Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 281

Team Korea (2)

Finally, the preliminary round began.

With key players from each team gathered, the batting order was adjusted.

Oh Seok-hoon, the right fielder, was placed in the 2nd spot, Na Jun-ho, the left fielder, in the 3rd, Park Seong-ju, the third baseman, in the 4th, Han Gyo-jin, the designated hitter, in the 5th, and So Young-jun, the shortstop, in the 6th.

Except for Na Jun-ho, whose position overlapped with Oh Seok-hoon and moved to left field, everyone else was in their main positions.

Seo Seong-min was listed as a substitute player.

The first game was against Australia.

Although not considered a top contender for the championship, they were a team with considerable potential, so we couldn’t underestimate them.

However, Korea had a clear advantage in overall strength.

-Whoosh-

-Strike out!

“Go Ji-hoon has struck out another batter!”

“The opposing batters are completely disoriented in today’s game.”

“He’s always good, but facing Go Ji-hoon in such great condition is especially challenging.”

Go Ji-hoon’s control was near perfect, and

-Thwack!

-Out!

Even well-hit balls struggled to get past So Young-jun.

“So Young-jun is putting on a flawless defensive performance!”

“Judging by So Young-jun’s condition today, the second and third basemen might not have much to do. He’s diving to catch even deep hits so reliably.”

“It seems we can relax and watch any ball heading towards the shortstop position in this tournament.”

-Thwack!

-Crack!

As soon as he finished his swing, Oh Seok-hoon carefully placed his bat down and slowly started running towards first base.

“It’s going, going, gone! A home run!”

“Oh Seok-hoon has hit a home run, sealing the victory!”

“His power seems even better than during the regular season! He pushed it, but the ball soared over the fence!”

“He’s really showcasing his abilities in front of the Major League scouts!”

The sharp swings of our hitters in the heart of the lineup also demonstrated overwhelming power.

And the finish was solid too.

After pitching 6 innings, Go Ji-hoon was followed by Jang Su-young and Choi Jeong-hwan.

-Thump!

-Strike out!

“Wow, Choi Jeong-hwan is just throwing it down the middle, and the opposing batters can’t even make decent contact.”

“His speed is around 158 km/h [approximately 98 mph]. You can feel that he’s putting everything into each pitch.”

“It seems the Major League scouts who came to see Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju will also be keeping an eye on Choi Jeong-hwan.”

Jang Su-young and Choi Jeong-hwan came on in the 8th and 9th innings, respectively, and shut down the opposing lineup with perfect pitching.

We secured a clean 3-0 victory in the first game, which we thought wouldn’t be easy.

“Korea has started the tournament perfectly with a win. It was possible because all the players played their roles effectively.”

“They showed a completely different performance from the previous tournament, where they gave up easily from the preliminary rounds.”

“I’m really looking forward to the remaining games.”

Thanks to our players’ clean victory, I was able to finish my first official commentary well.

└They handled a tough opponent well.

└Go Ji-hoon is an underhand pitcher with great control, so the opposing batters just kept swinging at air ㅋㅋ [Korean slang for ‘lol’ or laughing]

└The Go Ji-hoon – Jang Su-young – Choi Jeong-hwan combination looks good. Their different styles will make it hard for the batters to adapt.

└I hope the other starters do well too. With Jang Su-young and Choi Jeong-hwan, leading until the 7th inning should be enough to win.

└And maybe it’s because the Major League scouts are here, but Oh Seok-hoon’s hitting looks sharper.

└He showed he has enough power by pushing it over the fence.

└If the pitchers and hitters keep playing like this, can we cautiously aim for the championship?

└It’s too early to get excited. It’s just one game.

The games against the Czech Republic and China followed immediately.

We expected to win easily since they were considered relatively weak teams.

Of course, those expectations were not wrong.

We were able to take the lead from the beginning, with the heart of the lineup hitting consistently.

Thanks to securing clear victories, the Korean national team was able to advance through the preliminary round without difficulty.

└At least it’s a relief. Just passing the preliminary round means we’ve achieved our initial goal.

└Honestly, with this kind of luck in the draw, it would be more of a problem if we didn’t make it.

└But the pitchers and hitters are all doing better than expected. Give them credit where it’s due.

└Actually, the tournament starts now. We have to win against the really strong teams.

└I think we’ll be fine if we just keep doing what we’ve been doing.

└Did you see the games between the US and Japan? Now I know why they’re called monsters.

└Especially after watching the US game, Watson seems like an ordinary player.

└If we want to go even a little higher, we should delay facing the US and Japan as much as possible.

└We have to beat them to win anyway. We can’t avoid them forever just because we want to.

As the preliminary round concluded, the tournament progressed to a knockout stage.

The team we met in the quarterfinals was the Netherlands.

They were the country that inflicted a painful defeat on us in the previous tournament.

The fact that they easily passed the preliminary round again was enough to show that they were not an easy opponent.

-Thump!

-Strike out!

-Whoosh-

-Strike out!

The game was intense from the start.

Moreover, as a single-elimination match where defeat meant elimination, both teams poured all available resources into the game.

In particular, Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju, who were attracting attention from foreign media, were heavily marked.

-Thump!

-Strike out!

Park Seong-ju, returning to the dugout, couldn’t hide his frustration and slammed his bat on the ground.

“Following Oh Seok-hoon, Park Seong-ju also failed to get a hit in today’s game.”

“You can feel that the Netherlands is paying special attention to these two players.”

“They seem to have come with a perfect analysis of each other’s strengths. The Netherlands bench seems to know everything about the Korean players.”

“Someone needs to hit a big one to really change the atmosphere.”

Both teams actively managed their mounds, reliably suppressing the opposing lineups.

Even after 8 innings, the balance of the game did not tilt to either side.

“It’s a really tight 0-0 game. Now that we’re in the late innings, the first run is likely to be the winning run.”

“It’s a great game, but maybe it’s because it’s our game, my hands are sweating.”

The balance of the game began to break in the 9th inning.

After the 4th batter, Park Seong-ju, was out, it was the 5th batter, designated hitter Han Gyo-jin’s turn.

-Thwack!

The ball hit by Han Gyo-jin’s bat cleanly split the gap between the center fielder and the left fielder and rolled away.

“Good! He can definitely make it to second base!”

Han Gyo-jin was able to step on second base before the ball with all his might.

“A really good situation has been created in the 9th inning. Here, even one point will be decisive.”

-Waaaaah-

-Korea! Korea! Korea!

The fans in the Korean stands cheered at the top of their lungs.

Now, the player coming to bat was the 6th batter, So Young-jun.

“It’s So Young-jun’s at-bat. He’s been in top form in this tournament, with excellent defense and good hitting.”

“I hope he hits a good one.”

However, the Netherlands coach called the umpire and held up four fingers.

After confirming this, the umpire signaled So Young-jun to go to first base.

“They’re choosing an intentional walk here. It’s the best choice for the Netherlands.”

“That’s too bad. I wanted to see So Young-jun hit.”

“The Netherlands must have already known about So Young-jun’s hitting ability. They decided right away without hesitation.”

Then, there was a flurry of activity in the Korean dugout.

“It looks like they’re going to use a pinch hitter here.”

The batter coming out with a bat was Seo Seong-min.

“Seo Seong-min is getting ready!”

“He’s the best card to use as a pinch hitter in the late innings!”

At the same time, the Netherlands was also preparing to change pitchers.

As soon as he realized that they were switching from a right-handed pitcher to a left-handed pitcher, Seo Seong-min quickly returned to the dugout.

Then, he switched his helmet and protective gear to suit the right-handed batting position and came back.

“It doesn’t matter whether the pitcher is left-handed or right-handed against Seo Seong-min. Seo Seong-min can decide for himself.”

“Moreover, he hits well with both his left and right hands. Neither is inferior.”

As the Netherlands pitcher finished preparing, the game resumed.

1 out, runners on 1st and 2nd.

The pitcher carefully started his windup, looking back and forth between Han Gyo-jin and So Young-jun.

The moment the ball left the Netherlands pitcher’s hand, Seo Seong-min’s bat began to swing with all its might.

-Thwack!

-Waaaaah-

The moment the ball soared, the runner on second base, Han Gyo-jin, started sprinting.

“Yes! He can run!”

Han Gyo-jin stepped on third base and increased his speed, turning his body towards home base.

“Han Gyo-jin isn’t particularly fast, so it might be a bit risky.”

While the runner on first base, So Young-jun, passed second base and headed to third, the batter-runner Seo Seong-min passed first base and headed to second.

“Seo Seong-min is running to second base!”

Then, Seo Seong-min slowed down and stopped not far from where the defender caught the ball.

The Netherlands defense tagged out Seo Seong-min, who was approaching second base, and threw the ball to the catcher.

Han Gyo-jin, who was sprinting towards home base, slid and threw his body.

-Safe!

-Waaaaah-

Seo Seong-min, returning to the dugout, clenched his fist and raised it.

“Seo Seong-min’s wit was good. If they hadn’t tagged Seo Seong-min and had thrown it straight home, it could have been a different game.”

“He scored an important run in the 9th inning. Korea’s pinch hitter card was a great success.”

Finally, the score changed to 1-0.

Last of the 9th inning.

As expected, the closing pitcher Choi Jeong-hwan came to the mound.

-Thump!

-Thump!

-Thump!

-Strike out!

“It seems Choi Jeong-hwan has no intention of throwing a breaking ball.”

“He keeps throwing fastballs. As a batter, you can’t help but think he’ll throw a breaking ball at some point. But Choi Jeong-hwan’s choice is a bold fastball!”

He got the next batter out with a fastball as well.

Choi Jeong-hwan was still throwing fastballs against the third batter.

-Whoosh-

-Strike out!

“We won! Korea defeats the Netherlands and advances to the semifinals!”

“Our players did really well. If we keep playing like this, we can definitely achieve good results in this tournament!”

“We’ll see you again in the semifinals!”

└That was really nerve-wracking. I’m glad we won, or I would have shortened my lifespan.

└Seo Seong-min earned his keep in this game alone.

└Even if they walk So Young-jun at number 6, having Seo Seong-min on the bench means it’s like having a hitter with good RBI [Runs Batted In] ability at number 7 ㅋㅋ [Korean slang for ‘lol’ or laughing]

└Plus, he’s a switch hitter, so it doesn’t matter if the pitcher is left-handed or right-handed.

└By the way, Park Seong-ju needs to hit a home run, but there’s still no news.

└If he’s like this against the Netherlands, won’t he be swinging at air even more in the semifinals?

The day after our game, the team we would face in the semifinals was decided.

The opponent was the United States.

And the pitcher the US put forward as their starter for the game against Korea was Michael Scott, as expected.