Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 233

The Beginning of Change (3)

In another stadium, the opening game between the Buffaloes and the Pelicans was underway.

Many spectators filled the stands.

There was a lot of interest because Go Ji-hoon was starting as pitcher, and also because it was Oh Seok-hoon’s comeback game.

As usual, Oh Seok-hoon was listed as the 3rd batter and right fielder, and Park Seong-ju as the 4th batter and third baseman.

So Young-joon also started as the 4th batter and shortstop without any changes.

-We are about to witness the match between the Buffaloes, who are aiming for the championship, and the Pelicans, who are dreaming of fall baseball [competing in the playoffs].

-Last season, the Buffaloes were in a position where they could aim for the championship. It was a shame that Oh Seok-hoon was suddenly injured at the end of the season and couldn’t perform well in the postseason.

-In that sense, this season seems important for both the Buffaloes and Oh Seok-hoon. If there are no major problems, Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju will both be eligible for FA [Free Agency] at the same time. It is known that both players have a lot of affection for the Buffaloes, but anything unexpected can happen in the FA market.

-Moreover, I’m hearing that Major League clubs are paying attention. There is no guarantee that they will sign a contract just because the Buffaloes offer a large amount of money.

-There are so many points to watch. Let’s watch together to see what they will show this season.

People who appeared to be Major League scouts were watching the game in the stadium.

It was not difficult to guess that they had come to observe Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju directly.

Since it was the Buffaloes’ home game, the Pelicans’ offense proceeded first.

Go Ji-hoon, the Buffaloes’ starting pitcher for the opening game, headed to the mound.

“Waaaaa-”

“Go Ji-hoon! Go Ji-hoon! Go Ji-hoon!”

The Buffaloes fans sent generous cheers to their ace pitcher.

Park Seong-ju took his position at third base, and Oh Seok-hoon at right field.

-Go Ji-hoon, the Buffaloes pitcher who showed the best performance last season, is on the mound!

-Michael Scott of the Jaguars had such a monstrous season that it was a bit overshadowed, but Go Ji-hoon also had a great season.

-In addition to recording an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] of 3.00 and 16 wins, he pitched 170 innings, making it Go Ji-hoon’s season with the most innings pitched.

-When the Buffaloes recruited him, there were definitely some who thought it was an overpay. But he proved that it was completely wrong.

-Will he be able to continue his good performance this season and lead the team to the championship?

Go Ji-hoon took a deep breath and started pitching.

Thump!

“Strike!”

Tick!

Tick!

Because each thrown ball precisely targeted the corners, it was difficult to get a hit even when making contact with the bat.

0 balls, 2 strikes.

It was a completely advantageous situation for the pitcher.

Go Ji-hoon shook his head once at the catcher’s sign before nodding.

Carefully changing his grip inside the glove, he threw the ball with all his might.

The ball, which seemed to be flying like a strike, was moving away from the batter at a sharp angle.

Even though he must have anticipated the bait ball timing, it seemed difficult to stop the bat.

Whoosh-

“Strike out!”

-He cleanly struck out the first batter. It looks like he will still be able to show a good performance this season?

-Since Go Ji-hoon is not a pitcher who relies on power and speed, his pace won’t suddenly drop even as he gets older.

The power was still there against the second batter.

Tick!

“Strike!”

Whoosh-

“Strike!”

The mis-hit ball soared high into the sky.

Because the launch angle was too high, it could not escape the infield.

The second baseman raised his hand to signal that he would catch it and caught the ball without difficulty.

“Out!”

Two out counts rose in an instant.

And now the 3rd batter came to the plate.

As his body began to warm up, Go Ji-hoon’s ball seemed to come alive.

Even though the opponent was a core hitter, it was difficult to make solid contact with Go Ji-hoon’s moving ball.

Tick!

The ball did not hit the bat accurately and soared into the sky.

But it was heading in an ambiguous direction.

It was a course that was difficult for the left fielder, shortstop, or third baseman to catch for sure.

Park Seong-ju and the shortstop turned and ran to catch the ball.

And Park Seong-ju called out that he would catch it.

The moment the ball was about to hit the ground, Park Seong-ju stretched out his arm and threw himself.

However, he only succeeded in grazing the ball and could not completely put it into his glove.

A lucky hit came out.

Instead of the fallen Park Seong-ju, the shortstop only managed to prevent the batter from advancing to second base.

Meanwhile, the batter comfortably arrived at first base.

“Waaaaa-”

The Pelicans fans cheered enthusiastically even for a lucky hit.

Now it was the turn of So Young-joon, the Pelicans’ 4th batter.

-So Young-joon, the Pelicans’ 4th batter, is at the plate. He recorded a personal career high last season. Are you looking forward to this season?

-He himself set a goal of hitting .300 this season. If he can become a shortstop with good defense who can hit .300 and hit a lot of home runs, he is a treasure to the team.

-There was talk of a trade last season. Now that FA is two years away, these stories will come up more often.

-He is an indispensable player for the Pelicans. Conversely, he is the best shortstop that every team would covet.

So Young-joon, standing at the plate, took a deep breath and gripped his bat.

Go Ji-hoon checked the runner on first base with his eyes and then threw the ball with all his might.

So Young-joon, judging it to be a strike, boldly swung his bat from the first pitch.

However, it was difficult to hit the bat because Go Ji-hoon’s two-seam fastball fell at a larger angle than usual and penetrated the body.

Whoosh-

“Strike!”

So Young-joon burst into laughter as if he was dumbfounded after swinging and missing.

On the other hand, a faint smile appeared on Go Ji-hoon’s face.

0 balls, 1 strike.

Perhaps motivated by his competitive spirit after swinging and missing, So Young-joon’s eyes sparkled sharply.

He exchanged signs with the catcher and threw the second ball.

Thump!

“Ball!”

The intention was to induce a swing and miss with a high fastball, but So Young-joon did not budge as if he had expected it.

1 ball, 1 strike.

The following ball was flying towards the corner of the strike zone at a high speed.

So Young-joon took the power out of his swing and swung his bat with the thought of just making contact.

Tick!

The batted ball fell out of the foul line.

1 ball, 2 strikes.

It became a disadvantageous count for the batter.

It was an even more difficult situation, especially when facing a pitcher with good control.

Go Ji-hoon, having finished exchanging signs with the catcher, prepared to pitch.

The ball thrown by Go Ji-hoon began to wriggle and fly.

So Young-joon tried to swing his bat but stopped with difficulty.

Thump!

The ball narrowly escaped the strike zone.

“Ball!”

Go Ji-hoon’s expression showed surprise, as if he had expected a swing and miss.

-So Young-joon endures this ball in a two-strike situation!

-The current ball would have looked almost like a strike from the plate. How did he endure this? It seems impossible unless he knew it in advance.

2 balls, 2 strikes.

The batter had to worry about striking out, while the pitcher still had room to throw one more ball.

“Strike out! Strike out! Strike out!”

“Hit! Hit! Hit!”

The Buffaloes and Pelicans fans were shouting the results they each wanted.

And now Go Ji-hoon’s windup began.

The ball that left Go Ji-hoon’s hand was moving further and further away from So Young-joon.

It was a ball that many batters would swing and miss,

So Young-joon swung as if pushing it out at the exact timing, as if he had predicted what ball would be thrown.

Clang!

“Waaaaa-”

As soon as the sound of the ball hitting was heard, the runner on first base started running towards second base.

The batted ball fell in front of right fielder Oh Seok-hoon.

Before he knew it, the runner on first base was running past second base to third base.

Confirming this, Oh Seok-hoon threw the ball with all his might towards third baseman Park Seong-ju.

“Waaaaa-”

The ball was flying accurately towards Park Seong-ju’s glove.

Confirming this, the Pelicans coach on third base continued to signal the runner to slide.

The runner, who had almost reached third base, threw himself as directed by the coach’s sign.

Thump!

Almost at the same timing, the ball thrown by Oh Seok-hoon went into Park Seong-ju’s glove.

Park Seong-ju, who caught the ball accurately, immediately tagged the sliding runner and confidently raised his glove towards the third base umpire.

“Out!”

The third base umpire raised his fist.

Park Seong-ju, confirming the ruling, clenched his fist and did not hide his joy.

Oh Seok-hoon, who was watching this from afar, raised both hands to express his joy.

“Waaaaa-”

The reaction of the Buffaloes fans was, needless to say, hot.

-This player is back! It was a situation that could have been a crisis in the early game. Right fielder Oh Seok-hoon succeeded in getting the last out count of the inning with a laser throw!

-It was a perfect throw! Because it was a two-out situation, the runner’s start was fast, but it was difficult to beat Oh Seok-hoon’s accurate and fast throw!

So Young-joon could not hide his disappointment as the out count went up despite getting a hit.

Go Ji-hoon, who returned to the dugout first, bumped gloves with Oh Seok-hoon and expressed his gratitude.

Bottom of the 1st inning, the Buffaloes’ offensive inning.

The Buffaloes’ 1st and 2nd batters succeeded in making good hits.

However, they failed to record a hit as they were blocked by So Young-joon’s miraculous defense twice in a row.

With 2 outs and no runners, now the 3rd batter Oh Seok-hoon approached the plate.

“Waaaaa-”

“Oh Seok-hoon! Oh Seok-hoon! Oh Seok-hoon!”

The Buffaloes fans chanted Oh Seok-hoon’s name and welcomed him back from injury.

Oh Seok-hoon, standing at the plate, briefly took off his helmet and bowed to the Buffaloes stands.

“Waaaaaaaaa-”

The cheers from the Buffaloes stands were much louder than before.

-Finally, it’s time to meet this player. It’s Oh Seok-hoon, the Buffaloes’ 3rd batter!

-He finished the season with a hamstring injury in the second half of last season. It was a disappointing result for both the Buffaloes team and Oh Seok-hoon personally. Because he is facing FA, I really hope he finishes this season well without any injuries.

-He already revealed it in an interview. He declared that he would focus more on hitting than stealing bases in the future.

-It sounds like a scary story that he hasn’t been focusing until now. What will Oh Seok-hoon show?

Oh Seok-hoon, standing at the plate, took a deep breath and prepared to hit.

It was his first plate appearance after the injury.