Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Down 8-0
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— ?? Game's totally busted. GG. "Munhyeok High's been on another level lately, huh?"
"Yeah, they've got so much presence now, you can't ignore them even if you wanted to."
Munhyeok High, armed with firepower and pitching that no one could believe came from a brand-new team. It was ridiculous to say, "How dare a newbie rub shoulders with the powerhouses!" when they'd already knocked off Geumgang High and Girin High to get here.
No matter how strong Daegwanryeong High was, people couldn't help muttering, "What if Munhyeok High...?" The announcers were clearly intrigued by Munhyeok High's whirlwind run too, dropping some in-depth analysis before the game kicked off.
[Before we dive in, let's break down the teams' strengths. At the heart of Munhyeok High's lineup, we can't overlook the 'Gold Stone Dragon Trio,' right?]
[I hear netizens have been calling the core three-four-five hitters that lately. They're topping the Seoul seed cleanup crew in combined home runs, aren't they?]
[Yep, Geum Seong-muk with 6 homers, Seok Un-gang with 4, and Takahina Ryuji with 3—for a total of 13 combined...!]
[Insane pace. And Munhyeok High's only played 4 games...!!]
The camera panned to Geum Seong-muk, Seok Un-gang, and Ryuji standing side by side, gazing out at the field. Then it shifted to Manager Myeong Sin-u standing sternly beside them.
[Shaking off the chains of the past, here's Manager Myeong Sin-u directing Munhyeok High's storm. He's tweaked the lineup a bit from the last game, though?]
[Right, Manager Myeong Sin-u—who hadn't touched spots 1 through 6 during the tournament—made some adjustments this time. Today, Ryuji's batting 3rd, Geum Seong-muk 4th, and Seok Un-gang 5th! Wonder why...?]
[Looks like he's sliding the sharp-eyed Ryuji up front to give the scorching-hot Geum Seong-muk even more chances! Seong-muk's presence has grown so huge now that he can cover for the others like an umbrella.]
Next, the camera highlighted Hassan, listening intently to something Manager Myeong Sin-u was telling him.
[Ah, and today's starting pitcher, first-year Hassan Iqbal. He's shown some solid stuff so far, right?]
[He pitched well against Hanbit High and Geumgang High, but today he's truly on trial. How will he fare against Daegwanryeong High, the team with Seoul's top lineup...?!!]
"Hassan, just give us four innings. Four innings!"
"Yes, Coach!!"
Hassan's pitch limit today was 60.
With his injury from last game's liner not fully healed, that was the absolute max.
'Gotta stick to the doc's limits, no question.'
Whether by design in the game or not, when an expert set a pitch count limit like that, it was safe to treat it as the pitcher's hard cap. Anything more, and the injury risk doubled with every pitch.
"If Hassan can just hold 'em to 4 innings, 2 runs..."
Manager Myeong Sin-u trusted the powerhouse lineup to handle the rest. Ri Dong-hyeok might take a beating, but they had to win today somehow and hand the baton to Seong-muk.
"Play ball...!!"
And with that, the game began.
The match that would decide the fates of Munhyeok High and Daegwanryeong High was underway.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ How much time had passed since the game started? Two Munhyeok High boys burst out of Jongno 3-ga Station, sprinting like mad toward Jongmyo Field.
"That way, that way...!!"
"Ugh, why isn't it at Sungkyunkwan Field...!"
"You been watching high school baseball or what!? Game 5 is always at Jongmyo!"
"Huff, huff, fuck, man—our school's baseball team is brand new, cut me some slack..."
They'd mistaken it for Sungkyunkwan Field and hopped the wrong subway line, arriving late. As they reached the Jongmyo Field entrance, the roaring cheers from inside hit their ears like a wall.
"Whoa, what the hell's with the cheers? Something already go down...!?"
"No way Gold Sun hit another homer...!?"
"Huh, could be."
They dashed through the aisles and peered down at the field.
And that's when they faced it.
A brutal reality, miles from their hopes.
📊 Scoreboard 📊 Daegwanryeong High : Munhyeok High 8 : 0
Bottom of the 3rd
Bottom of the 3rd, and the score was 8-0.
Ma Chowon leisurely rounding the bases after a grand slam.
Hassan's head hung low on the mound.
"...What the hell is this?"
"Game blew up right from the start...?"
Munhyeok High had crumbled endlessly from the jump.
[Oh no, Hassan Iqbal just gave up 4 homers early on...!]
[That grand slam this inning puts them down by 8 already. That's a huge hole.]
[Munhyeok High's side of the stands has gone dead quiet, like a library. A few kids are already heading out.]
"Hee-haw-hiiiing...!!"
Ma Chowon, celebrating his homer with teammates via horse-neigh ceremony. It was like he was saying their good times were over—Daegwanryeong High had pulled away with a massive lead right out of the gate.
[This is a massive shock. No way Munhyeok High saw Hassan collapsing like this coming.]
[The Munhyeok players look stunned...!]
Of course, most Munhyeok folks hadn't seen it coming—but a few had felt uneasy. Seong-muk and Do-yeon included.
'Hassan's got none of that fire from last game...?'
'Hassan's form's off from before. Injury messing with his balance...?'
The minor injury from the liner against Musang High had snowballed. The pressure to eat innings within 60 pitches killed his joy, and the subtle shoulder tweak wrecked his command.
And this was the result.
Bottom of the 3rd: 0-8.
Plenty to crush a newbie team's spirit.
💬 Comments — Anonymous GG~ Game's fucking over already — Anon Is this baseball? LMAO down 8-0 early, couldn't believe my eyes kekekeke — Anon Just turned off the stream, waste of time fr — Anon Poor Galju, how's he supposed to deal? Screwed outta the tourney cuz of that foreigner starter kekeke — Anon Honest, Munhyeok's done great for a newbie. Lost well? They climbed far enough lol ↳ Reply 4 homers and knocked tf out, and you call it lost well? Dumbass kekeke — Anon Supporting Munhyeok is legendary life choice ffs kekeke quitting the gal today (back tomorrow) — Anon What're you waiting for, fire the coach? Did he get drunk w/ Hassan? Tell 'em both to fuck off "...Out!"
Somehow scraping by with some defensive help, Hassan wrapped up the 3rd. He trudged back to the dugout in a daze and collapsed right there.
Then the tears started flowing.
"Sob, sniff, huh-huhk, whaa...!"
The guilt of ending his teammates' year with his own hands—it was too heavy a burden for someone tasting team ball for the first time.
"......"
"......"
Munhyeok High's dugout sagged in despair.
Even by Do-yeon's win probability formula, their odds had dipped to 3%.
As everyone mulled "Is this it?" at least once, Seong-muk laid a hand on Hassan's shoulder.
"Don't cry, Hassan."
"Hyung... But the team's because of me..."
"Nobody's blaming you. We got here thanks to you. Anyone talks shit, tell me—I'll kill 'em."
"Seong-muk hyung..."
After consoling Hassan, Seong-muk turned to the team. His face wasn't that of a quitter.
"Feelin' stuck, right? Down this much right outta the gate."
"......"
"Listen up. I've got a simple fix."
"A fix...?"
"You can fix this now?"
No answer in sight.
As everyone stewed, Seong-muk boldly laid out his "solution." What the hell could it be? They were dying to know.
"What is it? How?"
Choi Adam's urgent question.
Seong-muk's answer was simple.
"Load the bases for me. I'll handle it."
"......!!"
What a ballsy line.
You couldn't say it without ironclad faith in your skills.
Gulp...!
Swallows echoed through the dugout. Seong-muk had earned the weight to drop lines like that.
'...Seong-muk hyung's never broken a promise.'
'Yeah, kid always delivers in the clutch.'
Munhyeok baseballers exchanged looks and nods. Better to rally for their confident captain than slog through a lost cause.
"Get on base and you'll clean it up, right? Hang tight, bitch about side dishes later and you're dead...!"
"Too early to quit. We'll make a chance for Seong-muk hyung somehow."
Adam and Do Do-jin, the table-setters, headed to the on-deck circle with fire in their eyes. Down 8-0 in utter hopelessness, Munhyeok High was gearing up for a grand rebellion.