TV
‘The Strongest Baseball’, 2 consecutive wins against Whimoon High School
In the 40th episode of JTBC's entertainment program 'Strongest Baseball', which aired on the 15th, the Strongest Monsters returned to a 70% winning percentage by winning the second game against Whimoon High School with a score of 6 to 3.
The Strongest Monsters won the first game against Whimoon High School, but it was not refreshing because Whimoon High School made many mistakes. The strongest Monsters pledged to win the second game with their skills. ‘Slam Brothers’ Lee Taek-geun and Jeong Geun-woo showed their determination to escape the no-hitter in this game.
Coach Kim Seong-geun announced the starting lineup for the Whimoon High School series sweep. Park Yong-taek took over as the number one hitter for the second time in a row, and fortunately, Jeong Geun-woo took over as the number two hitter. Manager Kim Seong-geun, who gave the 9th hitter position to Lee Taek-geun, the '10th loser', further heightened the tension by saying, "This is the last time." The mound was given to ‘nuclear(?)’ pitcher Oh Joo-won. In addition, Kim Moon-ho was entrusted with the important responsibility of third base coach in place of coach Lee Kwang-gil, who was absent due to personal schedules. Director Kim Seong-geun and the Strongest Monsters became increasingly worried when they saw Kim Moon-ho struggling and confused about memorizing only three autographs.
Oh Joo-won appeared nervous in his first start of the 2023 season. Whimoon High School scored the first run in the top of the first inning when Oh Joo-won was not yet healthy, and the strongest Monsters immediately launched a counterattack. In the top of the second inning, Taek-geun Lee got his first hit of the season, signaling an escape from 10 shutouts, and with one out and runners loaded, Whimoon High School's throwing error brought in two runners and succeeded in turning the score around 2-1.
The strongest Monsters had a chance with one out and the bases loaded in the third inning, but an unfortunate situation occurred where they were unable to score. However, Oh Joo-won's pitching, which found stability, shone and blocked the sharp attacks of Whimoon High School batters.
In the 4th inning, Jeong Geun-woo finally recorded a hit to avoid the 10-hit crisis. The strongest Monsters added only one point due to Whimoon High School's error in another chance with the bases loaded and one out. Nevertheless, Oh Joo-won mastered the 'art of guidance' by pitching in a trance-like state while exhausted, and ended this inning with a three-way strike. Manager Kim Seong-geun entrusted the mound to Oh Joo-won until the fifth inning, and Oh Joo-won faithfully repaid that trust.
Daily coach Kim Moon-ho created the worst result of a mistake in communicating the strategy, instantly freezing the team atmosphere. Shin Jae-young, who took the mound in place of Oh Joo-won in the 6th inning, was so greedy that he gave up 2 runs in an instant, tying the score at 3-3. In the end, he handed the mound over to ace Lee Dae-eun in the 7th inning and entered the dugout bitterly. Dae-eun Lee dominated the mound with a pitch worthy of the team's ace, and the strongest Monsters ran away with a 6-3 score in the 8th inning thanks to a walk and Chung Eui-yoon's 2 RBI.
In the end, Whimoon High School was unable to score any additional points, and Dae-eun Lee became the winning pitcher with the highest velocity of the season, 146 km/h. Director Kim Seong-geun said, “The boat turned over and then rose again. That's life and baseball. Because I don’t know where or how to move. I have to practice tomorrow. “That’s how we become a strong team,” he said.
The Strongest Monsters comfortably swept Whimoon High School in a two-game series, rising to a winning percentage of 70.5. The next opponent waiting for them is Jangchung High School, and they will play against the so-called ‘Eagle Five Brothers’ composed of ace pitching staff. The strongest Monsters also predicted a fierce pitching battle by bringing super rookie Jeong Hyun-soo and ace Lee Dae-eun to the mound.
The 40th episode of ‘Best Baseball’ recorded a viewer rating of 3.5% (provided by Nielsen Korea, based on paying households in the metropolitan area). The 2049 viewership rating was also 1.5%.
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr
