A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 115

One More Game (4)

“A free pass?”

Director Arthur Freeman turned his head.

Ji-seop voiced what he was thinking.

“Yes, for this at-bat… I’d like you to let Jang-ho take it. I’m sure there will be good results.”

“…Leave it to Jang-ho?”

Director Freeman was silent for a moment.

Instead of shouting ‘Okay!’ as usual, he gave Ji-seop one instruction.

“It seems like Jang-ho isn’t getting a good grip on the bat.”

Grip guard.

A sticky spray that you spray on the handle so you can hold the bat firmly.

Director Freeman pointed to a ‘grip guard’ placed next to him.

“Go and give it to Jang-ho.”

“Yes? Ah…”

Quick-witted Ji-seop immediately understood Director Freeman’s intention.

It meant that while pretending to hand over the grip guard, he should give Ryu Jang-ho some advice.

It also meant that this at-bat was entirely up to Ji-seop.

“Thank you, Director.”

Ji-seop slightly bowed to Director Freeman, who kept his promise.

He took a can of grip guard in his hand and left the dugout.

* * *

Top of the 9th inning, two outs with runners on 1st and 2nd base.

Ji-seop’s movements were being captured by the broadcaster’s camera.

-Ah, there’s some movement in the Cannons dugout! Are they going to use a pinch hitter after all?

-No, right now… it looks like they’re trying to spray Ryu Jang-ho’s bat with adhesive. Doing that will keep his hand firmly fixed to the bat handle, you know?

-So that means… they’re not going to use a pinch hitter, and they’re going to leave this at-bat to Ryu Jang-ho, is that how we should see it?

-Yes, that’s right.

No pinch hitter.

Ryu Jang-ho is up.

As Director Freeman’s intentions became clear, the reactions of both teams’ cheering squads were contrasting.

“Did he think Ryu Jang-ho could beat Ma Kang-sik? Hehe, even a foreign manager is no different?”

“No! The Cannons manager is helping him! This year, we’re going to win the Korean Series! Hahaha!”

The home team, UB Guardians fans, were chanting Director Freeman’s name with bright expressions.

“No way! What is the manager thinking?! Anyone can see that we need to use a pinch hitter here, right?”

“Director Freeman!!! Are you planning to die with Ryu Jang-ho? Huh?! Are you planning to die together?!”

“Ugh, I’m so frustrated!!!”

The away team, KH Cannons fans, were furious that they weren’t using a pinch hitter.

One side was gleeful.

The other side was enraged.

It was a starkly divided atmosphere, but in fact, both teams’ cheering squads were thinking the same thing at this time.

‘Ryu Jang-ho… can’t win!’

‘Ma Kang-sik will win again this time!’

It seemed that this atmosphere was being conveyed to Ryu Jang-ho, who was in the waiting batter’s box.

When Ji-seop approached with the grip guard in his hand, he sighed briefly and said this.

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], should I just go for contact?”

At first, I thought he was intimidated.

With the roar of tens of thousands of spectators, I wondered if Ryu Jang-ho’s heart had shrunk.

But Ji-seop was soon able to figure out that wasn’t the case.

‘Ah, he can’t decide.’

What is team batting?

What kind of hit would be best for the team in this situation?

For Ryu Jang-ho, who had been just swinging his bat without thinking, it seemed that the decision was not easy to make.

“If you focus on contact, you can make a short hit. But if you think about the next hitter…”

Cheon Jin-woo, the Cannons’ fourth hitter, had already been replaced.

Even if a pinch hitter came out, it wasn’t certain that they could tie the score.

“From that point of view, the answer is to aim for a home run and tie the score in one shot… But I can’t ignore the opponent’s record in the last four games.”

“…Is that so.”

To be really honest,

At this time, Ji-seop wanted to step back.

Even if someone pointed a finger and said, ‘Why is this person such a chicken?’, there was no way to avoid it.

Because it was an at-bat with the Korean Series [championship series] on the line. Because it was an at-bat with the results of all the efforts of this year on the line.

If he could, he wanted to step back and just cheer hard.

But at this point, Ji-seop was no longer someone who could take such a passive attitude.

“Hyung.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll do whatever you tell me to do.”

As Ma Kang-sik’s practice pitches were coming to an end, Ryu Jang-ho said this.

“Looking back on this season… everything you said was right.”

Ryu Jang-ho looked at Ji-seop.

“It’s not just me. Jimmy, Soo-bin, Cheon Jin-woo, and even the front office guys… everyone would believe you even if you said you’d make meju [fermented soybean block] out of red beans.”

“…”

“Look at it now. In this situation where it’s on the line whether we go to the Korean Series or not… Director Freeman sent you out, didn’t he? Originally, the director should come out himself.”

So I’ll follow your words.

Ryu Jang-ho looked at Ji-seop.

“What should I aim for? A short hit? Or…”

He continued.

“A big one?”

* * *

Ji-seop’s answer was concise.

“Of course, a big one.”

He didn’t forget to boost Ryu Jang-ho’s spirit with a word.

“Go and show those guys. What kind of guy Ryu Jang-ho is. What kind of trouble happens if you look down on Ryu Jang-ho.”

“I understand, Hyung.”

At Ji-seop’s words, Ryu Jang-ho gave a meaningful smile.

As if he had blown away all his worries, he walked confidently towards the plate.

But Ji-seop’s real heart after sending him away was ‘thumping, thumping’ as if his heart would burst.

‘Did I make the right decision?’

To be honest, it wasn’t an instruction based on any grand analysis or plan.

In the first place, it’s not a situation where things fall into place.

There are pros and cons to contact swings, and there are pros and cons to power swings.

Since the batter couldn’t easily come to a conclusion, Ji-seop stepped up and just closed his eyes and said, ‘This is it!’ and made a choice instead.

Bba-bam! Bba-bam! Ryu Jang-ho!

Bba-bam! Bba-bam! Ryu Jang-ho!

I wish the game would have been decided ‘quickly’ on the first pitch, so I could have felt better sooner.

Ryu Jang-ho, who entered the plate, showed a more cautious appearance than ever before.

Shu-woo-woo-Pang!

Shu-woo-woo-Pang!

Shu-woo-woo-Paaaang!

The bat didn’t budge until three of Ma Kang-sik’s pitches came in.

As the ball count reached 1-2, the cheering squad of the home team UB Guardians began to chant this.

It’s over! It’s over! It’s over!

Ryu Jang-ho’s at-bat is over.

The playoffs are over.

Victory belongs to the UB Guardians.

At that very moment, when the cheering slogan containing that meaning echoed loudly through the Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul,

“Ah, please!”

“Jang-ho! Jang-ho! Jang-ho!!!”

“Oh, God! Buddha! Confucius!”

At that very moment, when the Cannons people in the dugout put their hands together and started praying earnestly,

Kukung, Kukung, Kukung.

And at that very moment when Ji-seop’s heart, who was watching all of this, was pounding as if it would burst-

Ttaaaaaak!

One cool hit sound that burst out from the end of Ryu Jang-ho’s bat echoed through the ground.

“Wow!”

“W-What?!”

“W-W-What!!!”

While everyone was making a sound that was neither a scream nor a cheer, the batted ball stretched out straight along the right fielder’s line.

Paat!

As the batted ball fell in an ambiguous place near the line, everyone who came to Jamsil Baseball Stadium that day unconsciously took a ‘huff’ breath.

In or out?

Foul or fair?

A moment that feels like eternity.

What broke everyone’s silence was the umpire’s firm cry.

“Fair!!!”

The ruling that the batted ball fell inside the line.

Ji-seop clenched both fists.

* * *

It was Ryu Jang-ho’s timely hit.

A two-run double that brought in all the runners on the bases.

Although the subsequent hit failed and they didn’t immediately come back to reverse the score, the atmosphere of the stadium had completely changed.

K! H! Cannons!

K! H! Cannons!

The away team’s spectators stood up all at once and began to chant ‘Cannons’,

“…”

“…”

The home team’s spectators stared blankly at the scoreboard with expressions as if they had lost their country.

“Ryu Jang-ho! Ryu Jang-ho! Ryu Jang-ho!”

Of course, the Cannons players were busy welcoming Ryu Jang-ho, who had returned to the dugout.

“Wow, Ryu Jang-ho!!! Wow, you’re really something…”

“As expected, it’s Ryu Jang-ho! Huh?! As expected, it’s Ryu Jang-ho!!!”

“Good job! You really did a good job!”

Knocking on his helmet, putting him in a headlock, and slapping his back ‘slap, slap’ loudly.

The Cannons players were expressing their affection in a truly intense way.

At this time, Ryu Jang-ho briefly made eye contact with Ji-seop, but he didn’t say anything long.

“…”

He just gave a slight, very slight, light greeting.

Considering the anxiety he had been feeling behind him, it was a slightly too light greeting.

But at this time, Ji-seop had a more pleased smile on his face than ever before.

“The game isn’t over yet!!”

Ryu Jang-ho, who took off his helmet, turned around and shouted to the Cannons players.

“Don’t let your guard down! The score is tied 2-2! Let’s block the defense properly in the bottom of the 9th inning… and aim for a comeback in extra innings!”

At Ryu Jang-ho’s firm shout, the Cannons players shouted ‘Waaah!’ all at once.

“That’s right! Of course, that’s right!”

“We made a tie in the top of the 9th inning, so we can’t back down here!”

“Everyone, cheer up! Put in the fighting spirit!”

“Euryaaaak!!!”

There was no need for the manager to talk.

There was no need for the coach to nag.

Before anyone could say anything, the players ran out to the ground, burning with fighting spirit on their own.

And Ryu Jang-ho was leading those players from the front.

“…”

At that time, Ji-seop could feel a strange feeling.

Ryu Jang-ho’s eyes, who were waiting for his advice at the crucial moment.

His actions, which believed in and followed his advice, which was by no means perfect, until the end.

And finally, he shook off the heavy burden and stood tall as a leader of a team.

“…Haa.”

The feeling of watching all those processes right next to him.

Ji-seop didn’t know what word to use to accurately describe that feeling.

At this time, all that came to his mind was this one word.

‘…I wish we could play one more game.’

It was the very word that Coach Do Jin-cheol had said to Ji-seop someday.

‘Yes, just one more game.’

Before someone says they’re going to quit baseball now.

Or before someone says they’re going to leave for the major leagues now.

Or before various realistic conditions overlap and players have to be sent away-

‘I wish I could play baseball with these players a little longer.’

People who acknowledge me.

People I can help.

So with these friends who are just happy and joyful together,

Fun,

Baseball.

At the very moment when such thoughts came to Ji-seop’s mind.

A sharp hitting sound was heard in Ji-seop’s ear, who was staring blankly at the ground.

Ttaaaaaak!

-Ah, this batted ball is big! It’s very big! This batted ball that stretches out to the center left… eventually goes over the fence!!!

The UB Guardians’ walk-off home run.

The KH Cannons’ fiery autumn was coming to an end like that.