Talented FA Catcher - Chapter 365



Only Krnovel

Last Chance – 2

#

“Ball! Base on balls!”

As soon as the umpire’s call was heard, White threw his bat and went to first base.

Naturally, the runner on first base advanced to second base.

Two consecutive walks after a home run.

I can understand giving up a walk.

No matter how strong your mentality is, it’s okay to be a little shaken when you give up a home run that ruins the mood in a game like this.

Although it is concerning that the pitcher is a sneaker, it is understandable that he is already excited before the game and is putting strength into his hands.

But the content was too bad.

There was only one pitch that was a strike, and even that was a miss.

Rather, it would not have been strange if it had been back-to-back pitches, if Richard Rogers hadn’t hit them.

“I told you not to come up.”

“If I hadn’t come, the director would have come himself. He even brought the ball.”

Even though we still had 3 coins left, the damage was huge when we lost with sneakers.

Even if I don’t win the championship at Chase Field, it would be best to go home today with a confirmed win.

To do that, I had to get through this inning first.

“Tell me. Why are you suddenly trying to play baseball alone?”

At my words, Snickers slyly avoided my eyes.

As expected, my prediction was right.

If you just look at the image, Snickers looks like he’s going to do whatever it takes, but he’s actually a good pitcher who knows how to use his surroundings.

A pitcher who can adjust when defense needs help and throw without hesitation when it’s time to throw in the zone is Snicker.

But the way Snickers acted right after the home run was completely different.

From insisting on throwing something that shouldn’t be thrown to telling me and the infielders to stay away.

But the situation wasn’t so good that it was difficult to give in to Snickers’ stubbornness.

“Okay. Great. Let’s talk about the rest in the dugout and finish this inning first. I’ll try to induce ground balls as much as possible, so everyone concentrate. Neither the runners nor the batters are fast, so let’s catch them and think about the next time.”

“Okay. Snickers, even if we’re not good at batting, we’ll make sure to defend, so feel free to pitch.”

“That’s for Allen and I to talk about. Willis, you and Ryan, you’ve got to earn your keep at the plate.”

“Then what about me?”

“Kim, I have a lot to say, but I can’t hold back because Mr. Jack is right behind me.”

When I turned to look at Mondtom’s words, Gusim smiled faintly and put a hand on my shoulder.

“Okay. Now that we’re done talking, shall we all go back to our seats?”

“Thank you for waiting.”

I briefly thanked the manager for his consideration and returned to my seat.

Upon returning, he had 18 seconds to decide on an autograph, but Snickers nodded right away at the first sign, so there was no big problem.

At bat is Ronald Alvarez, the number 6 hitter.

He appeared as a pinch hitter in the last four games, but was the starting designated hitter in this game.

The rule this batter is in charge of is, simply put, to create a one-shot variable.

Since today’s starting pitchers are Snickers and Jun Nakamura, I chose variables over certainty.

In the end, there was a high possibility that today’s game would be decided by a point or two, and the possibility of a home run always exists.

Anyway, it remains to be seen whether it was fortunate or unfortunate to have encountered a batter who relied on power rather than accuracy with runners on first and second base.

The exchange of autographs was quick, but Snickers took his time as he continued pitching, perhaps needing to calm down a bit.

A pitcher shaken by consecutive walks, a catcher visiting the mound, and a delicious array of runners right in front of you.

To sum up, this is a situation that a greedy and confident hitter would never let go of.

In other words, the game is decided at the first pitch.

So what kind of pitch will the batter aim for?

To catch a big fish, you have to use expensive food that the fish likes.

Baseball is similar.

The surest way to get a hitter off the plate is to throw the ball to his favorite course.

Although it was risky, the effect was great.

-Taaaaak!

The ball disappeared from sight in an instant.

It was a powerful and sharp hit.

But the launch angle was very low, which meant that it was a ball that the defender could easily catch.

The ball hit second baseman Mondtom right in front of him, and the runners immediately threw themselves toward the base.

But the referee’s call was not heard.

“Run again!”

There were urgent voices from the Yankees dugout, but it was too late.

“From third base!”

I don’t know if he heard my voice or if he was thinking that way, but Mondtom threw to third base as soon as he caught the ball, and it was physically impossible for a runner who had already thrown himself at second base to get to third base.

And the same goes for White, the runner on first base.

“out!”

“out!”

Everyone was confused by the sudden turn of events.

To sum up the situation, a line drive was hit to Mondtom, but he failed to catch it at once, putting the ball in play.

The result is what is happening right now.

It was undoubtedly the best result for us, but the Yankees were not convinced and the manager ran out.

“The second baseman missed on purpose, and this is a double play!? Look carefully and make a decision!”

The Yankees manager insisted that it was an intentional pitch, but it was never accepted.

I don’t know if it was Mondtom’s sense or a coincidence, but either way, they managed to get out of the crisis.

“Huh, I told you, you can trust me in defense. Feel free to pitch next inning too.”

“Thank you, but there will be no next time. I won’t let that happen again.”

#

Snickers blocked the bottom of the fifth inning, true to his word.

It was an unbelievable pitch that he had such a hard time with in the bottom of the 4th.

In a normal year, the atmosphere would have been ruined by Snickers’ pitching, but the Yankees had a pitcher who was just as centered on the mound.

“If only that guy could come down, it would be doable.”

Jun Nakamura is on the mound, allowing only 4 baserunners through 5 innings.

In the end, in order for us to win, we had to get Jun Nakamura out as soon as possible.

Now in the top of the 6th.

“Kim! It’s your turn to hit a home run!”

“If you hit me now, you don’t have to hit me in my game!”

He came up to bat as the leadoff hitter to an unusual cheer from Lynch and Stroud.

“You know what? When you come up to bat, the outfield gets excited first.”

“is it so?”

“Yeah. As if you were expecting something.”

“Well, I think those fans are not expecting anything, but rather cursing.”

The jeers and curses I had been hearing since I came out of the dugout had already engulfed the field.

“There’s nothing you can do about it. You have to handle it.”

“It’s not that I’m dissatisfied. I’m used to it now, so I like hearing things like this.”

Rather, I am looking forward to hearing some new words today.

Anyway, that’s after I hit the home run.

“I’m ready.”

“We were over a long time ago.”

At the same time that I said that, my eyes met with Nakamura Jun’s.

Eyes that make it impossible to tell what they are thinking.

But I couldn’t look at those eyes for long.

Soon Jun Nakamura’s feet began to move.

-Ta-aak!

“Foul!”

Even though the score is tied, we still have the advantage when looking at the series as a whole.

But when I see Jun Nakamura pitch, I start to wonder if my thoughts are wrong.

Aggressive pitching without even a hint of hesitation.

Maybe he can throw it like that because he has nowhere else to retreat to.

“Is it good?”

“Of course. Always the best.”

Without even a moment to say anything, two balls flew in right away.

“cheek!”

This time, Jegu came in, clinging close to my body, as if he was a little out of sorts.

This makes sense why Don Riley was going wild earlier.

A ball flying nearly 100 miles a second triggers a primal fear in humans.

But that doesn’t mean I’ll give up any space.

“Why don’t you back off a little? You might get hurt.”

Despite White’s warning, he stood back in his original position and waited for the next ball.

I trust Jun Nakamura.

If I hit a home run, I got hit, but it wasn’t the pitcher who hit my body.

The ball may slip out of your hand, but that’s inevitable.

Now the count is 1-1.

“cheek!”

White received the ball outside the box, despite a warning he had received, and the count was even.

Now there is only one thing left for each of us.

Here, I expected that the Nakamura Jun I know would definitely come in.

But the expectations were completely wrong.

“strike!”

The ball coming in from below John sank in an instant, causing a missed swing.

This is very suspicious.

I was the first one to get caught in the crossfire.

But it doesn’t end with a disadvantageous count.

-Wow!

“Foul!”

-Ta-aak!

“Foul!”

-Wow!

“Foul!”

“How long is this going to last?”

“I can do this all day.”

White may be overreacting, but if Nakamura Jun’s current condition is similar to mine, it would be a different story.

Even I feel a tingling sensation all over my body every time I hit the ball.

Jun Nakamura would probably be similar.

I was still at a disadvantage.

But now.

“cheek!”

The situation has become the same.

Now it’s a full count as we pick out the high fastball.

Neither I nor Jun Nakamura had any intention of giving in to each other.

But if neither side is willing to compromise, eventually someone will have to step aside.

Now, 9th district.

It was a ball that came in a little low.

If that ball was a changeup, he would have struck out without a fight, but if it wasn’t, he would have struck out without a fight.

-Taaaaaaaah!

The ball just flew along the trajectory I drew.

#

“It’s not your fault.”

“Oh, I know.”

After Kim Su-ho’s home run, Mike White came up to the mound.

A chance that could have been the last.

Jun Nakamura ended up missing that opportunity.

But it was a showdown between the two, and the result of this match had not yet been announced.

“June.”

“Okay. It’s okay.”

Before being Kim Soo-ho’s rival, he was the ace of the best team, the Yankees.

So Jun Nakamura got the ball again.

But just as Tom Snitker was shaken by a home run just before, Jun Nakamura also faced a crisis.

“cheek!”

This time, too, a walk was issued after a full count.

Taylor Jackson, who picked the ball, headed to first base, and Baker Willis came up to bat.

-Ta-aak!

Baker Willis, who was at the plate, aimed for the first pitch and hit a single that fell in front of right field.

Meanwhile, Taylor Jackson ran nonstop to third base.

“Safe!”

Right fielder Richard Rogers threw hard, but Taylor Jackson was just a smidge faster.

Taylor Jackson’s daring baserunning now puts runners on first and third with no outs.

The Yankees have two options here.

Should we change the shaky pitcher, or keep Jun Nakamura pitching, who was overwhelmingly strong against Kris Bryant?

After much deliberation, the bench began to move.

“Jun. You are my best pitcher.”

The Yankees manager, who came up to the mound, put the ball into Jun Nakamura’s glove again, and there was no pitching change.

As soon as Kris Bryant came up to bat, the Yankees’ fielders became busy.

The Yankees still had four runs left to score, but any more would be dangerous.

The D-Backs’ bullpen remains strong, and even starter Tom Snitker has not been sent down.

We had to somehow minimize the loss and seize the opportunity.

So the infielders took up forward defense, and the outfielders took up appropriate positions.

“strike!”

“strike!”

But at a time when I wondered if it was not necessary to change the defensive position due to the count increasing in an instant.

-Taaaaak!

Kris Bryant, who approached batting with only one will to somehow send the ball far, ended up succeeding.

The ball didn’t reach far enough for center fielder Don Riley to catch it in place.

“Safe!”

It was enough of a hit to get Taylor Jackson in.

In this way, the balance of the game began to tilt slightly towards the Diamondbacks.