Blue Dragon Flag Round of 64: Against Current High
A one-point lead? The game is progressing with more tension than I expected.
I had been underestimating Current High a bit. With Kim Sihu in full condition, I was lowballing them enough to even consider the possibility of a perfect game. But…
"Ah! That's a ball clearing the fence!! Lee Seojun! He steps on the wall and steals a home-run caliber hit!"
Am I the one getting worked too hard here?
If it hadn’t been for me just now, that would have been a home run.
“Kim Sihu! Induce some ground balls! My legs are gonna break!”
“.......”
“Just kidding! Throw it like you always do! I’ll catch everything!”
Hmm. Doesn’t look like the right situation for jokes.
Current High 4 - 5 Haneul High
Anyway, the game had turned into an all-out slugfest—like a straight-up dogfight.
“Yongsu, start loosening up your shoulder… Taehun, assume you’re coming in from the seventh!”
“Yes, sir!”
Kim Sihu’s condition must have been pretty bad, because the coach was already calling for a quick pitching change in the third inning.
It really was serious.
Kim Sihu wasn’t locating his pitches well on the inside corner, and the fastball that usually averaged close to 150 was stuck in the low 140s today for some reason. His control looked off too, and Haneul High’s main scoring pattern—pitcher’s walks, bases loaded, then a bloop hit or sacrifice fly—was starting to appear. The coach’s decision was correct, but… getting yanked like that really messes with a pitcher’s head.
“…Sorry. I’ll do better next time.”
“Good work. Don’t forget the ice.”
“Yes, sir.”
Fortunately, Kim Sihu didn’t ruin the dugout vibe. He quietly bowed his head and headed for the showers. He’d probably scream his lungs out in there or find some way to vent. Knowing the diligent Kim Sihu I’d come to know lately, he might even turn this bitter taste into fuel and train even harder.
“I can pitch.”
“You’re starting tomorrow.”
“Aha!”
“Aha, my ass. Grab your glove and get back to the outfield.”
“Yes, sir.”
It was a defensive switch, so senior Choi Yongsu slowly took the mound in place of Kim Sihu, who had held the third inning together.
“Hmm… I’ll just pitch relying on the defense for now?”
This looks really unstable.
With low stuff but the Competitor (E) skill that increases the chance of fly balls and home runs, the worst-case scenario was possible—no grounders, just home-run balls flying out nonstop. How do I know? In Strike the Show, I got absolutely demolished by a crazy user who used an overall 147 Lee Dae-ho that kept launching my overall 114 Ryu Hyun-jin into the seats. I figured the inflated speed stats from his abilities made it possible, but how the hell was Lee Dae-ho hitting triples like it was nothing? Anyway, Competitor (E) usually determines whether you get more ground balls or more home runs depending on the pitcher’s stuff…
"Aaaah! It’s a home run straight over the fence! The score is tied! Current High has caught up, 5 to 5!"
"The pitcher is really struggling right now. At this rate, they might allow the lead to flip."
It looked like senior Choi Yongsu fell into the latter category.
I can’t catch a ball that hits the fence dead-on either.
I’m not some rubber man with infinitely stretchy arms.
Still, after allowing one more run, senior Choi Yongsu managed to shut the door on the fourth inning and came off the mound.
…It’s quiet.
Maybe because of the tying solo shot, the dugout atmosphere felt a little heavy.
“Don’t worry! I’ll hit a home run and come back! Even if I just get on base, Seojun will take care of the rest!”
Oh Jihun, true to form, loudly declared he would hit a home run in his next at-bat to regain the lead, but…
Whoosh!
“Strike, strikeout!”
“Kwaaaaaah! So close!”
Damn you, Jihun.
In the on-deck circle, I swung the bat to get a feel for the timing.
Hmm… the ball’s been flying to weird spots today.
A perfectly timed fastball went straight to the center fielder. A rocket that should have reached the warning track was jumped and caught by the first baseman. All that bad luck combined meant my current line was 3-for-3 with one hit and two flyouts.
“Sssssssip…”
In a situation like this, a single wasn’t what mattered.
Pow!
“Ball!”
Are they walking me?
Tied game, one out. The intent to put me on first and try for a double play against Heo Kangmin was obvious, but…
Swoosh—pow!
“Ball two!”
Right before the pitcher released, I pulled the bat back and stepped out of the box, disrupting his rhythm.
Hmm… that pitcher has some mental toughness.
The third pitch would have been a ball if I’d left it alone, but I deliberately fouled it off.
If I want to force them to pitch to me…
Crack!
“Foul!”
Now it was two strikes and two balls. They’d probably be ready to go for the kill soon. Especially since taking out the leadoff hitter cleanly would be the perfect way to boost team morale.
There are still counts left, so I’ll wait.
Pow!
“Ball three!”
As expected, the fifth pitch was a curve that dropped so sharply the catcher couldn’t glove it. The count was now 2-3. Full count.
What are they going to throw…!
The opposing pitcher chose a high fastball up in the zone. I shifted my bat exactly along the blue trajectory line and—
"Aaaaaaaaaah! Lee Seojun! Lee Seojun sends another home run to the exact same spot where the previous one landed!"
"It was such a massive hit that you could tell it was 100% a home run the moment it left the bat. The future of Korean baseball is incredibly bright!"
With that monstrous swing, I tore apart Current High’s butterfly wings and shattered the tense 5-5 tie.
Bottom of the fourth.
Current High 5 - 6 Haneul High
… … …
Thud, thud!
“Whew! Long live the superstar!”
“Damn it, Lee Seojun. I actually like you!”
After receiving cheers that left my back tingling, I put my bat and helmet back in place. I spotted Jeong Woojin warming up in the bullpen.
Are we going full bullpen roulette from the fifth?
Haneul High had plenty of pitchers, but the true core of the bullpen—the winning group—consisted of only Jeong Taehun and senior Lee Hyunsoo. The plan seemed to be using the bullpen, including Jeong Woojin, to survive the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings before handing the eighth and ninth to Lee Hyunsoo and Jeong Taehun.
The silver lining was that Jeong Woojin’s sidearm two-seamer had the perfect trajectory for inducing ground balls from the opposing batters…
Crack!
“Nice, got it!”
Oh Jihun shone on defense, and by deploying pitchers like Jeong Woojin and Yoo Yongchan, they successfully held Current High to one run from the fifth through seventh innings. After that, senior Lee Hyunsoo and Jeong Taehun cruised through the eighth and ninth like they were lying on a luxury bed.
… … …
“At least we avoided a cold game. We’ll win next year, so you’d better be ready.”
“Haha, I’ll look forward to it.”
The game ended 7-9 after Yang Uijin’s eighth-inning three-run homer drove the final nail in. Jeong Taehun did allow a solo shot in the ninth, but he stayed unfazed by Current High’s momentum and struck out the next batter on three pitches, so we could take it as a positive.
“Seojun, they want you for the player of the game interview.”
“Me?”
I’d assumed Yang Uijin, who hit the insurance homer, would get it, so I was genuinely surprised.
When I arrived at the interview area, it looked like a major network. A woman holding a microphone with the SBBS logo glanced at her question sheet and began.
“Yes, Lee Seojun. You hit a decisive comeback home run against players you once shared a locker room with in middle school. What are your thoughts?”
“Hmm… First of all, I realized that Current High—where all the guys I played with since middle school advanced—is an incredibly strong team. It feels like we’ll meet again at the Phoenix Flag, so I plan to focus even harder on training from now on.”
“Also, about the secret behind your velocity that approaches the high 150s…”
Another velocity question.
“I made sure to eat breakfast every single morning and trained consistently. I don’t drink or smoke at all. My parents provided the best possible environment for training, and ever since middle school I’ve been playing near-real-game matches with the neighborhood residents. I think that’s how I reached this level, and I’m always grateful for it.”
I managed to finish the interview without any major slip-ups and returned to the dugout. The questions were all pretty sharp, though. If the station had taken a liking to me, it could become troublesome.
Should I ask Sihumong to normalize the broadcasting station?
… … …
When I got back to the dugout after the interview, my bag felt strangely light.
Huh?
Where did my doping test form go?
“Ah, the committee asked for it so I handed it over. You told me to give it to them anyway… Don’t worry, I didn’t touch anything inside.”
“There’s only a bat and glove in there anyway.”
Looked like the committee had requested my doping form again. Given the numbers I was putting up, it was only natural they’d suspect something, but… it felt like they were coming once every four games. Didn’t the Korea Baseball Association only have four doping tests per year? I already did one during the Weekend League and one here, so only two more to go.
And the next day.
In the round of 32 against Sancheon Mechanical High, I threw a 9-inning, 25-strikeout shutout and went 4-for-5 with two home runs at the plate. Once again, I had to submit another doping test form.