The tension of the bottom of the ninth, the regret of a strikeout—they all become ingredients for a mouthwatering experience. A truly unique essay born from the love of baseball and cooking.

Baseball is like life.
From the tension of the bottom of the ninth inning, the hope that blossoms from a single, the despair of a strikeout, and the joy of a home run, the stadium is always filled with an unpredictable whirlwind of emotions.
"Bottom of the 9th, the Taste of Baseball: The Ups and Downs of Everyday Life" is a special essay written by Nam Ah-ra (Razel) in her own unique language, connecting the passionate feelings toward the sport of baseball and the LG Twins with her own life.

This book presents baseball not as a simple list of records, but as a drama and a feast.
A home run is a fragrant, lingering delicacy, a strikeout is a bitter taste that lingers, and a decisive hit in the bottom of the ninth is like a warm soup that offers hope for a new life.
The emotions on the field come alive once again at the table, and the food enriches the weight of baseball's narrative.

Author Nam Ah-ra is a long-time fan of baseball and the LG Twins, and also someone who tells stories of her daily life through cooking.
So, his writing naturally blends the excitement of the stadium with the warmth of the kitchen.
The joys and sorrows felt at the baseball stadium bloom again at the table, and the warmth of the moment of sharing food lingers like an extra inning.

For readers who love baseball, the vivid emotions they felt on the field will be rekindled in the writing, and for those who love food, it will be an opportunity to experience the tension and joy of the game anew through the flavors on the table.
"Bottom of the 9th, The Taste of Baseball: A Taste of Ups and Downs" is a unique essay that ultimately brings together the worlds of baseball and cooking, presenting the "taste of life" that allows us to savor what we love for a long time.

This book is a story about how I love what I love even more.
If you've ever been a passionate cheerleader for someone, if you've ever been moved to tears by a scene, if you've ever ruminated on a time you can never return to, you'll probably find yourself standing still at a certain page in this book.
With the same mind as me.
--- p.11 From the "Prologue"

Come to think of it, I've always followed my mother's lead in making food.
It wasn't just about their food preferences, but also their likes, their cheers, and their way of cheering.
Since my mom liked Ryu Ji-hyun, I naturally started to look at the shortstop position and ended up rooting for Oh Ji-hwan.
I was also impressed by the play that my mother was impressed by, and I cheered along with her.
Before I knew it, I was watching baseball and eating food the way my mom did.
--- p.39 From “Chapter 1: The Source of Appetite_Cucumber Salad”

When asked in an interview what he said to Moon Bo-kyung, who was in tears after making a game-ending error in a match against a team competing for the rankings, Oh Ji-hwan said, “I made the most mistakes.
I know this well as someone who has made many mistakes.
“When I hear nagging, I keep thinking about the mistakes I made,” he replied lightly.
And when the junior recovered from his mistake in just one day, “Bo-kyung did well.
He praised him, saying, “He is a better player than me.”

Perhaps he wished that his cherished junior would not have to walk through the endless, dark tunnel of self-loathing that he himself had experienced, being broken and worn down by all the sharp words and gazes.
I want to forever deprive my juniors of that dark experience of blaming themselves and driving themselves into a state of heavy burden.
If that is the love of a senior who endured the dark times with his whole body, then it must be love.
The senior who was once a 'ruler' encouraged Moon Bo-kyung in the simplest way possible, so that she could just be Moon Bo-kyung.
--- p.45 From “Chapter 1 No matter what anyone says, I am me”

The reason we love heroes is because their journey is so human.
The hero's journey is not actually a mythical tale from some distant land.
We all fail, get frustrated, and fall down in life.
Sometimes we face moments when we feel disappointed in ourselves, ostracized by people, and want to give up, telling ourselves that enough is enough.

But there are people who go beyond that moment.
A person who gets back up again, a person who perseveres until the end, and so eventually pushes even his own limits beyond the wall.
In Oh Ji-hwan, we see more than just a player who wins, but a hero who never gives up.
The time he went through and the efforts he made give us a little courage.
Oh Ji-hwan is a hero to LG Twins fans, but he is also a testament to the hope that we can rise again when we fall in our own lives.
--- pp.64-65 From "Chapter 1: The Hero's Journey"

Strangely enough, I think of this day sometimes.
Rather than days when I was happy because I won, or days when I was upset because I lost, there were days when I didn't see anything, but talked with friends and ate new food in an unfamiliar city.
Perhaps that's why Daegu still remains a warm city of makchang to me.
Even if the uniforms are different, even if the teams we support are different.
The warm welcome and delicious meal I had on a rainy day left an impression that will last a long time.
I guess this is why I like baseball.
Even though the stadium is closed, the story goes on.
--- pp.108-109 From "Chapter 2: A Taste I Wouldn't Have Known If It Were Not for Baseball_Makchang"

So whenever I see Shin Min-jae, I think of Gaji.
Vegetables that have only been eaten as side dishes.
I used to ignore this vegetable because I thought it was a bland and tasteless side dish, but when the cooking method changed, it revealed a completely different flavor.
And now eggplant has become one of my favorite summer ingredients.
Possibilities sometimes take time, someone's fingertips, and only the quiet fire of faith can truly bring them to life.
It took several recipes to discover the true utility of eggplant.
--- pp.116-117 From "Chapter 2 Things Written Less Than Possible_Stir-fried Eggplant"

People sometimes ask me:
Why do you like a team that loses so often?
Why don't you cheer for a stronger team?
That's because LG Twins' baseball taught me the truth of life.
The simple truths that life doesn't always go the way you want it to, that not all your expectations may be met, and that even if you lose, there's always tomorrow.
It wasn't something they taught you in school, it was something you had to learn through direct experience.

If I hadn't loved the LG Twins and watched baseball, I wouldn't have experienced so many losses in my life.
Even if you had experienced it, you wouldn't have known how to endure it and get back up again.
I practiced countless times on the baseball field, in that microcosm of life's harshness, how to bounce back from setbacks.
--- pp.169-170 From “Chapter 2: I Learned About Hardship and Adversity Through Baseball”

While cutting the radish, I suddenly had that thought.
Seasons are always the surest spoilers.
No matter how harsh the winter, we endure it with that one clear spoiler: the fact that spring will eventually come.
No matter how miserable our baseball season ended, a spoiler tells us that a completely new baseball season will begin from scratch the following spring.
--- p.186 From “Chapter 2 Spoiler Lovers_Dalrae and Chamnamul”

There are no qualifications or superiority in liking someone.
Someone might know the rules of baseball well from the beginning and truly love it, but does that sincerity have to be there from the beginning to be valid? In any love, what's more important than the beginning is the continuation.
Even if you started out as a fan simply because you liked his handsome face, if you started to understand the story on the field by crying and laughing over his wins and losses, then you can say that it is sincere.
Because true love is not proven by where it starts, but by how deep it becomes.
--- p.213 From "Chapter 3 This Time It's Not a Lie"

If you think about it, failure was proof of courage.
It was evidence that something had been tried, and a record of the challenge.
Even the brave make mistakes and wander.
Just as Dvorak created his own melody despite countless setbacks and poverty, the LG Twins also created their own baseball through daily struggles and failures.
He didn't just stay at first base.
I ran fiercely to get one more base.
--- p.237 From “Chapter 3 Seoul LG Run Towards the Dream_Basil Pesto”

The reason we love eating rice fried in leftover broth may be because it offers a surprising flavor that only those who stay until the end can enjoy.
If you watch the seasoning slowly and steadily simmering over the fire, the concentration and flavor that were initially unknown will gradually reveal themselves.
The depth of flavor that can never be achieved without patience for the simmering time is the essence of fried rice.
The reason we can't leave the pot even after eating all the soybean paste stew, and the reason we can't turn off the baseball broadcast until the last out count, are all the same.
Because the most thrilling taste comes at the end.

--- p.264 From “Chapter 3: Build-up for Fried Rice_Bean Sprout Bulgogi”