Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 152

Choi Woo-jin hurried to the pitcher’s mound and accepted the ball from the pitching coach.

-The pitcher now is freshman Choi Woo-jin.

-A freshman pitcher in the finals? That’s something! The score is 3-0, so they’re ahead, but it’s not a comfortable lead.

-Due to the pitch count limit, Sucheon High, having used many pitchers in previous games, has no left-handed pitchers available today. This seems to be a strategic decision to counter the Jinhan High’s left-handed batters.

-He will be facing two consecutive left-handed batters. We’ll have to see if Sucheon High’s strategy works.

Choi Woo-jin began his warm-up pitches.

I watched him with intense focus.

He started with a fastball.

Pop.

Pop.

Each pitch consistently passed through the strike zone, showing his good control.

The way he hid the ball just before throwing and his arm swing at the release point also looked solid.

However, something was missing.

131km/h [approximately 81 mph].

133km/h [approximately 83 mph].

132km/h [approximately 82 mph].

The fastball speed, displayed on the scoreboard and on Lee Joo-hyuk’s speed gun, didn’t exceed the mid-130s km/h range.

Considering he’s a high school freshman with a lot of room to grow, it wasn’t bad, but after seeing Ahn Beom-seok’s fastball exceed 150km/h [approximately 93 mph], the difference felt significant.

And then came the slider.

It wasn’t comparable to a professional player’s slider, but it seemed decent enough for high school.

Again, the lack of speed was a drawback.

-Choi Woo-jin has the advantage of being a left-handed pitcher with good control, but he hasn’t shown a truly dominant presence yet, has he?

-He’s still a freshman. Getting the chance to pitch in such an important game will definitely be a valuable experience.

-Considering he’s only going to pitch against the next two batters, he needs to give it everything he has.

“Play ball!”

As the game resumed, my hands became sweaty.

Until now, I had been cheering for Jinhan High,

but now, I was briefly rooting for Choi Woo-jin.

“Woo-jin, do your best.”

I clasped my hands together and watched him.

Choi Woo-jin took a long stride and threw the ball with all his might.

Pop.

“Strike!”

The batter barely flinched and didn’t swing.

The unexpectedly slow speed of the ball must have thrown off his timing.

-He threw a good first-pitch strike.

-Is it because we just saw Ahn Beom-seok’s fastball? Choi Woo-jin’s ball seems particularly slow.

-Perhaps that’s why it’s even harder for the opposing players to adjust.

He threw the second ball, and this time the batter swung with everything he had.

Tick!

The timing of the swing wasn’t late at all.

However, the reason the batter couldn’t make solid contact was because Choi Woo-jin’s pitch accurately grazed the edge of the strike zone.

It was clear from the broadcast and the screen.

-He got two strikes quickly.

-Now is the time to show his best pitch. It’s going to be a tough decision since his fastball isn’t overwhelming, and his slider isn’t perfect.

-What kind of signal will come from the Sucheon High bench?

The catcher, having received a signal from the coach, relayed it to Choi Woo-jin.

Choi Woo-jin nodded immediately and took his pitching stance again.

Then, he threw the ball with all his might again.

It looked like he was trying to throw a slider that would start as a strike but then curve away from the batter.

-The ball completely missed. The catcher stretched out his arm but couldn’t catch it at all. Wild pitch!

-It’s fortunate there were no runners; otherwise, they would have given up a base for nothing.

Seemingly dissatisfied with his pitch, Choi Woo-jin tilted his head and took off his hat before putting it back on.

1 ball, 2 strikes.

It was still a favorable count for the pitcher.

Again, a signal was relayed from the bench, and Choi Woo-jin threw another ball.

This time, it was a fastball.

Because it wasn’t a very fast pitch, the batter confidently swung his bat.

Tick!

But this time, the weakly hit ball went foul.

Looking at the broadcast screen, this pitch also slightly missed the outside of the strike zone.

-The batter keeps fouling them off. His concentration is really good.

-If Choi Woo-jin’s pitches had a little more power, he could have won the battle with the batter more easily.

-He got to two strikes well, but you can really feel the lack of a finishing pitch.

He seemed to be trying to induce a swing and miss with another slider,

but this time, the slider’s break was flat.

Clang!

The ball bounced several times, narrowly escaping the infielders’ reach and getting through the infield.

As expected, a flat breaking ball was an easy target for the batter.

In the end, he allowed the first batter to reach base.

Bottom of the 7th, 1 out, runner on 1st.

As soon as the runner reached base, the Sucheon High bullpen started moving busily again.

The right-handed pitcher in the bullpen was pitching with all his might, close to a real game situation, warming up to be ready to enter at any time.

At the same time, another left-handed batter stepped into the batter’s box.

Before long, sweat was streaming down Choi Woo-jin’s face.

If he didn’t handle this batter properly, the team could face a major crisis.

It would be nice if Jinhan High got their chance, but I couldn’t shake the thought that it should be after Choi Woo-jin left the mound.

Naturally, my hands also became sweaty.

If I had to pick one advantage of the current situation,

it was that I could see what kind of pitching Choi Woo-jin would show with a runner on base.

“Play ball!”

Having received the signal, Choi Woo-jin checked the runner on first base and threw the ball.

Pop!

“Strike!”

As expected, he got the first ball through the strike zone.

And the second ball too,

“Strike!”

This time as well, he got to 2 strikes.

And Choi Woo-jin threw his best pitch, hoping it would be the last.

The ball he threw dove into the batter’s low inside corner.

Tick!

The batter managed to make contact with the bat, but

-The batted ball is headed towards the shortstop! They need to make the play!

-The shortstop to the second baseman, the second baseman to the first baseman! Double play! Complete!

“Out!”

The second base umpire, as well as the first base umpire, raised their fists and signaled the out.

“Waaaaa-”

The spectators cheering for Sucheon High cheered and breathed a sigh of relief.

Choi Woo-jin wiped away the sweat and ran to the dugout.

“Whew- well done!”

I clapped for Choi Woo-jin as he left the mound.

He had done his job well.

Now, the 7th inning was over, and as they moved to the 8th inning, Choi Woo-jin was replaced.

From the 8th inning onwards, the atmosphere of the game changed quite a bit.

Jinhan High’s pitcher prevented any further runs and shut down the top of the 8th.

And Sucheon High’s pitcher, without Ahn Beom-seok, constantly faced threats.

-Sucheon High is facing multiple crises in the later innings.

-After Ahn Beom-seok left, there hasn’t been an inning finished with a three-up, three-down [three batters retired in order].

Score 3:2.

Bottom of the 9th, 2 outs.

There were no runners on base.

A home run would tie the game.

The concentration of the pitcher, the Sucheon High fielders, the Jinhan High batter, and even the spectators was at its peak.

Tick!

The ball hit by the Jinhan High batter soared high into the air.

The batter seemed to sense that the result wouldn’t be what he wanted, slammed his bat on the ground, and sprinted towards first base.

On the other hand, the Sucheon High center fielder, having quickly assessed where the ball would land, had already arrived at the spot and was in position.

The batted ball, having completed its flight, was caught in the center fielder’s glove.

“Out!”

“Waaaaaaaaa-”

The center fielder raised both arms, along with the glove holding the ball, expressing his joy, and ran towards his teammates.

As the cheers erupted, all the players ran out from the Sucheon High dugout.

-The winning team of this tournament is Sucheon High!

-Having come all the way to today’s final, Sucheon High has really shown that they are a team worthy of winning.

-Jinhan High also unfortunately finished as runner-up, but they put on a great performance.

The Jinhan High players lined up in front of the dugout and applauded the Sucheon High players to congratulate them.

I couldn’t help but applaud all the players who had given their best on the field.

The final game of this tournament ended like that.

* * *

As soon as the game ended, I ran towards the Jinhan High locker room.

On the way, I saw a group of reporters with cameras gathered.

Ahn Beom-seok was surrounded by reporters, giving an interview.

I wanted to say hello to Ahn Beom-seok, who had pitched well, but for me, it was more important to encourage the underclassmen who had fought hard until the end.

Finally, I arrived in front of the Jinhan High locker room.

After catching my breath for a moment, I knocked and opened the door.

Many of the players looked disappointed.

Looking around, I noticed the Jinhan High coach.

“Coach, hello. My name is Kang Hyun-woo.”

“Oh, nice to meet you.”

When I greeted him, the coach welcomed me warmly.

“Oh, it’s senior Kang Hyun-woo!”

“Wow! It’s really Kang Hyun-woo.”

Some of the underclassmen recognized me by my voice.

“Okay, everyone, pay attention here for a moment!”

Jung In-gyu, who appeared from somewhere, clapped his hands and approached.

He came next to me and continued speaking to the players.

“As you all know, our school’s alumnus and the CEO of Kang Hyun-woo, who is working with the best players in our country right now, has come all the way here for you. Let’s focus for a moment.”

As Jung In-gyu moved slightly to the side, all the players’ eyes were on me.

“You all worked really hard. It would have been better if you had won, but just reaching the final makes you all stars. You’ll be able to get better results in the next tournament. I will always be cheering for you.”

As I finished speaking, the underclassmen applauded.

I signed autographs and took pictures with the underclassmen who came up to me, spending a pleasant time, even if only for a moment, with the players who had worked so hard.

Seeing them smile brightly while talking to me, I thought it was a good thing I came.

After finishing the short conversation with the Jinhan High underclassmen, I headed to the Sucheon High locker room.

The Sucheon High locker room door was open, and the players were packing their bags and leaving.

I watched the Sucheon High players passing by from a distance.

Ahn Beom-seok was among them.

And not long after,

I finally saw a player wearing the Sucheon High uniform with the number 28 on his back coming out.

I started walking in his direction.

Choi Woo-jin was talking to his parents.

I didn’t want to interrupt their conversation, so I waited for a moment.

After a while, as Choi Woo-jin and his parents were about to leave,

“Choi Woo-jin!”

I called his name loudly.

Would Woo-jin recognize me right away?