Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 284

Team Korea (5)

The score is 1:1.

The game resumed with Han Gyo-jin on first base.

“Now it’s Park Seong-ju, our cleanup hitter. I hope he can shake off some of the pressure with a good hit this at-bat.”

I watched the game with my hands clasped together.

-Whack!

-Strike!

The pitcher’s ball came in close to the center of the strike zone.

“It’s a bit of a shame that Park Seong-ju missed that one, isn’t it?”

“Normally, Park Seong-ju would have aggressively gone for that pitch. But when you’re not hitting well, it’s not a bad idea to take your time, watch the ball, and approach it carefully.”

Park Seong-ju stepped out of the batter’s box for a moment, looking at his bat as he pondered.

Then, he got ready to hit again.

Soon after, the pitcher’s second ball came flying in.

-Crack!

The moment Park Seong-ju’s bat hit the ball, a crisp sound echoed.

Everyone expected a clean hit, but the batted ball went straight towards the shortstop.

-Out!

“Ah… it’s going right to the shortstop.”

“Park Seong-ju made really good contact for the first time in a while, but he was just unlucky.”

I couldn’t hide my deep disappointment.

Park Seong-ju, realizing he was out as he ran to first base, threw his bat down in frustration.

“Still, Korea managed to tie the game in this inning. There are still plenty of opportunities to score, so they can definitely get a good result.”

Unfortunately, that’s how the inning ended.

After holding America scoreless in the bottom of the 6th, it moved on to the top of the 7th.

America replaced their pitcher as soon as the 7th inning started.

It was a left-handed pitcher with a strong fastball.

And Korea’s first batter in this inning was Oh Seok-hun, the fifth hitter.

“Oh Seok-hun had some trouble against Scott today. I hope he can get a good result against the new pitcher.”

“Isn’t it generally more difficult for a left-handed batter to face a left-handed fastball pitcher?”

I checked the data again and answered the caster’s question.

“Actually, it’s hard to make an accurate comparison because Korea doesn’t have many left-handed pitchers who can easily throw in the mid-150s km/h like this player. But one thing is for sure, Oh Seok-hun isn’t weak against left-handed pitchers.”

In the meantime, the pitcher’s pitching began.

-Whack!

-Ball!

The ball went far outside the strike zone.

The scoreboard showed 154 km/h [approximately 96 mph].

“It seems like the opposing pitcher is also wary of Oh Seok-hun. The ball went way outside.”

“Oh Seok-hun is a player that Major League teams are closely watching, and many teams are interested in acquiring him. It’s safe to say that the players in today’s game know about Oh Seok-hun.”

“Will we know which team Oh Seok-hun will go to after this tournament?”

The caster’s expression was full of curiosity.

“He’s already proven himself in the domestic league, and he’s performing well in this tournament too. I think you can look forward to it.”

“It would be great if Korea could achieve good results in this tournament and our players could bring us good news as well.”

Turning my gaze back to the field, the second ball was leaving the opposing pitcher’s hand.

-Whack!

-Ball!

“This one is also outside the strike zone. He threw it closer to the strike zone than before, but he’s still not coming in aggressively.”

“It’s a 2-0 count [two balls, no strikes]. Even if they avoid Oh Seok-hun, the next batter is Na Jun-ho. He’s not an easy out either.”

“If they can’t throw a strike this time, there’s a high chance they’ll walk him [intentionally issue a walk]. Creating a crisis when we’re heading into the later innings wouldn’t be a good choice.”

The opposing pitcher took a few deep breaths and threw the ball with all his might.

This time, it was flying closer to the strike zone than the previous two balls.

It looked likely to be called a strike.

Knowing this, Oh Seok-hun confidently swung his bat.

-Crack!

“Yes! He made good contact!”

The moment the sound of the ball hitting the bat was heard, all the Korean fans jumped up from their seats.

The players watching from the dugout did the same.

Feeling the sweet spot, Oh Seok-hun stared at the flying ball while running towards first base with all his might.

“The batted ball is soaring towards the left!”

“It might go over!”

The Korean fans in the stadium all stopped as if they had made a promise, watching the direction of the batted ball.

Eventually, the batted ball went over the left fence.

-Home run!

-Wowwww-

The moment the 3rd base umpire signaled with his hand, the stadium was filled with cheers.

The Korean team’s dugout also erupted with cheers from the players.

“Oh Seok-hun’s go-ahead home run has exploded here!”

“When it comes to hitting ability, there’s no one in Korea who can match him! He’s really amazing!”

I clapped as I watched Oh Seok-hun rounding the infield bases.

“Now, Korea is in the lead!”

After rounding all the infield bases and returning to home, Oh Seok-hun shared an enthusiastic high-five with Na Jun-ho, who came to greet him.

-Oh Seok-hun! Oh Seok-hun! Oh Seok-hun!

He received a warm welcome not only from the huge cheers in the stands but also from manager Kim Sang-moon, the coaching staff, and his fellow players in the dugout.

Shortly after, Oh Seok-hun’s home run scene was replayed.

“He just pushed that fast ball and sent it over the fence. It seems like his power isn’t lacking at all, even against fastball pitchers.”

“Maybe Major League scouts are watching this moment too? It was a really perfect swing!”

While we were marveling at Oh Seok-hun’s picturesque swing, the game continued.

We hoped for additional points in the following at-bats, but the American bullpen pitchers’ full-force pitching and the fielders’ concentration didn’t allow it.

The game moved on to the 8th inning.

With Korea leading by one point at 2:1, Jang Su-young went to the mound [pitcher’s mound].

“Korea’s winning combination has started to operate. Angels’ closer Jang Su-young has taken the mound.”

“Both in the league games and in this tournament, he’s been perfectly responsible for the later innings. It’s reassuring just to see him.”

“Because it’s a one-point difference, we need to be careful. If we just do what we’ve been doing, we’ll be fine.”

I watched the game with my hands clasped together again.

-Whack!

-Strike!

-Whoosh-

-Strike!

“Jang Su-young is pitching with real confidence. It’s so refreshing!”

In the end, he accurately threw the ball to a course that was slightly outside the strike zone.

-Tick!

-Out!

As a weak hit came out, we were able to easily raise the out count [record an out].

He fought the next batter mainly with breaking balls [pitches that don’t travel in a straight line].

-Whoosh-

-Whoosh-

The batter couldn’t get his bat on the trajectory of the slider, which was sharp but curved differently each time.

Finally, he chose a forkball that dropped sharply as his final pitch.

-Whoosh-

-Strike out!

“In the end, he induced a swing and a miss! The opposing batter must have felt like the forkball suddenly disappeared right in front of his eyes.”

“It must have been a lot of pressure with a one-point difference, but he did really well.”

I could finally take a breather for a moment.

Jang Su-young, who was returning to the dugout, clenched his fist.

-Woooah-

-Jang Su-young! Jang Su-young! Jang Su-young!

The Korean fans who saw this responded with enthusiastic cheers.

Korea desperately tried to score additional points in the top of the 9th inning.

It was to face the 9th inning in a slightly more comfortable situation by scoring at least one point, but unfortunately, they couldn’t score any additional points.

Before we knew it, it was the bottom of the 9th inning.

The score was still 2:1, a one-point difference.

“Now, Korea’s mound has been changed to closer Choi Jeong-hwan.”

“Along with Jang Su-young, he’s been reliably blocking the 8th and 9th innings in this tournament.”

“One of the things that many fans were curious about was whether Choi Jeong-hwan’s fastball would work on the international stage.”

“As you’ve already seen from the results, it’s clear that it’s a ball that even powerful foreign hitters can’t easily target. It’ll probably be the same against American hitters.”

-Whack!

-Strike!

-Whack!

-Strike!

“Good. Choi Jeong-hwan’s fastball is coming in at 155 km/h [approximately 96 mph], 157 km/h [approximately 98 mph]. He looks to be in good condition today!”

-Tick!

-Out!

The batter aggressively swung his bat, but he couldn’t overcome Choi Jeong-hwan’s power and it soared into the sky.

Shortstop So Young-jun was able to catch it easily.

In the fight against the second batter, a weak hit became a ground ball, and we were able to raise the out count.

Now, it’s the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs [two players have been retired].

“Now, we’re facing the battle that could be the last of today’s game.”

“We’ve almost made it, but you never know until the end of baseball. We have to stay tense until the end. The opponents are players who can hit a home run at any time.”

The eyes of everyone in the stadium, as well as the players watching from the dugout, were all directed at Choi Jeong-hwan on the mound.

Finally, Choi Jeong-hwan’s windup began.

The batter swung his bat aggressively from the first pitch.

-Tick!

But it was difficult to overcome Choi Jeong-hwan’s pitch, which he put all his strength into.

-Whack!

-Ball!

The batter didn’t budge at the ball that went outside the strike zone.

Now, the third ball.

-Tick!

The batted ball flew backward, hit the net, and fell.

“Choi Jeong-hwan is just choosing a head-on match. It’s a battle of strength against strength.”

“Of course, he can do it with confidence. Even if he gets hit with a home run, we’re not losing. He can definitely do it.”

1 ball and 2 strikes.

Choi Jeong-hwan, after checking the catcher’s sign, nodded and threw the ball with all his might.

This time, his choice was a fastball.

The ball that left Choi Jeong-hwan’s hand flew towards the strike zone at a rapid speed.

As a result, the batter’s bat had no choice but to move.

But there was a distance between the ball and the batter’s bat.

-Whoosh-

-Strike out!

The moment the batter’s bat swung in vain, the stadium was filled with cheers from Korean fans.

Choi Jeong-hwan raised his clenched fist, signaling the end of the game.

-Woooahhhh!

-Korea! Korea! Korea!

Our players, who were watching from the dugout, ran out onto the ground at the same time.

And we greeted the fans in the stands, enjoying the thrilling moment together.

“We won! Korea has defeated America, who was considered a strong contender for the championship in the semi-finals, and is heading to the finals!”

“They did really well. Everyone thought it wouldn’t be possible, but I’m grateful that they did it so well. And thank you to Scott for showing us a great game as an opponent.”

I couldn’t help but clap for the players.

“Now we’re going to the finals. We’ll wait for the results of the other stadium to see who our final opponent will be.”

└What is this? Suddenly advancing to the finals, lol.

└The team’s power was better than last time, but I didn’t think they could do this much. It’s amazing.

└I really got goosebumps when Oh Seok-hun hit that home run.

└He even pushed it over, lol. Doesn’t that mean his power can definitely work in America?

└Seok-hun, leave for America quickly. It seems like you’ve already proven everything. There’s nothing more to achieve in Korea.

└Won’t the official announcement come out right after this tournament?

└Scott did really well too, it’s a shame. If it wasn’t for the pitch count limit, he could have definitely prevented the crisis and handled more innings.

└Why do they limit the number of pitches even if the player can throw more?

└It’s unavoidable if you want to field Major League players. If they get injured from overdoing it in the off-season, the Major League teams will make a fuss.

└Send him to America quickly too. It’s a waste of his talent to be playing on the Korean stage.

└Now that he’s won the MVP [Most Valuable Player award], there’s no way America will leave him alone. I think negotiations have already progressed to some extent.

└But how long are you going to keep Park Seong-ju as the cleanup hitter? At this point, you should either lower his batting order or something.

└If you change the cleanup hitter after just a few bad games, what will happen to the player’s morale? You have to trust him once you’ve entrusted him with the position.

└The tournament is almost over, why are you bringing that up? The team’s victory is more important than an individual player’s pride.

└Besides, there are more than one or two players who can take on the cleanup hitter role besides Park Seong-ju.

└I think it’s right to try changing it at this point. If Park Seong-ju strikes out and we lose the finals, the backlash will be no joke.

└Kim Sang-moon’s style is that he never changes. He’ll push through to the end.

└It would be a shame if we came this far and didn’t win the championship. Please do well and win cleanly.

Several hours later, another semi-final game ended, and Korea’s final opponent was decided.

The team we will face in the finals is Japan.