Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 230

230. Preparation Complete (2)

I quickly crouched down to meet the beanie-wearing child’s eyes.

“Hey kid, are you okay?”

The child I’d bumped into looked about eight years old.

And what was most surprising was that I could see an information window for the child. Seeing an information window meant they were connected to baseball, and considering their young age, there was a good chance they dreamed of becoming a baseball player.

-Very tired from a long battle with acute leukemia.

-An ardent fan of Park Seong-ju of the Buffaloes.

So, a sick child.

Fortunately, they didn’t seem seriously hurt.

A woman who appeared to be the child’s mother was helping them up.

I bowed my head towards the mother.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention and bumped into your child.”

“It’s alright. It was just a little fall,” the mother said, helping Kim I-hyun up.

Kim I-hyun, who stood up quickly, looked at me, tilted their head, then turned to Oh Seok-hoon with a surprised expression.

“Oh? Are you perhaps Mr. Oh Seok-hoon?”

“That’s right. Are you a Buffaloes fan?” Oh Seok-hoon asked, meeting Kim I-hyun’s eyes.

“I’m a really big fan! Wow! Mom, it’s really Oh Seok-hoon!”

Kim I-hyun turned to look at their mom, eyes wide.

“What a coincidence. I-hyun really likes the Buffaloes,” the mother said, also seeming surprised by the situation.

I knelt down to be at Kim I-hyun’s eye level.

“I-hyun, who is your favorite player?”

“Mr. Park Seong-ju! And I like Mr. Oh Seok-hoon too. I was so sad when you got hurt recently. Are you okay now?”

Kim I-hyun asked Oh Seok-hoon, unable to hide their excitement and concern.

“Of course, I’m completely fine now. I’ll be ready to play as soon as the season starts.”

“Whew—that’s a relief. You absolutely mustn’t get hurt this season.”

“Okay, I promise not to get hurt and will play well,” Oh Seok-hoon replied, gently patting Kim I-hyun’s head.

I suddenly felt I couldn’t just let them go and asked Kim I-hyun, “I-hyun, do you happen to have any baseball equipment with you right now?”

“No. I have it at home, but…” Kim I-hyun’s face clouded over with disappointment, as if they had anticipated my reason for asking.

I was tempted to take them to the agency right away to give them gifts and let them meet Park Seong-ju in person, but with the season opener just around the corner, it was difficult to find the time.

I turned to Kim I-hyun’s mother and said, “Madam, would you mind giving me your home address?”

“Our home address?” Kim I-hyun’s mother tilted her head, looking puzzled.

“It feels like fate that we met like this, so I can’t just let it pass. I’d like to send some equipment signed by our players.”

“Really?” Kim I-hyun said, eyes wide.

“Of course, I’ll even get Park Seong-ju’s autograph and send it.”

“Wow!”

Kim I-hyun’s expression brightened as I nodded.

“Thank you so much, CEO,” Kim I-hyun’s mother said with a bright smile.

I was able to get Kim I-hyun’s address and contact information right then and there.

Oh Seok-hoon and I headed straight to the agency’s dormitory.

As soon as we arrived, we called Park Seong-ju and filmed a video message. We told the other players about the situation and asked them to film and send videos as well.

The players who heard the story readily agreed to participate in filming videos for Kim I-hyun.

We put a USB containing the cheering videos from our agency’s players, along with a uniform, bat, and glove signed by Park Seong-ju, Oh Seok-hoon, and Go Ji-hoon, and sent it to Kim I-hyun’s house.

I hoped that the small gift would help them overcome their difficult battle with illness, even if just a little.

* * *

Before long, the winter cold gradually receded, and a slightly warmer spring breeze began to blow.

As spring training camp came to an end, the exhibition games began.

The ten clubs adjusted the condition of their key players while also testing new players.

I watched every game to find hidden gems who could be recommended for the national team.

Because it was an exhibition game, I was able to witness daring and aggressive plays that are rare to see in the regular season with my own eyes.

I was also able to directly confirm the chemistry between Michael Scott and Han Gyo-jin.

I was curious to see how much of an effect the training they had done together at the agency would have.

Even though it was just an exhibition game, it was clear that getting to play together on the first-team stage would be beneficial.

Unlike Scott, who focused on conditioning, Han Gyo-jin showed the same level of concentration as in the regular season.

It was an effort to catch the eye of the manager and coaches by any means possible.

Thwack!

“Strike out!”

Whoosh-

“Strike out!”

Even though the fastball speed that Scott was throwing wasn’t yet blazing fast, at around 146km/h to 149km/h [90-93 mph], the batters were unable to time it properly.

└As expected, Scott is reliable! Let’s go for 20 wins next year!!

└It seems like he’s going to do so well this season too. If so, this will really be the last time ㅠㅠ.

└What is this dilemma of being happy and sad at the same time?

During the three innings that Scott pitched in his first exhibition game appearance, he didn’t shake his head at the signs that Han Gyo-jin sent even once.

Moreover, when Scott allowed a runner on base due to a walk, Han Gyo-jin’s true worth could be seen.

“He’s running! He’s running! He’s running!”

The moment Scott threw the ball, the runner on first base began to dash towards second base.

He was a fast player, and his start was good.

Han Gyo-jin caught the ball and threw it with all his might towards second baseman Seo Seong-min.

Whoosh-

The pop time [time from glove to throw], from the moment he caught the ball until he threw it, was short, and the throw was accurate and quickly flying towards Seo Seong-min’s glove.

It was so accurate that it would naturally tag the runner without Seo Seong-min having to move his glove.

“Out!”

The second base umpire raised his fist without hesitation.

Seeing this, Scott, with his mouth wide open, gave Han Gyo-jin a thumbs up.

Han Gyo-jin’s power shone at the plate as well.

He swung his bat fiercely, as if trying to prove himself directly in front of Kim Min-guk, the manager of the Jaguars.

Clang!

Not only did he hit sharp line drives,

Whack!

He even hit a home run that soared over the fence, showing that his hitting ability was good enough to work in the first team.

└Wow, look at that runner control ㅋㅋ It seems almost impossible to steal a base in games where Scott is pitching.

└Scott is already fast with his ball speed and not bad at controlling runners, so if Han Gyo-jin is catching, he should be able to block 100% of stolen base attempts.

└Shouldn’t Han Gyo-jin try to match up with other pitchers too? He was originally recognized for his hitting, and just blocking stolen bases from time to time would save several points.

└It’s not just about being good at blocking stolen bases for a catcher. But if he improves in managing the game, he might even be able to become the starting catcher.

└He definitely has talent on the hitting side. If he has to be in the lineup because of Scott anyway, he could be used as a pinch hitter in the later innings.

└If that’s the case, he’s too good to be just a pinch hitter. On days when Scott isn’t pitching, he should just be put in as a designated hitter. From what I see today, he could definitely handle being a cleanup hitter.

Donald Watson, who was playing in the same game, also seemed relaxed.

I could feel that he had fully adapted to the Korean league.

He also looked comfortable in his center field defense.

└If Donald Watson plays a full season after adapting to the league, what kind of stats would he have?

└He’ll probably hit at least 20 home runs this season. 20 stolen bases are a given, so he’ll easily achieve the 20-20 club [20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season].

└Honestly, I think he could even do 30-30? From Watson’s perspective, he should be greedy to go to the major league next year with good conditions.

└Let’s just have him hit 40-40 and win the championship and retire his number.

└Even so, retiring the number of a player who has only played for two years is too much.

Attention from fans and other clubs was also focused on Oh Seok-hoon, who had announced a change in his playing style.

From the exhibition games, Oh Seok-hoon’s plays using his quick speed couldn’t be seen as much.

It could be thought that he has become easier to deal with because the possibility of creating an infield hit with a surprise bunt at an unexpected timing has greatly decreased.

Clang!

The distance that the ball traveled when hit by Oh Seok-hoon’s bat was on a different level than last season.

Even when he was out with a fly ball, the way he sharply sent it to the outfield was remarkable.

└Is Oh Seok-hoon going to become a home run hitter like this? His hitting is completely different from last year. Every time he hits it, it goes to the outfield.

└If that’s the case, win the batting title and leave for the major league!!!

└From the opposing team’s perspective, the process of going from 3rd batter Oh Seok-hoon to 4th batter Park Seong-ju seems incredibly difficult?

└He was originally a player with basic power, but if he has worked this hard, he should be able to easily hit 20 home runs this season.

└He can show one stolen base on days when his physical condition is good, right? I don’t think other teams will be able to predict it easily now.

└Don’t say that. If he strains his hamstring again, he’ll be out for at least a month. The Buffaloes can’t win the championship without Oh Seok-hoon.

Choi Jeong-hwan, who was once again selected as the Doubleds’ closer, checked his condition by pitching one inning at a time.

He focused on conducting practical tests by increasing the proportion of the slider he had learned from Go Ji-hoon and the forkball he had learned from Jang Su-young during the last agency training camp.

Thwack!

“Strike!”

In addition to throwing a powerful fastball inside,

Whoosh-

“Strike!”

With a sharply breaking slider,

Whoosh-

“Strike out!”

Even a forkball that dropped sharply in front of the batter.

He clearly showed a level of sharpness that was upgraded from last season.

└It seems like Choi Jeong-hwan will now be able to compete with breaking balls in important situations?

└If his breaking balls get better, it’ll be no problem to think that the Doubleds only need to go up to the 8th inning [meaning they only need a lead going into the 8th inning to win].

└Forget everything else, it’s over if Choi Jeong-hwan just throws his fastball well inside. There are hardly any players who can hit a 158km/h [98 mph] inside fastball.

└I’m curious to know if it will work in international competitions. Honestly, I can’t tell if the fastball that Choi Jeong-hwan throws is for domestic use or not.

In addition, Go Ji-hoon and Na Jun-ho, who were already top-class players, were beyond words, and Jang Su-young, So Young-joon, and Seo Seong-min also showed good condition.

I couldn’t help but look forward to seeing how well our players would perform this season.

Before long, all the exhibition games were over.

It was natural that all the agency’s players were named to the opening roster because they were maintaining good condition.

Michael Scott was selected as the opening game starting pitcher, and Han Gyo-jin was also named to the first-team opening game lineup.

With Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju facing free agency [the ability to sign with any team] next season, and Michael Scott and Donald Watson announcing their challenge to the major league,

The opening of the season, which may be the last time to see them on the Korean stage, was just around the corner.