Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 241

241. An Unwelcome Record (4)

The first game of the Jaguars’ and Pelicans’ 3-game series.

Today’s starting pitcher for the Jaguars was Jung Minwoo.

└Let’s go for 15 straight losses!!! Minwoo, you’ve come this far, so let’s set a record and finish it properly. Beyond 18 straight losses to 20 straight!!

└Even so, we need to cut it off around here. Seeing him getting booed by the Jaguars fans is heartbreaking.

└Today’s opponent is the Pelicans, so it’s worth looking forward to. Plus, the opposing pitcher is a rookie. It seems possible enough.

└From the Pelicans’ perspective, it’s doable since today’s starting pitcher is Jung Minwoo ㅋㅋ Even if we lose to Michael Scott, we should win this one.

└Honestly, if Minwoo loses even in a matchup like today, he should just retire.

└Even if the Pelicans are a weak team, let’s not become their sacrifice. Pelicans fighting!

The Jaguars’ lineup was no different from usual.

Donald Watson was the 5th batter and center fielder, and Seo Sungmin was the 6th batter and second baseman.

And today’s starting catcher was Han Gyojin, listed as the 7th batter.

It was his first time wearing the starting catcher’s mask even when it wasn’t a Michael Scott game.

Facing them, the Pelicans’ So Youngjoon started as the 4th batter and shortstop, unchanged.

-The Jaguars’ atmosphere is really good these days. They’re threatening not only 3rd place but also 2nd and 1st. What do you think is the driving force?

-Of course, we have to mention the Jaguars’ batting lineup, which is burning so hot. At the center of it, we can name Donald Watson and Han Gyojin.

-Donald Watson has already shown good performance since last season, so I expected it, but Han Gyojin’s performance is something that even Jaguars fans didn’t expect.

-It was surprising enough that he worked well with Michael Scott. I knew he had good hitting ability, but I didn’t expect him to perform this well.

-Looking at his recent pace, wouldn’t it be okay to move him up to the 4th batter position right away?

-Judging by his recent batting pace, it’s definitely possible. But the catcher position is so demanding defensively and physically that they seem to be trying to reduce the burden. Since he plays as a designated hitter in many games, it would be fine to move him up to 4th batter.

-While the Jaguars are showing good performance in batting, there are also some disappointing aspects, right?

-That’s right. If I had to name one disappointing thing about the Jaguars right now, it would be Jung Minwoo. He hasn’t won recently and is on a 14-game losing streak.

-For the Jaguars to climb to a higher rank, Jung Minwoo’s performance is also necessary. We’ll have to wait and see if he can break this unwelcome record in today’s game.

The game started in the top of the 1st inning with the Jaguars’ offense.

Jung Minwoo was lightly warming up, preparing to pitch in the bottom of the 1st.

Since the opposing pitcher was a rookie, the Jaguars’ batters swung aggressively.

The first and second batters succeeded in getting on base, opening up the attack, but the following batter’s ground ball resulted in a double play, failing to connect to a score.

The inning ended when the 4th batter flew out.

And then it led to the Jaguars’ defensive inning in the bottom of the 1st.

“Hoo-”

Just as Jung Minwoo took a deep breath and was about to move his feet with difficulty, Han Gyojin, wearing his catcher’s gear, approached him.

“Senior, we’ve prepared perfectly. Even if you don’t remember, I have all the details from the agency’s explanation in my head. Don’t worry and just trust me and throw.”

Han Gyojin pointed to his head with his hand and smiled.

“Okay, I’ll trust you and throw, Gyojin.”

A faint smile appeared on Jung Minwoo’s face.

“Let’s show the people watching today that we can do it.”

Han Gyojin smiled and held out his glove to Jung Minwoo.

Jung Minwoo and Han Gyojin bumped their gloves once and walked onto the field with the other Jaguars fielders.

“Wooooo-”

Boos erupted towards Jung Minwoo in today’s game as well.

“Are you going to lose again today? I’m sick of it, sick of it. Learn a skill and find another job.”

“My ticket money is wasted, but I came because I only had time today. Hey, Manager! Take Jung Minwoo down quickly and put up another pitcher!”

“If you’re not confident in pitching well, get injured! You’re only healthy because you’re not using your strength properly!”

Some Jaguars fans didn’t hesitate to use harsh expressions.

Jung Minwoo pretended not to hear the sounds and started preparing to pitch.

Han Gyojin was already prepared and waiting at home base.

“Hoo-”

He took a deep breath and started practice pitching.

Pop!

Pop!

His physical condition was not bad at all.

“Wooooo-”

But not only the opposing team, the Pelicans, but even the Jaguars.

It was hard to find a fan in the stands who had a favorable attitude towards Jung Minwoo.

The only person who cheered him on was Han Gyojin, who nodded his head greatly and encouraged him.

Now the first batter entered the batter’s box.

He had come up with a thorough strategy on how to face him, but,

‘What were we supposed to do? I can’t remember at all?’

Perhaps because he was nervous, Jung Minwoo’s mind went blank.

He had no choice but to wait for Han Gyojin to send a signal.

After a while, he was able to confirm the signal Han Gyojin was sending.

‘That’s right, high fastball.’

Jung Minwoo changed to a fastball grip and threw the ball with all his might.

The batter didn’t hesitate and swung his bat.

Tick!

The batter’s bat hit the bottom of the ball and it soared high.

Han Gyojin threw off his catcher’s mask and approached the spot where the ball would fall.

“Out!”

He succeeded in turning away the first batter with one ball.

In the following match, the Pelicans’ strategy was no different.

Whoosh-

They swung their bats aggressively from the first pitch.

Pop!

“Ball!”

They didn’t swing at pitches that deviated greatly, but if it entered the strike zone even remotely, the bat would swing.

Tick!

This time, the mis-hit ball rolled towards second baseman Seo Sungmin.

“Out!”

Because it was a weakly rolling hit, it was easy to connect it to an out count.

And then the 3rd batter.

Tap!

The ball hit by the batter’s swing extended to the outfield.

But it was soon within Watson’s defensive range, who judged the landing point right away.

“Out!”

Even if it wasn’t perfect, he finished the 1st inning without allowing a single runner to get on base.

Top of the 2nd.

The Jaguars’ attack began with the 5th batter, Donald Watson.

Pop!

“Ball!”

Pop!

“Ball!”

Easily picking out the opposing pitcher’s [deceptive] pitches, and then,

Tap!

He succeeded in hitting the ball that flew to the desired course.

The hit seemed to extend sharply, but,

-So Youngjoon dove to catch the hit!

-It seems like he can judge where the ball will go as soon as it’s hit.

-These days, you can almost consider any hit going in So Youngjoon’s direction as an out.

So Youngjoon, who caught the ball stably, threw it with all his might towards the first baseman.

“Out!”

Watson expressed his disappointment when he narrowly missed being called safe.

He hoped that they would score the first point in the following at-bats of Seo Sungmin and Han Gyojin to lighten Jung Minwoo’s burden, but,

Tap!

Tap!

Even though they sent well-hit balls flying, the hits coincidentally flew towards So Youngjoon.

“Out!”

“Out!”

So Youngjoon easily caught even difficult bounces and connected them to out counts.

“Waaaaa-”

“So Youngjoon! So Youngjoon! So Youngjoon!”

So Youngjoon, returning to the dugout, raised the atmosphere even more by performing a ceremony of hitting his chest with his fist towards the Pelicans fans who were cheering.

Bottom of the 2nd.

The first opponent to meet in this inning was the 4th batter, So Youngjoon.

-Recently, So Youngjoon is the player to watch out for the most on the Pelicans. Moreover, he showed a good performance in defense. There’s also a saying that good hitting comes after good defense, so we need to compete even more carefully.

-Right now, it’s really fortunate for the Jaguars that they met So Youngjoon when there were no runners on base.

So Youngjoon, who entered the batter’s box, smiled faintly when he made eye contact with Han Gyojin, who was facing him as a catcher.

Then, he prepared for the match with a serious expression.

Han Gyojin gave the fastball sign again.

But,

Pop!

“Ball!”

Perhaps because he was trying to throw it into the corner since the opponent was So Youngjoon, it greatly deviated from the strike zone.

Pop!

“Ball!”

The second ball was no different.

2 balls and 0 strikes.

Before he knew it, Jung Minwoo’s face was filled with tension.

Han Gyojin gave the fastball sign again and placed his glove in the center of the strike zone.

But,

Pop!

“Ball!”

Pop!

“Ball!”

Unlike Han Gyojin’s lead, Jung Minwoo’s subsequent balls deviated from the strike zone.

Eventually, So Youngjoon succeeded in getting on base with a walk.

With a different result than planned, sweat started pouring down Jung Minwoo’s face.

0 outs, runner on 1st base.

Jung Minwoo stared at So Youngjoon behind him for a long time before throwing the ball.

Pop!

“Ball!”

Perhaps because his attention was distracted, the ball flew to a course so far that it was difficult for Han Gyojin to catch.

Pop!

“Ball!”

Jung Minwoo couldn’t find stability even in the subsequent pitching.

“I’ll go up for a moment.”

Eventually, Han Gyojin requested a time-out from the umpire and went up to the mound.

While Han Gyojin was approaching, Jung Minwoo wiped the flowing sweat and looked up at the sky.

Han Gyojin, who arrived at the mound, smiled and handed the ball to Jung Minwoo, starting a conversation.

“Senior, your ball is good today. There’s no need to be nervous.”

“I’m trying to concentrate, but it’s not easy.”

“Anyway, Senior, Youngjoon is in good condition these days, so let’s just think we intentionally walked him. It’ll be worth trying from the next batter, so it’s okay to go into the match aggressively.”

“Hoo- Okay.”

Jung Minwoo took a deep breath.

“I’m going to go in with a fastball in the middle for this batter.”

“In the middle?”

Jung Minwoo, who was startled, asked, trying hard not to show his expression.

“With Senior’s condition today, it’s worth trying. Especially in a situation like this, there’s a higher possibility that the batter will wait.”

“Okay. I’ll try it.”

When Jung Minwoo nodded, Han Gyojin put on his catcher’s mask and returned to home base.

“Play ball!”

Han Gyojin was holding his glove in the center of the strike zone as before.

‘Oh well, let’s just do it.’

Pop!

“Strike!”

Even though it was a ball going into the middle, the batter didn’t show any movement at all.

The second ball was the same.

Pop!

“Strike!”

Perhaps he didn’t think he would throw it in the middle two times in a row, the batter couldn’t hide his surprised expression.

2 balls and 2 strikes.

This time, Han Gyojin’s sign was a slider that went outside the batter.

Jung Minwoo looked at first base runner So Youngjoon and carefully changed his grip.

And looking only at Han Gyojin’s mitt, he threw the ball with all his might.

The ball was curving out at a faster timing than expected, and the batter’s bat, who had become impatient, was already swinging.

Whoosh-

“Strike out!”

Before Jung Minwoo could show the thrill of striking out, Han Gyojin, who caught the ball, suddenly stood up.