Chapter 23

Professional Baseball's Three Big Jokes -2-

#

Without Yang Da-geun, the Oceans' lineup looked like this:

[Busan Oceans Lineup.]

1. 3B Hwang Seok-gyu.

2. RF Bae Young-han.

3. SS Kang Geon-woo.

4. 1B Wolfpack.

5. DH Lee Si-wook.

6. 2B No Gyeong-woo.

7. CF Kim Sung-hoon.

8. LF Kim Ji-ho.

9. C Jo Yong-soo.

The top five spots were not bad. Some players had low batting averages at the moment, but there was a belief that their power potential would improve as the season progressed.

Additionally, No Gyeong-woo had just hit his first home run in his second game, giving fans high hopes.

However, the problem was with the 7th to 9th spots.

[Today's Kim-Kim-Jo 😂😂😂 Properly resting the bottom of the lineup 😂😂😂]

- 7-9 spots are just a nap zone??

- Just swing at Kim-Kim-Jo to fill up the pitch count

- Why don't their batting skills improve? Don't they train?

- Why? Because your player development is terrible

- Kang Geon-woo and No Gyeong-woo are doing well, what's the problem?

- They're just naturally good

- Still, the hitters are decent, it's the pitchers that are the issue

- But why can't you develop Kim-Kim-Jo?

- Even if Grandpa Huh Jun came, he couldn't revive the dead

- Ah

- F**k 😂😂😂

- Then put people, not corpses, in the lineup. Are there no people in the minors?

- Of course not

- 😂😂😂 No, f**k 😂😂😂

- How about changing the team name to Zombies?

- At least zombies are scary

- Are you guys disrespecting the 1st place Oceans?

- After two games, is it not embarrassing to claim 1st place?

- O.C.E.A.N.S. W.I.L.L. W.I.N.

- Do you want to be crushed by the winning Oceans?

- Shut up, you bastards 😂😂 But not if it's the losing Oceans

- LMAO 😂😂

The three big jokes in professional baseball, as chosen by fans, were:

The Invincible Angels.

The Strongest Meteors.

The Victorious Oceans.

Of course, the Angels felt wronged by this title. Unlike the Meteors and Oceans, they had made the postseason in recent years.

However, in baseball, such things didn't matter.

- Irons 😂😂😂 If you're going to be bad, might as well be last 😂😂😂

- The Oceans are strategically aiming for last place to get Kang Geon-woo

- Just a bunch of people who want to tease other teams

- You guys are clearly just terrible and in 10th place

- Oceans' specialty: Even if they declare a bold move, their win rate is only 40%

- Haha, funny coming from the Irons

- You guys are worse than pebbles. They'd lose to Welsh Corgis in baseball

- You got beat by Geon-woo today

- Your star was taken by us, and now you're relying on a rookie?

- Be glad you don't have Yang Da-geun

- Yeah, you don't have Yang Da-geun, but we have Park Jeong-shin

- Park Jeong-shin is useless and only manages his stats. You guys wasted 70 billion

- Oceans' specialty: Then they signed Bae Young-han for 78 billion

- Info: Last season, Park Jeong-shin had a .324 batting average and 23 home runs as an infielder, while Bae Young-han had a .305 batting average and 16 home runs as an outfielder

- F**k you

- I'll cry if you keep teasing me

#

Senior Hwang Seok-gyu, batting leadoff, personally thought that the 5th or 6th spot would suit him better.

He had decent power and was pretty fast, but he just couldn't hit in the clutch.

While the batting order's impact on the team's season performance is minimal, there are still certain tendencies that fit certain spots.

And the reason managers put such players in the leadoff spot is undoubtedly for their power. A home run in the first inning can change the game's momentum.

*Crack*!

In the top of the first, our starting pitcher, Kim Jeong-yong, gave up a walk and a hit but managed to get out of the inning. In the bottom of the first, Hwang Seok-gyu hit a massive double that hit the left-field fence.

“Hwang Seok-gyu! Hwang Seok-gyu!”

“Hang in there, Mr. Hwang!”

Hwang Seok-gyu had once said he didn't like that cheer, but the fans were singing excitedly regardless.

Sitting in the dugout, I could hear the fans' cheers more clearly than expected. The atmosphere changed dramatically from the fans who were cursing Kim Jeong-yong's performance earlier.

“2nd batter! Bae! Young! Han!”

The start was not good, but he managed to keep it scoreless and then turned the momentum with a double.

Bae Young-han might be a bit strange, but his contact ability is quite good.

One of the league's best bad-ball hitters.

One thing is certain: not every swing at a bad pitch makes you a bad-ball hitter.

*Click*!

To be a bad-ball hitter, you need to turn bad pitches into hits.

Irons' left-handed starter Lee Tae-young's slider missed the zone, but left-handed batter Bae Young-han managed to push it with a quick swing.

The ball didn't have much power, but it flew to a spot that was hard to catch.

Actually, such a hit requires more technical batting than it looks.

Of course, hitting a Major League-level fastball like that would be difficult.

But he's a player who signed a 78 billion won contract in the KBO.

There were runners on 1st and 3rd. The hit was too short for the runner on 2nd to score.

“Kang! Geon! Woo! Oceans' Kang Geon-woo!”

“Gang! Geon! Woo!”

There was no signal from the bench. The head coach pretended to touch various parts of his body but the real signal was after touching his belt buckle.

I pretended to look at the head coach's signal and nodded, then took a short grip on the bat and stepped into the batter's box.

Irons' catcher Choi Yu-hyun whispered to me.

“Hey, let's take it easy.”

I just nodded slightly and took a bunt stance.

“Bunt?”

Of course not.

Who does a squeeze bunt like this?

A squeeze bunt needs to be done without the defense noticing. I just planted the idea of a bunt in the pitcher's and fielders' minds.

And the first pitch.

I kept the bunt stance until the last moment, then pulled back the bat as the ball dropped.

“Ball!”

As soon as the catcher returned the ball to the pitcher, I took a bunt stance again. Another ball.

I easily got to 2-0.

This could be because of the bunt fake, or maybe because of my two home runs in the first two games.

That doesn't matter. What matters is how the pitcher perceives me.

Scared by my 2-game, 3-home run record, or thinking it's just a rookie's luck.

“Ball!”

Or.

“Walk!”

Maybe he just can't control his pitches after giving up consecutive hits.

I don't really like getting walks in such situations. I prefer to solve things myself.

“Good job.”

After throwing the bat and touching first base, Coach Sung Jeong-woo patted my butt and said, and whispered in my ear.

“Where did you learn that? Let's stay calm.”

Bottom of the first, bases loaded with no outs.

“Victory! Oceans! Today! We will win!”

The crowd was already in a frenzy. Looking back, I saw two large flags waving vigorously.

I would have hit it if it was close to the strike zone. Hitting an RBI would make Yoo-ri happy.

Wolfpack stepped into the batter's box. His large frame filled the box.

“Aaaaaah!”

Wolfpack's performance hadn't been great since the season started.

The fans made wolf howls, and Wolfpack responded as if in agreement.

*Crack*!

On the first pitch, he swung with a powerful full swing that seemed to make his whole body convulse.

“Aaaaaah!”

“Wolfpack! Wolfpack!”

Wolfpack smiled at the hit, raised his left arm, kissed his bicep, and started running the bases.

As he rounded third, he made eye contact with Irons' third baseman Park Jeong-shin, who was looking at him strangely. It wasn't a look of provocation.

Whatever, not my problem.

“I am the king of wolves!”

I patted Wolfpack's back as he crossed home plate, congratulating him. I walked on a ball, but Wolfpack's grand slam would make Yoo-ri happy too.

#

Oso-hee, who had been waving the flags wildly at the grand slam, sat down and said,

“Wolfpack's power is no joke, right?”

“Mom, Geon-woo faked a bunt to shake up the pitcher, that's why.”

At Yoo-ri's words, Kang Geon-woo's mother, Im Mi-rae, laughed and asked,

“Really? So he hit a home run because of our son?”

“Exactly! Baseball is a mental game! Geon-woo shook up the pitcher with his rookie-like composure! He smartly drew a walk to load the bases! With the bases loaded, the pitcher had no choice but to throw strikes!”

“Then you'll say that a Korean won the Nobel Prize because of Geon-woo?”

“Maybe, Mom! Watching Geon-woo play might inspire someone!”

The two mothers laughed heartily. It would have been even better if Kang Geon-woo had hit a home run, but he was doing well.

Behind us, some uncles, already drunk, were having a serious conversation in loud voices.

“This could really lead to a championship! The Oceans are no joke!”

“This is the year for a championship!”

“It's time!”

“No matter how you look at it, they're really strong!”

“Right! They're really strong!”

“Yeah, you're right! They're not just strong, they're exceptionally strong!”

“Yeah! They know how to play baseball!”

#

The Irons' lineup was relatively balanced. They had a good mix of left- and right-handed batters and were quite adept at team batting.

Even though they were down by four points early in the game, they bunted to advance the runner to second when there was a runner on first with no outs.

It seemed like they were trying to catch up one point at a time. Perhaps, they were also trying to wear down the Oceans' bullpen by scoring a little at a time.

In the top of the second, the Irons managed to score one point. Leadoff hit, bunt, and a timely hit.

In the top of the third, they scored another point with a sacrifice fly with one out and a runner on third.

In the top of the fourth, Park Jeong-shin hit a solo home run against his former team, the Oceans, making the score 4-3.

I hit a single in the bottom of the third and reached base, but the subsequent batters failed to score, and in the bottom of the fourth.

The Oceans' 7th, 8th, and 9th batters struck out in succession, and Irons' starter Lee Tae-young roared.

He seemed to have fully recovered. After all, he was a very skilled pitcher who could throw several pitches at a high level and rarely made mistakes.

We needed to break through now. If we let them gain momentum while only one point behind, the Oceans' bullpen might not be able to hold them off.

You can't win every game in baseball.

But with the Oceans winning the opening series, Yoo-ri was very happy.

I wanted to make her feel that happiness even more.

Especially since Yoo-ri was a fan of Park Jeong-shin, who had transferred to the Irons.

The attack started with the leadoff batter. Hwang Seok-gyu's hit was caught by the center fielder, but Bae Young-han hit his second hit of the game, a single that dropped in front of the right fielder.

Despite being a weekday game, quite a few people had come to the stadium, and most were shouting my name.

If the bullpen is shaky, you can still win by scoring enough runs to overcome it.

The opposing pitcher had thrown 89 pitches.

It was about time for his stuff to start dropping. And if I were the pitcher, I wouldn't want to face Wolfpack, who had hit a grand slam and was taking full swings in the on-deck circle.

Even if he doesn't throw good pitches, he'll at least throw strikes.

I tightened my grip on the bat.

In the Major Leagues, a weak hit would have a hard time getting past a tight defensive shift. As a medium-to-long distance hitter, I found a way to avoid the shift with this batting stance.

The best way to avoid a shift is to hit the ball where the shift doesn't apply.

An empty spot with no fielder is good, but the best place to hit is behind the fence.

This swing is designed solely for a home run.

More about swing speed and launch angle than raw power. Instead of waiting until the last moment to pull the ball, hit it high and far before it starts to move.

The pitcher is good at throwing splitters and sliders, but his main weapon is the two-seam fastball. A two-seam fastball is a good choice for a left-handed pitcher facing a right-handed batter.

I focused on a low outside two-seam fastball.

I need to hit it in front of the zone. If the timing is off, it could turn into a double play.

I took a deep breath and had already observed the pitcher's tempo when he had a runner on first.

I waited. The pitcher glanced at the ground and lifted his head. I held my breath. The pitcher extended his stride and pulled back his left arm. It wasn't time to exhale yet. The left hand came out. Just a bit more.

As the left hand released the ball.

I exhaled as if pushing out the held breath, and my left foot stepped in. Timing the 140 km/h pitch, I took a full swing.

*Crack*!

I hit the ball that was slightly moving outside as if