Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 84

Reunited Fate (2)

Whirr-

Bang!

Whirr-

Bang!

Each time the ball thrown by the pitching machine hit Oh Seok-hoon’s bat, the sound of impact echoed throughout the indoor practice field.

Being in the middle of the season and in good condition recently, his hits were powerful and precise.

“Wow! A pro is definitely on another level,” Lee Joo-hyuk exclaimed, watching with wide eyes.

“Seok-hoon has such a fundamentally sound swing. His posture is so stable,” I observed.

“Do you think I could ever compete against a professional hitter?” Lee Joo-hyuk asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

“Those guys are top hitters in the league. It’s tough to compare yourself to them right now,” I replied honestly.

“I guess so?”

“Of course. And speed and power aren’t everything. You have strengths of your own. Have confidence.”

I patted Lee Joo-hyuk’s shoulder to encourage him.

Whirr-

Bang!

“All done!” Oh Seok-hoon, breathing heavily after his last swing, walked over to me.

“Hitting well again today?”

“Yeah, I’m seeing the ball really well lately.”

“Good job.”

As soon as Oh Seok-hoon finished, Park Seong-ju stepped up with his bat, ready to take over.

“My turn now.”

He swung his bat lightly a few times to warm up, then settled into his batting stance.

Whirr-

Bang!

Whirr-

Bang!

Park Seong-ju also swung powerfully, making solid contact.

I watched Park Seong-ju’s batting for a moment, then turned to Lee Joo-hyuk.

“Want to throw a few pitches if you’re up for it?”

“Ah… Sure! Let me grab my glove from the room!” Lee Joo-hyuk readily agreed and hurried upstairs.

Lee Joo-hyuk returned with his glove, and we played catch for a few minutes to warm up our arms.

I put down my glove and stood beside Lee Joo-hyuk to watch him pitch.

“I’ll start with a fastball.”

I nodded, watching Lee Joo-hyuk intently.

Lee Joo-hyuk took his pitching stance and took a few deep breaths to compose himself.

After preparing, he threw the ball with all his might toward the strike zone painted on the wall.

Thwack!

From the push off the mound with his hips and the shift of his weight to his stride and follow-through, everything looked smoother and more fluid than before.

“Oh, the issue I mentioned last time – that hitch where you seemed to pull your left hand back – is almost gone now.”

During the last spring training camp, I had noticed a slight flaw in his motion.

“I’ve been working hard to correct it.”

“That’s impressive.”

“It’s nothing,” Lee Joo-hyuk said, scratching his head, seemingly embarrassed by the compliment.

I picked up another ball and handed it to Lee Joo-hyuk.

“Want to try a breaking ball this time?”

“Yes.”

I moved behind Lee Joo-hyuk to get a better view of the ball’s trajectory.

Lee Joo-hyuk prepared for a moment, then threw the ball with everything he had.

Thwack!

Judging by the trajectory, it looked like he threw a slider.

It wasn’t perfect, but it looked good enough to be used in a real game.

Thwack!

Next, he threw a changeup and a curveball.

Hmm…

Those two pitches didn’t seem quite ready for game use yet.

“…Maybe we should focus on practicing the fastball and slider for now?”

“Are the changeup and curveball that bad?” Lee Joo-hyuk asked, looking disappointed.

The key to a good changeup is to throw it with the same arm speed and motion as a fastball.

Otherwise, it just becomes a slower fastball, making it easier for hitters to time their swing.

A good changeup can be a tremendous weapon, but it’s a notoriously difficult pitch to master.

“You could use the curveball as a show-me pitch [a pitch thrown primarily to gauge a hitter’s reaction], but trying to get by with your current changeup could be dangerous.”

“I guess throwing multiple pitches isn’t easy. I thought I had practiced a lot…” Disappointment was clear on Lee Joo-hyuk’s face.

“It’s better to choose a few pitches and focus on perfecting them. You can be competitive if you can throw your fastball and slider effectively.”

“Yes, I’ll practice as you tell me.”

“How fast have you been throwing lately?”

“I’ve never actually measured my speed…”

“Really? Then let’s check your velocity first.”

I retrieved a speed gun from the corner of the practice field.

“Ready to throw again?”

“Should I throw a fastball first?”

“Throw about ten in a row. I’ll calculate the average.”

“Yes.”

“Speed isn’t the most important thing, so don’t try to overdo it. Imagine you’re pitching in the later innings, like you’re throwing your 30th pitch.”

Lee Joo-hyuk nodded and started throwing.

Thwack.

133 km/h [approximately 83 mph].

Thwack.

135 km/h [approximately 84 mph].

Thwack.

138 km/h [approximately 86 mph].

The speed increased with each throw, as his body warmed up.

The average speed was around 135 km/h [84 mph], and the highest speed reached 142 km/h [approximately 88 mph].

That was a bit slower than the average for domestic professional pitchers.

Of course, it would be ideal if he could throw faster, but velocity isn’t the only factor that determines a pitcher’s potential.

More importantly, his speed wouldn’t increase significantly just by training for a few days, so it seemed best to focus on maximizing his current strengths.

“Shall we work on improving your mechanics step by step from now on?”

Lee Joo-hyuk listened intently, trying not to miss a single word I said.

We ended up training for quite a long time.

Even after the pitching practice, we did lower body exercises for balance and flexibility.

It must have been a tough training schedule for his first day back, especially after traveling such a long distance, but Lee Joo-hyuk didn’t complain even once.

* * *

The next day.

I went to watch the Buffaloes game with Lee Joo-hyuk.

“Waaaaah-”

“Oooooh. For victory! Buffaloes, fighting!” The cheers and songs of the crowd were always exhilarating.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a game in Korea,” Lee Joo-hyuk said, looking around the stadium with a nostalgic expression.

“How long has it been?”

“I haven’t been able to come since I went to college in the United States, so it must be at least five years.”

“Do you recognize many of the Korean players?”

“I’ve watched games from time to time, but there are probably more players I don’t know than ones I do.”

“The players’ physiques might be smaller compared to Major League Baseball players in the United States, but it’ll still be fun to watch.”

As we were talking, the game was about to start.

Lee Joo-hyuk rummaged through his bag and pulled out a notebook and pen.

I glanced at it and saw that it was filled with writing.

“What’s all this?”

“It’s nothing special. I just jot down some notes about the pitchers’ performances while watching the game.”

“Can I take a look?”

“Of course.” Lee Joo-hyuk readily handed me the notebook.

I flipped through the pages.

The pitching forms, characteristics of each pitch, strengths, and weaknesses were meticulously noted for each pitcher.

Interspersed throughout were observations on what could be learned from each pitcher.

In addition, there were also notes on hitters:
how they gripped the bat, whether they held it long or short, whether they stood close to or far from home plate, whether their stance was wide or narrow, and how to approach them based on their individual characteristics.

From what appeared to be a game log, the process and results of each pitcher’s performance were also written in detail.

“You actually record and keep track of all this?”

“Everyone keeps their methods a secret and doesn’t reveal them. So, I looked up data and player interviews and created my own system.”

“That’s amazing.”

It was a moment that gave me a new appreciation for Lee Joo-hyuk.

“I guess I wasn’t born with natural talent. I have to do this to survive.”

“You’ll do well.”

While Lee Joo-hyuk and I were talking, the game began.

Today’s starting pitcher for the Unicorns was a foreign pitcher, considered the team’s number two starter.

He was playing in Korea for the first time this season.

He hadn’t pitched many games yet, but based on his performance so far, he was good enough to be considered the team’s ace.

Thwack!

As expected, he was throwing hard right from the start.

“Wow, will the hitters even be able to get a hit off that guy?”

“He’s throwing too hard; it’ll be difficult to hit him early on. We’ll probably only be able to get to him after the batting order turns over once.”

Even when the Buffaloes hitters swung, they struggled to make solid contact.

It was the first time they had faced this pitcher, so they were unfamiliar with his style, and his speed and power were overwhelming.

Click.

Not only the first two hitters but also Oh Seok-hoon, batting third, were retired with fly balls.

“I’m really envious of pitchers with good velocity. They’re already halfway to winning.”

“I guess so.”

Pitching speed was often something pitchers were born with.

It was possible to compensate to some extent with hard work, but sadly, there was a clear limit.

“I wish I had been born with a little more talent… It’s a shame,” Lee Joo-hyuk said, unable to hide his disappointment.

The inning changed, and the Buffaloes took the field again.

The batter stepping up to the plate was the cleanup hitter, Park Seong-ju.

“Seong-ju looks huge even from here.”

“In terms of raw power, he wouldn’t be outmatched even if he were playing in the major leagues right now.”

“He’s intimidating to watch when he’s working out.”

“How scary is the ball when he connects?”

As Park Seong-ju approached the plate, the fans’ cheers grew louder.

“Park Seong-ju, home run! Park Seong-ju, home run!”

Against a pitcher who was difficult to string hits against, scoring with one swing was a more likely strategy.

However, the current pitcher hadn’t allowed a single home run in the three games he had pitched in the domestic league so far.

After exchanging signs with the catcher, the pitcher lifted his leg and threw the ball with all his might.

Crack!

Park Seong-ju’s bat continued its powerful rotation even after hitting the ball.

“Huh?”

“Is that going to go over?”

The eyes of everyone in the stadium, including me and Lee Joo-hyuk, followed the trajectory of the ball.

The batted ball sailed over the fence.

“Home run!”

“Waaaaaaah-”

The stadium erupted in cheers the moment everyone realized it was a home run.

Park Seong-ju, who had been watching the ball fly, slowly circled the infield only after confirming the third base umpire’s home run signal.

And he didn’t forget to theatrically throw the bat he was holding high into the air, as if responding to the enthusiastic cheers of the fans.

“Waaaaah- Park Seong-ju! Park Seong-ju! Park Seong-ju!”

The cheers of the Buffaloes fans grew even louder during Park Seong-ju’s celebration.

However, not everyone in the stadium was enjoying this moment.

The pitcher, his face reddened with anger, started walking toward Park Seong-ju, who was rounding first base and heading toward second, incensed by the bat flip.