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Chapter 40
Chapter 40
After the first inning ended, the American team was in a state of confusion due to the unexpected turn of events.
Their offense had been shut down as the first, second, and third batters were retired in order, and their trusted pitcher, Trigeris, had given up a home run in his very first at-bat.
In contrast, the Korean team’s manager, Jeon Hocheol, remained quite calm. Having been a manager for a long time, he had anticipated this level of performance.
However, he believed that going head-to-head with Tom Clandy, the fourth batter, was not a wise decision. Even after seeing Kim Changhyun’s excellent pitching today, his opinion remained unchanged.
Clandy was definitely a hitter to avoid if he performed as he had in previous games.
“I’ll try facing him just once.”
Thus, Jeon Hocheol had to gently reject and persuade the still inexperienced pitcher standing before him.
“Alright. A pitcher should have that kind of spirit. Go ahead and pitch with confidence.”
Jeon Hocheol calmly respected Kim Changhyun’s determination.
The reason was simple: in Jeon Hocheol’s view, encouraging Kim Changhyun in this manner would lead to better pitching, even if it meant conceding a hit.“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to the mound?”
“It’s just… I didn’t expect you to allow it so easily.”
“How can a manager not trust his players? Now, get up there quickly.”
A short sentence.
Honestly, he didn’t trust him completely and thought it wouldn’t be easy, but sometimes, these little lies are necessary.
With a faint smile, Kim Changhyun replied energetically, “Yes, sir!” and headed up to the mound.
—
The sides changed, and the towering batter, Tom Clandy, who looked at least 190 cm tall, stepped up to the plate.
The American fans immediately began waving their flags and cheering.
“Tom Clandy! Tom Clandy! Tom Clandy!”
‘The level of popularity is definitely different,’ Kim Changhyun thought.
There had been cheers before, but this was the first time he heard the fans chanting a batter’s name.
Trying to ignore the noise, Kim Changhyun focused on the batter in front of him.
Since he had entrusted the pitch selection entirely to Jin Taehyun, he threw a curveball on the first pitch as signaled, aiming for the lower outside corner.
The curveball had a large break, dropping perfectly, which even Kim Changhyun found satisfying.
“Ball!”
‘So, he has a good eye, too.’
As expected from his reputation, Clandy picked the ball without the slightest hesitation.
The second pitch was a slider that curved outward. It moved well but lacked precision in control, and Clandy didn’t miss it.
– Crack!
Startled, Kim Changhyun quickly turned his head to check the ball.
– “Ah…”
A sigh came from the audience, while a sigh of relief escaped Kim Changhyun’s mouth.
It was a foul home run that narrowly missed the foul pole.
Though it was fortunate, the fact that Clandy easily hit a slider that barely missed the zone on just the second pitch was certainly threatening.
‘…He’s definitely not an easy batter.’
For a moment, the thought of walking him crossed his mind.
But his body was already in the motion of throwing a fastball.
– Crack!
At that moment, Clandy’s bat swung fiercely, and the ball shot high into the air.
Kim Changhyun nodded, sensing a home run. Meanwhile, Clandy, imitating Cha Taehyun, tossed his bat with one hand and raised his fist toward the audience.
– “Damn it, why didn’t he just walk him instead of facing him?”
– “What’s wrong with Kim Changhyun today? Why is he giving up home runs in the second inning?”
– “Ugh, you baseball noobs, how is that a bad pitch? It’s just that crazy Clandy hit it really well.”
– “We lost. I’m turning off the TV.”
– “Turning off. GG.”
– “Kim Changhyun, Volcanoes’ ace, demoted.”
– “It’s just one run, stop overreacting.”
– “Just one run? LOL, he was getting hit hard in the first inning too, but Cha Taehyun saved him. Just watch, he’s going to get clobbered soon.”
– “Getting hit from the start, how can he not lose his composure? LOL.”
– “Seriously… It’s actually worse because he’s pitching well but still getting hit. Is he okay?”
Viewers were worried about Kim Changhyun’s mentality, but in reality, he wasn’t too bothered.
‘I’ll just be more careful next time.’
The team had already secured two runs for him. His sole focus now was to protect that lead.
That was all he thought about.
– “Strike! Out!”
– Smack!
– “Out!”
Kim Changhyun calmly ended the inning, recording one strikeout and two infield groundouts without giving up additional runs.
– “Wow, he really managed to get out of that with minimal damage.”
– “As expected from Volcanoes’ ace, Kim Changhyun!”
– “Damn, earlier they wanted to demote him, now they’re changing their tune.”
– “But didn’t the Volcanoes say they were going to pick Kim Sinhwa last time?”
– “Those guys are just like the Phoenix team, LOL. Whenever a good player shows up, they act like he’s theirs.”
– “No slander against Phoenix. They’ll be fine as long as they have Lee Seungtae, Cha Taehyun, Jin Taehyun, Kim Sinhwa, and Kim Changhyun.”
– “?”
—
Kim Changhyun was known to be a man of pride. People said that a lot.
And it was true.
He believed in his pitches and rarely avoided a confrontation.
However, he never crossed the line.
Even if he didn’t want to admit that his pitches weren’t effective, when the moment came, he would give up the fight for the sake of the team.
That’s why he didn’t face Clandy again after the second inning. When he concluded that it was ‘impossible,’ he walked him.
It was a bit disappointing.
It’s not every day you get to face an opponent as formidable as Clandy, even if he wasn’t quite on par with Cha Taehyun.
Though he had allowed a home run, the thrill of that confrontation—of not knowing if the ball would go into the mitt or hit the bat in that split second—was still coursing through Kim Changhyun’s veins.
Yes, it was certainly a bit disappointing.
‘An ace should protect his team’s lead.’
Thanks to that decision, he had saved his pitch count and kept the game in his team’s favor with a 4-3 score heading into the top of the ninth inning.
More importantly, the U.S., desperate to tie the game, had attempted a bunt with a runner on second base and exchanged an out count for an advancement, now leaving a runner on third.
Even if Clandy wasn’t at the plate, strategically, walking him to aim for a double play wasn’t a bad decision.
‘Alright… Let’s walk him and aim for a double play with two-seamers—’
“Hey.”
Kim Changhyun’s eyes widened as he fiddled with the ball inside his glove.
Standing in front of him was Jin Taehyun.
“What’s taking you so long to decide?”
Jin Taehyun stared at Kim Changhyun for a moment, then lightly tapped his chest with his fist.
“If you want to pitch, then pitch.”
“In this situation, that would be a bit risky—”
“So what? If you give up a run, we’ll just earn it back.”
“That’s not—”
Just then, Cha Taehyun shouted.
“Changhyun, just throw it in! If you get hit, I’ll take responsibility!”
“Well, there you have it.”
With a slight smile, Kim Changhyun nodded.
“Yeah. An ace must trust his team.”
“Exactly! That’s the spirit, Kim Changhyun!”
Kim Changhyun chuckled and lightly tapped Jin Taehyun’s chest.
Jin Taehyun returned to home plate, and Kim Changhyun’s grip on the ball changed. It was no longer a slider intended to break away but his most trusted fastball.
Pressing down on the seams, he stepped on the pitching plate and swung his arm powerfully.
Though he had already lost to this opponent once in the first inning, it was now the ninth. The odds of winning were lower than before, but Kim Changhyun’s face was full of confidence.
– Crack!
Clandy swung aggressively at the fastball that came inside.
However, Kim Changhyun didn’t even turn his head to check the result, instead preparing for the next pitch.
‘Too late, Clandy.’
The ball had veered far away from the foul pole. The audience let out a sigh of disappointment, but Clandy nodded, acknowledging the pitch.
– Crack!
“Foul!”
– Crack!
“Foul!”
“Ball!”
“Ball!”
“Ball!”
A relentless at-bat. The lights indicating the count had all lit up.
Full count.
Jin Taehyun signaled “OK” instead of giving a sign, and Kim Changhyun grinned, slipping his index and middle fingers deep into the ball.
He threw a forkball, a pitch he had been diligently practicing on Cha Taehyun’s advice, and now his proudest breaking ball.
The ball left Kim Changhyun’s fingertips
, hurtling toward Clandy. Clandy swung his bat with terrifying speed.
Clandy twisted his wrist to make contact with the beautifully dropping forkball.
– Crack!
The ball soared high into the air.
– “Woooooooah!!!”
– “Tom Clandy! Tom Clandy!”
The crowd cheered madly, sensing a home run.
Kim Changhyun smirked.
“Good pitching.”
Clandy muttered briefly before walking back to the dugout instead of heading to the base.
“Out!”
The center fielder caught Clandy’s ball just in front of the fence.
But there were still only two outs. The runner on third base dashed home, and the U.S. succeeded in tying the game.
“Alright! Kim Changhyun! We’ll finish it! Just get one more out!”
Kim Changhyun laughed again and continued pitching.
– “Strike! Out!”
He ended the top of the ninth with his own hands.
—
As Cha Taehyun was about to leave the dugout after a brief switch in offense and defense, Kim Changhyun called out to him.
“Cha Taehyun, an ace keeps his word.”
“I know,” Cha Taehyun replied confidently, tapping his chest as if to reassure him.
‘Of all people, I have to start with this guy.’
The moment Trigeris saw Cha Taehyun at the plate, he spat nervously.
Before stepping onto the mound, the manager had instructed Trigeris to throw breaking pitches to lure him into a trap. If that didn’t work, he was to walk him.
Though it was a blow to his pride, it was true that a single big hit could end the game.
The catcher called for a curveball aimed to fall far outside, and Trigeris reluctantly nodded.
Or at least, he was about to nod.
“Hahaha! This crazy guy!”
“Calling his shot in this situation, haha! He’s a real superstar!”
Cha Taehyun had raised his bat and pointed to the outfield.
“Calling his shot…? Who does he think he is, Babe Ruth?”
Gritting his teeth, Trigeris immediately changed his grip to a fastball and threw it with all his might.
At that moment, Cha Taehyun grinned, baring his teeth, and swung the bat fiercely.
– Craaaaaack!!!
Cha Taehyun’s called shot…
…became reality.
“That’s it, Cha Taehyun!!”
Kim Changhyun and the entire team shot up from the dugout.
The commentators went wild.
“Yes, even though they tied the game, our batters did an amazing job~! Especially Cha Taehyun, who really has us excited. Trigeris throws his first pitch… Oh my!!! Is it going over? Going over? Over! Over! Over! It’s gone! It’s gone! A walk-off home run! Wow! Cha Taehyun ends the game just as he started it—with a home run! What an incredible player!”
– “Damn it, for real, LOL. How can we not worship this guy!”
– “Taehyun-god… I worship you…”
– “Wow, look at that beautiful swing. I cried tears of joy. T_T”
– “?”
– “Phoenix victory secured, LOL.”
– “No, you mean ‘Major League secured,’ LOL.”
– “Shut up, damn it.”
– “A player like this not going to the Major League is a ‘national loss.’ He will definitely shine for Korea! Thinking back to my days before joining the New York Mets, his current performance reminds me of my own. No matter how I look at it, his Major League debut seems certain…”
– “Who is this guy spamming nonsense in the chat?”
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