Chapter 32
32. The Venezuela Game
An episode of Invincible Baseball Team was normally broadcast two or three weeks after filming.
The official broadcast date was still some time away.
But spectators had attended the game.
In other words, there had been plenty of eyes and ears watching.
On top of that, the matchup between Seo Ji-tae and Kim Geon-seok had already drawn enormous attention from baseball fans.
The fans who attended quickly began posting reviews.
[Seo Ji-tae crushed the KBO legends today.]
, Seo Ji-tae pitched four innings, allowed only one hit, gave up no runs, and struck out nine. Is this even possible?
People who had refused to acknowledge Seo Ji-tae were stunned.
, Is that real? Seo Ji-tae overwhelmed KBO legends with strikeouts?
, Guess he really is good...
, Where did all the people screaming about favoritism go? Did you idiots think Double-A in America was a joke?
, Lee Jin-woo played too, right? He was only a backup catcher, but was he good?
The reaction from fans exploded.
Many people had believed Seo Ji-tae had talent but would fail to grow against adults and in America.
Many also disliked his overwhelming confidence.
But Seo Ji-tae had smashed straight through those doubts with skill.
At that point, there was little left to criticize.
On the other hand, Kim Geon-seok had been destroyed.
, Didn’t Kim Geon-seok throw 155 km/h?
, Who cares? He couldn’t put one pitch in the strike zone and ended up throwing batting practice to retired second-string old men, lol.
, He kept walking people, lost his mind, spiked wild pitches into the dirt, and got pulled. Don’t call him Seo Ji-tae’s rival. The difference in level is insane.
, What does throwing 155 matter when there’s no control? Who recommended this guy?
, The baseball higher-ups recommended him? That’s embarrassing.
One pitcher allowed no runs.
The other was removed after getting destroyed.
The KBO and baseball association had tried to shake Seo Ji-tae simply because they disliked him, only to become targets of criticism themselves.
With no more room for disagreement, August 30 finally arrived.
The U18 World Baseball Championship began.
The 25th U18 World Baseball Championship opened.
South Korea’s first opponent in Group A was Venezuela, a dangerous team from South America.
Their senior national team was strong enough to have many Major League players.
Venezuela also continuously developed strong players through its own baseball system.
Inside Venezuela’s dugout at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul,
“We absolutely have to beat Korea.”
Manager Ricardo repeatedly reminded his young players.
The explosive athletic ability of these boys was widely recognized.
Their physical size alone overwhelmed most Asian players.
In fact, many of them were at least a fist taller and broader than the Koreans.
“Let’s beat Korea and advance undefeated.”
The dugout atmosphere was bright and cheerful.
They believed they held the advantage over Korea.
But there was one exception.
Luis, batting fifth, had a pale face.
His gaze remained fixed on the opposing starting pitcher.
“I can’t believe I’m meeting him here...”
His hand tightened around the fence.
What was he so afraid of?
This boy was over 190 centimeters tall, with the power expected of a slugger.
Yet he kept glancing toward the opposing starting pitcher.
“Hey, why are you frozen like a chico, a little kid? They’re just Asian high schoolers.”
Agredo, the cleanup hitter cleaning his bat beside him, slapped him on the shoulder.
He was grinning, looking completely unworried.
Luis slowly turned his head.
Clear fear was visible in his eyes.
“No. That starting pitcher... he’s a monster.”
“What?”
“When I was in Rookie League, I was on the same team as him. I saw him pitch.”
Luis’s lips went dry.
Agredo looked at him in disbelief.
“Did you not sleep last night? Anyone can pitch well in one game. So what?”
“He went straight to Single-A. After one game...”
“...That can happen too. Is that really something to be scared of? Guess I’ll just have to hit him myself.”
Agredo clicked his tongue and roughly grabbed his helmet.
At that moment, the call to begin the game rang throughout the stadium.
“Play ball!”
Top of the first.
Venezuela was batting first.
Seo Ji-tae stood calmly on the mound, looking down at them.
Lee Jin-woo’s mitt was positioned casually in the center of the plate.
The pitch they would throw had already been decided.
Fastball.
Venezuela’s leadoff hitter, Reynolds, stepped into the batter’s box and swung his bat aggressively.
Although he was a leadoff hitter, he stood 188 centimeters tall.
There was no fear in his gaze toward Seo Ji-tae.
“Let’s see what you’ve got.”
As though those words were the signal, Seo Ji-tae’s right leg rose to his chest.
A flexible high leg kick driven by his powerful lower body.
His back muscles stretched tight and snapped forward like a spring.
The ball left his left hand from a three-quarter arm slot and shot fiercely toward the plate.
Reynolds’s eyes followed the pitch.
As he had been taught, he instantly calculated the contact point and timing.
His bat head moved smoothly to meet the ball.
Normally, the pitch should have sunk slightly and met the center of his bat.
But Seo Ji-tae’s ball arrived more than a full ball-width higher than he expected.
“Strike!”
The umpire loudly called the first strike.
Reynolds stared in disbelief.
[158 km/h]
The speed appeared clearly on the scoreboard.
“O-One fifty-eight?”
The noisy Venezuelan dugout instantly fell silent.
“158?”
“Is that even possible?”
Reynolds quickly hid his shock.
But fear was already beginning to creep into him.
Seo Ji-tae’s second high leg kick rose again.
Second pitch.
Another rising fastball, almost identical to the first.
It drilled into the catcher’s mitt like a laser.
Reynolds swung again.
The tip of his bat cut through empty air.
“Strike!”
The umpire’s cold call came again.
Reynolds was cornered.
