Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 130

Fierce Ranking Battles (3)

With Oh Seok-hoon out, the first inning concluded, and the Doubles’ offense continued into the second inning.

However, they couldn’t score, failing to penetrate the opposing pitcher’s defenses.

Then, the Buffaloes’ offense resumed.

The score remained deadlocked at 0:0.

Now, Park Seong-ju, the cleanup hitter, stepped up to the plate.

-Goh Ji-hoon faces another significant challenge in today’s game. Park Seong-ju has recovered from his slump in the early part of the second half and is performing well again.

-When pitchers are on form, it’s tough to string together consecutive hits, so a home run is often needed to break the game open. In a game like today, Park Seong-ju needs to fulfill that role.

Goh Ji-hoon took a deep breath and hurled the ball with all his might.

The ball hurtled straight towards the center of the strike zone.

‘Oh, looks like another strike? Then I’m going for a full swing!’

Judging the incoming ball as a strike, Park Seong-ju swung with unrestrained aggression.

Crack!

A sharp, resounding crack echoed through the stadium.

-Oh! He made solid contact.

-The question is whether it’s a foul or not. That hit definitely has the distance to go over!

The ball soared high, threatening to clear the fence.

Silence gripped the stadium for a fleeting moment.

However,

The hit curved just outside the left foul pole, resulting in a foul ball. A close call!

“Ah…”

A collective sigh of disappointment swept through the Buffaloes’ stands.

Park Seong-ju, who had been running towards first base while tracking the ball’s trajectory, mirrored the crowd’s reaction.

-That was a tremendous foul home run. Was Park Seong-ju’s swing a fraction too early just now?

-It’s understandable, given that Goh Ji-hoon’s fastball speed was only 133 km/h [approximately 83 mph]. Park Seong-ju likely anticipated Goh Ji-hoon’s usual fastball, causing his timing to be slightly off.

-Seeing him vary his speed so effectively, Goh Ji-hoon is showing his experience.

Park Seong-ju, noticing the speed displayed on the scoreboard, looked visibly frustrated.

Conversely, Goh Ji-hoon’s lips subtly curved upward as he observed this.

While Park Seong-ju returned to the batter’s box, Goh Ji-hoon had already completed his pitching preparation and was waiting.

-Even though it was a foul, a hit with home run distance came off the bat, so Goh Ji-hoon must feel pressured to compete.

-How will the Doubles’ battery [pitcher and catcher] manage this situation?

Goh Ji-hoon unleashed his second pitch with maximum effort.

Whack!

“Strike!”

This time, Park Seong-ju remained motionless.

-The Doubles’ battery’s strategy was simply to trust Goh Ji-hoon’s pinpoint control! It’s a gamble that’s only possible because it’s Goh Ji-hoon on the mound.

-Wouldn’t you say that was thrown with laser-like precision? It painted the corner perfectly. His control is truly exceptional.

-It’s a no-ball, two-strike count. A very advantageous position for the pitcher.

Goh Ji-hoon continued his assault without relenting.

Immediately, the third ball came hurtling in.

Anticipating the direction, Park Seong-ju hastily swung his bat.

Tick!

-This time, it was a sharp slider breaking away from the plate. It was a borderline pitch, but probably difficult to judge from the batter’s box. It’s impressive that Park Seong-ju managed to make contact.

Subsequently, Goh Ji-hoon attempted to deceive Park Seong-ju with breaking balls, aiming to induce a swing.

“Ball!”

Park Seong-ju’s bat remained still, unfooled by the pitches.

He fouled off the borderline strikes, keeping himself alive.

As the consecutive breaking balls proved ineffective, Goh Ji-hoon’s expression turned serious, a stark contrast to his earlier composure.

The count now stood at 2 balls and 2 strikes.

-Park Seong-ju isn’t backing down easily.

-He’s really battled well, turning a no-ball, two-strike disadvantage into a two-ball, two-strike count.

Goh Ji-hoon, exchanging signals with the catcher, delivered the next pitch with even greater care.

Park Seong-ju, anticipating a strike, swung with all his might.

However, the incoming ball decelerated rapidly as it neared the plate.

Park Seong-ju desperately tried to make contact.

Whoosh-

“Strike out!”

The result was Goh Ji-hoon’s victory.

-In the end, he couldn’t handle Goh Ji-hoon’s changeup.

-Although Park Seong-ju didn’t get a hit, he had a really good at-bat.

Goh Ji-hoon, having overcome the formidable challenges of Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju, continued his dominant pitching as if riding a wave of momentum.

Even when the batters connected with the two-seam fastball and sinker that appeared to be strikes but changed trajectory at the last moment, they struggled to avoid grounding out.

-Goh Ji-hoon’s pitching today is a work of art. He’s completely unfazed, even making his comeback in such a crucial game.

-It’s clear that he’s the best pitcher in the league when healthy.

While Goh Ji-hoon was pitching a shutout, the Doubles’ lineup responded and managed to score.

The Doubles took a 3:0 lead.

Thanks to this, Goh Ji-hoon’s subsequent pitching appeared more relaxed.

The Buffaloes’ batters found it difficult to mount an attack against Goh Ji-hoon’s pitches, even after the batting order had turned over once.

Goh Ji-hoon held them scoreless through the 5th inning.

And the game entered the 6th inning.

Now, players warming up in the Doubles’ bullpen began to attract attention.

-Goh Ji-hoon’s pitch count is already over 70. When will they decide to replace him?

-The Doubles’ bullpen is unreliable, so it would be ideal for the starting pitcher to throw as many innings as possible. But today is Goh Ji-hoon’s comeback game. It would be too much to ask him to handle close to 100 pitches. I think this inning will be his last.

Even in the 6th inning, Goh Ji-hoon continued his steady pitching.

However,

Clang!

The ball soared high and deep towards the outfield.

Fortunately, the center fielder sprinted all the way to the home run fence and made the catch.

-That could have been a home run. The Doubles caught a lucky break.

-It seems like it’s time to make a pitching change, even though the 6th inning isn’t over yet.

Now, with 1 out in the 6th inning,

Goh Ji-hoon’s pitch count reached 78.

Lee Sang-hak, the Doubles’ pitching coach, and catcher Yang Hee-chan walked to the mound together.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to pitch longer.

He was concerned about faltering early, especially given the bullpen’s instability.

But he had promised Kang Hyun-woo not to overexert himself.

“Ji-hoon, you’ve done a great job.”

Lee Sang-hak patted Goh Ji-hoon’s shoulder.

Goh Ji-hoon exchanged a high-five with Yang Hee-chan and handed over the ball.

-Now Goh Ji-hoon is leaving the mound.

-He delivered a really strong performance, even though he must have felt immense pressure, given the importance of his comeback game for the team.

“Goh Ji-hoon! Goh Ji-hoon! Goh Ji-hoon!”

The Doubles’ fans rose to their feet, giving him a standing ovation.

Goh Ji-hoon removed his cap, bowed to the fans, and headed into the dugout.

Simultaneously, the Doubles’ new pitcher jogged to the mound.

-Actually, the game truly begins now. Everyone knows that the Doubles’ bullpen has struggled lately, even with Goh Ji-hoon holding things down.

-Besides, the score is only a 3-point difference. With more than 3 innings remaining for the Buffaloes’ offense, 3 points isn’t a substantial lead.

-Moreover, the Buffaloes are starting with their number 2 hitter now. The batting order is favorable with only one out.

Tick!

The Buffaloes’ batter stubbornly fought off every pitch.

-The batter keeps fouling off pitches. The pitcher hasn’t recorded a single out yet, but he’s already thrown 10 pitches.

Whoosh-

“Strike out!”

The batter showed his disappointment as his bat sliced through the air.

-A swing and a miss! The Buffaloes were hoping for a walk, but unfortunately, he struck out.

-Still, he succeeded in tiring out the opposing pitcher. This will inevitably put more pressure on the Doubles’ bullpen.

-Even though there are two outs, Oh Seok-hoon is now at the plate. It’s a situation where the Buffaloes can definitely expect something.

It seemed like the inning would end without further incident, but…

Oh Seok-hoon’s hit, Park Seong-ju’s powerful double, and the subsequent batter’s clean single.

The 3-point lead vanished in an instant,

And ultimately, the Buffaloes managed to take the lead.

The Doubles’ coaching staff, Goh Ji-hoon, and the other players watching from the dugout wore expressions of deep concern.

In the following innings, the Doubles deployed every available pitcher and waged an all-out battle.

However, the Doubles’ lineup offered no support, and no additional runs were scored.

The 9th inning, the Doubles’ final offensive opportunity.

The batter at the plate hoped he wouldn’t be the last out of the game, but,

“Strike out!”

In the end, his bat spun uselessly in the air.

-The Buffaloes win today’s game!

-Today’s game was crucial for both teams, who are locked in a fierce battle for playoff positioning. The Doubles’ bullpen couldn’t hold on for nearly 4 innings.

-The two teams are likely to meet again in the postseason. We’ll have to see what happens then.

Even though the game was over, the passionate Buffaloes fans seemed reluctant to leave.

“Waaaaa- We love you, Buffaloes!”

“We won! We won! We won!”

The Buffaloes’ players returned to the field and celebrated the electric atmosphere with their fans.

It was as if they had won the championship.

* * *

The Buffaloes also emerged victorious in the final game of the 3-game series against the Doubles, and the last head-to-head matchup of the season.

The Doubles’ bullpen couldn’t withstand the Buffaloes’ late-game surge.

The Buffaloes successfully turned the important series into a winning one, with 2 wins and 1 loss.

On the other hand, the Doubles’ momentum, disrupted in the head-to-head series with the Buffaloes, failed to recover in the remaining games.

The Buffaloes, having widened the gap in the head-to-head standings, managed to maintain 3rd place until the end of the regular season.

The Doubles had to settle for maintaining 4th place, fending off the pursuit of 5th place.

Before anyone knew it, the hot summer had faded, and as the autumn breeze arrived, the long and arduous journey of the 144-game professional baseball regular season finally concluded.

The Wolves secured 1st place, the Dragons 2nd, the Buffaloes 3rd, the Doubles 4th, and the Vikings 5th.

Na Jun-ho of the Dragons and Goh Ji-hoon of the Doubles both reached the postseason stage this year, repeating their feat from last year.

And Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju advanced to the postseason for the first time as starting players.

The Jaguars, who had aimed for a postseason berth until the very end, unfortunately finished the season in 6th place.

However, a consolation was Michael Scott’s sensational performance, recording 6 wins in the second half alone, raising expectations for the following year.

Unfortunately, the players from the other teams had to watch the games on TV.

I decided to prepare a small party for the players who were feeling disappointed.