Chapter 25: Dancing Under the Moonlight

‘If I knew I was going to be this on, I should’ve played it more difficult in the first inning.’

In the bottom of the 1st inning, Su-hyeon threw four consecutive change-ups to strike out the second batter, Yoshino Soushi.

But because she used an unconventional pitch sequence and showed her change-up too much, it became difficult to use it as a finishing pitch anymore.

Judging from Muneyama’s batting, it seemed like there were instructions from the bench to only look for fastballs.

To strike out the right-handed Yoshino, the most logical choice was to use the Boing-Rider.

But Su-hyeon was hesitating.

The Boing-Rider was the pitch that allowed a hit to Gaylord Gay in the preliminaries of the Greatest Baseball Tournament. It was a pitch that had always been a problem for Su-hyeon due to its chronic control issues.

In the end, the Boing-Linker is the go-to pitch.

If I completely disregard the four-seam fastball.

I have no choice but to gamble with the Boing change-up and the Boing-Rider.

[Boing Boing (EX+) trait is activated]

Boing~

Yoshino swung at Su-hyeon’s change-up and was dumbfounded.

‘Five consecutive change-ups?!

Does this b*tch really think I’m a pushover?!’

Crack-

– It’s hit!

But it’s a foul fly that’s going towards the stands on the third base side.

– It’s the first properly hit ball.

The timing is starting to get better as the batting order turns around.

Thanks to the change-up being located as an inside pitch, Yoshino’s pulled hit was declared foul, far from the line. But it was a fast hit that could have been a double if it had been just a little less outside.

The first pitch went well as planned.

The second pitch, the Boing-Rider.

This pitch needed to be located on the outside borderline without leaking to the middle.

Boing~

Thwack!

“..Strike!”

Yoshino, who thought it was slightly outside, looked at the umpire, but the umpire was looking far away. The umpire, being human, had inadvertently made a generous call on a slider he had never seen before today.

‘Yoshino, isn’t it interesting?

That the intervention of imperfect humans is necessary for a perfect result.’

Su-hyeon wasn’t an opponent of ABS, but she wasn’t a proponent either.

She was closer to a proponent, considering that umpires could make blatantly biased calls.

But she didn’t think that ABS calls were unconditionally superior to human calls.

As the traces of misjudgments fade with the flow of time, the records become clearer.

Baseball, a sport that is more enthusiastic about records than any other sport.

The fact that the god of baseball is blessing me right now.

Su-hyeon could be sure of that.

Whoosh-

Whoosh-

Thwack!

“Swing, batter out!”

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

– He swung!

Three-pitch strikeout!

11 consecutive strikeouts!

-It’s absolutely overwhelming.

Riding the momentum, Su-hyeon’s pitches quickly dispatched the next batter as well.

-The 3-hole hitter Asano is in a 1-2 hole.

What’s the out pitch?

It’s in there!

141 km/h, two-seam fastball!

12 consecutive strikeouts!

– Haha…

4 innings, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 runs, 12 strikeouts.

After finishing the inning, Su-hyeon stood in front of the dugout and greeted the incoming fielders as always.

But even her teammates, who always joked around, just bumped gloves with her and went in without saying a word.

Su-hyeon, who knew the reason, also silently finished the glove greetings and entered the dugout.

An awkward silence filled the usually lively dugout.

The one who broke the tension was the Hawks’ fearless rookie, Kiriyama Shota.

“Senpai, if you get one more strikeout, you tie the world record, you know?”

“Shota, shut up!”

Captain Masaki yelled at Kiriyama, but Su-hyeon gestured to Masaki that it was okay and answered Kiriyama.

“You’re really a weirdo, Shota.”

“I thought senpai might not like this kind of atmosphere.

Am I wrong?”

How could I dislike it?

It means everyone is being considerate of me.

“There’s nothing to like or dislike.

I’m just grateful that they’re being considerate.”

“Really?

I guess I wouldn’t know since I haven’t experienced it yet.”

That’s right.

When you actually face this kind of situation, you’ll know.

Whether that’s tomorrow or years from now, I don’t know.

“Anyway, thanks.”

“Right?

I knew senpai would prefer to do things as usual rather than being quiet.”

That’s also true.

Everyone being quiet and mindful of me only in the fall.

Because the results were bad, that consideration also became a bad memory for me.

So just one more to go.

Su-hyeon was aiming for Sasaki Roki’s world record.

But she didn’t want to surpass that record and set a new one.

I’m not sure how to explain it.

Is it okay for me to do this?

Strictly speaking, isn’t this cheating?

Until now, I thought that this much of an advantage was natural since I have the handicap of being a woman.

But the power of Boing Boing (EX+), enhanced by today’s red moon whatever-whatever, was showing a power far beyond such rationalization.

To prevent Su-hyeon’s shoulder from cooling down, the Hawks’ offense in the top of the 5th inning ended quickly with three consecutive first-pitch outs.

Bottom of the 5th inning.

The lead-off batter was Ariel Fernandez, Rakuten’s first baseman who had a .332/.428/.590 slash line in Triple-A last year.

An OPS hitter with both contact and power, he was by no means an easy opponent.

However, Fernandez was a left-handed batter whose weakness was the low and away corner.

And Su-hyeon was a pitcher whose specialty was hitting the inside corner of right-handed batters, so the outcome was already decided.

In short, it was a bad matchup.

– A swing and a miss!

13 consecutive strikeouts!

Tying the world record!

-It’s like the entire Fukuoka Dome is under the spell of this fox spirit.

Something unbelievable is happening.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

One more!

One more!

Even the silent Hawks’ dugout joined the crowd’s cheers and began to support Su-hyeon.

“Su-hyeon, don’t stop, just keep going!”

“You look even prettier today, senpai!”

That crazy punk again.

I was thinking of stopping around here, but it wasn’t just the crowd and my teammates who were encouraging Su-hyeon.

– Substitution.

Instead of third baseman Ono, pinch hitter Kagawa.

Number 47, Kagawa.

Even the opposing bench was moving to help Su-hyeon achieve a great record.

‘That idiot manager.

Doesn’t he know that I’m almost invincible against batters I’m facing for the first time?’

Rakuten manager Shima’s boneheaded move, obsessed with the lefty-righty matchup but forgetting a more fundamental fact.

All the conditions for achieving the record were in place.

And Su-hyeon once again gripped the ball and raised her left leg high.

The moment Su-hyeon finished the top of the 5th inning by getting the 6th batter to ground out to the shortstop, fireworks began to explode under the roof of Fukuoka Dome.

Boom- Kaboom- Bang- Boom boom-

At the same time, Su-hyeon’s image was projected on the large scoreboard that occupied the entire outfield of Fukuoka Dome.

14 Consecutive Strikeouts

Achieving a New World Record

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

No.

17 Jeong Su-hyeon

“Weren’t those fireworks supposed to go off when we win?”

Dae-joon, who was watching the game with everyone in the staff room, asked marketing manager Uehara.

“Yes, that’s right.

But I got a call from the chairwoman.

She told me to set off half of the installed fireworks for now.”

“The chairwoman again…

I don’t think we’ll lose today, though.”

Dae-joon felt a little uneasy because it seemed like they were getting ahead of themselves.

But even though the consecutive strikeout record was broken, he didn’t think the Rakuten batters would be able to hit Su-hyeon’s pitches today.

And Su-hyeon had no intention of taking the game lightly, even if she was intoxicated by the consecutive strikeout record.

Boing~

Thwack!

“Strike, batter out!”

-She’s using a slider as an out pitch from this inning.

Looking strikeout!

Jeong Su-hyeon, her 16th strikeout of the day.

-It’s gotten even more difficult because she’s not conscious of the strikeouts.

The Rakuten batters have no choice but to become more impatient.

– If they become impatient…

it’s because of another record, right?

Yes, that’s right.

7 innings, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 runs, 16 strikeouts.

The Hawks’ dugout, which had briefly regained its energy, fell into a deep silence once again.

In the silence, the first to speak again was the ever-fearless rookie.

“Six more batters until a perfect game, senpai.”

“I can count too, you know, you ever-so-kind Shota?”

Kiriyama Shota, who just had to say something even when there was nothing to say.

Captain Masaki and the other players seemed to have given up, as they no longer tried to stop Kiriyama.

Forward, invincible Hawks-

Forward, fiery Hawks-

In the bottom of the 7th inning, the Hawks’ fight song, signaling the lucky seventh, played, but the Hawks batters had no intention of wasting time at the plate.

And there were no home fans who criticized those batters.

Top of the 8th inning.

Su-hyeon ended the inning with another three up, three down.

8 innings, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 runs, 17 strikeouts.

Bottom of the 8th inning, the Hawks’ offense.

Powerful swings as if to say, “If it’s not a home run, I’ll give you defense.”

It was a strange thing.

In a team sport, the most important thing should be victory.

But the players were running towards something other than victory.

And the fans were silently anticipating that other thing.

Su-hyeon didn’t like this atmosphere.

Why does everyone have expectations on their own, making it difficult for the person being expected of?

I want to live up to those expectations, I want to make them all come true.

But what if I can’t?

I don’t want to disappoint anyone.

Top of the 9th inning, Su-hyeon took the mound again.

Su-hyeon’s pitch count so far.

93 pitches.