A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 114

31. Just One More Game (3)

“So, Jang-ho, even if you face Ma Kang-sik tomorrow…”

Go Chang-deok was lecturing Ryu Jang-ho, but Ji-seop quietly raised his hand to interrupt.

“Hold on, hyung.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Go Chang-deok tilted his head, puzzled. Ji-seop ignored him for the moment and turned his gaze to Ryu Jang-ho.

“Jang-ho.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Do you… have any other specific reason?”

Ji-seop continued.

“When you faced Ma Kang-sik, was there a reason you swung so much bigger than usual?”

“Hey, Ji-seop! What are you talking about?”

Go Chang-deok reacted before Ryu Jang-ho could.

“Another special reason? There’s no way. It’s not like we’ve only known Jang-ho for a day or two…”

It’s obviously because of Ma Kang-sik.

He wanted to beat him.

Go Chang-deok looked at Ji-seop as if to say, ‘Why are you asking the obvious?’ But then-

“To be honest… yes, there is. I don’t really understand why Chang-deok hyung keeps singing ‘Ma Kang-sik, Ma Kang-sik’.”

And the next moment, a word that even Ji-seop hadn’t expected popped out of Ryu Jang-ho’s mouth.

“This postseason… I’ve been focusing entirely on team batting.”

“Team batting?!”

Go Chang-deok’s eyes widened.

“Ji, Ji-seop… did the definition of team batting change while I wasn’t looking? Hitting according to the situation for the team’s victory… that’s team batting, right?”

“Hey, hyung. What do you take me for?”

Ryu Jang-ho pouted.

“Ah, okay, I admit it! Usually, I don’t pay attention to team batting. It could mess up my hitting balance. But… isn’t this the postseason?”

Fall baseball, fall baseball!

Ryu Jang-ho’s voice rose slightly.

“The seniors and juniors are all cheering each other on, trying to make it to the Korean Series… How can I back down just to protect my hitting balance? I have to figure out how to make the team win.”

“So… Jang-ho, you’re saying it was team batting? Throughout this postseason?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying!”

The KH Cannons’ best hitter was slightly annoyed.

Go Chang-deok’s face was filled with surprise as he looked at Ryu Jang-ho.

[Ryu Jang-ho, the great, is doing team batting?]

[Should I believe this or not?]

Go Chang-deok scratched his cheek with his finger and repeatedly tilted his head. Then, as if he had an idea, he held up his tablet PC and opened his mouth.

“Hey, then what’s this swing trajectory?”

“Huh?”

“The basics of team batting are getting on base, right? Whether it’s a hit or a walk… you have to get to first base without getting out, right?”

Go Chang-deok continued.

“But look? You’ve been swinging big every time you face Ma Kang-sik. Like you don’t mind striking out, as long as you can hit a big one somehow… I wouldn’t really call that team batting, would I?”

“Th, that’s…”

Ryu Jang-ho clicked his tongue.

Ji-seop threw him a lifeline.

“Couldn’t you say it’s a slightly different kind of team batting?”

“Hmm?”

“From my perspective, Jang-ho was thinking about our team’s bullpen situation.”

Ji-seop continued.

“From the Wild Card decision game, through the準Playoffs [Semi-Playoffs], to the current Playoffs… Our bullpen pitchers are very tired, aren’t they?”

The KH Cannons only had one reliable ace, Jimmy Morris.

Except for the days when Jimmy Morris pitched, the bullpen pitchers had been swarming in like bees, barely managing to cover the innings.

“A one- or two-point lead won’t relieve the burden on the bullpen pitchers. At that point difference, the must-win relief pitchers have to come out anyway.”

“…”

“If you can hit a big one, preferably a home run that clears the fence… that would give the bullpen pitchers a rest… Isn’t that what you were thinking?”

As soon as Ji-seop finished speaking, Go Chang-deok turned his gaze to Ryu Jang-ho.

“Wa, was that it?”

He looked genuinely surprised.

“Were you really thinking that?”

“…Yes.”

Ryu Jang-ho nodded.

“Since there were plenty of runners on base every time I faced Ma Kang-sik… I think I unconsciously thought that way.”

The story that he was aiming for a long hit to give his tired teammates a rest.

Even that alone was quite different from the usual Ryu Jang-ho.

But that day, Ji-seop truly saw Ryu Jang-ho, the baseball player, in a new light in the very next moment.

“Well, it all ended in failure four times… so I deserve whatever criticism I get.”

Apologies to his teammates.

Regret for not seizing the opportunity.

A bitter smile was already spreading across Ryu Jang-ho’s face.

“…”

Looking back,

This was the first time Ryu Jang-ho, who always just played baseball without a second thought, had shown a bitter smile.

The moment he faced that expression, Ji-seop could sense it.

‘This guy… has changed a lot.’

From a baseball boy who just enjoyed swinging the bat and being happy.

Now, as a leader of the team who can see the whole team and move accordingly.

Then,

What should Ji-seop do now?

* * *

The next day, in the afternoon.

The fifth game of the playoff was held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.

Wowwww!!!

Wowwww!!!

The atmosphere was already heated before the game started.

That atmosphere was directly conveyed to the commentators on the broadcast.

-In the end, we’ve come to the brink! The 2nd place team in the regular season, UB Guardians, and the 4th place team, KH Cannons! Which of the two will advance to the Korean Series! Everything will be decided in this one game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. Commissioner, what do you think of today’s game?

-Well, to be honest… I didn’t expect this development at all. Considering their power and stamina, I thought the UB Guardians would win easily? But I never thought the Cannons would bring the game this far! Ah, baseball is really unpredictable. Really unpredictable!

No one could easily guess the winner of the day’s game.

The early flow of the game favored the home team, UB Guardians.

Thwack!

Jimmy Morris, who had been the absolute ace of the KH Cannons since the Wild Card decision game.

However, perhaps he had also reached his physical limit, as he allowed a two-run home run to the opposing batter in the bottom of the 3rd inning.

-Ah, the KH dugout is moving! It seems that ace Jimmy Morris’s role ends here.

-That’s right. In the regular season, they might have dragged it out a bit longer… but if they lose today, it’s all over, right? It seems that Manager Arthur Freeman had no choice but to make a move early.

From then on, it was a fierce bullpen battle.

Just when the Cannons’ lineup seemed to be creating an opportunity with difficulty, a new pitcher popped out from the Guardians’ bullpen.

Conversely, just when the Guardians’ lineup seemed to be putting runners on base, the KH’s infield bullpen door opened with a ‘clunk’.

Whoosh-Bang!

Whoosh-Bang!

Whoosh-Baaaaang!

Both teams’ bullpen members did their part, and the 5th, 6th, and 7th innings progressed quickly.

The 2-0 score created in the early game did not change easily, and they reached the top of the 9th inning.

The KH Cannons, facing their last offensive opportunity of the regular inning, finally opened the gates for a counterattack.

Thwack!

With two outs and a runner on first base.

The KH Cannons’ second batter properly wrapped around the opposing closer’s inside pitch.

A hit in front of the left fielder.

-A hit, it’s a hit! After two outs, the KH Cannons are facing a chance with runners on 1st and 2nd base! Now, the outcome of today’s game is uncertain!

-That’s right! If they hit a big one here, they’ll immediately turn the game around! And isn’t the next batter the national team center fielder, Ryu Jang-ho?

Wowwww!!!

Wowwww!!!

As the atmosphere in the stadium grew hotter and hotter, the UB Guardians’ dugout began to move busily.

-Yes, the pitching coach is visiting the mound! If this happens… well, what do you think? Will there be a pitching change?

-It’s not easy to judge. The standard thing to do here is to let the closer finish the game. But the player waiting in the Guardians’ bullpen right now is…

It happened even before the commentator could finish speaking.

A loud shout of ‘Waaaaah!!!’ erupted from the home team’s cheering section.

“…”

A pitcher threw open the infield bullpen door and began to walk towards the mound.

The bullpen pitcher came up while picking his ear with his finger, as if this level of commotion was nothing.

His name is-

-It’s pitcher Ma Kang-sik!!!

The caster shouted loudly.

-The UB Guardians are making a move here! They’re taking out the closer, who managed to hold on well until two outs, and boldly using pitcher Ma Kang-sik!

-Yes, this is a move considering his head-to-head record against Ryu Jang-ho.

The commentator hurriedly helped the caster.

-So far, his regular season head-to-head record is 1 hit in 17 at-bats, and if you combine that with his postseason record, it’s a whopping 1 hit in 21 at-bats! Ma Kang-sik has a truly overwhelming record against Ryu Jang-ho!

Ma Kang-sik!

Ma Kang-sik!

Ma Kang-sik!

The Guardians’ bullpen pitcher slowly began to warm up, with the crowd chanting his name behind him.

It was perhaps only natural that the Cannons’ dugout became as noisy as a disturbed beehive.

“M, Manager!”

The Cannons’ coaching staff gathered around Manager Freeman.

“Wh, what are we going to do?”

The relatively young hitting coach asked the manager’s opinion, but the experienced head coach gave his opinion very decisively.

“Use a pinch hitter!”

The head coach’s voice was urgent.

“We can use Ahn Young-chan! He’s a right-handed hitter, he has power… and most of all, he’s experienced!”

A veteran hitter who had been putting in solid performances as a pinch hitter.

However, the hitting coach hesitated slightly.

“But it’s Ryu Jang-ho! Replacing our team’s best hitter here is a bit…”

“A bit what?! Didn’t you say at the meeting that we should consider using a pinch hitter in the worst case scenario?!”

We have to use a pinch hitter.

No, it’s Ryu Jang-ho here.

The opinions of the coaching staff were divided into two sides and were not easily narrowed down.

While their heated debate continued, Ji-seop looked at Ryu Jang-ho in the on-deck circle.

“…”

He was silent.

The KH Cannons’ best hitter was just silently watching Ma Kang-sik’s practice pitches.

He was usually silent on the ground, but the spirit felt in his facial expression was definitely different from before.

This was something that could be known without having to look ‘closely’ into his eyes.

‘Yes, this guy is now… preparing to move up to the next level.’

From a boy who just enjoys baseball to a young man who can carry the fate of a team.

From a player who only cares about his own performance to a leader who thinks about the entire KH Cannons.

It felt like watching a young eagle flapping its newly grown wings little by little.

‘…Good.’

Ji-seop, who had made up his mind, approached Arthur Freeman.

“Manager.”

And said.

“Can I use the free pass you mentioned… now?”