President’s Cup Round of 32
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Choi Seungtaek sat behind the plate and watched today’s starter.
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The starting pitcher for the presidential cup round-of-32 stage was a sophomore from Suseok High School—Lee San.
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‘The real test starts with you from here on, San. Do it exactly as I expect, okay?’
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Lee San, the sophomore ace, was a right-handed three-quarters pitcher who threw 140-kilometer fastballs with pinpoint control.
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That talent had already drawn scouts from several pro teams, and the scouts who really wanted him had even gifted him gloves, spikes, and bats.
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Among high-school players, receiving such gifts was routine, but the team that had showered him with them was the Gangnam Parrots, who promptly drafted him first overall in the draft.
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‘Damn, that’s the kind of kid who should be on our team if we want to win. Let’s do this together.’
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Shiiiik
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Thud!
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The ball dropped straight into the mitt with perfect precision.
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‘As expected, the pitch is excellent.’
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It was a 120-kilometer fastball, but the velocity alone didn’t tell the full story—the control was flawless.
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Shiiiik
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Thud!
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130 kilometers.
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Shiiik
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Thud!
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Lee San deliberately shifted the strike zone a little each time, yet every pitch landed exactly where he wanted.
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Nod
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Choi Seungtaek nodded at Lee San, giving him the signal that the pitch felt good.
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‘So this is the kind of stuff San is throwing. He really is first-round talent. In the pros, it looks like Tae-poong will face off against him first, but this kid is smoother and has better command than I thought.’
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After watching the pitcher for a long time, Seungtaek’s eyes were even more convinced—the difference between watching a pitch in practice and seeing it in a real game was night and day.
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After a few more exchanges to loosen up his arm, the opposing team’s batter finally stepped into the box.
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The opponent was Suwon Information & Communications High School—good regionally but not a baseball powerhouse.
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The batter stood on the right side of the plate.
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‘Number one hitter Lee In-young. Left-handed, weak side is on the outer edge. We can feast on him.’
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[System is assisting you.]
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The outer part of the strike zone turned blue.
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Since the hitter’s skill was below average, the other zones didn’t flash red.
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That meant throwing anywhere in the middle or inside was safe.
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‘But I don’t need to risk it.’
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Choi Seungtaek set up on the outer edge.
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[Outer Fastball]
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Nod
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Shiiiik
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Thud!
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Strike! One!
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The fastball touched the edge of the outer strike zone.
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Seungtaek gave the pitcher a small nod, signaling that the pitch felt good.
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‘A reliable 140-kilometer fastball with command—should be easy.’
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‘But let’s try something a little trickier on purpose.’
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[Outer Low, Full of Stuff Fastball]
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Choi Seungtaek dropped his mitt into the corner of the strike zone.
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Lee San hesitated for a moment.
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Nod
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‘Oh? Can you do it?’
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Shiiiik
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Thud!
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The ball was caught perfectly by the mitt Seungtaek had set, but the umpire called it a ball.
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‘What? It landed right on the corner.’
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The System wasn’t perfect yet.
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‘What?’
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[Information received about the umpire. Strike zone will be adjusted.]
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The umpire’s ball call shrank the visualized strike zone slightly. The outer edge was fine, but the upper part narrowed.
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‘This is ridiculous.’
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Choi Seungtaek shook his head and reset his stance.
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[Outer Low, Full of Stuff Fastball]
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He repeated the same request to Lee San, positioning the mitt on the newly adjusted strike zone.
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Nod
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Lee San sighed quietly and threw.
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Shiiiik
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Thud!
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Strike! Two!
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‘Good. That one came in. The batter’s waiting again.’
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Seungtaek glanced at the hitter. The Suwon Information & Communications number-one hitter was gripping the bat tighter than usual, looking tense.
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‘This must be the difference between teams. Next time, let’s pull him out of the zone.’
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[Outer Low Slider]
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Nod
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Shuuuuuuk
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Woong!
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‘Oops!’
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Lee San’s face twisted in surprise. The ball was diving toward the ground.
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‘Damn, it slipped from my hand.’
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“Haaa!”
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Choi Seungtaek lunged into a blocking position and snagged the ball, tagging the runner out.
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Out!
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‘That was close. A wild pitch from Lee San?’
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Lee San looked shocked, pulled off his cap, and nodded gratefully at Seungtaek.
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‘I made a mistake.’
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Seungtaek replaced his mask and reset his stance.
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***
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“Did you see that?”
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“Yes, his defense is excellent.”
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The Incheon Cranes scouts were already gushing over Seungtaek’s play.
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“If he comes under my wing, we’ll develop him properly.”
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Park Wangyu, the second-team manager of the Cranes, had come to watch the game today. Since there was no game today, he had made a special trip to see Seungtaek.
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Park Wangyu rubbed his chin, clearly pleased with what he had seen.
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“What did you like about it?”
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“You didn’t see? The blocking he did just now—straight drop on the line. Normally, if you pull that hard, you pivot your body to the diagonal to track the ball’s path.”
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“Ah, yeah, that’s usually how it goes.”
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“Exactly. Blocking straight keeps the ball from going too far. But the slider he threw just now had spin, so it traveled straight instead of curving. He knows that trick.”
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“Ah, so that’s it. To do that…”
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“You need several years of pro experience to feel that instinctively. He already has some of that concept. He even mixes pitches on his own.”
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Park Wangyu frowned thoughtfully.
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“So where should we pick him in the draft?”
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“Our first round is tough?”
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“Yeah, there’s a player we’re already targeting.”
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“Damn. If he slips in round one, grab him in round two. That sounds perfect. Kid’s got talent.”
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“Understood. I’ll note it down.”
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After a moment of thought, Park Wangyu added,
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“If he hits well too…”
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“We’ll call him up to the first round immediately.”
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The Cranes scout didn’t even hesitate.
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***
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Choi Seungtaek sat back in the batter’s box. The August heat was even worse than in July, so sweat started pouring down again.
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‘Good, let’s try again. I need to check the slider again.’
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The next batter stepped up. The number-two hitter from the opposing team was already gripping the bat shorter than usual.
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‘He’s probably been warned about Lee San’s velocity. That’s why we can throw a slider in the middle.’
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[Middle Slider]
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Lee San was startled by Seungtaek’s sign.
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“Senior? A slider in the middle?”
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Nod
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A middle slider was basically a wild pitch, so Lee San hesitated.
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“No way. Why the nod?”
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[Middle Slider]
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Nod
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“Ah, crap.”
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[Middle Slider]
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Choi Seungtaek shot him a dirty look and exaggerated the signal.
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“What do I do? He’s so stubborn.”
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...
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Nod
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“Fine, kid.”
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Lee San looked uncertain but threw anyway.
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Shuuuuuuuk
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Thud!
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Strike!
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The slider landed right in the middle of the strike zone.
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“Ah. Haa. Damn.”
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The batter clicked his tongue in frustration.
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“That was close? But that’s baseball. Steal the timing, and even an arirang pitch can be effective.”
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The hitter had been caught off guard and lost the rhythm.
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[Inside Fastball]
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Shiiiik
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Tick!
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Ground ball.
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“Shortstop!”
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The grounder rolled weakly and was scooped up by the shortstop, who then threw it to first. The quick throw caused a slight hop, and the first baseman barely leaped to catch it.
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Safe!
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“Tsk. He should have caught that.”
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It was a bit disappointing that the freshman shortstop who was supposed to get the shot in the round of 32 had played such a sloppy defense.
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The next batter stepped up.
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[Low Fastball]
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Nod
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Shiiiik
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Woong
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Thud!
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Strike!
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The low fastball was swallowed by the mitt. The hitter didn’t even react.
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Seungtaek’s eyes sparkled as he tossed the ball back to the pitcher. The first baseman was peeking at the runner’s lead.
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“His lead is too big—trying to steal?”
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[High Fastball]
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“I thought everyone knew I’m a defensive catcher—why steal?”
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Nod
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Shiiiik!
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Thud!
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The instant Lee San finished his wind-up, the runner bolted toward second.
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“Die!”
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Seungtaek’s throw was perfect, landing right in the second baseman’s chest. The Suwon Information & Communications player—Seo Gi-hyun—tagged the runner out.
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“If you didn’t know, you should’ve died.”
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Choi Seungtaek grinned, satisfied with the one-out extension.
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Out!
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“Nice!”
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“Nice!!”
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The dugout and the field exploded with cheers.
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Strikeout! Ball four! Official game change!
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Choi Seungtaek headed back to the dugout.
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‘First inning was easy to get out of.’
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Now it was his turn at bat.
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The Suseok High batters immediately swung their practice bats.
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Especially number-three hitter Kang Tae-poong smashed a long ball between center and left.
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The runner on third scored, and Kang Tae-poong stopped at second.
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Thud!
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Number-four batter Han Bang-man recorded an infield hit. Choi Seungtaek, who had been waiting in the on-deck circle, stepped into the box.
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[System is assisting you.]
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When Choi Seungtaek stepped into the batter’s box, new text appeared in front of him.
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Thanks to the changed stance, the strike zone had shifted even before the opposing pitcher’s information was fully loaded.
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The blue zone shrinking immediately was annoying, but over time it would pay off handsomely.
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Shiiiik
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Thud!
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Strike!
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Seungtaek watched the pitch once.
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“Slow and flat. Around 120 kilometers?”
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Unless he went for the corner, most of the strike zone was blue. The pitcher wasn’t a power guy.
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“Then I need to report my first hit of the presidential cup.”
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Shiiiik
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Thud!
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Choi Seungtaek crushed the pitch perfectly. The ball cleanly split the gap between center and left.
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The runners all scored, and Seungtaek reached second base without a hitch.
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“Good!”
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“Nice!”
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Cheers erupted from the dugout.
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The opposing pitcher who had blown a large lead in the first inning was grinding his teeth.
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[System is assisting you. Strike zone has shifted due to changed stance. Blue zone reduced in size but will yield greater rewards over time.]