Chapter 48
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Phoenix Tournament Finals (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[Bottom of the 3rd, Gunsan High School's #9 hitter Jeong Hwi-cheol steps up as the leadoff batter. He's the player who pulled off that stunning defense—known as the 'Spiderman Catch'—on Ji Maeng-ho's leadoff home run ball in the top of the first. There's that classic baseball superstition: great defense is followed by great hitting, right?]
[That's the saying. Which makes us all the more excited to see what kind of at-bat Jeong Hwi-cheol puts together.]
[What kind of player is Jeong Hwi-cheol?]
[Even as a senior, he hasn't really had much of a hitting track record, so it's hard to evaluate him properly. Looking at the stats, he's only got defensive and baserunning records.]
[Oh, really? Then we should watch this at-bat closely. He makes contact on the first pitch. Foul off to the left.]
[That's some impressive bat speed. I've heard he has real talent for contact hitting.]
[Oh, didn't you just say he had no track record?]
[Who do you think I am? I'm Kim Hyeong-gi, Mr. Networking of the baseball world. After the first inning, I asked the coach from Gunsan High, and he said Jeong's a left-handed outfielder with great contact skills, quick feet, and a solid defensive range.]
[Got it. The second pitch is another foul pulled to the left. Count is two strikes, no balls. His ability to make contact is definitely top-notch.]
[But baseball isn't just about making contact with the ball, right? You have to square it up perfectly to get it into the playing field. Jeong Hwi-cheol needs to hit the sweet spot of the bat. His timing's good, but he's catching it off the end, which is why the fouls keep pulling left.]
[Third pitch! Foul! It skims right by the third base bag.]
[Ah! So close. That time, his timing was a bit late.]
"He definitely seems to have a good feel for making contact. Hmm, but there's no real power behind his hits."
"You see it too, Hong Team Leader?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes. That's right."
'Not a total idiot after all.'
Soyoung nodded in agreement with Hong Team Leader for the first time in a while. Her own eyes had come to the same conclusion.
'Contact is 45/55, great left-right balance. Arm strength is a solid 60/65. Defense is pro-ready right now.'
Crack!
[The eighth pitch is another foul. That's eight straight fouls. And that was a nasty pitch too.]
[You shouldn't be swinging at bad pitches like that. He's got a bright future ahead, so he needs to work on his pitch selection.]
'No, his pitch recognition is actually too good.'
Jeong Hwi-cheol's eye was All-Star level at 40/55.
'If I couldn't see his stats, I'd probably think the same as the announcers.'
But having checked his abilities, Soyoung could see the truth. The reason his bat was going after every pitch wasn't poor recognition—it was because his eyes were so sharp, he could see the ball clearly, and his bat followed naturally.
In other words, Jeong Hwi-cheol was an extreme 'bad ball hitter.' And he had the contact ability to go with it.
'He swings at what he sees, so his timing's always a hair late, sending every ball toward third. At this level, he's like a lottery ticket that's already half-winner!'
The only problem was...
Crack!
[Jeong Hwi-cheol's ball! A slow grounder right in front of the shortstop. Easy play. One out.]
[After a grueling ten-pitch battle, they finally get the out. Park Young-cheol might be just a sophomore, but he's the real ace carrying Korean Physical Education High School through this Phoenix Tournament. Rock-solid pitching.]
...Jeong Hwi-cheol's power was ridiculously low. His visible stats were pretty good overall. Contact, speed, defense. But 'power' for home runs and 'gap power' for outfield gaps were both 20-/25—even fully developed, they'd barely reach KBA average.
'That's probably why he hasn't played much. But his defense is solid, so they put him in the lineup for this big final. Hmm... Should we be glad he's a low-power guy?'
If his power had even been high school average, he'd have seen way more action. But his record was all defense.
'If we drafted a guy with this stat line, we'd get flak for paying for trash. Good thing that opens the door for undrafted free agent potential. Alright. Let's sign him.'
"Hong Team Leader."
"Yes?"
"Jeong Hwi-cheol—if he goes undrafted, let's bring him in as an undrafted free agent."
"Hmm... His defense is fine, so no issue there. But what if he goes to college? We have a ton of lefty outfielders in Double-A; he might not like it."
"Isn't making that happen your job, Hong Team Leader? Send a few staffers to make contact now."
"...Understood."
'...That damn woman. Do it yourself, you rude bitch... Ugh, maybe I should jump to the Volcanoes.'
Hong Team Leader's job-hunting woes deepened once more today.
[Top of the 9th, two outs, bases loaded. Ji Maeng-ho, hitless in five at-bats today, steps into the box. Down 1-0, top of the 9th, two outs! Korean Physical Ed High's last hope could be their super-elite infielder! Ji Maeng-ho!]
[This is already his sixth plate appearance. Batting leadoff is paying off big time. Coach Lee Ki-cheol's strategy is spot on. Though his performance today has been a bit disappointing.]
[The leadoff hitter's come up six times because so many batters have gotten on, but Gunsan Tech High's signature sticky team defense and crisis management have shut down every inning scoreless. Can they climb this mountain called Ji Maeng-ho in this championship-deciding inning? All eyes in the crowd are glued.]
[Against Ji Maeng-ho here, they might need to play it carefully. You never know what can happen in baseball until the final out, so pitcher Choi Jun-cheol needs to stay locked in.]
[Korean Physical Ed High has loaded the bases in the top of the 9th! Will Ji Maeng-ho put the finishing touch on this rally? Fun fact: this is the first game since Ji Maeng-ho started playing in the weekend league last season where he hasn't reached base yet.]
[Wow, impressive. Can he keep his high school major tournament consecutive on-base streak alive today? In a way, this Phoenix Tournament could be the last of the high school majors, right?]
[Exactly. It wraps up with this event.]
[Which means Ji Maeng-ho needs to put on a real show.]
Potentially the final top of the 9th for Korean Physical Education High School. Leadoff hitter Ji Maeng-ho stepped to the plate.
Who was Ji Maeng-ho? The undisputed top high school hitter. The man who'd shattered the home run record and led his team to titles in the Golden Lion Tournament and Blue Dragon Cup. The fans packing Mokdong Baseball Stadium buzzed with anticipation for his at-bat.
"Ji Maeng-ho! Ji Maeng-ho!"
"Hit a homer!"
A pivotal moment that could seal the championship. Cameras from press and broadcasters all zeroed in on Ji Maeng-ho.
And Maeng-ho knew it. Every eye was on him.
Today's line for Ji Maeng-ho: 0-for-5. Not befitting a super-elite hitter. But anyone watching knew it was just bad luck.
'Fuck, my luck's shit today.'
First at-bat: A home run over the wall snagged by center field. Foreboding a tough game.
Second: A well-hit line drive right at the left fielder. Still okay—quality contact.
Third: A pulled grounder right into the shortstop's glove. Weird, but whatever.
Fourth: Full count, waited for the outside pitch per Hornsby's advice, but pitcher's control issues led to a looking strikeout. Happens sometimes. Maeng-ho chuckled wryly back to the dugout.
Fifth: A high fly caught right at the wall by center. Would've been out in normal conditions. But a freak tailwind killed the carry at the last second.
'What the hell? Hidden camera?'
'Heh, that's your skill.'
'No way it's this unlucky streak after streak?'
'Know what they call that?'
'What?'
'The start of a slump.'
Fuck, don't jinx it.
Maeng-ho brushed off Hornsby's words, but they weren't wrong. Unless it was stamina, most hitters' slumps started just like this.
Balls that shouldn't be caught get caught, sure homers turn foul, solid hits go right at 'em. Hitters start doubting themselves endlessly. Even knowing it's bad luck, few shake it off coolly. Hitters are as sensitive as pitchers.
-Is my swing off? Bat speed slow? Hitting point wrong?
Just bad luck, yet they blame themselves, tweak a swing that was working fine. If it works, great—but most fail. And that's how slumps begin.
Any normal hitter would've replayed their at-bats, hunting flaws, spiraling into slump. Especially in a high-stakes final.
But Maeng-ho wasn't that kind of hitter.
'Ha, fuck. When's this end? Early fall and it's still goddamn hot. Should've just DH'd today. Damn coach sticks me leadoff for extra ABs. Fucking asshole. Oh? See that? The girl over there—whaddya think, Hornsby? Cute, right?'
'Heh heh, eyeing girls mid-rally. At this point, I gotta suspect your dick and brain swapped places.'
'You like 'em too, Hornsby. Heh, in the pros, I can bang fans like that, yeah?'
'Easiest lays are fans. Heh heh. Back in my day...'
Even hitless in five, he spots hotties in the stands. That boldness stemmed from ironclad self-belief.
```