Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 272

Korean Series (3)

The first pitch Michael Scott and Han Gyo-jin called for was, as expected, a fastball.

-Thwack!

-Strike!

“He’s hitting 154 km/h right out of the gate. He’s as powerful as ever, probably because he’s had a few days of rest,” a commentator observed.

“Even if you’re in good hitting condition during the season, it’s tough to swing aggressively when you face a pitch like that in your first at-bat,” So Young-joon added.

-Thwack!

-Strike!

-Tick!

He managed to foul one off after falling behind 0 balls and 2 strikes, but

-Thwack!

-Strikeout!

He couldn’t avoid swinging at the fastball that had even more heat.

“Scott strikes out the first batter he faces in his Korean Series debut.”

“He’s just overpowering them with his fastball.”

So Young-joon said, his mouth wide open in amazement.

“Should we assume Scott is in good form today?”

“Scott got plenty of rest before coming out. No further explanation needed.”

In the subsequent at-bat against the second batter, Scott continued to aggressively attack with fastballs.

The second batter tried his best to make contact, but

-Thwack!

-Strikeout!

It was hard to swing confidently at a fastball exceeding 155 km/h.

“Two batters in a row have been struck out without even a foul ball.”

“It looks really intimidating on the screen,” So Young-joon said, sticking out his tongue.

“And now it’s time to face this season’s batting champion and slugging percentage leader.”

The player approaching the plate was the third batter, Oh Seok-hoon.

I turned my head to Na Joon-ho and asked, “Na Joon-ho, what was your impression of Oh Seok-hoon as a hitter this season?”

“I definitely felt that Seok-hoon’s hitting ability improved this season. He already had good hitting skills, and now he has the power to hit home runs at any time, so he’s a really difficult player to face.”

“That’s right.”

I nodded at Na Joon-ho’s answer and continued the conversation, looking at Choi Jung-hwan and Jang Soo-young. “Now we need to hear about Oh Seok-hoon from a pitcher’s perspective. What was Oh Seok-hoon like as an opposing batter?”

Choi Jung-hwan spoke first. “He’s literally the batting champion. He has the hitting skills to get a hit no matter where you throw it, so you can’t relax even if the count is in your favor. I get really tired after facing Oh Seok-hoon.”

“But it seems like you overcame that well this season. How did you do it?”

“I don’t have very good control, so I had no choice but to challenge him with power.”

“Wow, that’s cool. You’re saying you just overpowered him with force.”

So Young-joon exclaimed and clapped his hands after hearing Choi Jung-hwan’s answer.

I immediately looked at Jang Soo-young and continued, “Then how did Jang Soo-young approach him?”

“I mixed in a lot of breaking balls [pitches that curve or change direction]. If I tried to challenge him directly, I was afraid of giving up a big hit, so I thought the safest way was to induce a swing with a decoy pitch.”

“Choi Jung-hwan with power, Jang Soo-young with breaking balls. You can really see the difference between the two players here.”

I looked at Choi Jung-hwan and Jang Soo-young alternately and finished my comment.

Looking back at the screen, Oh Seok-hoon was getting ready to hit at the plate.

Scott and Han Gyo-jin carefully exchanged signs.

Scott nodded and put his hand in his glove, preparing to throw the ball.

After a moment, the windup began.

The ball that left Scott’s hand floated up slightly and then began to drop sharply.

Oh Seok-hoon, who was swinging from the first pitch, felt something was wrong and tried to stop his bat, but

-Whoosh-

-Strike!

The umpire judged that the bat had started to swing and declared a strike.

Oh Seok-hoon, who had struggled to stop his bat, couldn’t hide his disappointment and briefly stepped away from the plate to clear his head.

“The Jaguars battery [pitcher and catcher] induced a swing with an unconventional pitch combination right from the first pitch.”

“It’s the same with facing any ace pitcher, but Scott’s fastball is especially fast, so there’s no answer if the count gets against you. Being aggressive early can increase your chances.”

So Young-joon said, carefully watching Scott’s movements.

“Then, Young-joon, how should they approach it from now on?”

“You have to forget about the breaking ball. You’re facing a pitcher who can throw a 155 km/h fastball, so if you’re thinking too much at the plate, you’ll just get struck out without even moving.”

In the meantime, Oh Seok-hoon, who had taken a deep breath, approached the plate again.

Soon, the second ball came flying.

This time, Michael Scott’s fastball was flying high.

Oh Seok-hoon’s bat was also swinging with all his might.

-Whoosh-

-Strike!

Perhaps because he had just seen a curveball that dropped sharply, Oh Seok-hoon’s bat swung just after the ball had passed.

The third ball followed at 0 balls and 2 strikes.

This time too, Scott’s choice was a fastball.

Oh Seok-hoon barely managed to make contact with the bat, but

-Tick!

The weakly hit ball soared high into the sky.

Second baseman Seo Sung-min approached and easily caught it, recording the last out of the inning.

└As expected, 1st inning wiped out! It’s Michael Scott after all.

└It’s a perfect inning for now. Let’s go for the first perfect game in the Korean Series!!

└It’s only the end of the 1st inning and you’re already talking about a perfect game, lol. You’re getting ahead of yourself too much.

└Scott’s form is no joke because he came out after getting enough rest. It seems like it will be difficult to target him in the early part of the game.

Now the offense and defense switched, and the game continued with the Jaguars’ attack in the bottom of the 1st inning.

Pitcher Go Ji-hoon was approaching the mound.

“He’s another ace pitcher from our agency, the Buffaloes’ Go Ji-hoon. He’s also the player Choi Woo-jin asks the most questions to.”

When I turned my head, Choi Woo-jin took over the conversation as if he had been waiting. “When I first saw Ji-hoon, he looked stiff and intimidating. But when I talked to him, he was a really good senior.”

“Ji-hoon told you a lot of things while training together, right?”

“He told me everything I asked him about. It could have been annoying, but he really didn’t show it at all. Oh, and he also taught me the changeup [a slow pitch designed to deceive the batter] last winter. It’s no exaggeration to say that I was able to get drafted thanks to Go Ji-hoon.”

└I felt like I could see Go Ji-hoon every time Choi Woo-jin threw the ball. I wasn’t wrong.

└He learned the changeup from Go Ji-hoon. Of course, it’s going to be good because he learned it from the pitcher who throws the best changeup.

└Go Ji-hoon raised a tiger and sent him to the Jaguars. He should have brought him to the Buffaloes…….

The bottom of the 1st inning began with Go Ji-hoon’s pitching.

The Jaguars’ 1st, 2nd, and 3rd batters couldn’t find their rhythm against Go Ji-hoon’s deceptive breaking balls.

-Whoosh-

-Strikeout!

-Tick!

-Out!

In an instant, three outs were recorded in the bottom of the 1st inning, and the inning was over.

“Go Ji-hoon perfectly finished the 1st inning. The 1st place team seems to be having difficulty adjusting because there’s a gap in actual games while waiting for the Korean Series. Joon-ho, what should the batters do in this situation?”

Na Joon-ho took over the conversation at my question. “The team may have had practice games on its own while other teams were playing in the postseason, but it can’t be the same as an actual game. I think the best thing to do is to see as many pitches as possible and get their timing back.”

“By the way, Joon-ho, you seem to be less nervous now?”

Unlike when the broadcast first started, I couldn’t sense any nervousness from him.

“Really?”

Na Joon-ho smiled shyly.

“As expected, when you talk about baseball, you just spit it out without any tension. Everyone is a born baseball player.”

Everyone burst into laughter at So Young-joon’s words.

The game continued with the Buffaloes’ attack in the top of the 2nd inning.

Michael Scott was on the mound, and Park Seong-joo was at the plate.

“It’s a match between the best pitcher and the best batter this season. The best defense and the best offense. What are the key points to watch in this matchup?”

I turned my head to Choi Jung-hwan and asked. “Scott is in really good form today, so it will be difficult to get a hit in the first at-bat. But Park Seong-joo isn’t just a 4th hitter; he’s a home run king. He’s a player who can go over the fence at any time. You have to be careful with every pitch.”

“A solo home run can have a significant impact in a short series like this.”

I nodded and responded to Choi Jung-hwan’s words.

In the meantime, Scott’s pitching began.

-Thwack!

-Strike!

“I guess he was thinking of just watching the first pitch go by. There’s no movement at all.”

Park Seong-joo didn’t move.

-Thwack!

-Ball!

“Scott must be putting in a lot of effort. The ball is far outside the strike zone.”

“He’s facing the home run king. No matter how good his condition is, he can’t help but be nervous.”

Choi Jung-hwan nodded in agreement.

Scott’s pitching continued at 1 ball and 1 strike.

-Clang!

The batted ball screamed off Park Seong-joo’s bat at high speed.

However, center fielder Donald Watson got there easily and caught the ball.

In the subsequent at-bats against the 5th and 6th batters, they couldn’t generate much power against Scott’s pitching.

-Thwack!

-Strike!

As expected, Scott shut down the 2nd inning without any difficulty.

The score was still 0-0 as they moved into the bottom of the 2nd inning.

“This was probably the scariest part of the lineup for pitchers facing the Jaguars this season: having to face the Jaguars’ 4th, 5th, and 6th batters.”

“It must be terrible for the pitcher,” So Young-joon shuddered and added.

“What should a pitcher do when facing this kind of batting order?”

This time I looked at Jang Soo-young and asked. “Actually, Donald Watson was especially weak against Go Ji-hoon, probably because he was unfamiliar with the underhand style [a pitching style where the ball is thrown with a low arm angle].”

“Watson had difficulty with breaking balls in the beginning.”

“He has now adapted to most breaking balls, but he still seems to have trouble with the underhand type. I think the key is whether he can avoid being fooled by Go Ji-hoon’s breaking ball.”

After getting the 4th batter, Han Gyo-jin, out with a fly ball,

And as Jang Soo-young predicted, Go Ji-hoon thoroughly challenged Watson using only breaking balls.

-Whoosh-

-Strikeout!

He immediately added an out against the following 6th batter, Seo Sung-min, without any problems.

As expected, Michael Scott and Go Ji-hoon’s pitching was so unwavering that it was reminiscent of a perfect game.

The Buffaloes batters were overwhelmed by Michael Scott’s form, who had gotten plenty of rest, and were having difficulty hitting the ball hard.

On the other hand, the Jaguars batters were not yet in their best form and were not hitting Go Ji-hoon’s pitches well at all.

The two pitchers’ masterful pitching duel unfolded and quickly progressed through the 4th inning.

Now the game moved on to the 5th inning.