Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 59

“Oh, oh!”

The eyes of all the spectators, including me, turned to one place at the same time.

The ball, flying high into the sky, soared over the right field fence.

“Home run!”

The moment the second base umpire spread his fingers and signaled the home run,

“Wow!”

Exclamations erupted from the Buffaloes dugout.

I clapped and got up to high-five Lee Joo-hyuk.

Oh Seok-hoon, rounding the infield diamond, was finally starting to smile.

It was fortunate that he got a good hit at a time when he needed a confidence boost.

I felt good that Oh Seok-hoon’s spirits were lifted, but…

On the other hand, I felt sorry for Scott, who was fiddling with his glove after giving up the home run.

He looked completely different from the dominant figure he had been in the previous inning.

Coincidentally, both batters who reached base were left-handed.

Does he have a weakness against left-handers?

For a right-handed pitcher to effectively face a left-handed batter, he must have a breaking ball that drops vertically [like a curveball or splitter].

If he doesn’t have this kind of breaking ball, no matter how overwhelming his fastball is, he will inevitably struggle in the game, like now.

Next,

Park Seong-joo, the cleanup hitter, stepped up to the plate.

I was curious to see what kind of matchup he would have against the right-handed batter who was up again.

Thwack!

The fastball slammed into the catcher’s mitt again.

Tick.

Park Seong-joo’s bat was pushed back by the force of Scott’s pitch.

Park Seong-joo was so surprised by Scott’s power that his mouth dropped open.

He barely managed to check his swing on the ensuing sharp slider,

But even Park Seong-joo, who has good power, didn’t seem to be able to overcome Scott’s fastball.

In the end,

Tick!

The weakly hit ball popped up high.

“Out!”

The center fielder ran over and caught it without difficulty.

Park Seong-joo, confirming the out, looked at Scott again as he returned to the dugout and clicked his tongue.

A pitcher who is powerful against right-handers but struggles against left-handers.

Now I knew why he wasn’t playing as a starter on the team.

To be blunt, this kind of one-dimensional pitcher is not suitable for the starting rotation, which requires him to be effective for an entire game.

Especially in a situation where the number of left-handed batters is increasing, he would inevitably have more difficulties.

Scott pitched 2 innings and came off the mound.

The game continued after that.

Park Seong-joo, who had been hitting solid line drives since his next at-bat, eventually hit a home run, confirming that he was definitely the Buffaloes’ cleanup hitter this season.

The Sun Devils also showed a formidable performance, but the Buffaloes won.

In my opinion, the MVP of today’s game was Park Seong-joo.

And more than anything, it was a great achievement that Oh Seok-hoon was regaining his confidence at the plate.

Scott’s final stat line was 2 innings, 2 runs allowed (1 home run).

He gave up a home run to Oh Seok-hoon, but other than that, he was excellent.

When the game was over, Steven Paul got up from his seat and approached me.

He seemed to have something to say to me.

I urgently gave Lee Joo-hyuk a look.

Paul naturally said something to Lee Joo-hyuk in English.

“He’s asking when the two players will become free agents.”

The moment I heard what Paul said through Lee Joo-hyuk, I almost screamed.

“In three years.”

“Are the two players considering a move to the Major Leagues?”

“If the conditions are right, there’s no reason to refuse.”

Paul nodded at my answer.

“Let’s keep in touch.”

“Of course. I’ll contact you.”

I shook hands with Steven Paul and received the business card he handed me.

It was the moment I made a connection with a Major League Baseball team official for the first time.

* * *

After the game, Lee Joo-hyuk and I met Michael Scott again.

Scott’s bright smile and enthusiastic hand gestures showed that he was still in a good mood.

“Kang’s company players are Oh and Park, right? The 3rd and 4th hitters?”

“That’s right.”

Lee Joo-hyuk was busy translating while Scott and I were talking.

“Wow! I think they’re both great. Oh’s legs are a blur when he runs, and Park’s power is amazing.”

Scott shook his head and expressed his amazement with both hands.

I felt good that he recognized our players, but…

But what’s important now wasn’t that.

“Scott, how developed do you think your changeup and curveball are?”

Scott’s expression, which had been bright until just now, immediately darkened at my words.

“I think I can use them occasionally, but I’ve never used them as a go-to pitch.”

“Then what do you do when you face a left-handed batter?”

“I mostly throw fastballs. I also try to strike them out with changeups depending on the situation.”

If the opposing pitcher is having difficulty throwing breaking balls with confidence, it becomes too easy for the batter to anticipate.

This is because the likelihood of throwing an unreliable breaking ball in a high-pressure situation is greatly reduced.

Then you can just focus on the fastball and ignore the breaking ball.

What if a weak breaking ball comes in?

You can confidently swing at the ball that enters the strike zone at a slow speed.

Just like Oh Seok-hoon did to hit a home run earlier.

“It seems like your results are very different against right-handed and left-handed batters?”

“Um… that’s right. There’s a big difference. I can feel it even while I’m pitching.”

“Scott, no matter how well you do against right-handed batters, you can’t be a starting pitcher if you’re so weak against left-handed batters. It’s difficult to be a closer [the final pitcher in a game], and you’ll likely end up as a middle relief pitcher [a pitcher who comes in during the middle innings].”

I spoke as honestly as possible.

There are times when it’s more important to highlight the harsh reality than to give a player false hope.

“So I’m trying to increase my fastball speed, but it’s not easy. I know that my current speed isn’t competitive enough. But I don’t know how to increase it any further.”

“Speed?”

“My average speed is about 95 miles per hour. I think I need to increase it a little more to survive…”

95 miles per hour is about 152 kilometers per hour.

It would be difficult to find even ten domestic players who can consistently throw a ball that fast.

And even in the United States, where there are so many talented players, that speed isn’t considered slow.

Besides, the chances of a professional player who is already an adult suddenly increasing their speed are slim.

“I think you need to change your pitch repertoire rather than your speed.”

“Pitch repertoire?”

“You have to have a weapon to use against left-handed batters.”

“Then how?”

“Could you learn a splitter [a type of fastball that drops sharply]?”

Scott’s eyes were filled with curiosity.

“I think your speed is good enough now, but you should have at least one pitch that drops.”

“Is there a reason why you recommend a splitter? I can throw a changeup, though.”

“From what I see, you can only throw a changeup, but at your current level, it’s unusable in a real game. You gave up a home run with it today.”

Scott raised his eyebrows as if he was embarrassed by my blunt assessment.

“And since you’re already throwing hard, throwing a splitter is a good way to capitalize on that.”

“Then can I just throw a four-seam fastball, slider, and splitter? I think three pitches are too few.”

Scott tilted his head and asked.

“Still, your curveball looks good. I think you can use it enough to disrupt the batter’s timing. Wouldn’t that be enough with a total of four?”

“Um…”

Scott, who was nodding slowly and thinking about something, suddenly clapped his hands.

“Kang, you’re really my benefactor!”

He suddenly jumped up and reached out to shake my hand.

I also got up in a daze and took Scott’s hand.

Then he pulled me in for a hug, and I had no choice but to be dragged helplessly by how strong he was.

It felt like my soul had briefly left my body and then returned.

I barely came to my senses and sat back down.

“But then how do I learn a splitter? Can Kang teach me?”

My worries started again at Scott’s words.

Come to think of it, I was forgetting the most important thing.

He would have to learn properly from someone who throws a splitter well.

Who should he learn from, and how?

“Well…”

I was racking my brain for a moment.

“There are a lot of videos on YouTube these days.”

My eyes widened at Lee Joo-hyuk’s words.

YouTube?

“Can you really learn the technique properly from that? It’s difficult to get instruction from an active Major League player, but I think it would be good to learn from a former player.”

“Of course. Major Leaguers are putting out instructional videos themselves.”

“Major Leaguers are doing that?”

Was Lee Joo-hyuk exaggerating?

“Wow! That’s right, that’s a great idea.”

Scott raised his hands again as if he had gained a profound realization and shouted out his admiration.

Then he jumped up and greeted Lee Joo-hyuk warmly.

I didn’t know the world was changing so fast.

Am I already falling behind the times?

Anyway, even the last remaining problem was solved.

I felt proud to see Michael Scott smiling brightly.

* * *

I finished my schedule for the day and returned to the accommodation.

Writing daily reports on Oh Seok-hoon, Park Seong-joo, and Go Ji-hoon didn’t take that long anymore.

I was so bored when I tried to spend time alone after sending all the report data.

The accommodation was pretty good, so it was relaxing just to roll around and rest inside.

But it didn’t solve the boredom.

I tried to go out with Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo, but outings were strictly restricted unless it was the team’s official day off.

It was a team rule to prevent accidents or dangerous situations from happening overseas.

I had no choice but to spend time alone.

I came all the way to America, so I should at least look around instead of staying inside.

I’ve heard a lot of stories about how dangerous it is to walk around in America at night, so I’ve never been out, but I think it’s okay to go to a nearby place.

“Surely nothing will happen? Let’s just go out for a bit.”

I was more tired of being cooped up in the accommodation at night for several days.

In the end, I put on a light jacket and left the accommodation.

“Hoo-”

The night air in America felt different.

I walked, enjoying the leisure and being aware of my surroundings in case something happened.

Thwack.

Thwack.

I heard a sound like someone throwing a ball from somewhere.

I moved my steps towards the place where the sound was coming from as if drawn by a magnet.

There was someone in the corner of a narrow empty lot.

A man was hanging a square board on the wall and throwing a ball at it.

“Is he a baseball player?”

But why is he training in a place like this?

I cautiously walked towards him.