Became the Problem Child of MLB - Chapter 248



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Episode 248 Forever (8)

All players, whether pitchers or batters, enter the game under a certain level of pressure.

For professional athletes who have to prove themselves through results, anxiety is an inevitable part of their lives, and sometimes it can even motivate them.

The obvious priority for pitchers facing the Cubs is to get Han Je-yi out. If possible, they want to strike him out cleanly, but even if they do get hit, it’s a good deal if it’s just a single.

“JAY! JAY! JAY!”

“If you have eyes, look! Who is our king?”

“A toast to your youth! And condolences to the fallen corpses!”

With that in mind, pitcher Davey McCain entered the game with three runners behind him. The bases were packed, and Hanjei was at the plate with his neck bent with a blank expression.

‘Let’s clear our heads.’

Debbie McCain took a deep breath and meditated to herself, and soon her mind went blank. It wasn’t that she had cleared her mind of distracting thoughts. She had just reached a point where she couldn’t think of anything.

Hanjei in a situation where Musa Manru is at its peak? Even though it was already November, cold sweat was running down my back.

Why did the manager choose him among so many pitchers? Why didn’t the previous pitchers get even one out? Why was he standing in this position?

Why. Why. Why.

There were so many things I wanted to ask, but there was no one to answer them. I quietly raised my eyes and looked at Hanjei, and our eyes immediately met.

I felt like a rat was going to fly out of my head. Hanjei must have seen me confused from the beginning. When I realized that, I felt a belated sense of shame.

The typist’s eyes felt unfamiliar. I wanted to peek into his head, but this wasn’t easy either. The eyes were empty and lifeless. It seemed like those eyes were asking me this.

‘What do you want to do now?’

Then it was his turn to answer the batter’s question. He had to answer. There was no intentional walk order from the bench. In other words, he was told to try to compete with the batter as difficult as possible.

He gave an intentional walk in Game 2, but things are different now. When there is room later, he can give up a run or so, but no fool would give up a comeback run in the 7th inning of the World Series.

The total war of all-out war.

Debbie McCain, standing on the edge of a cliff, nods, hands clasped in front of her chest. She takes a deep breath and strides forward powerfully.

An arm brushed past his ear. It felt like he was hitting from a high point. To the batter, it would feel like he was throwing from the second floor. He threw a fastball that was pulled from behind his back with power.

and.

Taaaaaaaaaaah!

He lost consciousness for a moment with the ominous sound of the impact. The pitcher, who had closed his eyes tightly for a moment, staggered. It felt like he was being sucked into deep darkness.

The outfield at Fenway Park was filled with fans wearing a glove on one hand. Regardless of their hostility toward the Cubs, Hanjei is a hitter in the league this season and has set unprecedented records. The crowd cheered as they waited for his World Series home run ball.

But at some point, the cheers began to die down and disappeared in an instant. The crowd stared blankly at the outer wall of the stadium beyond the fence, and no one could get a home run ball.

Han Jae-yi’s mega home run that went over Fenway Park.

The Cubs’ ace, who had been walking to first base all day, turned a single chance into four runs, swinging the bat behind his back a few times before circling the bases.

The empty eyes and indifferent expression seemed to be a welcome sign of the pitcher’s fear, but instead, he smiled brightly and refreshingly.

“ha ha ha…….”

To Debbie McCain, the scene felt surreal.

* * *

The series of events that occur at the plate are close to an elaborate process.

Even if there is a minor problem in the process, it does not mean that defective products are produced every time. To some extent, it can be overcome through the improvisation of the typist. However, it is clear that this is a matter of probability and luck.

And I worked to increase my odds as I prepared for the World Series.

It’s a shame, but I don’t get as many chances as other players. While other hitters get at least three or as many as five chances a day, I’m in a position where I just try to catch the opponent off guard once in a while.

Even in that situation, there were too many people who were counting on me to rely on luck. The fact that the result was a grand slam in the World Series was encouraging to me.

“Victor, what did you say just now?”

And I didn’t even try to hide it.

“Who came here to make the Cubs win?”

He said this while extending his hand to Victor, who was standing next to the home plate and smiling. The hand that met his was quite spicy. Isn’t it against the rules to put emotion into a ceremony?

“Damn, I thought I was going to get a grand slam and get one over on him!”

Even if it wasn’t like that, he said he would let it slide, but he just said things like that. If you look closely, this old man is really the one with a strange personality, right?

Anyway, pitchers are shaken for various reasons. The pitcher who gave me a grand slam threw his hat on the ground when the coach approached the umpire. Then he left the mound without looking back.

“That idiot has put another father out of work.”

“Ah, he was a good father, a wonderful husband, a proud son, a lonely pitcher…….”

“How long are you going to do this?”

If you listen carefully, it’s true.

When I said that I was sick of it, Sejai, who had been making the sign of the cross on my shoulder, snickered. You don’t even know how to do it properly… … Who wouldn’t complain to the club about blasphemy?

As I ran to the dugout fence and looked out onto the field, our fans shouted behind me.

“Hey Red Sox! Good job!”

“Yeah, that was a pretty good match!”

“Hey, you guys did great too! Just blame the Cubs for being so much better than you could ever imagine!”

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Unlike the warm-hearted fans, the Red Sox manager was staring at the field in silence, and the atmosphere in the opposing team’s dugout was extremely ominous.

“What are you doing there?”

Well, compared to that, Yandy, who is sitting on the bench with a regretful expression, might be a nobleman. At least he doesn’t hit the wall or lose his temper at the approaching players.

“You can do better next year.”

Yandy didn’t answer me and just stared blankly. He wanted to make his last appearance of the season beautiful, but it seems he didn’t live up to his expectations.

Actually, considering all Yandy has contributed to the team so far, no one would criticize him for allowing a tie… … Well, regardless of external evaluations, he is someone who has very high standards.

“Next year?”

“Yes, why? Aren’t you confident about advancing to the World Series three times in a row?”

“Huh, no way. Take care of yourself. The World Series will be a tiring experience for you.”

The pitching coach, who was leaning against the wall, gave a slight thumbs up at Yandy’s words. He may not have shown it openly, but it seemed like he was secretly concerned about the starting pitcher.

“really…….”

I’m working hard, working hard. I don’t know why I’m taking care of the mental health of a starting pitcher when I’m not even a catcher.

“hmm?”

“no.”

Why are that person, this person, and this team’s players all like this? It’s dizzying, really.

* * *

“…It’s dizzying.”

The score in the bottom of the ninth was 6 to 2. If the game ended like this, Han Je-yi’s grand slam would be recorded as the game-winning hit on the score sheet, and the season would be over. The Red Sox manager would have a hard time accepting this fact even if he died soon.

There’s only one player.

A player who those who have spent their entire lives looking at data have tried to dissect but failed, and a player who has spent their entire lives in baseball and for whom none of the methods they have tried have worked.

The manager was jubilant until Yandy Franco left the mound. He thought that the efforts of the field and the front office had finally paid off. Rather than winning the World Series, he was determined to get at least one win and recover his fallen image and position.

“Strike, out!”

The manager’s swollen heart shrank like a deflated balloon. The Cubs’ closing pitcher, Dennis Washington, took the mound in the bottom of the ninth. The pitcher who got the first out of the inning took a deep breath.

The role of the closing pitcher is to end the game. And to protect the score that the batting lineup has created together. Therefore, it is natural that the closer of a team is a lonely and difficult position.

“TWO!”

This means that, when the crowd is chanting the number of outs remaining, it should be impossible for a pitcher to look around leisurely.

“Fuck…….”

The manager soon found out the reason on the ground.

Exactly!

Patrick Turner’s drive was headed toward third base, but Casey Martinez jumped high and caught the ball in his glove.

“out!”

Then, with a smug expression, he tossed the ball in his glove into the air, causing the Red Sox manager to sneer.

The Cubs had a lot of position players who gave their pitchers confidence. Perhaps that was one of the defining differences between the Red Sox and the Cubs.

As a manager, I shouldn’t give up on the game, but I felt helpless.

“ONE!”

With just one out left before the Cubs win, the Cubs fans filling Fenway Park stood up.

Shortstop Josh Holden, standing at the plate, stared blankly at the sight. He shook his head as if trying to erase the afterimage from his mind, and swung his bat with all his might.

Taaaaaah!

It was a clean hit to the bat.

But everyone, including the manager watching the game, the players running to first base with their heads down, and even the Red Sox fans in the stands, knew.

“JAYYYYYYY!”

“Damn it, just finish it!”

That’s it for the Red Sox’s season.

Han Je-yi, who had already reached the point of the ball’s fall, was looking up at the sky. His unwavering gaze reached a single point, and at last, the last out count of the game was recorded on his glove.

“YEAAAAAAAAHHHH!”

“You crazy kids!”

“What are you going to do? Huh? What are you going to do?”

The Cubs players, who had been preparing in the dugout early, poured onto the field.

From now on, it was the winners’ time that no one could disturb. The camera followed them as they ran around, nodding, without even wiping away their flowing tears.

And one person. Han Je-i, who took the baseball out of his glove, slowly raised his head. The camera followed suit as if possessed.

As Han Je-yi raised his head, several shadows overlapped in his eyes, and after a moment they scattered in confusion before finally disappearing.

Han Je-yi smiled and closed his eyes as he saw the players running towards him.

“haha…….”

If someone were to promise me eternity, I would want to remember this moment forever.

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