Chapter 58

Chapter 58, A Cycle?

[Sub Mission: Hit for the Cycle!]

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Description: Judging by Wright’s condition, the Busan Oceans have a very high chance of losing today. If you lose, the second-place Gwangju Jaguars will close the gap to only one game. The only person who can save the team from this crisis is Choi Seong with a one-man performance! Record a single, double, triple, and home run to complete the cycle!

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Reward: Gain the [Hit for the Cycle] Potential and Baserunning +5

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Failure means only death!

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A cycle...

It was one of the rarest records in baseball, with fewer than ten usually appearing in an entire season.

Getting a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game was nearly impossible for a hitter.

“Ha...”

An irregular ticking sound came from my heart.

I had not heard it in quite a while.

Today, however, it sat heavily inside my chest.

Kwon Geon-woo struck out.

To complete the cycle, I needed to reach base with at least a hit in a minimum of four plate appearances.

One out, bases empty.

The opposing pitcher kept throwing low inside pitches at me.

I understood what they were doing.

They had absolutely no intention of giving me anything high.

147 km/h.

A fast first pitch entered the strike zone.

Perfect control.

His stuff was definitely good.

The moment the pitch came in, the ticking in my heart became faster.

I needed to hit a home run here.

This damned sub mission was putting some pressure on me.

135 km/h.

A curve bounced before reaching the plate, but I did not fall for it.

One strike, one ball.

Still, it was true that my bat almost moved.

Tension slowly entered my body.

“Agh!”

I suddenly shouted to gather my focus.

The catcher and umpire looked at me in surprise.

I ignored them and stepped back into the box.

Tension was one of the greatest pressures that ate away at athletes on the field.

I tightly gripped the bat again.

This was my second life anyway.

If it ended here, then it ended.

I focused again with that thought.

If I died, then I simply died.

There was no other reason or excuse.

147 km/h.

The opposing pitcher’s fastball came toward me.

I did not move.

It was simply a ball.

Because he had tried to throw with too much power, his control had slipped slightly.

He had probably been aiming for another low inside fastball.

I let out a deep breath.

“Why? Things aren’t going your way?”

“Looks like it.”

The catcher spoke to test me.

I calmly admitted it.

Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since I last hit a home run.

One strike, two balls.

This was the most important moment.

If I could not hit here, there might not be another chance.

If another strike came in and I failed to hit it, the possibility of striking out would increase sharply.

If the next pitch was a ball, the opposing battery could simply create a plan to walk me.

That was usually how these situations developed.

Then the next pitch came.

A fairly fast slider.

That pitch was probably meant to increase the strike count.

What I had just told the catcher about things not going well had probably influenced his decision.

That was why the catcher was trying to fully take advantage of the mentality of a rookie like me.

Low outside slider.

Thank you.

Thank you for falling so easily into my trap.

CRACK!

I swung without hesitation.

The catcher immediately jumped to his feet.

The pitcher adjusted his cap and stared toward the outfield.

I calmly dropped the bat and began rounding the bases.

Home run.

The ball barely cleared the right-field wall.

1-0.

That was how my tenth home run of my first season was completed.

But instead of feeling happy about the record, the pressure of what remained immediately rushed over me.

I still needed a single, double, and triple.

The triple in particular made my future look completely hopeless.

Still, I had successfully taken the first step.

I believed the home run would become much harder to get if I did not hit it early.

That was why I wanted to complete the hardest part first.

“Damn, congratulations on number ten. We’ll get the ball for you.”

Kim Hak-seong hit me hard on the chest.

After receiving congratulations from the players, I calmly sat on the bench.

You guys need to get lots of hits so I can get more plate appearances.

I needed at least four opportunities.

As if answering that wish, Yoon Jae-jun and Daniel Sanchez reached base with consecutive hits.

Unfortunately, it did not produce another run.

Yugam and Kim Hak-seong were retired one after another.

Either way, the game continued.

Crack!

Wright’s condition was only average.

He had been consistently performing well lately, including quality starts, but today was different.

2-1.

We lost the lead far too easily.

Part of it was probably because we were facing the second-place team.

This was a battle between the two best-performing teams in the league.

I did not receive another opportunity until the third inning.

This time, I wanted a triple.

I calmly thought about triples.

How exactly do you intentionally hit a triple?

145 km/h.

No good pitches came.

Once again, it was a low inside fastball.

They were stubbornly attacking that low inside zone.

Was that considered my biggest weakness?

The next pitch would probably be a curve aimed at the same area.

If I pulled it with a golf-like swing...

CRACK!

The second pitch was indeed a curve, exactly as I expected.

I swung upward hard like a golf swing.

The ball became a line drive and shot toward the area in front of the right fielder.

I got lucky.

The moment I threw down my bat, I sprinted at full speed.

My target was third base.

If I did not do it now, there might never be another chance.

I stepped on first in an instant.

As I approached second, I saw the opposing defense making their relay throw.

I ignored them.

Even when the base coach ordered me to stop, I continued running toward third.

The ball was already traveling toward third.

I slid with all my strength.

It was almost my first proper slide since turning professional, so I was not used to it.

But this was not the time to care.

Whether my finger broke or something happened to my body, surviving was more important.

“Safe!”

I heard the umpire’s call.

The third baseman had failed to tag me properly.

The reason was the shortstop’s inaccurate throw.

“Seong, are you insane?!”

The base coach shouted in panic.

I lowered my head and answered.

“I’m sorry, Coach. But I felt like we really needed to win...”

The coach stopped complaining and looked at my fingers.

They tingled slightly after touching the base, but it was nowhere near an actual injury.

“...As long as you aren’t hurt.”

I nodded at the foreign coach’s short reply.

Thankfully, it was officially ruled a triple.

Now I only needed a single and a double.

Yoon Jae-jun later hit a sacrifice fly to the outfield, tying the score again.

“Your fingers okay?”

The moment I returned to the bench, three or four people surrounded me and asked.

I quietly nodded.

Even if I got injured, that was better than dying.

That was the principle I had chosen.

Manager Rodriguez motioned me over separately.

“Good boy.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t do headfirst slides from now on. If you’re going to slide, go feet first.”

“Yes.”

That surprisingly simple warning was the end of it.

We had tied the game 2-2, but Wright immediately got hit again.

3-2.

After allowing a solo home run in the second inning, Wright’s expression finally twisted.

Even Kim Mu-won added another hit.

He looked completely comfortable batting near the top of the lineup today.

Already a multi-hit game.

His eyes kept turning toward me.

My next opportunity came in the fifth.

If I failed to get a single or double here, there was a very real chance everything would end.

We were having more trouble than expected against their starter and kept making useless outs.

Every single opportunity felt like my last.

144 km/h.

This time the pitch came low and outside.

Strike on the first pitch.

After seeing nothing but inside pitches, the outside edge looked even farther away.

The ticking sound became even faster.

Every pitch placed pressure on me.

Then came a curve.

The problem was that it slipped from the pitcher’s control and flew toward my thigh.

“!!”

I quickly jumped backward.

I could not get hit right now.

“Sorry. Our pitcher isn’t in great condition today.”

It definitely did not seem intentional.

Even the pitcher awkwardly lowered his head.

I need to get it.

I need to hit.

Those were the only thoughts filling my mind.

146 km/h.

This time, a fastball drifted right down the middle.

I did not miss it.

Finally, my chance had come.

Crack!

I lightly hit the ball through the gap between the shortstop and second baseman.

An easy single.

“Looks like you really want that cycle.”

I did not respond to the opposing first baseman.

I did not merely want it.

If I did not complete it, I was seriously in trouble.

I could literally die.

“Three-for-three... You might as well do everything by yourself.”

“You’re still leading 3-2, senior.”

I definitely believed I could not create the team’s victory alone.

But that concern turned out to be unnecessary.

CRACK!

A huge sound came from Yoon Jae-jun’s bat in the next plate appearance.

Everyone watched the ball’s path.

I calmly remained at first.

“Is it going? Is it gone?”

The first baseman shouted.

Yoon Jae-jun launched a two-run home run to take the lead.

4-3.

“Damn it, I told you getting you on base wasn’t meaningless!”

I simply rounded the bases while the first baseman shouted.

I did not care much.

Only a double remained now.

Just one double.

If I hit one double, I would finally escape from this hellish sub mission.

“One double left. Stay focused.”

Manager Rodriguez called me over again after I returned to the bench.

I calmly listened to him.

“Of course.”

I could not exactly tell him that this final hit would decide whether I lived or died.

Even if I died, this world would probably continue moving.

Crack!

Things finally went wrong during my fourth plate appearance.

I failed to put enough strength behind the ball, and it did not even become an infield single.

For a moment, I could only stare in confusion.

How could the ball come off my bat that weakly?

The field conditions might have played a part, but the slight pain in my finger was probably the bigger reason.

Countless thoughts passed through my mind.

Still, all I could do was pray for another plate appearance that might or might not come.

It was the seventh inning.

The score was still 4-3.

The ticking in my heart became faster than it had ever been.