The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 41

41. No Individual Is Greater Than the Team (4)

“Hey, I’m just asking this just in case, but you have to answer me really honestly. Don’t worry about me getting hurt or anything. Got it?”

“What’s with the big fuss? And I’ve never worried about you getting hurt in the first place. Your only advantage is that you have a tough mentality that doesn’t get hurt no matter how much I tell you the truth. Oh, and I’ll tell you in advance. If you’re going to ask if your face is messed up, it is. It’s definitely not because of your hairstyle.”

“Ugh, come on!!”

“Okay, okay. What is it? I’ll hit you with the facts. Ask me.”

An Byeong-yeong hesitated for a moment.

Jinwoo thought that appearance was very unlike him.

“Am I being selfish?”

“What? Is that the question? I thought you were going to ask something big, making such a fuss. Of course, you’re selfish.”

“Huh?”

“What’s with that ‘I didn’t know’ reaction? You’re freaking selfish. Hey, think about it. Where are you right now?”

“Your room?”

“It’s not just my room, it’s a room that I share with the other guys. They always make way for you whenever you come.”

“No, it’s because they say it’s more comfortable for them to gather and watch TV together…”

“Man, that’s only good once or twice. How comfortable would it be to be kicked out of their room every time?”

“…”

“But why are you suddenly asking if you’re selfish? It’s not like you.”

“I just suddenly thought that I’m only thinking about myself too much and not thinking about others.”

Lee Jinwoo looked at An Byeong-yeong with a fresh perspective.

The owner of a steel-like mentality, who usually wouldn’t care even if he heard much worse words than ‘selfish,’ was somehow quite dejected.

“What’s wrong? Why? Did someone say they hate you because you’re selfish?”

“No, it’s not that. Just some self-loathing or something?”

“Wow, to think that the words ‘self-loathing’ would come out of An Byeong-yeong’s mouth, who’s practically the king of self-love.”

“Hey, I’m not the king of self-love. I still see myself pretty objectively, don’t I?”

“Objectively, my foot. I’m just being nice because I’m your friend. Your mental maturity is about the same as my kindergarten-aged cousin.”

“Kindergarten? Wow, that’s ridiculous. Then what are you, hanging out with someone like me?”

“Hmm? A good friend who cherishes even a lacking guy like you?”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying! Lee Jinwoo. Forget it. I’m the crazy one for seriously confiding in you.”

“Of course, you’re crazy. Do you think this is the right time for you to confide in me, logically speaking? Man, the third round of the tournament is tomorrow. And I’m the starting pitcher, who you’re bothering right now.”

***

Director Park thought that this tournament was lucky in many ways. Basically, the bracket itself was like that. They were scheduled to meet the most troublesome opponent, Gyeongha, in the semi-finals, and the next most difficult opponent, Cheonnam High School, only if they made it to the finals.

Moreover, the matches went so smoothly. The first game was one thing, but the second game was against a team that was by no means easy, but thanks to scoring a lot of points in the third inning, they easily passed with a 5-inning called game [a game ended early due to one team having a significant lead].

Thanks to this, not only the players’ stamina but also the pitchers’ pitch counts were very well managed. Of course, the team’s ace, Choi Suwon, threw 60 pitches in two consecutive games. An Byeong-yeong also threw 27 pitches in the first game and 19 in the second game. But compared to other teams, this was mild.

And most importantly, their round 3 opponent.

Cheonma High School, the strongest team in the Seoul B area, which reached the top 4 in the first half of the King of Kings tournament and also received a seed in the second half of the King of Kings tournament, was eliminated, and Baekwon High School advanced to the 3rd round.

Baekwon High School, which placed second in the Gyeonggi and Gangwon region, was a typical small and medium-sized baseball team that relied on one ace. In the second game, their ace, Han Min-joon, surprisingly recorded a 147-pitch no-hitter, defeating Cheonma High School 3-0.

It was a clear upset.

Han Min-joon, who threw 147 pitches in the second game, was now unable to pitch in the third game. Moreover, unlike Jungang High School, which played only up to the 5th inning in the two previous games, they played both of the previous games up to the 9th inning, so the players’ fatigue would also be considerable.

One game.

He had been thinking that it was necessary to give Suwon a rest for at least one game.

Suwon’s shoulder was also a concern, and even if it was a customary practice within the regulations, Director Park was well aware that playing in all tournament games would look like overwork to ordinary people.

“Lee Jinwoo will start this game.”

“Yes? Wouldn’t Byeong-yeong be better?”

“It’s a team with only Han Min-joon as a threatening player anyway. Considering the next game and the game after that, we should try not to send Byeong-yeong out if possible, and even if we do send him out, it’s difficult to let him exceed 60 pitches.”

Also, considering the recent hitting performance of Jungang High School, he couldn’t imagine a scenario where they wouldn’t score a lot of points against pitchers other than Han Min-joon.

‘Hoo.’

Top of the 1st inning.

Lee Jinwoo stood on the mound.

It was the biggest stage since he played in the national competition in Little League when he was very young. Although he often played in Mokdong [a well-known baseball stadium in Seoul], the stadium felt special today for some reason.

Numerous cameras filled the stands.

Of course, he knew very well that those cameras didn’t want him. Was it around the time he graduated from Little League and went to middle school baseball? No. Still, it seemed okay even when he entered middle school. Still, he went from Little League to middle school baseball because he was scouted.

Even in the first year of middle school, he was the best prospect in the school, if not the region, but before he knew it, he was pushed back to the second pitcher instead of the team’s ace. Others grew 10cm each season, but he grew 3 or 4cm. Was the average height in Korea said to be 172cm? He was definitely a little taller than that, but 174cm was too short to do elite sports.

When he was young, there were times when he thought that he didn’t grow that much because he resembled his parents. There were also times when he resented his parents for not giving lessons to more famous players. They were really stupid thoughts.

But instead of scolding Jinwoo for being stupid, his parents said that it was because he resembled them and apologized for not being able to support him more.

No. It was Jinwoo himself who should be sorry. How much money did he take from home, saying that he was taking private lessons from that not-so-famous professional coach, or that he had to pay money to the baseball team? It was the culmination of his mother and father’s blood and sweat, created by sacrificing their lives.

Yes, if he had a proper mind, he should have given up baseball a long time ago.

What was he so attached to this ball game, which he lacked talent for and couldn’t even go pro?

So, this is it.

He had been throwing the ball for 11 years, starting with Little League.

He thought that winning the weekend league was the peak of his career, but to be a starter in the 3rd round of the national competition, wouldn’t that be a game where he could get rid of all his remaining regrets?

A batter entered the plate.

Jo Yujin asked him for a fastball with all his might in the deep inside course. Of course, there was no fastball to pressure the batter.

He threw the ball with all his might.

Maximum 131km/h [kilometers per hour].

In terms of speed alone, there is not much difference from An Byeong-yeong.

But he didn’t have the excellent control that An Byeong-yeong had. The place he was aiming for was the deep inside course, but the place he was heading for was the middle of the zone.

-Clang!!

The batter’s bat hit the ball.

A high fly ball.

His fingers moved towards the fly ball as always.

Fly ball out to the outfield.

“Nice!!! Gyeongseok, nice catch!!”

The last pitching of the unchosen one began like that.

***

“Do you happen to know Choi Suwon?”

“Choi Suwon of Jungang High School? If you’re in our field these days and you don’t know him, you’re a spy. No, it’s not just our field. There are quite a few people among the general public who have heard that name, right? Then the game is already over. In fact, well, even if ordinary people hear the name of a high school player, it’s usually because they were drafted in the first round and there’s a high school player who received a lot of money. But for a name to be known among the general public for playing in the high school league? I guarantee you. It’s almost impossible. Even PD-nim [PD is short for Program Director, a common title in Korean broadcasting], do you remember any high school baseball player’s name in the last 10 years?”

“Well… Now that you mention it, I’ve definitely heard their names mainly because the players were drafted or something. I don’t think I’ve seen a player like Choi Suwon who is frequently in the news or newspapers.”

“See? That’s the reality of high school baseball. But Choi Suwon has gone beyond that. I heard that… Ah, I shouldn’t say this.”

“If it’s a story that shouldn’t come out, I’ll edit it out well.”

“Instead of that, let’s turn off the camera here.”

“Ah, scout-nim [baseball scout].”

“I can’t really release it anyway. If I release this, I’ll be in big trouble because it violates the professional baseball rules. Just send one interviewer.”

“Ah, what is it… Ah, I understand. I understand. Director, just turn off the camera. Really.”

“That’s because…”

***

“PD Gyeong-ah, are you really going to cut that? We already recorded the audio separately with the recorder.”

“Director Kim. It’s not like we’re doing this job for just a day or two. Is there any reason to get fired for filming a documentary? If we release this, that scout-nim will be in danger for violating the tampering clause [rules against improperly contacting players].”

“No, if we put in voice modulation for that…”

“Ugh, no. No. It’s obvious anyway. And even without that, Choi Suwon will be highlighted enough.”

“Still, it’s 2 billion…”

2 billion.

Anyone who knows a little about professional baseball, or even if they don’t know, everyone knows that it is an enormous amount that transcends common sense.

Immediately, the previous highest record was Choi Min-hyuk’s 1.05 billion won set last year, and that was also a record renewal after 17 years. And there was one thing in common. It is the interest of Major League Baseball. Last year, Milwaukee showed interest, and 17 years ago, the Yankees showed interest.

It is not known exactly how much Milwaukee bid for Choi Min-hyuk last year. However, in the case of the record 17 years ago, the Yankees offered as much as $2.5 million, so a huge sum of 1 billion won was possible.

But to add several thousand or several hundred million to that, and then suddenly double the amount directly. Then, what is the value of Choi Suwon in the major leagues?

“That’s why I feel even more like that. What is our theme? The sweat and tears of youth amateur baseball. If 2 billion won goes into this, the feeling is a bit off. No matter how much the purpose is to highlight how great Choi Suwon is.”

“Well… By the way, Choi Suwon is really great. No, 2 billion? It’s not even Major League. To spend 2 billion on a rookie contract.”

“First of all, it’s just a rumor. Besides, that’s only possible if the team is in last place.”

“That’s true, but looking at the momentum of that team these days, it seems like they’re really going to be in last place. Are they doing that on purpose to take Choi Suwon?”

“Hey, there’s no way. That’s just their skill.”

“…”