blocking my path, there was nothing I could do.

“Out!”

‘Ah… Fuck. I’m going crazy. Really.’

A series of frustrating situations.

However, Cole also showed good pitching, so the game continued with the score difference maintained. The score difference at the end of the fourth inning was still 1:0. And in the top of the fourth inning, the opportunity I had hoped for came.

Perfect!

-Waaaaa!!!!!

Perfect!

-Wow!!!!

With Vientos and Verdugo hitting singles, there was a chance for runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs.

Now it’s Volpi again at bat.

‘Please, please. Just one bases loaded…’

I stand at the plate and pray earnestly for Volpi to load the bases.

Perfect!

“Out!”

But the result was a grounder to shortstop.

‘Under… Still, it’s not that bad.’

… And I laughed looking at Volpi like that.

‘What? Have you finally gone crazy?’

‘Me? Isn’t it? Mr. Rossby. Think about it.’

‘… Huh?’

‘The first at-bat next inning is me.’

Can you filter me even in a no-out situation? By 1 point? That’s not likely. So, it was my chance to hit a home run and make up for my mistake in my first at-bat.

And even if they filtered me out, it didn’t matter. If I get to second base next inning, the batters waiting behind me are Soto, Stanton, and Judge.

As long as second base delivered a pitch, one out of three players had a high chance of hitting a home run.

So this is an opportunity to turn the game around!

“Call. I’m still doing well, but please stop this inning. “I will definitely score in the next inning.”

“Yes, believe it.”

“… Yes, I believe it.”

Have you ever been told to believe so reassuringly? The sight of Cole walking to the mound looked so dependable.

“Out!”

“Out!”

“Strike! Out!”

… And Cole was a man who kept his word.

“Call! What is it really about today?”

“I told you to believe it. “I take responsibility for today.”

When I praise Cole as he enters the dugout, he grins and taps my shoulder with his glove. It looked pretty cool, so I added a word to Cole.

“Wow, I almost had a uterus.”

“… “Just give me points.”

“Yes!”

A turn at bat after receiving a special order from Cole.

“Good!”

“Let’s go! Let’s go!”

As I go to bat, I can hear the voices of my teammates cheering loudly from the dugout. And soon all the noise subsides and I get the familiar feeling that only Otani and I are left in the world.

‘It’s a fastball. ‘Body side.’

… Add one more person to that, Mr. Rossby.

If you fail to get on base here, it will be a disaster. There was no need to rush because the second base was wide open. I wait for his ball as calmly as possible.

“Ball.”

And the first pitch is a ball that goes slightly outside the strike zone toward the body.

‘Good. It’s not like I’m intentionally filtering it out.’

I was watching his ball as calmly as possible, and before I knew it, the count was three balls, one strike.

‘It’s a fastball. Outward and high.’

‘Okay, you have to hit it in the strike zone. ‘I don’t want to give you a walk.’

And the guy’s ball coming into the zone. But the moment he threw the ball, one thought crossed my mind.

‘Wait a minute, but you wouldn’t be able to hit from behind without me anyway… In this case, aiming for 2 points…’

Whoo!

“Strike!”

In a battle of 0.1 second, a moment’s distraction was enough to cause the bat to spin astray. However, it wasn’t disappointing at all. Anyway, all you need to win is 2 points. Here, trusting your colleagues had a higher chance of winning.

‘I also showed you the call…’

It may be a weak thought, but considering what Cole has shown, I think it would be good if he trusted his other colleagues a little more.

‘It’s a splitter. ‘Low.’

In a full count situation, the ball that Ohtani chose was a splitter aimed at my missed swing.

‘It’s better. A splitter is almost a walk unless it’s a stray throw.’

I waited for the guy’s ball, thinking about kicking it out if there was a misfire,

“Base on balls!”

Finally, I was able to get to first base with no runners on base.

If you’ve come this far, the next step is obvious.

“Safe!”

I took advantage of the first pitch to steal second base, and as soon as I got to second base, I exchanged looks with Soto.

‘It’s a splitter.’

Perfect!

“Out!”

But Soto is out. The out count is filled.

‘Are you okay. There are still two left. … Fastball.’

Stanton is now at bat.

Whoo!

“Strike out!”

But Stanton is an old man. Because of his age, the bat could not keep up with the fastball clocked at 102 mph, and he struck out.

‘Ah! Damn that old bastard can’t hit me even if I tell him! No, believe me. Let’s believe.’

For a moment, New Neo Ji-Maengho almost came out, but I calmly controlled myself. Because we still had one more chance left.

Judge comes to bat.

Judge’s batting average in this World Series is .106.7. But Judge is a man who hit 60 home runs in the regular season. And the Yankees’ claim.

If it’s Jersey, if it’s Jersey… !

‘It’s a sweeper!’

Whoo!

“Strike!”

‘Splitter!’

“Ball!”

‘Fastball!!!!!’

Perfect!

“Foul!”

‘Oh, fuck, please do something! Sweeper!!!!’

Ta – Aak!

-Waaaaa!!!

… I almost shed a tear when I saw Judge’s batted ball draw a higher and more beautiful parabola than ever before.