Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Want a Taste of the Nuclear Submarine?
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Geum Seong-muk's back-to-back home runs had pushed the score to 4-0. Musang High's starting pitcher, Shunsuke, pushed his glasses up and assessed the situation.
"......Looks like he read me."
Shunsuke dove into self-reflection.
In that brief moment, he completely revised his patterns.
Crack!
"Out...!!"
As a result, Shunsuke retired all the batters following Geum Seong-muk. Watching this, Do-yeon was stunned.
"He turned being read against them...?!"
In key counts, Shunsuke was firing pitches he statistically almost never threw. His boldness in using the fact that he'd been analyzed was something rarely seen.
Now, the data she had provided might actually hinder the game. Do-yeon sent a message to the Munhyeok High dugout side: "Forget the analysis on the opponent's starting pitcher."
"Securing four runs early is huge."
No matter how well the opposing pitcher performed from here, Munhyeok High already had four runs on the board.
If Hassan could hold on like this and hand off to Ri Dong-hyeok, Munhyeok High could easily advance to Game 4.
Before long, it was the bottom of the fifth, two outs.
Hassan was still pitching well when...
"Hot...!!"
Ji Su-yong misplayed a routine fly to center. Rattled perhaps, Hassan walked the next batter, loading the bases with two outs and runners on first and third.
Thwack!!
"Strike...!!"
Hassan somehow battled to two strikes. Then he went for the splitter as his finisher. That's when it happened.
Crack!
".........!!"
A blistering line drive straight at Hassan. He had no time to react.
Thud-!!
"Guh...!!"
Hassan groaned as the ball slammed into his right shoulder. Choi Adam rushed in, fielded the ball, and threw to first, but the runner was safe.
Myeong Manager and the entire team rushed to the mound.
"Hassan...!! You okay?"
"Huff, ugh...!"
"Hassan, Hassan...!!"
"I'm... fine..., I can keep pitching."
His body trembled with pain, his face pale. Anyone could see he couldn't continue.
Myeong Manager decided to send Hassan to the hospital. He squeezed his eyes shut and said to pitching coach Lee Tae-jeong,
"Tae-jeong, emergency. Tell Chan-jun to warm up quick."
"Yes...!!"
In a situation with some margin, he never would have pulled the Park Chan-jun card. An utterly unforeseen crisis.
Geum Seong-muk scratched his head.
Hassan coming out here wasn't in the plan—and it absolutely couldn't be.
'Damn, Chan-jun hyung might not handle it.'
Park Chan-jun, a one-tool stamina pitcher.
He didn't excel at anything.
Nor could they bring up Ri Dong-hyeok early. With his stamina issues, his stuff dropped sharply after two innings, and considering late-game importance, he was better saved for later.
'...So Chan-jun hyung has to hold till the seventh.'
A situation that drew a sigh.
A half-warmed reliever—what a disastrous phrase. Sure enough, Park Chan-jun got shelled right away.
Crack!!
Oh, a two-base hit from Lee Jun-hyeon! The runner from third and second both score home!! "Okay, down to one run!!"
"Nice, Musang High—let's go for the lead...!!"
Score: 4-3.
Musang High closed the gap. Fortunately, the next batter flew out to right, ending the inning, but the shaky atmosphere lingered.
Emboldened by the runs, Iwasaki Shunsuke also held firm with his precise pitching, not yielding to the batters.
Oh, Shunsuke! His location is spot-on right now! Corner work that would make any batter shiver! Munhyeok High's batters weren't idle either. Their special training had upgraded their plate discipline, allowing them to grind out longer at-bats.
Several even made solid contact...
Oh, Choi Adam swings! Oh no!! Diving catch by center field...! Ji Su-yong's ball to left-center...! No, left field catches it!! "Argh, he caught that!!"
"Kuhack!! So unfair!"
Great defense ended innings, luck not on their side. Counting hits robbed in mid-game, 5-6 combined—terribly unlucky batters.
Already needing insurance without Hassan, and bad bounces too. Park Chan-jun somehow gutted out the bottom of the sixth scoreless against the lower order, but crisis hit again in the seventh.
"Bases on balls!!"
Oh, hit-by-pitch!! Runner from third scores—score is 4-4! Tied!! Park Chan-jun has given up two hits and two walks this inning alone, allowing the tie. Just one out so far! He looks shaken. Does Munhyeok High have no one left? Ace Geum Seong-muk would be ideal, but tournament rules limit pitches—he can't pitch today. What will Myeong Sin-u choose..., Oh! Pitching change!! He'd tried to hang on, but with the tie, Myeong Manager pulled the trigger on the Ri Dong-hyeok card he wanted to save.
Ri Dong-hyeok headed to the mound from right field. Geum Seong-muk shifted from first to cover, and defensive specialist Lee Tae-kyung entered at first from the bench.
Myeong Manager climbed the mound, voice laced with worry.
"Dong-hyeok, you good? Barely warmed up."
"I'm fine. Kept loose on the side."
"Still..."
"Manager."
"Yeah?"
"Trust me. I won't let you down."
"......!!"
Ri Dong-hyeok, sidelined and watching Geum Seong-muk and Hassan's heroics. His eyes burned hotter than ever.
"Alright, I trust you."
Myeong Manager gave a thumbs-up and left the mound. Win or lose, Munhyeok High rode with Ri Dong-hyeok to the end.
Oh, senior Ri Dong-hyeok takes the mound. Underhand delivery from the warmup! No data at all. No junior/high records—probably new to serious baseball! Ri Dong-hyeok had elite training in North Korea, but no data meant assumptions.
Musang High thought the same.
"Shunsuke, what about that guy?"
"...Hmph, a high school pitcher with zero records? Obvious. Not tough."
"Ho, really now."
Cleanup hitter Lee Hae-jun licked his lips, gripping the bat long for power.
"Hoo..."
Ri Dong-hyeok wound up big. Bases loaded? Ignore runners.
Thwock!!
"Strike...!!"
"......!"
148 km/h fastball jammed the top of the zone. Ugly movement, but Lee Hae-jun was surprised inside.
'What... good stuff?'
Tension rising.
Another sinker rose from the dirt.
Thwock!!
"...Strike!!"
"......!"
150 km/h low-zone clipper. Aggressive pitching exploiting fastball variance—Lee Hae-jun frowned.
'Damn, watched too much.'
Deep breath, gripped tight. Vowed to hit this one.
'Come on...!!'
Time fastballs, cut to reset count. Third pitch...
Whirr!!
".........!!"
The ball danced.
But his bat was committed. Brain screamed no, body ignored.
Snap!!
Bat breaks! Weak grounder to shortstop Choi Adam! To second! Then to first! Picture-perfect 6-4-3 double play!! Double play cuts Lee Hae-jun off! Musang High fails to add on, ends bottom seven tied at 4-4! "Damn it......!!"
Ri Dong-hyeok, inducing the DP on three pitches, drew teammates' praise descending the mound.
"Dong-hyeok, nice pitching...!!"
"As expected, senior Dong-hyeok—we believed!!"
"...Thanks, everyone."
High-fives with teammates, faint smile from Ri Dong-hyeok.
Now top eighth, still Iwasaki Shunsuke on the mound for Musang. Pitch count at 110—time to change, but he had a target.
'Takahina Ryuji, you're mine—then tag out.'
Japanese youth rep pride.
Confidence against unknown hitters. Conclusion: Get Ryuji, then handoff.
'First AB was data fault. Won the rest.'
Pushed glasses, smirked Shunsuke. Believed victory again. First pitch...
Thwack!!
"Strike!!"
Fastball clipped outer corner. Felt far to batter. Ryuji calmly took it.
'Hard to square that.'
Saw two more; one strike, count 1-2.
Battery opted for payoff: forkball dropping from top zone.
Great feel off hand—Shunsuke predicted easy out.
But Ryuji stared through the ball.
'......I see it.'
Hitters distinguish many ways; elite eyes see 'ball color'.
Fastballs spin fast, look white; breaking slower, red-tinged.
A+ plate vision unlocked new sights for Ryuji.
Yes—the ball looked red.
"Konnichiwa."
Crack!!
"..................!!"
Ball soared high into stands.
Cleared right-field fence—home run. Cleanup trio all homered; momentum swung back to Munhyeok.
"Hyah, Korean hearts are pleased."
"Ryuji hyung...!! Nice bat!"
"Yeah, Sudragon. Go crush one...!"
"Yes...!!"
High-five with waiting Ji Su-yong, basking in cheers. Score 5-4. Shunsuke, head down after homer to countryman, hit limit—descended mound.
Musang was Shunsuke one-man show. Without him, nothing to see.
"Uooht...!!"
Crack!!
Ji Su-yong doubled off fence. Followers hit safely, Munhyeok added two more—three-run lead.
"Guys, we can do this."
"Yeah, three runs? We flip that easy!"
"That Ri Dong-hyeok or whatever, decent but still no-name!"
Whirr!!
"Strike out...!!"
But Musang batters fell helplessly to Ri Dong-hyeok's sharpened sinker.
Scoreless top ninth, Munhyeok bats ignited.
Crack!
"Yes...!!"
Choi Adam, Do Do-jin singled on. Up: Geum Seong-muk, two HRs today.
Eyed trembling pitcher, sized him up.
'Too weak—no weak wood even...'
In other words, no skill needed. True to massacring civilians, his bat roared again.
Crack!!
Oh, Geum Seong-muk! Deep! Deep!! Over left-field wall—three-run homer!! Three homers off Musang today!! Game 2 no-hitter no-run, Game 3 three HRs! Monster from both mound and plate, Geum Seong-muk...! 'Total buffet.'
Geum Seong-muk washed stats nicely, widened gap. Seok Un-gang's back-to-back led; others fired up bats for more.
Score 16-4. Twelve-run lead—Musang lost fight. Ten-run rule possible, but rules mandate bottom ninth; Ri Dong-hyeok remounted.
Even victory-secured, he pitched calmly.
"I'll end it quick."
Whirr!!
Straight sinker in zone. Three pitches, three grounders from cleanup—game over.
Game over! Munhyeok High routs Musang to advance to Game 4! Winning pitcher Ri Dong-hyeok. Tough break for Hassan. Yes, Hassan Iqbal only went 4.2 innings—doesn't qualify. Hassan took a liner to shoulder—key arm for Munhyeok; injury status critical...! "Guys, great work...!"
Munhyeok High savored victory. Moments of peril, but managed—win secured.
"Now every remaining foe has Sejong tourney experience..."
"Man, insane bracket even on rewatch."
Griping Seo Kyung-su and Choi Adam.
Tough draw for upstarts. Meanwhile, Ri Dong-hyeok worried for carted-off Hassan, asked Geum Seong-muk.
"Comrade Seong-muk, any word on Hassan?"
"Not major, but full scans take days. Wait it out."
"Phew, relief."
Ri Dong-hyeok sighed easy. Leading players around stands for fan waves, Geum Seong-muk noticed oddity.
'...Olivia's seat empty?'
Ticket saved for her—empty. Texts today? No reply.
'Something up?'
Geum Seong-muk pondered investigating.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Toward game's end,
A familiar face arrived at Seonggyungwan Field. Striking looks drew stares.
"Th-that's...!"
"Kirin High's Rasputin...!?"
Sergei Rasputin.
Russian pitcher with wild beard like forest. Said to be hidden blood of Grigori Rasputin, the mad monk who toppled Russia's royals.
"........."
Rasputin watched.
Looked over thirty, yet high schooler—most shocking. Eyed next foe Munhyeok High, muttered, left.
"Интересно (Interesting)."
High school top knuckler Sergei Rasputin vs. rising supernova Geum Seong-muk. Epic matchup thrilling high school baseball fans loomed.