Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 215

살얼음판 승부 (3)

Moments after Go Ji-hoon and Na Jun-ho exchanged smiles, their expressions hardened as they prepared for the pitch and hit.

Go Ji-hoon exchanged signs with the catcher, more meticulously than usual.

He then glanced at the runner on second base before unleashing the pitch with everything he had.

As if anticipating it, Na Jun-ho swung his bat with full force, without the slightest hesitation.

However, the ball whizzed past, missing the bat.

Whoosh-

“Strike!”

Na Jun-ho’s powerful swing caused him to lose his balance, nearly falling.

-Na Jun-ho was aiming for the first pitch but unfortunately missed.

-The Buffaloes battery [pitcher and catcher working together] opted for a changeup. It was a brilliant pitch to deceive Na Jun-ho, who was anticipating a fastball.

-It looks like Na Jun-ho took a hard fall. I hope he’s alright.

-You can tell he put his whole heart into that swing.

Na Jun-ho dusted himself off and rose to his feet, and the game continued.

0 balls, 1 strike.

With two runners on base, forcing a showdown was a risky proposition.

Especially with Na Jun-ho at the plate.

Go Ji-hoon took a deep breath and carefully delivered the next pitch.

From the windup and weight shift to the release point, everything was executed flawlessly.

Thwack!

“Strike!”

-He threw a pitch that just clipped the outside corner of the strike zone!

-Only Go Ji-hoon could pull off a pitch like that against Na Jun-ho in this situation.

0 balls, 2 strikes.

The count heavily favored the pitcher.

Time to throw a breaking ball to disrupt his timing before delivering the final, decisive pitch.

Thwack!

“Ball!”

A pitch deliberately thrown high, and

Twick!

Another pitch that landed slightly lower than the previous one.

He didn’t induce a swing and miss, but he achieved his desired outcome.

Now, the moment to throw a breaking ball that dipped inside, exploiting Na Jun-ho’s greatest weakness.

Whew-

Go Ji-hoon adjusted his grip inside his glove, focused all his strength into his fingers, and hurled the ball.

Na Jun-ho, convinced it was a strike, began his swing.

However, the ball leaving Go Ji-hoon’s hand followed the precise path he had envisioned.

“Huh?”

By the time Na Jun-ho realized he had been tricked, his bat was already halfway through its arc.

Whoosh-

“Strike out!”

The umpire thrust his fist to the side, announcing the strikeout with a resounding call.

“Waaaaa-”

“Go Ji-hoon! Go Ji-hoon! Go Ji-hoon!”

-Go Ji-hoon strikes out Na Jun-ho, sending him back to the dugout! He expertly exploited his one weakness.

-That was a perfect breaking ball. It just proves why he’s the league leader in wins.

Na Jun-ho, visibly disappointed by his swing and miss, trudged away from the plate.

Go Ji-hoon then induced a ground ball from the subsequent batter, the 5th in the lineup, ending the inning without allowing a run.

The game moved to the bottom of the 1st inning, with the Buffaloes on offense.

With one out and a runner on first, Oh Seok-hoon stepped up to the plate.

-Oh Seok-hoon, batting .310, is now at the plate. His average is slightly down from last season, but he’s still performing exceptionally well, right?

-Without Oh Seok-hoon, the Buffaloes wouldn’t be where they are. At his current rate, he’ll easily reach 100 RBIs [Runs Batted In] and 30 stolen bases by the end of the season. He’s undeniably a crucial player for the team.

Oh Seok-hoon swung with all his might at the first pitch.

Twick!

The instant the bat connected with the ball, Oh Seok-hoon’s face contorted.

The weakly hit ball trickled towards the shortstop.

‘Damn it. That’s a double play in the making….’

Sensing the high probability of the worst-case scenario, Oh Seok-hoon sprinted towards first base with everything he had.

The shortstop cleanly fielded the ball and fired it to the second baseman.

“Out!”

The second baseman immediately relayed the throw to the first baseman.

Oh Seok-hoon’s speed offered a glimmer of hope.

“Out!”

But he was a step too slow.

Unable to contain his frustration, Oh Seok-hoon flung his helmet to the ground.

-A double play here. It’s especially disappointing for the Buffaloes, given that it was Oh Seok-hoon’s at-bat.

-It’s disappointing, but it’s still early in the first inning. They can create more opportunities later.

The inning ended, and Go Ji-hoon returned to the pitcher’s mound.

After warming up, Go Ji-hoon cleanly shut down the top of the 2nd inning, preventing any runners from reaching base.

Following that, the bottom of the 2nd inning began with Park Seong-ju at the plate.

Thwack!

“Strike!”

Perhaps feeling the pressure of playing a key role in such an important game, he couldn’t swing as freely as usual.

Twick!

He was late on the next pitch as well, failing to make solid contact.

-Park Seong-ju seems nervous because of the importance of today’s game. He usually swings aggressively at pitches in this zone.

-He needs to shake off the pressure.

Thwack!

“Ball!”

He managed to lay off a pitch outside the strike zone,

Whoosh-

But he swung and missed at a breaking ball that suddenly slowed and dropped.

“Strike out!”

Park Seong-ju shook his head and returned to the dugout.

The Buffaloes fans, hoping for a timely hit, couldn’t hide their disappointment.

* * *

As expected of a match between top-ranked teams, both starting pitchers and fielders were performing well, preventing either team from scoring.

Even after the Dragons’ attack in the top of the 7th inning concluded, the score remained 0:0.

Now it was the Buffaloes’ turn to bat in the bottom of the 7th inning.

-The Buffaloes have a favorable batting order this inning.

-That’s right. It starts with the 3rd batter, Oh Seok-hoon, followed by the 4th batter, Park Seong-ju. The Buffaloes need to capitalize on this inning.

“Oh Seok-hoon hit! Oh Seok-hoon hit!”

The Buffaloes fans seemed desperate for a hit from him.

Oh Seok-hoon took a few practice swings and stepped into the batter’s box.

Perhaps fueled by his previous hitless at-bat, Oh Seok-hoon’s eyes burned with intensity.

And as the pitcher delivered the first pitch,

Oh Seok-hoon unleashed his bat with all his might, as if he had been waiting for that exact moment.

Clang!

The ball rocketed off Oh Seok-hoon’s bat, slicing between the first and second basemen.

“Waaaaa-”

-A hit! The leadoff hitter of the inning gets on base. Oh Seok-hoon with a clean hit!

-Judging by his confident swing at the first pitch, Oh Seok-hoon clearly had a plan.

-As expected, the team’s key hitter breaks through the tight pitching.

Immediately, the Dragons’ pitching coach called a timeout and emerged from the dugout.

He slowly approached the mound and spoke to the pitcher and catcher.

-The Dragons are trying to halt the momentum. A mistake here could easily shift the game’s flow.

-Now they have to face the 4th batter, Park Seong-ju. The Dragons need to carefully consider their strategy.

-Park Seong-ju was last year’s home run king, and he has already hit 32 home runs this season, achieving 30 home runs for the second consecutive year. He’s a threat to hit a home run at any moment. The Dragons need to be wary of a big hit.

-With no outs, they would typically bunt the runner to second base. But it’s a tough decision with Park Seong-ju at the plate.

-But this is a crucial situation, so they’re likely weighing their options.

Park Seong-ju approached the plate after seeing the pitching coach leave the mound.

“Play ball!”

The game resumed.

The pitcher on the mound received a sign from the catcher and glanced at Oh Seok-hoon on first base.

Oh Seok-hoon was poised to steal second base at the first opportunity.

The pitcher glanced at Oh Seok-hoon on first base and attempted a pickoff throw.

Thwack!

“Safe!”

Thwack!

“Safe!”

He tried to pick him off twice in a row, but Oh Seok-hoon’s quick return to first base was too fast.

“Hey, hurry up!”

“Are you going to end the game just by making pickoff attempts!”

The Buffaloes fans booed the Dragons’ pitcher.

Finally, the pitcher threw the first pitch to Park Seong-ju.

Thwack!

“Ball!”

Perhaps feeling the pressure of the atmosphere, the pitch sailed far outside the strike zone.

1 ball, 0 strikes.

Soon after, the moment the pitcher began his motion for the second pitch,

Oh Seok-hoon bolted towards second base.

“Second! Second! Second!”

The Dragons’ catcher seemed to have anticipated this, remaining calm and firing the ball with all his might towards second base as soon as he caught it.

However, the throw was slightly off-target, delaying the tag.

“Safe!”

The catcher couldn’t hide his disappointment after seeing the second base umpire’s signal.

-It seems like the catcher anticipated Oh Seok-hoon running, judging by the fastball called on the outside, almost a pitchout [a pitch intentionally thrown high and outside of the strike zone to allow the catcher to easily throw to second base].

-It was a good decision. If the catcher’s throw had been more accurate, he might have gotten him out. The Buffaloes got a little lucky there.

-Now there are no outs and a runner on second. With first base open, they might intentionally walk Park Seong-ju if things don’t go their way.

“Park Seong-ju home run! Park Seong-ju send it flying!”

The Buffaloes fans voiced their anticipation as Oh Seok-hoon moved into scoring position.

2 balls, 0 strikes.

With the count already heavily in the batter’s favor, the catcher positioned himself far outside of Park Seong-ju’s reach, practically signaling an intentional walk.

Seeing this, the pitcher threw the ball with all his might, but it drifted closer to the strike zone than he intended.

Park Seong-ju, in excellent hitting form, couldn’t resist.

Clang!

The Buffaloes fans, sensing a hit, erupted in cheers.

The cleanly hit ball hurtled towards right fielder Na Jun-ho.

However, because the pitcher’s ball had so much velocity, it didn’t travel very far.

Oh Seok-hoon sprinted towards third base with everything he had.

And after confirming the base coach’s signal that he could try to score, he rounded third base.

-The hit wasn’t deep, but Oh Seok-hoon should be able to make it home, right?

-He’s going for it! Oh Seok-hoon’s speed is increasing!

-Will Na Jun-ho’s throw be accurate? This showdown will be the highlight of today’s game!

“Waaaaa-”

“Oh Seok-hoon run! Run!”

The Buffaloes fans cheered enthusiastically for Oh Seok-hoon, who was running with all his might.

Meanwhile, Na Jun-ho raced forward to catch the ball.

Oh Seok-hoon, spurred on by the fans’ cheers, touched third base and headed for home.

Thud!

Along with an unfamiliar sound, a sharp pain shot through the back of his thigh.

“Aaaagh!”

A scream escaped Oh Seok-hoon’s lips.