Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 267

The Moment We’ve Been Waiting For (1)

Finally, the day of the last game of this regular season had arrived.

The Jaguars were playing against the Dragons, and the Buffaloes were playing against the Pelicans.

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

└This is so exciting, with the very last game of the season upon us. It would be so dramatic if the winning team changes on the last day.

└Isn’t there a possibility that the Buffaloes might pull off a come-from-behind victory at the end?

└That’s right. If the Jaguars lose and the Buffaloes win, the Buffaloes will win the regular season.

└First, it’ll be more fun if the Jaguars lose.

└Don’t talk nonsense. How long have I been waiting for this? The Jaguars are winning this year, no matter what!

└The Buffaloes have been waiting for a long time too. Oh Seokhoon and Park Seongju should win at least once before they become free agents.

└The Jaguars also need to win while Michael Scott and Donald Watson are still around. If not this time, who knows when the next chance will come.

└Listening to you guys, both teams are desperate, lol. It’s just so much fun from an outsider’s perspective.

└Even if one of them ends up in second place, they’ll probably still make it through the playoffs, right? I think there’s a high chance that the two teams will face off in the Korean Series [the championship series of the KBO League].

└The real showdown between the two teams will be in this Korean Series. Short-term games have a different feel.

* * *

-We’ve really come down to the wire. Once today’s game is over, all 144 games of the regular season will be completed. But it hasn’t been decided yet which team will win.

-We’re really having quite a season. The Jaguars and Buffaloes have been fiercely competing in every game, especially in the second half of the season, and they still haven’t settled the score until the last day.

-Today’s game is practically like Game 7 of the Korean Series for both teams.

-That’s right. Going straight to the Korean Series versus going through the playoffs can make a huge difference. They’ll have to pour everything they have into winning.

-The Jaguars are 0.5 games ahead, but it’s hard to say they have a complete advantage, right?

-The Jaguars are playing against the 4th-place Dragons, while the Buffaloes are meeting the 10th-place Pelicans. Even if the battle for the rankings is over for both opposing teams, the 4th-place team is bound to be more difficult to deal with than the 10th-place team.

-It looks like you’ll have to watch today’s game while checking the scores from both stadiums at the same time.

As befitting a game that could be called the climax of this season, the Jaguars’ home stadium was packed with spectators.

The Jaguars’ lineup, which had to win today’s game, was no different from usual, while the Dragons, who had to prepare for the Wild Card game [a play-in game for the playoffs], were filled with backup players except for Na Junho.

The Jaguars had Han Gyojin at number 4, Donald Watson at number 5, and Seo Seongmin at number 6.

The Dragons’ lineup included the name of the 4th batter, Na Junho.

In the Jaguars’ stands, Olivia was leading the cheering as if to commemorate the last game of the season.

Top of the 1st inning.

Jung Minwoo took the mound to start the game against the Dragons.

“Jung Minwoo! Jung Minwoo! Jung Minwoo!”

Thanks to Jung Minwoo’s recent good performance, the fans sent him favorable cheers.

-Today’s starting pitcher for the Jaguars is Jung Minwoo. He’s pitching in a very important game.

-Jaguars manager Kim Min-guk said that he could put all the pitchers on the mound in today’s game, but the starting pitcher needs to pitch well to manage the game comfortably.

-Jung Minwoo is pitching in an important game. What will he show us in the game that concludes the season?

Jung Minwoo put on his catcher’s mask and started warming up, throwing towards Han Gyojin, who was crouched behind home plate.

Thump!

Thump!

He finished his practice pitches, testing all his pitches evenly.

Han Gyojin bumped his fist against Jung Minwoo’s glove, encouraging him after he finished warming up and took a deep breath.

“Play ball!”

Jung Minwoo, after confirming Han Gyojin’s sign, began his windup.

Thump!

146km/h [approximately 91 mph]!

“Ball!”

The first ball went way outside the strike zone.

Jung Minwoo threw the second ball right away.

This time, the batter swung his bat,

Tick!

147km/h [approximately 91.3 mph]!

Because it was a high ball again, it resulted in a weak hit.

1 ball and 1 strike.

Jung Minwoo took a breath and threw the ball with all his might.

Thump!

“Strike!”

148km/h [approximately 92 mph]!

-It looks like Jung Minwoo is throwing with everything he’s got from the first inning?

-It’s more important not to give up any runs in today’s game than to last for many innings. He only needs to focus on the batter right in front of him.

In the following pitches, Jung Minwoo threw the ball with all his might.

Whoosh-

“Strike out!”

After getting the first batter out, he continued to compete with the second batter.

Thump!

“Ball!”

Because he threw with all his might, his control wasn’t perfect,

Tick!

“Out!”

With the help of the fielders, he was able to finish the inning without giving up any runs.

The Jaguars’ attack began in the bottom of the 1st inning.

The Jaguars’ batters swung aggressively, as they needed to score the first point as quickly as possible to manage the game comfortably.

Tick!

“Out!”

Thump!

“Strike out!”

But perhaps because they were too impatient, they couldn’t mount a proper attack.

Thump!

“Strike out!”

The 3rd batter swung at a breaking ball, and the Jaguars’ attack in the bottom of the 1st inning came to an end.

The 2nd inning began with the Dragons’ attack.

The first batter of the inning was the 4th batter, Na Junho.

-From the first batter of this inning, they have to face a really dangerous hitter.

-The Dragons have had a difficult time this season with many injured players. Nevertheless, the reason they were able to secure a spot in the postseason as 4th place is thanks to Na Junho.

-In fact, I thought the Dragons would give Na Junho a rest and prepare for the Wild Card game since their ranking had already been decided, but unexpectedly, he started the game.

-He has recorded 29 home runs so far. If he hits one more, Na Junho will be able to record 30 home runs for the first time, so I think he decided to play.

-It will be interesting to see if Na Junho can reach the 30 home run mark in the last game of the season.

As Na Junho stood at the plate, Jung Minwoo and Han Gyojin carefully exchanged signs.

And Jung Minwoo threw the ball with all his might.

Thump!

“Ball!”

Thump!

“Ball!”

Two consecutive balls were out of the strike zone.

2 balls and 0 strikes.

-In this case, rather than trying to force a strike, it might be better to just walk him [intentionally walk him, giving him first base]?

-It would be disappointing for the fans who are expecting Na Junho’s 30th home run, but it would be a necessary strategy for the Jaguars, who must win today.

Jung Minwoo tried to induce a swing with a sharply dropping splitter,

But the ball didn’t drop as much as he wanted and was ambiguously entering the strike zone.

Na Junho, not missing this, swung his bat with all his might.

Clang!

The batted ball hit by Na Junho flew towards the outfield at a high speed.

“Waaaaa-”

The Dragons fans, sensing that it would be a big hit, cheered enthusiastically.

Jung Minwoo, standing on the mound, couldn’t even look at the flying ball, as if he thought the same thing.

However, the speed of the batted ball, which seemed to be going straight for a home run, began to decrease rapidly.

In the end, center fielder Donald Watson, who was standing right in front of the fence, caught it.

“Out!”

Na Junho, who was stepping on first base and trying to advance to second, couldn’t hide his disappointment after confirming that he was out.

“Waaaaa-”

This time, cheers erupted from the Jaguars’ stands.

-This batted ball is caught right in front of the fence!

-The batted ball didn’t quite carry enough at the end, so it didn’t go over the fence. It seems that the Jaguars were lucky.

-Na Junho’s 30th home run will have to wait until his next at-bat.

A faint smile touched Jung Minwoo’s lips as he overcame a critical moment.

He felt much more stable in the subsequent at-bats against the 5th and 6th batters.

Tick!

“Out!”

Tick!

“Out!”

The ball, weakly hit and bouncing on the ground, resulted in an out with the help of the infielders.

He was able to finish the 2nd inning without giving up any runs, retiring three batters.

Jung Minwoo, returning to the dugout, bumped gloves with his fellow players, including Han Gyojin, to express his gratitude.

The Jaguars’ attack continued in the bottom of the 2nd inning.

-The Jaguars’ batting order is really dangerous this inning. They have to face the 4th, 5th, and 6th batters in a row.

-If the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd batters have good contact ability, the 4th, 5th, and 6th batters are hitters with power. They are batters who can hit a home run at any time with just one mistake, so you need to be careful with every pitch.

The first batter to step up to the plate this inning was catcher Han Gyojin.

The Dragons’ battery [pitcher and catcher] carefully exchanged signs.

As the Dragons’ pitcher threw the first ball with all his might,

Han Gyojin swung his bat with all his might, as if he had been waiting for the first pitch.

Clang!

The batted ball hit by Han Gyojin flew into the sky at a high speed.

Han Gyojin started running towards first base with all his might, never taking his eyes off the batted ball.

“Waaaaa-”

Everyone in the stadium was expecting a home run,

But this time again, the Dragons’ center fielder, who was waiting near the fence, caught the ball.

“Out!”

-There have been several batted balls that haven’t quite gone over the fence today.

-If it had flown towards the left fielder, which is a little closer than the center fielder, it would have been a home run. They’re just not having any luck.

Donald Watson and Seo Seongmin, who were up to bat next, also showed the best concentration.

They succeeded in hitting the ball far, but they couldn’t get a hit or a home run.

As the bottom of the 2nd inning ended and the game moved to the top of the 3rd inning, the score remained unchanged at 0:0.

Then suddenly, a sigh erupted from the Jaguars’ stands.

-Well, we have some important news from the neighboring stadium. Buffaloes’ Park Seongju has hit a huge home run in his first at-bat. It’s his 40th home run of the season.

-It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a 40-home run hitter in our league again. Park Seongju has been really great this season.

-It’s a happy moment for baseball fans, but it’s bound to be an unwelcome blow for Jaguars fans.

-It’s still early in the game and it’s only a one-point difference, but the Buffaloes are now in the lead. If this happens, the Jaguars will have no choice but to become a little impatient.

-If the Buffaloes win, the Jaguars must win. If they tie, their winning percentage will drop slightly, and they will be pushed down to 2nd place.

-It’s only the 3rd inning. There’s no need to rush. Just play your own game slowly.

The news from the neighboring stadium was also conveyed to the Jaguars’ dugout.

Tension began to show on the faces of the Jaguars players.