Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 283

Team Korea (4)

The game continued into the top of the 2nd inning.

Batter number 4, Park Sung-ju, approached the plate.

The announcer’s voice rose with excitement as he began his commentary.

“Korea’s home run king, batter number 4, Park Sung-ju is up! It’s no exaggeration to say he’s the best home run hitter in the country right now, wouldn’t you agree?”

“He’s certainly proven his potential, hitting 30 home runs for three consecutive years and even reaching 40 this time. He’s only going to get better in the future.”

I smiled faintly and responded.

“Actually, Park Sung-ju didn’t fare particularly well against Scott during the regular season. And he hasn’t hit a single home run in this tournament yet. What could be the reason for his slump?”

The announcer turned to me, curious.

“I think he’s feeling a lot of pressure as the number 4 hitter in his first international tournament, like he has to carry the whole team. Because of that, his swing isn’t as relaxed as it usually is.”

“There are plenty of good hitters both before and after Park Sung-ju in the lineup, so wouldn’t it be better for him to relieve some of that pressure?”

“Of course. With so many talented players around him, he can think of himself as just one of the hitters, not necessarily *the* number 4. Hopefully, he can take some of the weight off his shoulders.”

“Let’s see if he can show us a different side of himself in today’s game.”

The game resumed with Scott’s pitch.

-Whoosh-

-Strike!

Once again, Park Sung-ju’s bat swung wildly through the air.

“Ah, that’s too much of a swing.”

I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

“He really wants to hit that first home run, it seems.”

“But against Scott, who throws with such incredible speed, a swing that big is unlikely to make contact.”

It was the kind of swing Park Sung-ju displayed when he wasn’t at his best.

I wanted to run out there and correct his form immediately.

I watched the field intently, as if in prayer.

Soon after, Scott began his windup.

Park Sung-ju remained still, perhaps planning to watch the second ball.

-Thwack!

-Strike!

But the ball clearly passed through the strike zone.

Park Sung-ju couldn’t conceal his frustration after seeing the ball’s trajectory.

“It’s a real shame he missed that one. It was almost a mistake, a pitch right down the middle.”

“Considering Scott’s form right now, it would have been difficult to get a good hit even if he had been aiming for that ball, but it was definitely one he should have gone for.”

I felt even more sympathy for him, imagining what Park Sung-ju must be thinking in the batter’s box.

“No balls, two strikes. It’s a terrible situation for any hitter facing Scott.”

“Scott’s control over his breaking balls is also excellent today. The key will be to identify the right breaking balls to swing at.”

And now, the third pitch.

The ball left Scott’s hand with blistering speed, then dropped sharply just before the strike zone.

It was a splitter [a type of fastball that breaks downward sharply], almost perfect.

It was a pitch designed to fool any hitter.

-Whoosh-

As expected, Park Sung-ju’s bat sliced through the air, missing the ball completely.

After seeing the ball bounce in the dirt, he tried to run to first base,

but the catcher had already tagged him out with his mitt.

-Out!

“He struck out on three pitches. We’ll have to wait for Park Sung-ju’s next at-bat to see if he can hit his first home run of the tournament.”

“Park Sung-ju still seems to be feeling a lot of pressure. He’s overthinking the home run; he needs to relax.”

It was hard to hide my disappointment as I watched Park Sung-ju trudge back to the dugout, head down.

Next, batter number 5, Oh Seok-hoon, walked past him, bat in hand.

“The next player up is Oh Seok-hoon. Following the home run king is the batting champion.”

“He’s a player with excellent contact ability, so hopefully, Oh Seok-hoon can get something started.”

As Oh Seok-hoon finished his preparations, Scott began his pitching motion.

The ball hurtled towards the high corner of the strike zone.

-Thwack!

-Ball!

“That ball was outside the zone, but it would have been difficult to resist swinging because of its speed. Good eye.”

“It’s hard not to swing at a ball coming in that high, that’s really impressive.”

The second pitch came immediately.

The ball left Scott’s hand, floated slightly, and then dropped to the ground sooner than expected.

Oh Seok-hoon flinched but managed to hold back his swing.

-Thwack!

-Ball!

“He’s taken two balls well. Scott seems to be very wary of Oh Seok-hoon.”

“He’s also a former batting champion, and Oh Seok-hoon has been in good form throughout this tournament. Scott will have to be careful.”

My voice naturally grew more animated.

“Two balls, no strikes. A favorable count for the hitter. He needs to capitalize on this opportunity.”

Scott and the catcher exchanged signs for a long time.

Then, carefully, Scott began his third windup.

The ball flew quickly towards the strike zone.

Seeing this, Oh Seok-hoon swung fearlessly.

-Clang!

-Wowwww-

The ball rocketed off Oh Seok-hoon’s bat and soared into the outfield.

The Korean fans erupted in cheers at the powerful swing.

But the ball gradually lost momentum and didn’t travel as far as expected.

Center fielder Donald Watson, quickly judging the ball’s trajectory, caught it comfortably.

“I definitely thought he’d hit that one well, but it didn’t carry. Scott’s pitching is really on point today. We’ll only be able to compete when his power starts to wane.”

Na Jun-ho, already at the plate, waited after completing his batting preparations.

-Thwack!

-Tick!

-Tick!

Scott continued to showcase his powerful pitching, and Na Jun-ho stubbornly fought back.

2 balls, 2 strikes.

The ball left Scott’s hand and flew towards the plate with incredible speed.

Na Jun-ho swung confidently.

But this time, Scott’s splitter dropped sharply.

-Whoosh-

-Strike out!

Scott, having cleanly finished the inning, walked towards the dugout, raising his right hand in triumph.

This time, some Korean fans clapped and cheered.

Now it was the bottom of the 2nd inning.

The American hitters continued to swing aggressively.

They consistently hit sharp ground balls, making the hearts of Korean fans sink.

-Clang!

This hit also sped off the bat.

The good news was that the ball was heading towards So Young-jun.

So Young-jun’s glove was already waiting in the path of the ball.

Confirming the ball was secure, So Young-jun threw it with all his might towards the first baseman.

Thanks to the clean play, the ball reached first base before the hitter.

“The ball was hit hard, and it was a difficult bounce, but So Young-jun showed excellent fielding skills. We can always count on him when the ball is hit in his direction.”

“The American players are tough, as expected. Our players need to be very alert.”

The tension mounted as they faced a crisis with a runner in scoring position, but the inning ended without giving up a run thanks to the solid defense of the Korean fielders.

In the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings, Scott’s pitches remained powerful.

Moreover, his fastball seemed even faster than usual, as if he was giving it everything he had.

Yang Hyun-jae, the starting pitcher for Korea, also pitched well but was replaced at the start of the 5th inning due to reaching his pitch count limit.

We were relieved to finish the inning without allowing any additional runs.

And then, in the top of the 6th inning.

With two outs, number 2 hitter So Young-jun stepped up to the plate.

The score remained 0:1, with Korea trailing.

“We had high hopes for So Young-jun against Scott, but unfortunately, he hasn’t managed to get a hit in his previous two at-bats.”

“The strong defense of the American players has also played a significant role. But we have to admit that Scott is just on fire today.”

“Hopefully, their third encounter will yield a different result.”

So Young-jun’s eyes shone with determination as he stood at the plate.

-Thwack!

-Ball!

He focused intently, not only on identifying pitches that were clearly balls,

-Tick!

-Tick!

but also on carefully fouling off pitches that looked like strikes.

“So Young-jun seems to have adjusted his strategy for this at-bat. He appears to be trying to drive up Scott’s pitch count rather than focusing solely on getting a hit.”

“There’s a limit of 95 pitches in today’s game. Scott has to be taken out unconditionally when he reaches that number.”

“Scott has already thrown 8 pitches against So Young-jun alone. When you throw a lot of pitches against one hitter, you get tired, and as you get closer to the limit, you can’t help but be conscious of it as a pitcher.”

3 balls, 2 strikes.

The ball left Scott’s hand, floated slightly, and then broke sharply downwards.

It was a perfectly executed curveball.

He could have simply waited and taken a walk to get on base.

But So Young-jun’s bat was already in motion.

Despite the sharp downward break, So Young-jun made solid contact.

-Clang!

The ball flew off So Young-jun’s bat, whizzing past Scott.

“Oh! He hit it well!”

“It’s a hit! That was a really good hit!”

I clenched my fist and pumped it in the air.

So Young-jun reached first base safely.

-Wowwww-

-So Young-jun! So Young-jun! So Young-jun!

“So Young-jun is finally showing his true potential. He not only made Scott throw 9 pitches but also got a hit!”

“It was a pitch that Scott probably threw thinking he could afford to give up a walk, but he hit it anyway. How can you hit a ball that drops so sharply?”

Even after watching the replay, I couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.

Scott also couldn’t hide his surprise.

“Now Scott’s pitch count is at 85. And the next hitter is number 3, Han Gyo-jin.”

“This leads to the cleanup hitters, so the American bench must be getting worried.”

But there was no movement from the American dugout.

“Scott is staying in. He can still throw 10 more pitches, so it seems like they’re going to let him finish this inning.”

Scott exchanged signs with the catcher more carefully than ever.

He made sure to keep an eye on So Young-jun at first base.

Then, he threw the ball with everything he had.

-Clang!

As soon as the ball connected with Han Gyo-jin’s bat, So Young-jun at first base took off for second with all his might.

The hit sailed past the left fielder and split the center fielder, Watson.

-Wowwww-

The cheers of the Korean fans filled the stadium as the ball rolled towards the fence.

“Keep running! There’s plenty of room!”

So Young-jun, after touching second base, didn’t hesitate and sprinted towards third.

Then, he rounded third and headed for home.

“He’s going all the way home! Will he make it in time?”

Watson, having already retrieved the ball, threw it with all his strength towards the catcher.

The ball was heading directly for the catcher’s mitt.

So Young-jun dove towards home plate.

Almost simultaneously, the catcher caught the ball and tagged So Young-jun.

There was a brief moment of silence in the stadium.

-Safe!

-Wowwww-

The Korean stands erupted in cheers as the referee signaled safe.

“Finally, the score is tied! The game starts anew!”

So Young-jun pumped his fist and pounded his chest.

The cheers of the Korean fans grew even louder.

At the same time, the score on the scoreboard changed to 1:1.

Then, the pitching coach emerged from the American dugout.

After a brief discussion with the pitching coach, Scott walked off the mound, unable to hide his disappointment.

“Scott is leaving the mound after pitching 5.2 innings and allowing 1 run. He delivered a truly outstanding performance today.”

“Having faced him as an opponent, I can say that he is a truly formidable pitcher.”

-Good job, Scott! Fighting!

The cheers of the Korean fans for Scott as he returned to the dugout could be heard.

“Now that Scott is out of the game, I hope our players will show us some exciting hits.”

The game continued with batter number 4, Park Sung-ju, with the score tied at 1:1.